Way Behind!

I've been up since 4 am after a long (or short?) night with Kimber.  So, I'm tired and I'm sorry this post will probably be short.  But, I did want to catch everyone up on what we have been up to.

Finally we got some nice weather and made it out on Holter.  For this trip we didn't catch too many fish, but had a wonderful time and enjoyed getting out on the water. 



Daddy and his princess!



 We got Dane a bike and have been having a great time teaching him how to ride/brake/etc.

 Clint received a Medal of Honor through MACOP for his response to a particular call last year.  They paid for us to go down to BigSky, Montana for the Award Ceremony.  I am so proud of him for the amazing work that he does and it is wonderful to see him and his coworkers recognized. 

 This past week, my Supervisor at work left to return to Michigan and go back to school.  She really is an incredible person and has become a good friend.  I was sad to see her go... 

We did have a nice time at a BBQ last weekend. 

Kate, Kimber, and I

 There was a pond out where we had the BBQ, so the boys did some fishing and caught some beautiful brown trout!  The whole property is incredible and is owned by another coworker of mine who was generous enough to invite all of us out! 

 Both kids adore Kate, but Dane is especially fond of her!

Dane and Kate

Kate and Kimber

This week Clint's parents are here so we are working around the house (painting) and today we made it out to do some fishing.  I will do my best to update again with pictures from their visit soon!

It's a Walleye!!!!!

Kimber walking

She is so darn close to getting really mobile.  She just needs to get her confidence up, then there will be no stopping her!

Another fun day in the sun... with water too!

Sunday was another fun day with sun, water, and Grandma!!!  Fun was had by all!  The only thing missing was my amazing hubby, Clint... 

Oh yeah, there was mud too!

 At this point Kimber is happy to play on the blanket.

 Making her way to the buckets, water, and fun!!!

 Time to stop for a snack...  in the perfect little chairs that mom got the kids.  They LOVE them!

 She made it to the water!!! :)

 Back at home...  this doesn't look like an accident waiting to happen...

 She wants to be like her brother so bad!!!

A fun weekend!

Kimber has really started to enjoy dinner with us...  unfortunately things can get messy.  Avocado was on the menu this night! 

 Saturday was "National Trail Day".  An organization here in Great Falls set up a bunch of different hikes around the area.  Since Clint was working, me and the kids decided to participate in the hike on the river that was designed for kids.  It was 2 miles long, and was a part of the River's Edge Trail that we had never been on.  It was quite pretty and Dane had a wonderful time.

 Then, when Clint got off work we headed out to Benton Lake.  With all the water that we have had, there are a lot of ducks in the area.  We got a fair amount of pictures that I wanted to share!

Shoveler



Shoveler



Cinnamon Teal

Long Billed Curlew

Long Billed Curlew

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Beautiful Wildflower

Walking down the boardwalk

 As I said, we have a lot of water in the area...  Since we were in the car, we decided to turn around at this point!

 Of course we had taken the net, so Clint and Dane caught a bunch of waterbugs.  I think that these are water fleas and freshwater shrimp.  We took these home and put them in the fishtank for our minnows.  They were thrilled, and quite fat!

It was a really great day and we had a lot of fun!

What have we been up to?

So, it has been raining...  a lot.  We don't normally get this much rain in Great Falls and I must admit, it's getting a little old.  But, unfortunately I don't have a direct line to the Weather Gods, so I guess I'm stuck with what I get.  :)  With all the rain and Clint working the weekends, we have just been hanging out, enjoying some time with Grandma, and visiting with friends.  Here are some random pictures that we have taken.

We went out to a friend's house last Saturday.  They have goats and believe me, the goats were a hit with Dane.  Here he is feeding some treats with Dad's help!

 This baby was so stinkin' cute!

 They had a little donkey too!!!  It was such a sweet thing with the softest muzzle.

 Because of all the recent rain, the Rivers are all high and there is extensive flooding in some communities.  Luckily we aren't too bad off in Great Falls,(at least not yet, it does depend on upcoming weather patterns) but the Missouri is really high and muddy.  Here is the Black Eagle Dam.

Kimber is so close to walking...  She is letting go of things and taking a couple steps before sitting down.  Here she is leaning against the cupboard eating a pretzel.   

This weekend the rain is finally supposed to let up for a couple days.  Wooo hooo!!!  Hopefully, we will get out to enjoy it!

Dad and Marsha's visit

Friday night, Dad and Marsha arrived for a weekend visit.  It was such a great time, all of us had a blast.  The only downside was that Clint had to work.  But, at least he is on day shift so he was home in the evenings.  Saturday we got up and it was chilly with cloudy skies.  It looked like it might rain any minute.  So, we headed down to Giant Springs for a walk.  That way if it got too nasty we wouldn't be too far out and about. 

Of course we had to stop and feed the fish!

Here is my Dad, Dane, Kimber (on my back) and I on the walkway.

A goose in a tree!  You don't see this every day!

