Pile it up!

I had a break this weekend...Mom and Dad took the girls and dog and I got to go play with Tony in Glacier.  When I first pulled into the driveway I looked at all the things I had to do around here and started singing:

"Back to life, back to reality..."

Then my busy girls...talking nonstop...helped me unload and asked if they could rake the leaves.

"Sure," I sighed feeling sorry for myself because that was one more thing I'd have to clean up.

Then the giggles got the best of me and I joined them in the back yard.

Are there leaves tracked around the house??  

Of course there are.

Was it worth it?

You decide...

C.M. Russell Museum Craft Day

Well I took 5 little girls to the craft day today at the museum.  We spent about 3 hours hitting every table of crafts they had set up.  It was an amazingly organized event with gobs of volunteers.  The preparation alone for something like this must have taken hours!  I only had my phone so the pictures aren't great but they are fun, nonetheless.

Ashely, Kyndra, and Collette and then Avery at the candy cane mouse station.

 Avery and Eliza at the paint stick snowman.

 I loved these melted snowmen!

 Drying spot.

 These angels were the hardest to do...but all the girls managed to make beautiful angels.

 Cookies of course!

 These were beaded bracelets.

These little trees were as cute as can be!

I missed some of the stations but these were the favorites.

That museum is amazing!

A Halloween to Remember

Ronda and Landon got on the train in Pasco, WA Friday night around 6:30 p.m. We had made arrangements for Kyndra and Avery to ride the train with them from West Glacier Park to Browning. Last minute, Jaida and I decided to jump on-board and Tony was our chauffeur to the depot in West Glacier where we met Ronda and Landon at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Amtrak is awesome! The seats are soft and practically lay back and we couldn't believe how quiet the ride was. We spent a good part of the ride in the observatory car where we had a front seat view of the fall show of colors in Glacier Park.

Kyndra, Avery, and Landon didn't miss a beat. They picked up right where they left off when we lived in Pendleton. It was good for my heart to see these kids so happy together playing violins, dreaming up projects, and just playing...just playing together.

Not completly by design all three of our kids were pirates. They had more fun with the neighbor kids dressing up all weekend and were more than ready to go by the time Halloween actually rolled around.

We were invted to head to "the other side of town" to trick-or-treat with my old friend Pat and his kids. What a crew! I think we lasted about an hour and a half in the wind and headed home to dump the candy and sort through the booty.

Ronda and Landon got on the train last night at 11:30 p.m. and are now home in their own beds.
It's over...I can't believe their visit went so fast. We didn't really do anything horribly exciting...painted a bathroom, drove around the country a little, played, went to school, cooked, and drank some wine. These are all the things we have always done together and it was just good for my soul to have them here with us for any amount of time.
Thank you Ronda and Landon. We love you and can't wait for your next visit.

Last Weekend

I get sort of melancholy thinking about our last weekend before school started.  I could tell you what we did, where we went, and who we saw...surface stuff...or I can tell you some deeper thoughts.  I can't get the word "friends" out of my mind.  What makes a friend and companion?  Is it history?  Is it vicinity? Is it common interest?  Is it all or none of those things?  

I'm a social person...I've always felt surrounded by friends in spirit even if not in person.  Lately I've been feeling a little alone...not really in a bad way...it's my job, the girls being gone, etc.  I'm finding out what it's like to really enjoy my own company and take part in today no matter who is actively involved in my "today."  

I spent most of my summer with Tony or in his Gallery visiting with strangers and listening to their adventures in the majestic place called Glacier.  I didn't have to take care of kids, I didn't have to work, I didn't have to clean...I just had to visit and "be."  It was regenerating.  

Here are some of my thoughts on what a friend is:

A friend will wade into the deepest waters with you with a smile on their face.

A friend will hold the tip of the boat down and push you through the waves as you bail water.
 A friend will allow you to shine and in that act...shine themselves.

 A friend can be old, brand new, younger, or older and never share the same talents or interests as long as you are both willing to play each other's games every once in awhile.  

 A friend will share the load...no matter how dirty it may be.

A friend let you know if you are wallowing in the bitter times if it means giving you strength and perspective to enjoy the sweetness life has to offer.

 A friend will let you stand in solitary if necessary...but will never leave you alone.

It was another fabulous weekend with Tony exploring Montana.  We were lucky to be joined by Jeff and his fun boys who are the same age as my girls.  They hit it off and were playing within 10 minutes of being introduced.  I can't tell you how proud and full my heart is right now...being a mom is good...being a friend is good...being able to experience these times is priceless.

Hauser Camp

We met Stacy, Neege and his two beautiful kids at Hauser Reservoir this weekend.

There was just enough of a break in the rain to squeeze in some hiking and fishing.

The girls were great hikers even though they didn't buy into my saying "we don't need a trail...we're explorers!"

We saw this arch from the road and hiked up some pretty steep terrain to get there.

On the way we scared up a big barn owl!

He was just beautiful.

Then we hit the lake to try some fishing.

Kennedy was the only lucky fisher....she caught her own dinner that night...and that doesn't include the monster trout that got away.

We haven't been in a motor boat much...the smiles were huge!

Somehow I ended up on the bank exploring with the kids.

We didn't find much but learned that scrambling in flip flops probably isn't that wise.

Quick friends.

Camdon climbed this tree and after lots of goading and heckling from the crowd he decided to take the plunge.

There is so much of Montana that I haven't explored enough...time to get out there!