Some Picture to share.....

Noah's new found fun!  What more do you need than the laundry basket full of clothes. He thought he was quite clever when he climbed in.

Noah love to hang with Ty on the couch and Ty loves that he will snuggle in.

These two are becoming pals.  Although there are the times when Josh just is a little too in his face - if you know what I mean.

Vacation #5 - The Rest

The Rest of our Canadian Vacation Went like this -

Tuesday - We took the kids to Farmont Hot Springs.  The big kids just jumped off the diving boards the whole time. Over and over and over again.  Some of them even started trying to do flips and stuff.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the whole week.  So cute!

I just had to throw this in because he is perfectly cute!

Wednesday - Boat Day - we spent the day on the water.  Early in the morning I went for a run and noticed how beautiful and glassy the water was I was holding out it would be good by the time we got to the lake.  Let me just say IT WAS!  I called first dibs on Water Skiing and so we loaded up the Party Boat with the kids and Mom and Steve the rest of us including Dad, TJ and me and my sista's went out to ski.  It was beautiful and perfect and I LOVED IT!  Oh, how I love to water ski.  After us girls and even Granddad went skiing, we took turns getting the kids out on skiis with the new ski trainer we bought.  They all had a turn, except for the bigger kids who had to do it the old fashioned way.  For the most part everyone had success.  Brady and Logan wouldn't quit - they absolutely loved it.  On Brady's last turn for the day the water had gotten choppy and he hit a good wave and got some air.  It didn't phase him, he just loved it! 

Me, getting my ski on.

Marilee gettin her ski on!

Julie's ski

Grandad - he still has it people!

Ty with the Party 'Banana' Boat bringing up the rear

Tater wouldn't stand up, but he gave the ski trainer a go at least.  Of course he ACTED like he didn't like it.

Annie girl. Up on the REAL skiis, she did great.

JB - He got up and rocked it.  He wasn't up long, but still had success!

Brooklynn love this although she was a little nervous to give it a try.

Thursday - 6 of us were sick or recovering from the Stomach Bug that Caitlyn had earlier in the week. 

Friday  - we packed up and got ready to head for home.  I still was not feeling great from my stomach bug, but still got the laundry done and everything ready for the long drive back to Idaho and then home. 

All in all, it was a wonderful trip!  We had so much fun and loved breathing the clean, crisp air, enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and loved being with our family.  It is always sad to head home after such a fun time!  But head home we must - so on Saturday morning we hit the road. 

Vacation #4 - Gone Fishin.....

Monday morning brought us some beautiful sunshine, but also some big billowing clouds.  We were hoping for another day on the lake, but by the time the Men arrived home from Golfing the clouds and the wind were against us.  Fortunately Granddad had decided to buy some fishing poles and gear before coming out to the cabin.  This turned into the perfect day for fishing. After heading into town to get a license and some bait and then rigging up the poles - most of the kids and the dad's and Marilee and Julie headed off to the fishing hole.  It was a pond down near the lake that they keep stocked.  Although I wanted to go I had to stay home and help with the kids left behind, 3 of which were mine, due to our babysitter Caitlyn being sick.  Not to mention Noah was very out of sorts because his two top teeth were trying really hard to come in and cause him as much dicomfort as possible. 

So, back to the fishing.  The outing turned out fantastic.  All of the kids caught at least 1 fish and in all they caught 12.  In fact, the first line they put in the water got a bite and it just kept moving after that.  They didn't bring home all the fish, but they did bring home a few so all the kids could have a taste of trout.  In order to bring the fish home, they had to gut and clean them.  Steve took the chance to teach Spencer, JB and Ty how to do it.  Ty jumped in and got his hands dirty, I'm not sure how JB and Spencer handled it, but the picture below of JB says alot about his initial reaction to gutting the fish. Once they got hom Steve cooked the trout up on the grill for everyone to have a taste.  Surprisingly (keep in mind I am not a fish lover), they all enjoyed the taste they had. 

The dirty hands after gutting the fish, I love the look on his face.

Haha, I love the look on his face.  It is priceless.