Marsha and Dane

There are so many geese and their babies along the path.  The River is really high and the current is super fast, so the adults wont let the babies get away from the bank.  Here are Dane and Dad herding them down the path.  At first, Dane just ran ahead.  But, then I remembered that geese can get pretty cranky with little boys, so Dad ran up there to help mediate!

Sunday, Dad and I ran a 10 K together.  He is a really great runner but stayed with me and we just had a nice father/daughter run.  Here we are after the run.  I had forgotten how hilly the course was, with one pretty long climb so my goal for time was not super realistic.  I did do a decent job though, and came in at 60:03.  (Without walking on the long hill, which in itself felt like an accomplishment!)

Then yesterday evening we just hung out with Clint, played catch, and chatted.  Here is Dane and Gramps playing with the football. 

Such a big boy!  Shaving just like Gramps!

As I said before, it was a super nice visit and we had a great time.  It always goes too fast, but whether it's work or play, time has a way of just going so quickly! 

Fishin' the Missouri

We are really fortunate and had another nice weekend.  Friday was an award ceremony at Clint's work,  and Clint received an Award of Valor.  Last April, he went into a vehicle that had driven into the River and pulled a 225 lb guy from the driver's seat through to the back hatch of his vehicle.  Although the vehicle was not totally submerged, due to the current the vehicle was continuing to sink and the water would have reached the man's face (he was slumped over unconscious) if Clint hadn't pulled him out.  I am super proud of Clint and his coworkers.  Two other Officer's received the same award for entering the River and assisting Clint once he had gotten the man far enough back where they could grab him and get him to shore.  Nice work guys!

Yesterday Clint had to work a little in the morning but then came home and did a little work around the yard and garage.  Dane was right there helping him the whole time!

Today we went down to the Missouri to our favorite spring fishing spot.  The River was really high and fast but we were still able to catch a bunch of mud cats, a few goldeneyes, and one trout! 

 Here is Dane reeling in a fish.  You can see how flooded the grass is.

 Then we moved down river a little and Clint set up a little bench for us.  It was the perfect spot to spend a few hours.  Here are the kids checking out a mud cat.

 This is only the second trout we have ever caught down there, so that was unique.  I figured it was another mud cat so when I saw that there was a bite I had Dane pick up the rod, "set the hook" and started reeling.  All the sudden he said, "mom it's really heavy and hands me the pole".  Sure enough it was a nice trout!

 I just thought that Dane's look was pretty cute in this picture!  The fish had flipped out of their hands!

Well, on Friday Dad and Marsha will be here for the weekend.  We are really looking forward to that.  On Sunday, Dad and I (maybe Marsha) are running a 10k.  Clint has to work, but will be home in the evenings to hang out so we should have a great time.

What a wonderful Mother's Day!

This weekend we were hoping to do get out and enjoy some warm, sunny, Montana spring weather.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we didn't get any clear sunny days.  But, we had just enough nice weather to get out and have some fun.  On Saturday we got up nice and early, compliments of Dane and Kimber.  I went for a nice run in the rain and then the clouds lifted enough for Clint and Dane to go work at the rental.  Here is Dane in his "workin' clothes" getting ready to go help dad.

 Sunday I got to pick what I wanted to do, and since it wasn't raining we decided to hike down on the Missouri and go fishing.  The water is still a little cold and muddy for some of the fish to be biting, but we always have a good time and this time was no exception.  Dane is getting so big, he hikes a good part of the time and then we have the Kelty for when he gets tired or when we are going through an area with a lot of cactus or brush.  Here are Dane and Clint headed out!

 Dane loves playing with the minnows.  He gets one at the beginning, puts it in his bucket and it will entertain him most of the trip.  Here he is proudly showing us his minnow!

 Two bald eagles hanging out by their nest across the River from where we were fishing.

 Pelicans

 Dane reeling in a fish

 Dane's first Goldeneye! 

Okay, Goldeneyes are not exactly a sportfsh, but they are fun to catch...  Especially to Dane!

 Dane hanging out having a good time!

 Kimber didn't really sleep good the night before...  Here she is catching up on her zzzz's.

 My awesome family!  Kimber is awake now and munching on a granola bar.

 Kimber taking it all in...

 What a great big brother!  He said he is going to teach Kimber how to fish when she gets bigger!

 Dane and I

 Reeling in another one!

 After fishing, we loaded back up and the kids promptly fell asleep.  I wasn't ready to go back yet, so we took a drive along the River to look at the geese and their babies.  They are so stinkin' cute!

 When we got home I had to get into gear and get dinner going.  Mom came over and joined us for homeade pizza.  Once it got in the oven things calmed down and we had a really enjoyable evening.  I meant to be showered and dressed nice before mom arrived, but I was running behind...  Oh well!  Here is a picture of me, Mom, Dane, and Kimber

 Grandma and Dane getting a little snuggle time!

I had a really great weekend with lots of good family time.  Clint and the kids spoiled me with flowers and sweet compliments and we got to go hiking and fishing on the River.  Doesn't get much better than that!
I hope that everyone else had a wonderful Mother's Day as well!!!  We definitely send our love to all of the Mom's that we couldn't be with!