Groundbreaking for our Community Garden

About a week ago we did our groundbreaking, and kids from school walked over to participate. We had cake and drinks and everyone got to throw dirt around!!

Here are some photos from the day

Eat all the crap you want....it's your BIRTHDAY TYLER!!

One of the best things about campin' on your 2nd birthday is that you don't have to wash your hands, and you get to eat a lot of stuff you don't normally eat. I didn't make a cake (bad Mother), so we went out for Banana Splits.

Would you believe he ate a few bites of whipped cream and then went for the bananas??
(note the mosquito bite constellation on his cheek)

He got a new fishing pole.

So far, it has caused enormous frustration, but at least now he has a cheap one to throw over the side of the boat instead of dad's expensive one.

"OOOhhhh!!! A present!!!! For me?!?! Let me put down my piece of bacon and open it"

Chilly morning+campfire+presents+bacon=Awesome Birthday

Weekend Camping

We went to Seeley lake last weekend for a camping trip. It was the first time we had been able to go all summer, and Tyler's very first trip (where he wasn't a screaming infant).

He was into the dirtiness of it, and the freedom of running around the campground with his tongue out in dingy pajamas.


I was into the beautiful views, boat rides, and "free time"

More gorgeous views....

Let's go to the Playground!

"Duck Island" in Great Falls

Two dudes I really like :)

John and Olivia come for a Visit

John and Olivia came to vist last night!

They are biking from British Columbia to Florida, and hope to make it there by November. I worked with John a few years back and invited them to stay the night if they were coming through town.

When they first pulled into the driveway, Tyler disappeared. I thought he had run to hide. Turns out he was just getting his bike out to join in the parade. He was obsessed with those two and didn't stop talking the whole time. None of us really knew exactly what he was saying...

Then, after a night filled with the excitement of having a Grizzly Bear in the yard (!) they packed up and got ready to go.


Today they head to Helena for a few days of rest. It was lots of fun to catch up and hear about their adventures over a garden-grown dinner and later, snapping beans.
For a long time, Tyler watched them pedal off down the road. I think he had hoped they would be staying longer.

Why you shouldn't expect to catch a fish when Tyler goes fishing with you:

....He'll spend a lot of time kicking and harrassing the dog....
...he'll think it's cool to act like he's taking a drink, but then drop the bottle in the aluminum boat...

...he'll find your safety whistle and blow on it until everyone else paddles off the lake...

....and finally, he'll cause his mother to have the "annoyed face" in all the pictures taken of her!!

(not to mention the dog will also learn how to make an "annoyed face."

Eating with Tyler

Tyler's starting to help around the house. His most helpful job is feeding the dog.

Since some things are finally ripening in the garden, we decided to have

new potatoes and peas for dinner last night.

Some carrots are also big enough to eat. But apparently, don't taste all that great since Tyler took one bite and chucked it.

I also tried to coax him into eating a fresh pea. No such luck....

I'm pretty excited about the taters we dug up.

It's nice to know I can get a few things to grow in this climate.

Summer Memories

It's been a great summer so far....

We've gone to the Fair

I've cut my schedule down to work only 4 days a week.

We had some fun days in the "cities" of Missoula, Helena, and Bozeman.

I've been on a few horseback rides.

Shawn has taken us fishing.

Aaaaaand, I've worked out in the garden a lot.

There's just no way anyone around here can be bored!


To see more of these great photos called "America: Captured in Color from 1939-1943"
check out this website

At the Rodeo

One of the perks of helping with the Fair is that I get VIP passes for different events. We get great seating for the Rodeo. It was "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" night, where much of the proceeds go to Breast Cancer research and awareness.

The evening was gorgeous, and the sunset made the mountains glow.

See these things? They are monkeys on dogs. We got a kick out of them.
They're called "Ghost Riders in the Sky"

These spectators were impressed....but not that much.
(please don't mention the pacifier, we are working on it...)

This little guy started to get tired and needed to rest for a bit.

We liked the rodeo so much that we went home and saddled Blondie.

Tyler did great!