Dylan at Logger Days

Here is Dylan riding the mechanical bull:

Other Montana Fun

The kids enjoyed playing in the creek in the front yard. When I told them to go play by the creek, I should have known that they would end up in the creek. The next time they played there I made sure they were wearing shorts.

We spent one afternoon at nearby Lake Como. The lake has a nice beach and a large shallow area for the kids to swim. Gina loved sitting in the inner tube, floating around the lake, and occasionally being pushed around by Dylan.

Once again, we tried letterboxing with the kids. This year we were more successful as I remembered the stamp, pad and notebook. My dad helped them find the first two and I helped them find one just outside of Darby by the Bitterroot River.


Here is Dylan sitting quietly on the porch, watching deer in the yard. My dad puts out corn for them so there are often 3 or 4 deer in the evening.

After we picked Vic up from the airport, we visited Fort Missoula. Below, the kids are in front of a log cabin used as NCO housing.
In the museum, Gina enjoyed dressing up in old clothes while the boys tried their hand at the cross cut saw.
For Vic and me, the highlight of the trip to Montana was taking a day to go to a Bed and Breakfast in a nearby town while the kids stayed with Boppa. We stayed in the house below which was near the river. We had a huge king size bed and jacuzzi style bathtub as well as a view of the river from our window. It was great! Maybe next year, we will stay two nights.

Before heading back to my dad's house, we visited nearby St. Mary's Mission, built in 1841. It wasn't open but we toured the grounds.


While we were gone, my dad and his friend Kathy took the kids to Big Hole Battlefield where there was a beading demonstration. The boys were not into that so they stayed outside throwing rocks and sticks. Kathy and Gina though got to try beading a small bag.

At night they had a cookout of hot dogs, cowboy beans, corn and s'mores for dessert. Kathy got Andrew to try the beans by mentioning the effect beans can have. Can you tell she has boys?

Below is a picture from our last day of the kids with their riding teachers, Kathy and Jack.

Logger Days

This year we stayed in Montana during Logger Days. It started off with a bull riding competition on the edge of town. The kids also got to see some fancy horse back riding. The rider above helped corral the bulls after the riders came off. A couple of times the horse had to back up quickly to avoid the bull. No one was seriously hurt but a number of riders limped off the field.

Two days later there was a parade through town. There were lots of emergency vehicles, cars, horses and at the end, two trucks pulling logs for the competitions. The highlight for the kids? Candy. Every single vehicle that went by threw out several pieces of candy to the kids, it looked like Halloween.

At Logger Days my dad found a reasonably priced hat for Dylan that he liked. Here he is as we are waiting to sign up the kids for their events.
We saw some of the Logger Day events like the springboard event, women's cross cut event and choker race but mostly we were going back and forth between the kid events. Andrew and Dylan were in the 6 and under tricycle race, Andrew and Gina each did the tug of war event and Gina also entered the watermelon eating contest.

The tricycle race was harder that it looked because it was on grass and once the kids turned at the far end, they slowed down and it was difficult to get going. Andrew managed really well and came in 2nd place. For the tug of war competitions, both Andrew's and Gina's teams won. They got extra tickets for winning which were put to good use in the bounce house/slide area. There was also a drawing for a bike at the end of the day. Andrew was sure he would win but of course, he didn't. The kids all took a turn on the mechanical bull as well. Dylan and Gina seemed to enjoy it the most though neither liked falling off at the end onto the super hot tarp.

At the end of the day, they also had a sawdust pile for the kids to search for coins and toys. The littlest kids go first but Dylan didn't want to try. Then they let the 5-7 yr olds go and Andrew joined the fray. He came up with a slingshot and 2 dollar coins. Gina tried once they opened it up to all the kids but it was so crowded, she quickly gave up.

It was a fairly warm day and at one point the kids talked me into buying them each a can of soda. They were so excited to be drinking Pepsi and Dr. Pepper. I think it was the highlight of their day.

Montana Vacation

For our big vacation this year, we flew to Montana to visit my dad. I flew with the kids first and then Vic met up with us four days later.

The big news this year was that my Dad now has three horses and one is gentle enough for the kids to ride. Doc is the biggest of the three but he was an old trail horse who plods along if you keep kicking. Gina really enjoyed her first lesson though by the second, she learned that it isn't always easy to get the horse to listen to you. Gina was able to ride almost every day that we were there and overall, she had fun. She also got to lead the horses around and help to get Doc ready for riding.Dylan was all smiles on top of the horse. He also insisted on getting up by himself which was quite a sight. Jack (above) who gave the kids lessons the first two days tried to lift Dylan up on the horse at one point. Instead, Dylan ran over to get the plastic step so that he could do it himself. He just needed a little help to pull himself up and then he scrambles up the saddle like he is on a jungle gym.Andrew was more tentative when riding but he always insisted on getting a turn.
Here are the boys showing off their new belts and Gina with her new hat, ready for the range.

Last Day of School

I have a whole lot of posts waiting as the last two months have been very busy, but first, the last day of Kindergarten and 2nd grade.

