We got out on the ice... finally!!!!

Friday Clint had the day off with us, and let me just say...  it was the perfect day!  There were a few hiccups, but that is what makes it so wonderful, my awesome hubby persevered and made it a great day for all of us!  We got up at o'dark thirty, hopped in the truck with the kiddos and headed up to Willow Creek to see if we could catch some fish.  We got there just when the sun was coming up and Clint headed out with the ice auger to drill some holes while I started the process of getting the kids dressed and ready.  I'm not exaggerating when I say process.  Dane's getting pretty good.  He gets that it's all part of the deal and if he wants to go, he's gotta play by mommy's rules!  So, he puts up with me putting 20 layers on him, toasty toes, a hat, gloves, etc.  Kimber...  not so much.  She is still at the age where she doesn't get it and she really feels like I am working hard to make her miserable.

Anyway, as I'm getting the kids ready, I keep looking out to make sure Clint is doing okay.  Well, he is fine but the auger isn't cooperating.  By the time I get both kids ready, he has 2 holes done, but it is obviously not going well...  So, he runs back to the truck and get some tools...  But, no luck.  

Here are the boys trying to figure out what is wrong... 

Perhaps Kimber can help...

 So, we head back to the truck and pile back in.  Dane was SO DISAPPOINTED but was a trooper and was patient while we tried to figure out how we could save the trip.

A truck had gone by earlier and with hopes that they were fellow ice fisherman, we headed out to see if we could find them.  Luckily we did, and Clint worked his magic!  They told us we could borrow their hand auger to drill some holes.  They had a gas one as well, but I don't blame them for not wanting to give that up.  The best part was that they told Clint if we didn't get it back to them right away, we could just drop it off at the buckhorn bar in town!  True Montana ice fisherman, after a day on the ice...  head to the bar!!!

After drilling our holes with the hand auger. (we both are still sore!) I took the auger back to the nice gentleman (not at the bar).  When I got back, Daddy and his two helpers were setting the tip ups.

The hand auger drilled these little bitty cute 4 inch holes.

 The fish were biting really good, but weren't too greedy and wouldn't take the whole bait.  They were just nibblers.  Fortunately, with the help of my special guy, we landed this nice trout!

 I really love Willow Creek cause if we aren't catching fish then we go for walks, or go sledding, or something fun like that.

Next weekend we have Friday and Saturday off together and hopefully the ice will hold up so we can make it out one more time!!!! :)

Haircuts, crafts and all kinds of fun.

Daddy is a brave man...  letting Dane cut his hair.

 Turned out pretty good!

 Ready to go outside

 Shep is at work...  his kennel is way to exciting to leave alone...

 How do I work this lock again???

Dane's new glasses and lots of truffles!

The past week was pretty quiet.  Hunting season has ended...  but here is a picture of Brock and Bones on their last duck hunt.

Clint has the opposite days off than we do...  so when that happens and it is cold weather, we like to bake and make treats...  This time we decided to make truffles.  People see to like them and I can do them in stages if needed.  (sometimes the kids get a little crazy and we have to stop the project and regroup!)  This time I made coconut, mocha, and chocolate and they turned out pretty good.  Here are the treat plates I put together to give to the neighbors, Clint's work, St. Thomas, and Grandma. 

 Kimber helped me deliver the goodies to neighbors... 

 But I thought for a moment she might just eat all of them!!! :)

 About a week and a half ago we went to Missoula to see a specialist about Dane's eyes.  Ever since the eye infection that he had last June, he has had recurring eye issues in his right eye.  It waters constantly and sometimes gets very goopy.  After seeing his pediatrician and 2 eye doctors here in town, they referred him to Missoula.  The Doctor there was great.  He determined that Dane will need surgery on the tear duct of that eye.  It is plugged and will not drain...  so they will put in a tiny tube.  After about 3 months they will take out the tube and it should drain normally and stop getting all goopy and icky. 

