We Miss This Kid!

Hyatt is at Outdoor Education Camp all week. He is a brave little guy, he went all by himself, with no friends! He decided he wanted to go, even though none of his friends were going. He is so tough! He was a little nervous the morning I dropped him off, but he made a few friends while waiting for the bus, so he was happy. I think I was more nervous than he was. I know he is having a great experience, and I am proud of him for doing the hard thing. We miss him, but it is pretty quiet with out him picking on the twins. Maybe he will like them better when he gets back. For a day or two anyway.


We are having fun with out him though!

Cole and Brady are pretty proud of their "surfing" skills

I love the look on Coleman's face, he was so loving being better than Cassidy at something in the water, but then she figured it out too. She is an amazing swimmer, and it is hard on the ego to have a GIRL (who is also younger than you) be so much better at something. I love it !

Montana Fun

We took a trip up to the cabin for 2 weeks. The next few (okay, more than a few) posts are all from the trip. It was a blast! The boys did it all. I snapped these pictures from the car while waiting for the boys to get ice cream at a little shop in West. They illustrate one of the best things about the cabin this year. . . Cousins. We were all there, except Alex and Jessie (who we missed). I gave the boys 20 bucks and told them to go get ice cream for themselves. They were not tall enough to get the attendant's attention, so they had to make a plan.

When Carson couldn't hold Brady up any more, he took one for the team.

Success!

Pull The Tail Off The Donkey, I Mean Cow

Every year at this little rodeo they let all the kids climb the fence and try to pull a ribbon off of a calf. It is the highlight of the rodeo for the boys (go figure). They break the kids up in to two groups, under 7 and 7-12. This year they all got to get in on the action.
Look at that calf! Scared out of it's mind!

Brady and Cole ran pretty fast, but they didn't get the ribbon. They did get two shiny gold dollars though.

This guy, however, managed to chase that calf down first and get the ribbon. He could not have been more proud of himself! He won a gift certificate to the local bar and grill, and most of all, he won braggin' rights. One happy kid!

Wrangler Butt's Drive Me Nuts

We went to our favorite small town rodeo. Wrangler butts do drive me nuts, but these are gap butts. Still pretty darn cute.

Hey, Hey, the gang's all here.

Griff just comes for the drinks and the girls.

I Love A Parade

I have posted about this before, but I can't resist. This is the only 4th of July parade my kids have ever known, and they LOVE it! They did the traditional cousin's float, but this year in the drift boat. Brady sprayed a lady in the face with the water gun again, even after she looked him straight in the eye and said "Don't you dare spray me, I do not want to get wet!" She might as well have said " I double dog dare you to spray me" because he just couldn't help himself. Luckily Traci was sitting next to him on the boat, so maybe the lady thought he belonged to her!

Here they come!

Traci snapped this little gem with Smokey (who is simply the best part of the parade if you ask me). Look at poor little Cassidy in that sea of stinky boys!

This is his favorite pose. He is pretty proud of those guns!

Lesson Learned

This was one of my favorite days of the trip. We took the boys down to the Grayling to do a little fishing and a whole lot of rock skipping. "Hot Shot" was wading out and got in a little too deep. He was yelling at me to come fish him out, but I was having too much fun with the camera. Boy was he mad. You can see the progression of the pictures as his boots filled up with water. I did put my camera down at one point when I thought he actually needed some help, so I missed the shot of him totally up to his waist in water, but the other pictures spell it out pretty clearly!

This one shows him walking out, I don't know which is funnier, the water in those boots or the ticked off look on his face.

Matt and I were laughing so hard (mostly because this has happened to us both once or twice) and he was so furious. The harder we laughed the more upset he got, so the harder we laughed. Mean parents huh?

This last one is my favorite. Best picture of the trip. It took 2 days to dry those boots out! I guess he learned his lesson, look before you wade right in. Some of life's toughest lessons can be learned at the river with a fly rod in hand!

Montana

We did the traditional fun stuff, there were many hours spent riding the zip line in the back yard. . .

Quiet moments of reflection spent on the river's edge. . .

Cole doing his impression of Jeff Corwin at the Madison River, with Brady as first assistant . . .

And of course, there was the traditional episode of skinny dipping in broad daylight. I was forbidden from posting those pictures, but you get the idea here. It's amazing how quick Hyatt is to shed those clothes and wade right in. Frightening actually.

Hebgen Lake

After a long day on the lake, a cozy blanket with your cousins is about the best spot on earth!

Griff spent most of the day mooching off every one's drinks and treats. He just walks around with his hand out, and some one usually sticks something in it! Lazy little bum! He is never going to talk!

Hebgen

Hebgen Lake is the best! A little cold, but nobody cares. This year we added wave runners to the list of things used to get on this lake. We were pretty noisy when all 26 of us pulled up and set up camp with a boat and wave runners and a kayak. It was great! The kids all loved the wave runners, especially Hyatt who got to drive them all by himself. He loved helping Matt with the trailer and all the loading and unloading. I think it made him feel grown up, and Matt loved having the help!

Griff and Kai got in on the action too!

It is such a pretty lake!

Human Bilboard

Ummm, are you serious?

This is what happens around here when I am gone for the day and someone who will remain nameless is in charge. ( Hint Hint, his name starts with M and he leaves Sharpies around for small children to play with). This is what Hyatt calls "free advertising." The boys had a lemonade and snack stand at our house today, and this was the lovely sight that greeted all my unsuspecting neighbors as they answered their doors this afternoon. The "no soliciting" signs in all of their windows serve as no deterrent to my "spirited" children. These boys are totally out of control. Sharpie? Seriously? The great thing about sharpie, as I was informed by one of the culprits tonight, is that they can use him again tomorrow, because it won't wash off in the tub. Nice!

The Face (s)

He doesn't talk much, but why do you need to when you can pull these kinds of faces?