Back on Independence Day

Gabriel & Jared slept over at our house on July 3-4. In the morning, Laura and Darrin came home form the hotel and we all went to Sacajawea Park for a little picnic, then home for siesta. At 5pm, we headed out to the ranch with the Lehmans, the Winsors, and some Melin/Marsh family... Gabriel & James at the ranch picnic July 4th.
Darrin, Laura, & Mom Melin at the ranch picnic.
--Crazy kids playing at the ranch on July 4th: Heidi, Boston, Addie, Alexander, & Jaylee--

Peter & Zuzana came with us to the ranch, too, and we had to leave at 7:30 to take them into town for the last night of the Livingston Roundup--their first rodeo! When we got to the fairgrounds, it was crowded and the signs said "sold out," but Rich jumped out and escorted them to the ticket counter and said, "Can you help me out? I've got two Slovakian students who've never been to a rodeo? Aren't there any tickets at all left?" The ticket person felt sorry for P&Z and handed Rich two $25 ticket and said, "Tell them to have a great time!" So Rich got them in to the rodeo for free and they LOVED it!

In the meantime, we all went back to our house with the Lehmans and the Winsors to eat the yummy Pioneer Woman flag cake I had made. The kids played in the kiddie pool and we all say on the lawn and the hammock and watched the sunset. Soon it was 10pm--time to go watch fireworks at the Claar's house (which is on 3 city lots near the fairgrounds--perfect!). When we got there, the fireworks had begun and the Claars' firepit was all stoked up. The kids were out on the lawn in chairs and blankets, the adults were on the wrap-around porch and lawn chairs, and I could only make out people's faces when a big firework burst. It was sooooo beautiful!

--Addie with her s'more, and Jared in the foreground.--
"OOOOOOO"
"AHHHHHHH"

God Bless America!

--Zuzana and her first s'more --

--Peter & his first s'more--

After the fireworks, Rich picked up Peter and Zuzana from the rodeo and brought them over to make their first s'mores. I also tasted my first roasted banana (yet another thing I missed not going to girls' camp--and no, I still don't regret missing out on camp--not even a delicious banana roasted with chocolate chips, nuts, and marshmallows could make me wish I had participated in the histrionics and catiness of three days in the woods--and DIRT--with adolescent girls, even when I was an adolescent girl). --The Firepit--

It was Norman-Rockwell-eque, and I felt so grateful for all my blessing at that moment--great friends, a fabulous family, liberty, health, education, testimony, charity, home, food, mini-van, Montana weather and beauty...the list goes on and so does my gratitude for ALL OF IT!

Edify & Rejoice

Feeling better today, but still trying to learn: "Kindness is to do and say/ the kindest things in the kindest way." Read about it at Segullah (click).

Also, it's birthday time around here! Happy Birthday yesterday to my nephew Danny and BIL, Mike!

Today, it's Happy Birthday to my Pixie-Niece, Isabelle, and my dear friend Page.

Have a great day!

Something Random

I looked in my photo folder adn saw a bunch of great pictures I haven't posted yet, so here they are in no particular order:

James takes a bath in the sink!
He loves baths! All three of my kids are such water babies...
Don't forget to get behind your ears!
Heidi & Addie on June 18, 2007
What they're doing: Greeting Daddy as he comes home for lunch on his birthday
What they're wearing: I made them three different skirts for summer this year and let them choose the fabrics. This yellow fabric was Heidi's choice.

"Yay, Dad!"

Rich took this photo of the moonrise over Livingston--

isn't it beautiful!?!

So You Think You Can Camp...

All I heard about getting ready for our spur-of-the-moment camping trip Friday was something about "get the kids' clothes and the bedding, pack stuff for s'mores and cheap breakfast tomorrow." So I did all that on Thursday night and Friday morning--packed some snacks, lots of water, the 7-Up and Root Beer left over form July 4th, pink marshmallows and fudge stripe cookies, two kinds of cereal, a half-gallon of milk, bananas, apples, baby food, and formula.