Thankfully, he didn't think it was too bad in the end. 

Monday was capped off by us Adults going off to dinner.  We went later than planned because Caitlyn still wasn't back to herself and had to wait until the babies could go to bed.  It was nice to have a night out and a goodbye dinner for Adam who had to go home to work.  After dinner the boys drove into Calgary for the night so they could golf in the morning, get Adam to the airport and get Steve's tooth fixed. 

Vacation #3 - The BIG Mountain and The Bear

On Sunday, after Julie took our family pictures we said goodbye to the Miller/Fraser/Andrews crew and loaded up the troops.  We went to the Kicking Horse Ski Resort and the Kicking Horse Bear Refuge in Golden BC. 

First on the list was a ride up to the very tippy top of the Mountain in the Gondola. 

 It was beautiful, but I did have a major/minor panic attack everytime the stupid thing would slow down or stop and then sway back and forth.  Honestly people it completely freaked me out. 

Anyway, once we got to the top this is what we saw.  It was breath taking and if you ask me one of the most beautful places in the world! 

 I must be honest being on top of the mountain also made me very nervous - not really sure why. 

Next we went down the mountain and then back up on the ski lift to the Kicking Horse Bear Refuge. 

 The Refuge is 22 Acres and it's main resident is this guy.

His name is Boo and Yep you are really that close, with Electric Fence in between.  He is really cool and we had a great time watching him and learning all about him.  He and his brother Cari (get it, Cari Boo) were brought here a few years ago after their mother was killed by a Poacher.  You can read more about him here Sadly Cari didn't make it past his 2nd hibernation, but Boo happily lives in his 22 Acres and while he mostly finds his own food and lives like a 'normal' bear, he does have to be supplemented a little bit.  He escaped one time, but ended up coming home a little malnourished. 

As to be expected - we had a wonderful day!  The kids had fun and we got to see Boo the bear.  What more can you ask for than getting this close to a Grizzly. 

Vacation #2 - OH CANADA - here we come

I love Canada - I guess that is to be expected because it is where I hail from.  Anyhow, we embarked on our journey on Friday July 16th.  We had the extreme pleasure of having TJ drive with us since Julie left the day before us with Marilee.  Let me just say, Uncle TJ was a HUGE help in entertaining my kids and making them laugh.  He also bought Steve the biggest Ice Cream Cone Ever..... No Really, I wish that I took a picture of the thing, it was that BIG.  Big Baby also enjoyed that Chocolate Ice Cream Cone and after we started covering his soother in ice cream and popping it in his mouth - he decided he was definitely a fan of the stuff.  After the first few tastes he figured out it was super yummy and he would eat the ice cream take his binky out of his mouth and throw it at me for more!

The drive was long and after a few unexpected stops - we won't mention for what - lots of Elk and deer sightings, some commical road signs and some cloud watching in the fading light, we finally made it to the cabin in beautiful Invermere British Columbia.  It was late, very late and we all tucked into bed.

On our first Day in the Great White North, the Men hit the Golf Course Early and we hung out around the house.  Once the men arrived home, we started prepping for an after noon on the boat and some time spent with the Fraser/Miller/Andrews Families. The kids of course had a blast with their cousins.  I had fun meeting Penny, seeing what a dare devil Campbell is and seeing very little of Chris and Julie's kids because they were too busy playing with the rest of the crew. 

Day one also brought Reecey's 3rd Birthday Celebration.  She is adorable and I love her.  It couldn't have been better. 

The Cabin is now and will forever be one of my most FAVORTIE places.  The memories we have there over the last 22 years are some of my favorite and always bring a smile to my face.  Despite the fact that if someone flushes the toilet while you are in the shower you get scaled, it is perfect and in the one of the most beautiful places in the world.  It is home without having to worry about a schedule or the bills or any of that stuff in Life that gets in the way.  It was good to be HOME!

Campbell - she is so adorable!

Ty and Annie

Wow - He sure is HOT!

Big Baby Chillin with Nana

The Birthday Girl with Fraser

Julie, Kelly, Marilee and Jenny - I'm not sure how Julie and I missed out on this one! 