Here is Andrew as we are walking to his class. He definitely had fun this year playing with his friends and he gradually warmed up to the idea of doing school work. When he does his work, he does what is required and no more. I was putting together a book of pages from the kids for his teacher and class aid. He drew the picture, signed it and then was totally uninterested in adding anything else. I tried to get a picture of Gina but she was quickly off to class.

This year all the Kindergarteners got tshirts which they autographed for each other. I like the yellow color, it was easy to spot at the park later in the afternoon. The parents joined the kids in class after recess and sang songs. They had me in tears on the first song of Puff the Magic Dragon.

Here is Andrew with his teacher Vicki on the right and class aid Pat on the left. Gina had them as well in Kindergarten and they are great! I can't wait for Dylan to be in Kindergarten in 1 1/2 years.
After school we all head to the park with about half the school. It was fun to just hang out and talk to various parents while the kids played. An ice cream truck even showed up which was a big hit. Here comes summer!

Gina's Big Day

Yesterday, Gina celebrated her 1st Communion at our church. It has taken her a year to warm up to the idea but she seemed to enjoy most of the day. We bought her dress several months ago, our first real shopping expedition and she has been dying to wear it ever since. Mass didn't start until 11am but she was up at 7am, fully dressed. All I had to do was fix her hair.

She also did one of the readings. We spent a lot of time practicing and she knew it by heart on Sunday. She did a great job, reading slowly and clearly. I'm sure she will remember it for a very long time. Afterwards though, she seemed a little overwhelmed and refused any pictures except for the one below with Nana.

Nana made it to church too, though in a wheelchair after having had hip surgery two weeks ago.

Once we got home, though, Gina was all smiles. I put together a lunch of all of Gina's favorite foods: cheese danish, bbq pork bao, turkey sandwiches, strawberries, pastry encased hot dogs and chocolate cake. Gina also received a silver cross/blue bead necklace that my Dad bought 5 years ago just for this occasion. The cross is French from the 1770's. The necklace was made by the Chickasaw Indians. Definitely a one of a kind gift!

And on top of all of this, it was also Mothers Day! A new camera is on its way!

Fire on the Roof

This afternoon, Andrew came into the house crying that Fire was on the roof. I went outside and sure enough, there was his stuffed purple dragon sitting on the top of the roof. He had managed to throw it up onto the roof and it landed sitting up, looking down at us from its perch. Our neighbor walked over and seeing the problem, immediately offered to bring over her ladder. She lashed together four long poles with a hook at the end. It was just long enough to catch the dragon and pull him down, safe and sound. Hopefully, Fire won't be flying again.

Mentos Power

Last Friday, I took Gina and Andrew to the California Academy of Science museum. I have been a member of this museum for about 8 years but I haven't visited since I was a kid. In the meantime, they tore down the old museum/aquarium and built a brand new one. I was excited to go, the kids were only somewhat excited. Once we got there, the only thing that Andrew really wanted to do was visit the museum store and buy something. After several hours of "When can we go to the store?", we made our way over there on our way out. The first thing he spied was a package containing Mentos and a tube that allows you to deliver the Mentos into a 2 liter bottle of diet soda. We were set!

The kids love a show called Mythbusters. I originally bought a DVD of the series for Vic for his birthday, and at some point, he showed it to the kids. Now, when I go out for errands, I often return to the kids glued to the TV, watching an episode of Mythbusters. It is a very cool show, especially if you like explosions and bigger explosions (my favorite is the exploding water heater that takes off like a rocket). A recent episode described the reaction of Mentos with a bottle of soda and the geyser that ensues. Andrew was hooked and has been dying to try this out at home.

So over the weekend the kids had fun doing this several times and creating lots of geysers. I think we went through 4 bottles of diet Coke. I had some pictures but can't find my camera so here is a picture of what it is supposed to look like:

Future Vegetarian?

Last week, my mom was reading a story to Dylan and there was a picture of chickens on the page. Nana made a comment about having chicken for dinner. Dylan pointed to the book and said that those were real chickens, we don't eat real chickens, we eat dinner chickens. I was curious and asked him more questions. Apparently, dinner chickens don't come from real chickens, but are made by the chicken man. I'm sure at some point his sister will make sure he knows the truth about chickens.

Glasses

Andrew got his new glasses today. I had known he needed his eyes checked for the past six months but procrastinated getting an appointment made. It turns out he is far sighted in one eye with an astigmatism and it really needs to be corrected for his vision to develop properly. When I took him in last week he enthusiastically picked out a pair of frames that he liked and acted disappointed that he couldn't take them home right then. Two days later he announced that he didn't need glasses and didn't want glasses. So much for the initial enthusiasm. So today I took him out to lunch first and then promised a cookie after to get him to the office to get the glasses. So far so good. Then it was off to home with more distractions to keep him occupied. Overall, it was a good first day, we will see how it goes with school tomorrow.

Happy New Year

We had a very quiet New Years though Gina did invite a friend over for a sleep over. She had grand plans of staying up to midnight but her friend wasn't thrilled with staying up so late. So instead I found a live feed of the New York celebration on my computer and we watched the ball drop at 9pm our time. Then it was off to bed for all the kids.

