Harvest Party

After we tailgated at UI Homecoming we headed home for a nappy kind of afternoon. At 5:30 we got everybody up and dressed and went to our annual school Harvest Party. Mae's only request was, "Can I have some medicine before we go?"

Group shot.

What a trooper. She had been looking forward to the whole day for so
long. I felt so sad for her that she wasn't feeling well.

Costume concert. She got 2nd!

Cutest Woodie ever.
(Even though he wouldn't wear the authentic cowboy boots.)

Ron Weasley.

Road Trippin'

Way back in September we hit the road early on a Friday morning and headed to Big Sky, MT for a wedding. Decided to take a risk and go over Lolo Pass even though we have a child that suffers a bit from car sickness. On a good note - the child that normally suffers from car sickness did NOT get sick in the car. On a not-so-good note .... a child that normally does not suffer from car sickness DID get sick. But she was able to control herself and did not throw up in the car. 

The first time.

The second time she did throw up in the car but was able to hold it in long enough for me to come out of a deep sleep, wade my way from the front seat of the minivan to the back row, clear out a container and get it all in that. All while Bob was cruising at what I am going to assume was a cool 75 mph.

Four kids. Never ending excitement.

When we got to the top of Lolo Pass we stopped at the beautiful rest area/historical site that they have. It was sunny yet cool at that elevation and it was a nice break from the windy road.

(On a side note. For those of you who ever wonder about these kinds of things. We normally take Highway 95 north to Coeur d'Alene and then get on the interstate. This is highway 12(???) that goes straight up over the mountain. On paper it is much shorter mileage wise. But it is two-lane the whole way. And very windy. And there are not many places to get off of the road if needed. It usually takes us around 5 hours to get to Missoula going our "normal" route. This way took 6 because we stopped for an hour at the top to rest a queasy tummy. No difference time wise for us. It is a beautiful drive, don't get me wrong. But it is more of a leisurely jaunt for sure.)

Bob got a most-of-the-family-shot at the beginning of the short nature trail.

Mae was the one whose "seat belt was too tight" and threw up.
You wouldn't be able to tell from these pics.

 Then Etta wanted a turn with the camera.

Mae's turn.

Mae is so photogenic!

Boy shot!

{Smoky} Back to school

We have a tradition the night before Etta starts school.

Pizza at Hell's Gate.

Not this year.

Area wild fires have created hazardous breathing conditions.

So we brought the pizza home, popped in some Looney Tunes and were very thankful that we are not in a position that we will lose our home or even need to evacuate.

Bringing the outdoors in.

Eating like a big boy!

He can hear the "shutter".

Since we didn't do cake for Ethan's first birthday here are some frosting
pictures. He loves cake!

His eyebrows are the best.
And that complexion? Oh my!

Roooaar!

Tri #3

Today Etta ran in her third triathlon. Our local Parks & Rec department puts it on every year. She was a little hesitant while we were getting ready. I finally got it out of her that she didn't want to get last place. It is definitely not a "race", but some crazy parents out there seem to think it is something close to the Olympics. Anyway .... She did her best and I think that she had fun overall.

Trying out the Ergo with a back carry.
Thanks to Annie for the how-to video. It worked with
a little bit of assistance from Bob. Hopefully I can
figure out how to do it on my own. He slept for quite a while
back there.

Getting ready to walk over. (Did I mention it is only about
three blocks from where we live? I love our neighborhood!)

Waiting for Etta's heat.
{The sun was too bright for Mae.}

Jumping in to get ready.

Etta is right in the middle. Look at that straight arm and good
form. Super Marz gave another great round of swimming
lessons this year!

Lap #2 of 4 for the bike leg. A mile is a l-oooooooo-ng way for
a 7-year old on a too-small bike. 

Heading out for two laps of running. Converse All-Stars for the win!

Mae decided she could join for the last lap.

Easy to spring when it's the only thing you are doing.

A strong, happy finish. She says that she will do the tri next year.
[The age requirement is 5-years old. So she misses it by a few
weeks this year.]

Etta reeling it in. So proud of her!

Always ready for a photo op. Can't you just hear Russell saying,
"Cheeeeeeeese!"?

Russell did really well this year. Very well-behaved. Only three
more years until he can use his energy for good.

 Here is the link for last year's. Russell has changed quite. a. bit.

Forever

Yesterday we headed up to Sun Up Bay to visit some friends and spend the day.

I, unfortunately, did not get any pictures of the early afternoon activities of playing in the lake [pooping on the shore], and Bob & Etta kayaking. (Etta kayaked like a BOSS. She got to borrow a kid's kayak and paddled all over the place. So proud of her!)