G-Man holding Penny - She is so cute! G actually fell asleep holding her.

Vacation Interuption - NOAH is 11 Months

I am in abosolute shock that my baby is almost ONE! Last year at this time, my mom had basically moved in with us because I was on bed rest, I was taking my blood pressure twice a day and I was testing my blood sugar and giving myself insulin shots. Boy I am glad that is all over with but It amazes me how incredibly fast the time has gone since then. Noah is getting ever bigger and more of everything. Here is monthly log of what he has been up to.

• his top two teeth finally came in - let's just say he isn't a great teether
• he is cruising around everything
• when he sits in his car seat, high chair stoller and even on the floor playing he crosses his ankles - it is super cute

• he babbles constantly and even sings a little bit
• he LOVES his daddy and gets mad when he comes home and doesn't immediately pick him up
• he doesn't like Bananas or cantaloup, but he does like rice and beans
• he still drinks his bottles all in one go
• at night he wants me to hold him and snuggle him while he drinks his bottle
• he loves his blanket and little tiny blanket or snuggly
• we bought him a toy he can push and walk behind and it took him all of 2 minutes to learn how to walk behind it
• he lets go of the things he is standing next to in order to practice balancing
• he finds it funny to watch Josh get water dumped on his head in the tub
• he started clapping
• he also, once in a while, will give me a kiss (I love it when he leans in with his mouth wide open for a kiss, it is so cute)
• when he pushes his walker toy around, he will try doing it with one hand and then look back for my approval because he thinks he is pretty awesome
• he travelled to Canada for the first time this month
• he went on a boat for the first time too

I'm sure I could go on and on, but I think that pretty much sums up our month. He is so cute and I just can't get enough of him. I try to get in all the snuggles he will let me because I know how fast the time is flying by.

He and Granddad got along quite Smashingly..... Granddad very patiently held Noah and let him bounce (yep he still thinks the world is a jolly jumper)  on his lap and grab at his face.

Summer Vacation Part 1 - Idaho

Because of our determination to make the LONG drive to Canada, we thought it would be great to break the trip up a little.  This Idea turned into the perfect time to stop in Idaho and see Steve's family.  We left in the afternoon and headed North and ended up in Idaho about 3 am.  We stopped to see Kari for a day and then continued on to good old Pocatello.  There we spent about 3 days that were packed full of all the activities Grandma could jam into that time span.  The kids had a great time with their cousins  (of course) and we had fun visiting with all of Steve's brothers and sisters that live in Idaho.  We even were able to see Paul and Kayla and their boys. 

Here is the short list of some of the things we did.

• ty and the boys sleeping out on the tramp
• swimming
• lunch at the park
• Idaho Falls to visit Dave, Trista and Amani
• Grandma took the kids Ice Blocking
• Going to the Movies
• Bubbles on Grandma's waterslide in the backyard
• Crafts - there are always lots of Crafts at Grandma's house
• homemade suckers in Rootbeer, Cinnamon and Butterscotch flavors

I'm sure there are plenty of things I have missed, but all in all it was relaxing and wonderful to see everyone. 

Our Nephew Mike - he is a great kid, it was fun to see him!

This is Chase - Never has a name suited a child more.  All you do is 'Chase' him around. He keeps Kayla and Paul hoppin.

Devin, who really tried to NOT let me take a picture of him.  I will say I didn't get a picture of Austin, I'm not sure where he was?????

Josh and Jake - OF Course - They were really meant to be twins.  Jake left to go home before we headed to Canada.  He came in and give me a hug and asked, 'Can't Josh come home with me?'  He persisted and then wanted to drive us to get Josh's glasses fixed, it was so adorable.  It nearly broke my heart and it made me cry because we live much to far away.

Ty and Eli

Brooks and Hannah

Zoey - she is the cutest tiniest little thing. 

Maggie, Grandma and Noah

One of my most favorite parts of our Idaho visit was Maggie, she wouldn't have anything to do with me for the first couple of days. Then one night I got her to sit on my lap and we sang songs and danced and had so much fun. She is so cute and so funny and I love her.