Dylan finally got to try out his new scooter by borrowing Andrew's helmet. He is a little cautious on it but he is having fun with it.
A few days after New Years Day we went to a near by park that is by the bay. We had to really talk the kids into going but once they were at the park they had a fun time. They ran around playing tag and acting goofy. At one part there was a large pile of tan bark so of course the kids had a climb it (much better than the large pile of dirt nearby). Even Dylan made it all the way to the top.

Christmas Time

Christmas was a very busy time these past few days. On Christmas eve we finished decorating the gingerbread cookies that we had started a few days before.

Gina also busied herself with creating an appropriate place for Santa to visit. She covered a box with a tablecloth, put out a plate for cookies, as well as an apple, a book of poems, a Sudoku puzzle with a pen in case Santa needed a break from present delivery, some incense and a cup of milk. The extra cup is from Dylan. It was quite an elaborate set up.

Later in the afternoon, Nana and I took the kids to Christmas Eve mass for the children's mass which always includes a short live action recreation of the Christmas story. For once we arrived early enough to get a decent seat. Usually we are far in the back with the kids constantly clamoring that they can't see. Gina and Andrew both sat quietly the whole time while Dylan fell asleep in my lap half way through. After, it was back to the house for a crab dinner, Gina's favorite. The boys instead requested grilled cheese sandwiches.

Vic and I were up for a while assembling and wrapping presents.

It seemed really early when the kids came bounding in at 7am. We held them off for a while with their stocking gifts but then they were anxious to get the big presents. Gina was very excited about her Webkinz animals. Here she is with Chocolate the Reindeer. She also got a yellow Zumbuddy which is a pet for the webkinz animals.

Gina also received a blanket in a bag, something she had seen in Old Navy a month ago. I had warned her that it looked like the stores were sold out, but I happened to go to one of the stores when I was out one night and found one!

Andrew of course got Legos. He had requested a Lego Power Miner set.

and Dylan got a scooter, though his head is too big for the helmet that I got to go with it. So he has been having fun riding it indoors. He could use Andrew's helmet but I think he is enjoying zipping around the house first.

After a fairly quiet afternoon, Alice and Steve came over for dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and roasted brussel sprouts. I also made lemon bars for dessert. Then it was time for round 2 of present opening.

Andrew got Legos and then more Legos... Happiness is a 5 year old with 5 new boxes of Legos.


The kids also got a digital camera from Alice since she had received a new one for her birthday. All three, but especially Dylan, have been having a ball taking pictures of everything and anything.

Gina also received a kids version of the first part of the Odyssey. She finished it in a day and has been telling us all about the adventures of Odysseus. Now she can't wait to read the second part.

Overall it has been a very fun Christmas.

Christmas Tree

Every year we seem to wait until the last week before Christmas to get our tree and this year was no different. We went on Sunday to pick it out. Gina found a tree that was fairly short and skinny; she insisted that we get it. After looking at a few bushier ones, we also agreed that smaller might fit better in the corner space of the living room.

It took another day to get it up with the lights on, but once it was ready, the kids were excited to decorate it. I got to sit back and hand out the ornaments while they put the ornaments on the tree. I did rearrange a few to the top afterward. They remembered a few from last year and it was fun telling them about some of the ornaments I had inherited from my grandmother.

Andrew's Dance Class

Andrew loves to dance. One time we were at a restaurant and there was some jazz music playing. He could not sit down, instead he was up dancing next to our table. A parent at the kids school started a hip hop class for the kids and I talked Andrew into trying. He seems to like it when he is in class and he always says he has a good time right afterwards, but just before class he complains that he doesn't want to go. There are six boys in the class and several other moms tell the same story.

Today there was a short demo of what the kids have been learning. It was fun to watch Andrew ham it up in class.

Rainy Night Concert

Tonight the kids had their last holiday concert. This one was outside. It had rained lightly all afternoon but for the concert, it stopped. The kids were bundled up for the cold but it wasn't too bad. I tried to get a final video of Gina starting off Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer as well as the rest of the song. I got it and you can see both Gina and Andrew in the picture though there is a lot of background noise from the traffic in the street.

Holiday Concert

Today Gina and Andrew had a choir concert. Gina participated in this choir last year and really enjoyed it. Andrew also seemed interested and was willing to give it a try. There were weeks he was reluctant to go but afterward, he always said it was fun. A week before the performance he was very unsure that he wanted to sing in front of so many people, but with the promise of a Bionicle lego kit, he was ready for the challenge. After the last practice, their teacher Juliette told me not to expect too much from Andrew as he tends to be very quiet and hide behind Gina. For the performance though he did great. There were certainly times he seemed to more mouthing the words than singing, but he did sing and participate. It was fun to watch.

The big surprise was Gina. Towards the end of the performance she got up the microphone by herself and started singing the beginning of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was something they put together at the very last practice. Juliette asked if anyone knew the words, and only Gina volunteered. I was definitely proud that she had decided to it, though she was very shy about it afterward.