More surprising was what they found when they screened his vision.  It was obvious right away that he wasn't seeing well out of his left eye.  After about 2.5 hours of various tests they determined he has an astigmatism in that eye.  The Doctor said that this is a really good time to catch this type of issue though.  He said that with treatment they may be able to improve his vision enough to where he doesn't need glasses as an adult.  The first step is glasses...  which he got on Friday.  He is doing really well wearing them and was happy to model his various silly faces for the camera!  They will retest his vision when they do the post-op appointment and then determine whether or not it is improving.  If it isn't then we will have to patch it for 4-6 hours per day for a couple months.  (That will be FUN!)  But, I guess research has shown that this works very well, and I have a coworker who has personal experience with it and said it worked great for her sister.

Anyway, that is all for now.  We got some really cold weather and snow last week, so maybe when we get days off with Clint we may get to go ice fishing!!!  We shall see!

Dane reeling one in!

It's not ice fishing but it's pretty fun anyway!

Fishing on the Missouri always seems to be good...  at least when you have an amazing hubby like mine!  Last weekend it was really windy in town, but we decided to head up fishing anyway.  It is a great way to get out and burn off some energy for the little ones, and we were catching fish!  Can't beat that!  It was actually not too windy when we got to our fishing spots and the temperature on Sunday was really warm for January weather. 

Here are my guys with the first fish of the day.

 Clint is really good about constantly switching things up until we start catching fish.  After dead minnows weren't working real great, Clint changed up the bait and we started catching some nice fish! 

Here is a really nice brown trout that Clint caught.

 Dane is taking after his daddy and is quite the fisherman.  After we set the hook, we usually hand off the pole and he takes it from there!

 One of Dane's fish was proving to be quite the slippery little sucker!!! :) 

 They finally got him settled down!

 Right at the end of the day, Clint caught this beautiful, big brown trout!  What a nice fish!

 That night when Clint asked me what I wanted to do on Monday...  I didn't even have to think twice!  So, the next day we were back out on the River!

Kimber is usually on my back...  she has no common sense or fear of anything yet.  When she is off of my back one of us has to be on total kid duty to keep her out of trouble!  She does have a good time playing though!!!  Throwing rocks, using a stick as a fishing pole, harassing her brother, all of the things that little sisters do!

 Just to prove I was there and fishing too...  here I am with a small brown trout!  Not nearly as impressive as Clint's, but still fun to catch!

We had a wonderful time all weekend long...  then it was back to reality!  This weekend Clint and I only have Monday off together, so the kids and I are just working around the house and having fun hanging out with Grandma.  Tomorrow they are finally calling for some snow and cold weather!  Woo hooo!!!  Perhaps our next fishing pictures will be on the ice!

A good start to a New Year!

Today my amazing hubby got up after about 4 hours of sleep and took us fishing on the Missouri.  Even though we didn't have ice...  we made due! :)

It was still pretty chilly, but we caught some fish and just had a great time!

 The first brown trout of the day!  Dane actually reeled it in for me!

 Dane and Daddy reeling in another one.

 Another beautiful brown trout.

 Then we warmed up a little in the car, switched spots and caught a couple rainbow trout that we could keep! 

What a great start to another great year!  We hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year's Eve!

Christmas Fun

Oh my...  we have it entirely too good.  We all had a wonderful Christmas filled with delights!  Grandma joined us bright and early and we lucked out and had her company most of the day. 

We started out the day with stockings and then took a break for some pictures.

Dane was delighted that Santa had enjoyed his offerings of seltzer, blueberries, carrot sticks, and water for the reindeer.

Here are Dane and Kimber with our tiny tree and stack of presents...  We were spoiled!

Of course, Kimber is at the age where unwrapping any present is fun, so she was happy to help anyone!  Here she is with Grandma.

Kimber is checking out her new toy cell phone!  Thanks Porter and Wyatt! 

Dane enjoying his new CAT

Dane sharing his new pop gun with Grandma

Dinner was a little different...  but was delicious.  We had homemade pizza and cranberry salad!  YUM!  Here is Grandma doing a little prep work.

Dane getting ready to help me make the dough

The weather is so warm lately...  We were able to play in the backyard with just sweatshirts...  Crazy!

I tried to get some pictures of Shep with the family, but he doesn't stand still long enough...  He is such a pup and wants to see what Dane is doing. 

and of course we had to play with our new stuff!!!

Hmmmm...  Daddy was in charge of bathtime!  Looks like fun!  :)

Our only wish is that our other family members are closer...  but we all send our love and best wishes for the New Year!