The End of Summer

Our summer was coming to a close.  I started making bread again, but it was just not turning out well.  Each loaf was getting stuck in the pan and crumbling at the top.  It only took another three tries before I got it figured out.  

 I decided we were spending our last day before school in the wilderness, so off the the Lewis and Clark forest we went, South East of town.  We found a short hike with a beautiful waterfall and the girls had a great time.  

 Here's Katie in her backpack in front of her school.  She has done so well.  All day Kindergarten has been a great thing for her and for us.  She gets a lot of her energy out and learns a lot, as she's told us several times - it's so much better than preschool.  I didn't learn anything in preschool, but I'm learning in Kindergarten!  

 I couldn't resist some good prairie pictures. These girls never want to get out of their dresses, they just LOVE being FANCY.  

 Big sky country, yes.  Wide open spaces, yes.  And if you're wondering what's in her hand, it's a headband and some doll blanket that she turns into her "sunbonnet," like what they wear in Little House on the Prairie.  

 Check out that sunbonnet!  Poor Syd was not have the best day, though, so she didn't get as many pictures.  

 Cora in her pretty dress.  

 Cora and Katie playing lion.  

I like being a prairie mama.  

Family Reunion

This is the first family reunion we've been able to attend.  Middle of August made the drive down to Central Utah and spent half a week playing in the mountains there.  It was great to get to spend so much time with family and get to know them better.  

 Here's Papa Bear with his girls on the four wheeler.  

 It was hot all day long, but man it was COLD at night.  We bundled those stinkers up and they were so cute asleep.  If only they would have STAYED asleep.  Let me tell you how much I loved getting out of the tent Jeremy and I were in to race to theirs (unzipping and zipping doors), to calm them down several times in the middle of the night.  We got smart our last night there and put everyone in one tent.  

 Uncle Russ got some quality time in with the little girls to teach them some archery skills.  

 Katie loved her hat.  We were remembering the German heritage on the Staker side.  

 I don't understand why other people's kids love to sit still to hear me plan and my own run crazy when I pull out the guitar.  

 Cora and Sydney.  All three girls took turns digging in the dirt and were SO FILTHY by the time we were done.  

 Syd and her cousin, Ella.  Those girls loved playing with their cousins and running through the fields.  They loved the forests until Katie ran through a hornets' nest.  Eight stings later and she decided not to go off the trails anymore.  

 On our way back from a scavenger hunt the twins started holding hands, then started running away when they realized their dad was trying to get pictures of them.   

We had a great time, and next year we're bringing warmer sleeping bags, more blankets, and figuring out some sort of night light for the twins.  

Beginning of August

More catching up.  This one below is Cora next to Sydney on a swing outside the little place we stayed near Glacier.  

 Nothing like a little pow-wow in the teepee for the little people.  

 This was my experiment with sticks on the driveway.  

 There really are waterfalls in Great Falls.  

 Katie showing off her helmet for a family bike ride.  

 This is Katie's b-day cake.  I was very proud of myself, for the last few years it's been just cupcakes because I'm not a cake fan.  But she wanted a strawberry cake and I found a recipe for one with cheesecake in the middle and thought that sounded REALLY good.  Happy 5th Katie.  Someday your mom will learn how to be creative and crafty and do a fancy party, maybe....

 Shortly after Katie's birthday we went back to Utah for visiting and a family reunion.  Here we have Sydney (above) and Cora helping their Uncle Jeremy paint a bench.  

 Cora in Coal Creek.  

 Sydney, after bending over to stick her head and face in the water.  

Katie, Cora, Aunt Kate, Uncle Jeremy, and Grandpa enjoying the evening.  

Our House and the Montana State Fair

We made it to Great Falls!  It took us a while to get moved in and we're still looking for the pieces to put the twins' bunk beds together, but we were so happy to be in our own home!  This is a picture of Katie dressing herself and her horse up.  

 This was what our lovely living room looked like.  We've since painted it and will be painting the rest of the house over time.  You forget how tedious painting can be, especially when you need two coats to cover up the mustard yellow.  

 Sydney and Cora dancing in our family room.  

 They couldn't take the heat on a hike, so we rested in the shade while Daddy and Kate went on.  

 By the Rainbow Falls Dam.  

 I love that my girls (at least two of them) just can't go anywhere not in a dress.  

 We decided to go to the state fair and those girls had the time of their lives on the rides.  They couldn't get enough of it.  

 Katie wasn't exactly a fan of the slide though.  If you look at her face, she was a little terrified.  

 There's Sydney with Cora behind her.  

 It was a sharp and fast corner.  

 But Sydney didn't mind that.  

This was one of their favorites and the guy running it let them ride it for a long time.