Rich thought I'd taken care of Saturday's lunch, too, and we would stop for dinner on the way into Yellowstone. But I didn't take care of Saturday's lunch, so we had to split our budget up for two meals, which meant some interesting choices from the grocery store near the North entrance to the park, and then McDonald's in Columbus on the way home. But it was sooo much fun! We left later than we thought we would (Rich had to work until 5 instead of 3 or 4), and we were all hungrier than we thought we would be, and we didn't get camp set up until after 9pm so we didn't build a fire. Shucks! But the snuggly night's sleep in the tent as a family and the STUNNING scenery we would experience the next day made up for everything! If you can swing it, you simply MUST drive the Beartooth Highway in early summer! It was beautiful.

Our three sillies in the tent

Heidi the Cookie Monster

James discovered cookies on this trip...

...oooo, those are YUMMY!

Here we are helping Addie write in her Hello Kitty journal, having cookies and milk before bed.

Heidi's Big Grin
Addie trying to "haunt" us with her flashlight and scary eyes
At about 7am I went to the 'throom, and this is what I found when I came back:

Sleeping Beauties!

And my two boyz hanging' out in the tent.
We got up and got dressed and Heidi tried to tell us which way to go using this map. (There is a video of this I will post later).
Kids and the tent

Our pretty spot in the woods at the Crazy Creek campground in Wyoming (which we shared with 7.9 million mosquitos--thank heaven for Deep Woods OFF!). It was very near the western end of the Beartooth Highway
Toward the top of the highway we saw pretty little lakes like these--the Chain Lakes
Looking out from the Top of the World--it's like a lush Grand Canyon!


Rich & James (Addie on the left) taking a walk at the look-out ledge
We Were There.
Me and the kids looking out over the last quarter of the highway before we got to Red Lodge, MT (doncha love our camping hair?!?).

Heidi and Addie watching chipmunks and saying "It's a long way down!"
Entertaining little chipmunks at the look-out.
Miles and miles of this breath-taking scenery...

We enjoyed the drive, and ended up in Red Lodge at about 11am. We took the kids to Magpie Toys--a neat little place on Main Street, where they bought toys with their own money. We got drinks and headed a few miles north to visit with my former Mia Maid teacher, Teresa Oliphant and her husband Brent. Sadly I didn't have the presence of mind to take a photo , but hopefully we will see them again soon! We drove to Columbus at about 1pm and got Happy Meals for the girls and got home in time to take a nap before I had to work at 6pm. It was delightful and I thank my husband for taking us on an adventure!

More Photos coming soon...Happy Monday!

So Long

We had a wonderful 4th of July--details and photos coming soon--and now we're off like a herd of turtles to camp at Cooke City and drive the Beartooth Highway tomorrow and be home in time for me to work tomorrow night!Hope all is well with all y'all!

Drink lots of water and stay out of the sun!...

What A Day

First of all, Happy 10th Anniversary to Laura & Darrin! They are at the Comfort Inn and their boys are sleeping here.

Secondly, Happy Birthday to my dear friend, the the always clever, ever-darling Ms. Erin Casper over in England. I have a special post inside my head for you. I'll get it out later.

Thirdly, we now have tenants at our house! You heard me. Two Slovakian grad students (a couple--Zuzana & Peter) came here to work through September and their housing fell through. One of their employers is a friend in our ward and she begged us to consider renting out our guest room and bathroom to them for the summer. We met with them last night, made an agreement ($250/month--which made me think, by the way, Gram and Gramp, what I would owe you after living with you for 30 months--$7500), and they moved in tonight. I keep thinking how fun it will be when Brother and Sister Blatter get home from their mission to Slovenia/Croatia this month--Gramma Suzie, you'll have to come over LOTS!

So how crazy is THAT? We got a good feeling about it and I think it will turn out to be a blessing for all involved. Now, to bed so I can rest up for a WILD INDEPENDENCE DAY! Live it up, y'all (after you look at these pix):

A bucket-o-holiday cheer from my crafty friend Jenn

The vintage cowgirls on the guest bathroom wall

Oops, I need to rotate this, but it's for Jill! I got my soda in this cup at the mini mart the very day after I watched that silly old DP commerical on your blog! Better drink your DP at 10, 2 & 4!

