Portraits::Kids in the Kitchen

Taken this sunny Tuesday afternoon.  

I am enjoying the busy-ness of every day, but having a whole afternoon free seems particularly blissful today.

Goosey Goosey Gander

While I was home trying to recover from some wretched stomach bug, Shawn and Tyler went goose hunting.  They were successful!  

As long as there are snacks and cocoa, Tyler is content

Decoys politely sitting in the field.

Loaded up and headed home

Birdlandia

Lately our backyard has been wild with birds

Goldfinches, Redpolls, and others go through a feederfull of seed each day

Zillions of ducks circle each night and land in the fields and feedlot below us

Ack!  Shawn shot this goose.  What a beauty (?)

Blackbirds lined the trees this afternoon and had loud, raucous conversations

These two turkeys were inside the house, making messes and  keeping us busy!
Cash feels better with all his clothes off.

Good Morning, and Portrait #1

The wonderful thing about sunrises is they change every minute, and keep getting better as you watch.

Portrait of Cash :: Not sitting still

 

I started this blog post a millon different ways, and can't find one that I like.  It was a day filled with ups and downs, like a lot of them.  Our drive to Pahaska Tepee ski area between Cody and Yellowstone was a couple of hours, and Cash screamed for most of that time.  It was hard for me to tell Shawn how excited I was, mainly because I was trying to ignore Cash and talk louder than his unnecessary shreiking.
 

 

 

Anyway, we rented brand new skis for Tyler in Cody and he was able to go for his very first time.  I really enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful scenery. 

We didn't make it very far, only about a half hour into the trail system, but that's ok, patience is necessary when trying to get a little guy hooked on a sport.

For lunch, we brought a grill and hot dogs and after getting them sufficiently charred, sat on the big porch and munched.  There were definitely happier people picnicking around the world I'd imagine.  But we made the effort, and now when we look back at pictures I will tell Cash that he made every trip twice as difficult, but that it made us try and enjoy it harder.  He will owe me some nice mother's day gifts in the future.

Behind us in this photo is the closed road on the way into Yellowstone.  It is groomed a few miles for skiing/snowmobiling but we didn't make it that far.

 President Teddy Roosevelt called the stretch of highway between Cody, WY and the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park "the fifty most beautiful miles in America".
I found this on several websites talking about the area: 
The fifty miles referred to by President Roosevelt, located between Yellowstone and Cody, is known as East Yellowstone. East Yellowstone, also known as Wapiti Valley, begins at Yellowstone National Park's East gate and stretches through Shoshone National Forest and Buffalo Bill State Park to Cody, Wyoming. The valley was shaped by the Shoshone River as it flowed out of Yellowstone National Park and is cradled by the strikingly beautiful volcanic rocks of the Absaroka Mountains.

Despite the cranky baby and occasionally frustrated four-year-old, I am glad we went.  The woods and wildlife we saw were beautiful, and it's another "adventure with kids" to remember.

Another Diamond

A friend told us about another Diamond in the Rough here in Lovell::

a long time ago a rancher established an ice skating rink on his property.  We needed to get out and have some fresh air fun, so we drove a few back roads to find it. 

there were a few skates to try on

totally great activity



A courteous guy, he even put up facilities.  Now which is the girls'?

They make it look so easy in Rockefeller Center

It's tough on our ankles, so Tyler opted for the easier path back to the gate.

Attempting a happy new year

Last night, during a commercial break in the movie Avatar, we went outside with some sparklers.  We didn't have fireworks, or a fancy New Year's Eve party to go to, so we played funny dance music, ate nachos, and watched movies.

It was snowing lightly, and was dark and quiet out.

Cash lost a boot, and was not necessarily having fun. The rest of us were trying to.  Woohoo.

Now, looking at this next photo, my stomach clenches up.  This is the last photo I snapped before Tyler started shreiking and crying about his leg.  The camera ended up in the snow, Shawn dropped a screaming Cash, and we tore Tyler's boots and pants off.  A spark landed on a little frayed hole in the jeans of Tyler's pants and caught on fire.  You can see it in the picture, and that's what makes me shudder.  He ended up with a blistery burned kneecap and a large red area, and we will keep watching it.

After this craziness settled down, I pulled out some chocolate zucchini bread from the freezer, bundled Tyler in some blankets on the couch, and we finished watching Avatar.  Next year we will have to find a party to go to.