Ice Fishing on Holter

Clint, Brock, Dane and I headed out to Holter Res. today for a little ice fishing!  The weather forecast was calling for it to be in the 20's with no wind!  Sounded like it was going to be a great day!  Well, it was a great day, but the wind was blowing about 10-15 mph on and off throughout the morning.  When I looked at the temperature it said 7 degrees (without the wind chill) so it was pretty darn cold.  We did take the blind and the new heater I got for Christmas so that made it do-able.  However, unless all of us were in the blind, Dane didn't want to be in there cause he was afraid he would be missing out!  He is such a little trooper!

Here is Dane all bundled up...  almost like that kid in the Christmas Story!  I don't think I could have gotten many more layers on that boy!  But, I'm happy to say that he stayed warm and dry (all except his face, when he would drool it would freeze...)

Here are all the boys getting the tip-ups going.  Brock was so good, helping Clint and taking Dane for walks!  He is a lot of fun to have along!

Brock and Dane hanging out in the blind

Brock and his trout!  They almost lost this one right at the ice, but Clint (and his cat-like reflexes) was able to grab it with his hand and pull it up.  Brrrrrrr.  My hubby is such a stud, my hands were frozen just watching him!!!! 

Clint and one of the other trout...  All together we made it away with 3 of these trout.  Their meat is a beautiful pink color so they are pretty good eating...  either smoked or just cooked.

Here is Dane in the sled when we were all done.  He wanted me to carry him and I had my hands full so I put him in the sled with the gear.  Sure enough he laid down and then got mad when we got to the truck and I wanted him to get out!!! 

As you can see we had a really good time!  Tomorrow Clint goes back to work and I go on call so we wont be able to go back out for a little while.  Since I'm on call throughout the week/weekend we are going to take advantage and make sausage next weekend.  One of those projects that we are always so glad when it is done!!!  We hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's!!!

What a great Christmas!

We hope everyone had an incredible Christmas!  We had a really nice day and I thought I'd share a few pictures with everyone! 

Clint had to work, but came home for his lunch break at about 10:00am.  We took that opportunity to open presents and Dane had a great time. 

Here he is with a cool CAT dump truck that he got from Nana and Grandpa!  He really enjoyed putting things in it and pushing it around!

Dane was SO EXCITED when he opened this ice fishing pole...  He ran around with it until we finally took it away from him.  It will be interesting to see how he does with it when we actually are fishing!  I think the hardest part will be getting him to leave it alone long enough to catch a fish...  (and it may take some time for him to figure out reeling!)

Another hit was the guitar that his cousins, Wyatt and Porter sent him.  He was so cute dancing around the living room!!!

Once Clint got off work we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner and some more fun.  Here is Dane hanging out with Grandpa!

Getting ready for a Christmas toast!

Dane helping Grandma open her present!!!  (he actually helped open most of the presents!)

As you can see we all had a great day.  It's too bad some of our other family is so far away, but we thought about all of you during the day.  Clint has the day off tomorrow, so we are going to head out and do some ice-fishing.  It should be fun!

By the way, I hope the video below shows up for everyone...  It shows up on our computer, but when I tried it on a different one, it was too dark.  I'm not sure why...

Our little waterfowl hunter!

We cut Danes' hair again!!!

Well after holding him while he is screaming like a banshee and crying like we were skinning him alive... Danes' hair is finally cut! Yes, there are a few long hairs here and there, but overall I think it looks so much better! Now he looks like his papa!!!

goldeneyes galore

A great day with two great aspiring duck hunters! Brock and Wyatt

A good bunch of goldeneyes, a good wife, and a good dog. A man can't ask for anything better than that.

Tanya with her goldeneye drake, Bones wont look at the camera because he is looking for the next duck!

Bones and his hard earned duck

Bones on the way back in

Well, you have to give a nod to duck hunters in Montana. Its cold, the water is cold, the dog is cold the, the hunters are cold, and for what? all for a pile of goldeneyes, and the hope that one more will cup its wings and grace us with its presence. Bones swimming through the freezing water. Always waiting for the next bird. So what happens when the duck comes in....Bang....Bang...Bang...and nothing. You missed, Bones goes and gets one of the birds from the pile and reminds you of your JOB.....He says you shoot (and hit them).........and I go get them......git it together back there. I cant say I am a dog trainer, and I give Bones so much credit for picking up on the game. The dog gives one hundred percent and does not stop looking for ducks until all the decoys are picked up and you are headed home. Tanya and I are fortunate to have a dog with such natural talent. Over my last three days off, I had great company in the duck blind, Tanya joined me once, Wyatt, Brock, and Brad (Wyatt's father), and bones were with me as well. We all had a great time. My good friend Karl wrote a post about the future of hunting and the importance of the next generation of hunters. We all need to do our part and expose our youth to nature and the outdoors, as they are the future protectors of habitat, our sport, and the environment.

On another note we hope you all find yourself with friends and family, enjoying the holidays in the days to come. our best wishes to you all for the New Year.

Baking cookies!