Mid afternoon we got to head out on their boat. This is when Mae turned to me and said, "Mom, I'm gonna remember this day FOREVER!"

It was a very good day.

Ethan ready to head out. This is 0.7 seconds before he
went into total screaming meltdown mode.

Getting ready to go.

"Mom! Take a picture of that boat to show Grandma Cynthia!"
Look close.

Mae and Louis catching some wind.

Russell was not so super happy about wearing the life jacket.
I learned yesterday that we do not say "no" to him very often.
Much to his detriment.

Unhappy baby selfie.
It was loud.

Etta & Louis getting ready to tube.

Louis, "Etta, you were way more fun to tube with than I thought
you would be."

I finally decided to not fight him. I laid him on the floor,
he thrashed around a bit, then he passed out.

They loved the boat!

Thanks for the great day Jim & Sarah! Until next year ... 

Water Park Fun

On our way home from Fort Benton after Summer Celebration we made a pit stop in Missoula at Bonner Park to cool off and visit with friends. We personally discovered this park in July of 2009. Now we stop regularly.

I plopped Ethan down in the middle of this fountain, and even
though it is not contained, the jets themselves contained
and contented him.

They were constantly changing so he was constantly surprised.

[Eyebrow]

Russell took forever to work up the courage to enter the
water part. By the time he was comfortable with it, it
was time to go. Which of course led to a melt down. 

Trying to get them to slow down for a picture was nearly impossible.
That is our friend Sophia on the right.

My oh my - how they've grown!

Four - yes FOUR! - years ago.

36

Two weeks ago today I turned 36.

Ever since I turned 22 I haven't liked my birthday very much. The growing older, the more responsibility, the growing older, the let down after the amazingness of birthdays when I was young, the growing older ....

Okay, okay, okay - I know that I'm not old. I get that. I'm in the prime of life actually. And this year I finally fully felt that way. My expectations for life are shifting slightly. I am so Type A in all that I do. But having four kids changes that a bit. Don't get me wrong, I think Type A helps me to parent four children. (Sleep schedule anyone? The only reason I lack sleep is because I choose to stay up too late at night.) But having four children keeps me from being too Type A.

Our days are fluid. While we have an overall schedule we follow I have learned to let go of the minutes. My stay-at-home-mom's schedule looks markedly different than my previous go-to-work schedule. Our lives do not run on school bells and I get more done before 8:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m. then I probably ever did when I was working outside of the home. That is hard for me. It has definitely been a hard transition. Our society dictates what is "work" and what is "not work". I'm not trying to say that one is better than the other. I am trying to illustrate that both paths are different. Drastically different. Incomparable. 

I'll get off my soap box now.

My main observation is this:

I am happy. I am happy with the flow of our lives right now. The ups, the downs, the rushed time, the calm time. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Birthday #36 was a perfect time for me to reflect.

Every day Russell illustrates to me how boys are just different
than girls. I can guarantee that neither of my girls ever tried to ride
a trike on a narrow, elevated walk wall. Granted, it's not that tall
..... but still.

We headed to Hell's Gate with sub sandwiches and chips from Winco to have a quiet Thursday evening dinner. There really were no other people there and the weather was perfect. 

It. Was. Wonderful.

Ethan has started finger feeding. He was quite content to stay put on
the blanket and enjoy his Puffs.

The three older kids are all to ages where they can play independently from
grown ups and just with each other. So much easier when you
are trying to relax.

We took their bikes down so they could get a different view than just
our block. Illustration #2 for the day of how boys differ from girls.
Russell found a slight incline at the top of the path near the parking
lot. After Bob came out of cardiac arrest and figured out that he
wasn't trying to ride to certain collision with a car we just sat back and
watched. He would waddle himself up to the parking lot, push off, lift his
legs and coast back to where we were sitting. I just see the wheels in his head
turning and exploring in a very different way than the girls. I am
almost (but not quite) dreading the time when he and Ethan put their
little heads together to dream up adventures.

The girls are to the age where they can play by the water all by themselves.
I am far away at this point. My camera being zoomed in almost as far as it
can go. But I know that they won't try to swim/wade/drown themselves if
I'm not right there. I'm sure Russell would have tried to swim to Asotin at this
point. (But he was busy coasting.)

Ethan has the most expressive face. This is his "smug" look.
"Look. I'm at the table. Just like I wanted. Ha!"

Last Saturday night we dropped off the kids with Grandma & Grandpa and headed out to Lindsey Creek Vineyards for Amy (Norgaard) and Mike Grow's wedding. It was a lovely evening.

#itsgrowtime

I think this picture captures me at 36 perfectly.