We got the guest room all pretty for Aunt Marti and my sis Lisa to come visit, and now it's rented out and they will have to sleep in the nursery! (Which is almost as cute & comfy... )

Where Peter & Susana will sleep

The "Cowgirl Bathroom"- now rented out!

(Do you love the real live horse shoe from the ranch hanging above the toilet as if to wish you GOOD LUCK in your bathroom endeavors?)

Have a great Independence Day! I'll report back ASAP!

PS: There is a pattern for paper pinwheels here (click). Basically, you need double sided scrapbooking paper cut in a square, then you cut diagonally from the corners to the center, bend, and pin with a brad. BBQ skewers make great sticks and are really cheap!

Giddyup! It's the Livingston Roundup Parade!

Every year, we celebrate Independence Day earlier than the rest of America with the always-awesome Roundup Parade. It's always on July 2nd and kicks off both the rodeo and the crazy-town 4th-of-July partying. It's pretty much my favorite thing about Livingston in the summer (besides the weather). It's something I used to dream of growing up in Arizona (where if you walked more than a block at 3pm on July 2nd, the paramedics would have to revive you from the heat stroke...either that or a lightning strike). Anyway, here are some pix of our kids enjoying the parade with their friends from church. Addie & her friend Boston
Addie, Boston, Heidi, and Alex (Boston's brother, whom Heidi adores and calls "Ally-jander")
Addie drinkin' a cold one wearing the lei's we made on Sunday
Crazy Lynners and Ally-Jander
(Ally-Jander and Boston have a baby brother, Ian, & their family recently moved up from Tempe/ASU where their Daddy learned to be an engineer).
James wating for the fun to begin!

"We've got a Piper down!..."
Sarah, Boston, Addie, & Heidi with Scary-fun Shriner clowns
They'll be great rodeo queens someday--look at those regal waves!
(Jacob Bates & Ferguson Jeffrey look on)

Michaela Claar passing out candy from her Grandma's float (her Gram runs the Loaves & Fishes soup kitchen here in town where our ward volunteers a couple times a month).
Heidi being her chatty, entertaining self.
A really darling bunch of kids:

Lincoln Jeffrey, Sarah Bates, Curtis Jeffrey, Jacob Bates, Ferguson Jeffrey, Oliver Jeffrey, Addie, Boston Wisor, Heidi, and Alex Winsor (plus there were 3 babies James' age and Alex's friend Emerson in the background with the parents ).

Such Fun!

Cowboys vs. Rednecks

I have made solemn vows to myself as a city girl to avoid becoming (or even becoming confused with) a country girl. Vows like not wearing big bangs or a crunchy perm or cowboy boots. Or not listening to modern country music. Or never, not EVER attending a rodeo.

But I am starting to rethink that last vow. I have finally drawn a distinction between real cowboys and the rednecks who pose as cowboys. For instance, at a rodeo, the cowboys would be showing off thier skills and competing with other cowboys, while the rednecks sat in the stands and drank beers and acted like fools.

I have a growing respect for cowboys and --especially--cowgirls. Last week we went to watch a round up and branding. My friend Summer and her husband help run a HUGE ranch in Springdale, and they are also allowed to keep 10 of their own cattle on the ranch. Of course those cows have bred several more calves and they needed to keep some over at our ranch. So we went to watch the whole process, and Summer's husband brought along the cub scouts he leads to teach them how it's done. It was so cute to see those little boys give the calves shots and then brand them!

But the coolest thing of all was to see Summer up on her horse roping the calves and dragggin' them over to get branded. She looked like a super hero and I was soooo impressed. Suddenly I realize what rodeos are all about (see, I told you I was a city girl). It's a place where hard workin' ranch people develop and show off the skills that make them successful. And that is an awesome and enviable skill set.

I am thankful for people who work hard to literally give us our daily bread. And burgers. Cattle ranching and wheat farming are two things we do a lot of here in Montana--well, I mean OTHER people do a lot of here in Montana-- and I have such respect and gratitude that there are still people in the world willing to work something other than 9-5, to keep family farms, to know the land, care for animals and do way more than their fair share to keep the humans alive.

Summer, you're my hero (and not just because you're doing an awesome job as Primary President). Maybe I'll see you at a rodeo someday!