Yesterday Dane and I baked/made numerous different goodies to put on our Christmas plates. We like to give them to our friends, neighbors, etc.

Since it's so cold and nasty, it's perfect weather to be stuck inside cooking! Dane really enjoyed himself also... He doesn't usually get cookies/cake/candy at home cause if we have it around the house we will all eat it! I thought he would go crazy (like he did at Halloween, lol), but surprisingly he had a good time and sampled but neither of us were suffering from a sugar coma at the end of the day!

Anyway, here are some pictures!

I frosted these cookies while Dane was sleeping so when he got up from his nap he was so excited to get one that was all colorful and fun!

Then I gave him one with plain frosting, and I gave him a little bowl of sprinkles and let him go to town!!! (First he tried to lick the frosting off as you can see by the ring around his mouth)

Number two...

Well, we've got another bun in the oven...

It's bakin' at about 98.6 and should be done around June 23rd!!!

We thought we would share the news with everyone now that we are past the 3 month mark. We had an ultrasound last week and everything looks good. I can't believe that we have decided to do this all again! But we hear that 2 is the magical number and Dane is so much fun we decided that it would be awesome to add one more to the family!

I hope to enjoy this pregnancy a little more (I hear that there are people who LOVE being pregnant...so far I don't fall in that crowd!) But at least this time I know how amazing it is to have a little one, and the fact that all the (wonderful?) changes to my body are temporary and things will return to normal eventually!

Does everyone remember "the Forklift"? Well, that's Dane... We don't have any more good stories to derive a nickname for this little one yet, so for now "the bean" will have to suffice!

Take care everyone and have a wonderful weekend!

I think we are going to enjoy the weather from inside, it's currently -25 with the wind chill. Baking Christmas cookies sounds like a good idea!!!

Ducks!

Today we went about 5 minutes from the house (no, I'm not exaggerating) and

had a great morning on the River. We shot 6 ducks and Bones did awesome! I had dropped Dane off at daycare before we went, and I was glad cause it was pretty cold. We didn't take too many pictures cause it was so cold I didn't want to take off my gloves to get out the camera. Then when we were done I was so cold I just wanted to pick up the decoys (okay Clint picked them up, I just put them in the bag) and get to the car and warm up... (yes, I'm kind of a wuss sometimes) I told Clint that he could fill my stocking with hand and toe warmers cause I don't have any right now, and those save me when we are out there!!!

Here are a couple pictures that I snapped while were out.

This is Bones working his magic! He really was a stud out there!

Clint and one of the goldeneyes. The final tally was 2 greenheads, 3 goldeneyes, and 1 bufflehead. Pretty good for such a short hunt.

The snow is here!!!

Well, I guess it's about time for the snow to hit! This morning we woke up to an inch or two and I think we are around 4 or 5 inches now... with no end in sight. It's pretty cold and windy too, makes me want to curl up and drink hot cocoa! Here is a picture I took of the River. The ice is all built up and floating down it... Looks pretty cold to me!

Clint's agency is really great and throws a Christmas party for the families every year. During the day one of the Officers dresses up like Santa and hands out gifts that they bought for all the kids. Then they get them burgers, little pies, and juice for lunch. Tonight is the adults party, so it's a good time for all! I just think it's neat that they do all that every year.

Dane decided at the last minute that sitting on Santa's lap may not be such a good idea, so here is Santa handing him his gift. (Clint was working and just stopped by, so I cropped them out with his uniform... sorry)

Here is Dane holding on to his goodies!Oh my gosh... His very own set of binoculars! Now he can quit putting finger prints and drool all over ours!!! :)

Besides that, things are great. Clint had his days off during the week while I was working so he went out and did some waterfowl hunting. One day he went with a friend and the other day he went solo. Bones did a great job and had a wonderful time, although he did get cold water tail...

Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone had a really great Thanksgiving... we sure did! The food was good, the company was great! It doesn't get much better than that!

The week just flew by! Clint and I hunted Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to fill a few more of our doe permits. Monday evening luck was on our side and we got two deer outside of Cascade. Unfortunately, we did drop Dane off that morning at daycare so he could play with his friends, and he ended up not feeling good in the afternoon. Luckily, it appears it was just a cold that had settled in his ear and his tubes worked like they are supposed to and drained all the crud out.

We slept in a little on Tuesday, but then headed out with Dane to some ground outside of town. The deer are smart though, and since we hunt a lot of Public land, they have learned where not to be. Sadly, we kind of ran into the same thing on Wednesday despite hiking into some pretty broken up country. Oh well, we really enjoyed the opportunity to get out and hike around.

Thursday morning Clint had to work, and I ran the "burn the bird" 5k. It was a great run and Dane had some fun with Grandma. After the run I headed over to Mom and Perry's as well to help cook and just hang out.

Clint joined us after work and we had a really nice evening with great food!

I didn't do very well taking pictures, so I guess Dane gets to be the highlight of this post! He is kind of a little ham though, so I guess it is fitting!

Here he is checking out the table before dinner...

Enjoying his food!

Yesterday morning Mom, Dane and I joined the Black Friday madness... Shocking, I know! I did find some fabulous deals and actually had some fun! Then when Clint got off work we headed back out to some state land and had a great hike. (yes, we were looking for deer... Dane was exceptionally chatty though, so the ones we spotted probably heard us coming cause they gave us the slip!)
Now Dane and I are hanging out... processing deer, cleaning the house, laundry, all the fun stuff!!!

Here are a couple pictures of him after he had found some chapstick! He was very proud!

Catching up.

Just a quick update with a few pictures...

Yesterday, I had to go to Helena to get a molar removed. It was the tooth that I had a root canal on about a year ago. That was really fun!!! :)

Today Clint's at work so Dane and I are just hanging out catching up on housework, laundry, all that exciting stuff that builds up through the week!

Clint has Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off, so I took it off as well. It's our last chance to fill a few more deer permits and we are hoping for a couple more. That way we will have plenty to make lots of sausage, burger, steaks, and all the other stuff we love.

Thursday I am planning on running the "burn the bird". It's a low key 5k race here in town. Just something to get out and keep me motivated! Then I will go over to Mom and Perry's to hang out and help cook. Clint will join us when he gets off and then we will enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner together!

Last weekend we got out and did a little hunting, but nothing too crazy. While we were out we decided to swing by Freezeout and see how the bird migration is doing. There wasn't that many migratory birds, except for Tundra Swans.

While we were out and about, I gave Dane some cheese filled crackers to snack on... The next time I turned around he was smearing the cheese all over his face...

Here are a couple pictures of the Swans. There is some ice forming on the edges of the lake.

Here's Dane messing around... Those are some awful big shoes to fill!!!

Last weekend...

We went up to the cabin on Saturday morning and spent the weekend. We had SO MUCH FUN! We got to hunt our little hearts out and just enjoy the outdoors and the cabin.

The only downfall was the wind was howling... I know shocking for Montana in the fall!

Saturday, we chased antelope for a while and then finally in the evening we were able to sneak out and Clint made a great shot on an antelope doe. The wind had died down so it was really an enjoyable hike for all of us.

That night in the cabin was a little restless. Dane isn't used to sleeping in the same room as us, and he was pretty excited about being able to see us. So... about 2 am there he is standing in the pack and play looking at us saying "hi!" "mama?" "dada?" This continued for several hours... So, that morning when we were supposed to get up at 445 I asked Clint if we could sleep in and we decided that would be a good idea.

Here are a couple pictures of the weather...

Clint and his doe. We love hunting in Augusta, the views are incredible.

On Sunday we got up and once again decided to chase some antelope. I had one more doe permit and that was the last day of the season. After a couple unsuccessful stalks, we came up with a good idea where we would sneak along a ditch. I had to leave Clint and Dane behind a little berm because it got pretty flat after that I had to bellycrawl a fair amount. Well, when I got back, this is what I found... one tired little boy sleeping away.

I had lucked out and was able to get a shot at an antelope, so we needed to get out to it and get it field dressed. I thought Dane would wake up when I picked him up, but he just opened his eyes a little, looked at me, and went back to sleep. So, I carried him out to the antelope like this... (he is a heavy little man!)

When we got out there we spread out a game bag and he continued to sleep as we field dressed the critter. Once we were done we woke him up and put him in the pack. It was a really neat hike out, there is a huge pond right over the ridge and all the ducks and geese were flying over. I'm not sure that we have ever seen that many ducks flying at one time!

Here I am with my antelope.

On Tuesday, Clint and Brock decided to go out for a quick evening hunt. Clint was bummed cause on the way out he realized he had forgotten our camera... Sometimes we think that is the trick because they got on a nice whitetail buck and Clint was able to harvest him. Clint said it was pretty cold and they were just going to check one more draw and then hike back. Sure enough, this guy was bedded down in that draw and the two of them were able to sneak up and shoot him. He is a nice 5x5 with great mass. Nice work guys!

Here are a couple pictures that Carrie took with her camera when they got to Brock's house.

Two very happy boys!

Well, that's about it... This weekend we are sticking a little closer to home... cleaning up, doing laundry, processing meat, etc. Last night we had some friends over and had an incredible time! It's always good to reconnect!

My beautiful tile shower!

While Dad and Marsha were here, my super talented Dad was generous enough to re-tile our shower. When we moved in, it was tile, but the grout was not good anymore so it was leaking all over. So, Clint smeared caulk all over it to keep it sealed until we could get it re-tiled. It wasn't the prettiest, but it got us through until Dad could come help us with this project.

First, Clint's parents did the demo while Clint and I were at work. (Thanks Bill and Sheri) That night Dad and Marsha got here and the next day my Dad dove right in with Clint as his hoddy. (Not sure if they are called hoddy's with tile work, but it sounds good.)

By the end, my Dad had showed Clint how it was done and Clint was laying tile as well! They did great and it is so beautiful! Thanks again Dad!!!!

So, here they are assessing the job.

I didn't do very good getting pictures throughout the process, but here is the finished product!