Trip to MT part 4: *** 4TH OF JULY!!!

Well folks, it has been a crazy past few weeks... and once again, I got behind in this whole blogging thing. Right now all of the kids are napping, and I am seizing this opportunity to tap out this installment of our 4th of July in MT. Being that we have never lived anywhere (well besides me growing up in MT... but in our adult lives, and my children's lives) that has fireworks. In San Diego it was always off to the beach to spend a day there and watch the light show at night. In NY it was off to Congress Park for the parade, yummy food vendors, great local talent shows and wonderful fireworks... EVEN IN THE RAIN!! But never, and I mean never, in my daughter's wildest dreams would she be able to hold a firework, and light some off for herself! She was.... amazed!

We started off the fun with a little "pre fun" if you will on July 3rd. After heading out to the Indian Reservation to get some really cool stuff, we headed back and just had to do some sparklers (had to ... because of me...)



Gabby was reluctant to hold that burning stick... it just didn't sit well with her!




Grammy helped Gabby out and gave her a bit of reassurance.





Now Mason is all boy... and LOVED the sparkler... look at all of those boys in the picture!! Grinning from ear to ear... they get eachother!!




The morning of the 4th we awoke wanting desperately to do something active for the day. Being that my daughter is 3 and a half years old, has been to Missoula about half a dozen times, (last summer we spent 6 weeks in MT during our transition from NY to AZ) and yet had NEVER EVER been to the carousel. I felt it was high time to get her down there and enjoy it. I hadn't been there since they first opened when I was in the 7th grade... CRAZY how time flies and things change... I remember, we were first in line when they opened... well I shouldn't say we... my brother and his friend Marvin were, and I was... behind them... but heck we made national news!! For those of you who don't know what I am talking about... Missoula hosts the largest wood hand carved carousel... I think in the country? Don't know about the world... but anyways, it is a site to see... and a mark of my childhood, as I can't even begin to imagine how many damned pennies I brought into my school for "pennies for ponies" over the year (the school district sponsored a few (don't know how many) ponies for the carousel by hosting pennies for ponies... )
To my amazement, they had added on an entire play structure for the kids to play on... totally cool, and the kids LOVED it.



Papa is explaining important things to Mason...




Papa pushing Gabby!





Mommy and Gabby ready to ride!




Grammy and Mason ready to ride too... will he like it???




Around and Around....




waiting for their turn... (Papa and Auntie Melanie)




lookin back




ok... so he was EXTREMELY tired, and wanted off..




NOW!!! He lost it... and even Grammy couldn't calm him down... LOL



Well we went home, relaxed, had some dinner, and then prepared for a night of fun. My parents' street was filled with about 30+ people having a block party... it had it's pros and cons... too many unsupervised children lighting off fireworks, but lots and lots of fireworks to look at and entertain us....


Daddy lighting Gabby's sparkler




Grammy and Gabby





And now it's time for Daddy to take Gabby out and show her how he lights the fireworks... she gets a little hands on action...




ok it's lit... NOW RUN...



So... for those of you who were not there... which is most of you... the firework they had just lit off was a "ladybug" firework... and as the lady said at the stand "It just lifts about 1/2 a foot off of the ground and spins around"

Ok.. WRONG... the was the first of the pack of three... this one took off after Gabby, her and Justin were running, and I yelled OH MY GOD... and Justin (thankfully) pushed Gabby down on the ground, just in time for it to skim past her forehead, rather than exploding right on her... VERY SCARY... My heart still pounds thinking about it.



Look closely... see the blue mark on Gabby's forehead... Ya... that's from the ladybug...



and as far as the other 2 ladybug fireworks... CRAZY... the second one was a dud and did NOTHING... the third one shot about 30 feet in the air and fell down on fire... so please people... don't ever get the ladybugs! This is also a story Gabby will never forget... she still tells it to random strangers we meet (you know in line at the grocery store, at the library, wherever we are and she finds a nice person to chat with LOL)



Silly Gabby and Papa




I tried putting Mason to bed before we went out to do the nighttime fireworks... ummm he was NOT having it... I went back in to find him in hysterics... he could hear the boom boom of the fireworks and was scared to death!


Bubba looking up at the sky





watching the show




Grammy's fireworks are ginormous and AWESOME




wow!




Gabby wanted us to hurry up and take this picture!



Well a month and a week and a day late... here is that posting finally of our fun holiday in MT. Hope you all enjoyed the pictures and the rant and raves of my awkward mind! Until next time... peace and many blessings to all!

Tara

Camping Trip to Seeley Lake : MT trip Part 3

So after our trip to Salmon, ID, we headed up to Seeley Lake, MT for 2 days of camping fun with Grammy, Papa and Auntie Melanie. No, it wasn't tent camping, it was good ole "historic" motor home camping. I use "historic" lightly... as my parents motor home is a dinosaur... it still looks and runs great, but man, it has seen some miles! And wow... the gas it guzzles... my goodness... WOW. So yea, all of you who know my folks, let's rally around them and help them to realize that a tow trailer is a much better option for them... like a tent trailer... I mean heck... it's only those two and the two dogs... how much room do they need!?!?

Ok... I will step off of my pedestal for now... as I know my mother's eyes are rolling and annoyance is probably filtering out of both my dear parents' mouths... but I just had to once again put my two cents out there hahahaha!

I love you mom and dad :)

So back to that camping trip...
Well we left late in the day on July 1st... so late in fact that the afternoon storm had caught up to us, and wallah we were driving in the rain (Justin, Melanie, the kids and I all drove up in the Durango with a trailer pulling the wave runner attached) following mom and dad in the beastly motor home. Pulled up to camp, actually got a great spot and started to set up camp... in spouts of downpour rain... but it was nice, and welcomed by us desert rats here, as we don't see much of that around here!!!

The following day it poured a bit in the morning, but then cleared up to be a beautiful day. Still a little chilly though... we aren't used to wanting to swim in 60 degree weather... we are used to the 100 degree weather these days. Everyone trecked on down to the lake excited for a cruise out on the wave runner... only to my father's defeat, it just wouldn't run for "oh more than 2 minutes" before it would die out in the middle of the lake, leaving my father to float back to shore and once again, tackle the task of fixing that pesky fun machine. Poor dad... when one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong... right daddy!?

But we made the best of things, and still had a lot of fun. Great memories were made while spending quality time with those we care a lot about!

The following day, it was quite comical to see the rate race as to who could claim our campsite first... I mean we were the idiots with the awesome spot, close to the lake, LEAVING the day before the 4th of July.... what the heck were we thinking!? Well we had family to get back to and see off (shout out to you Aunt Julie, Zach, Chelsey and Grandma Marie)... and a 4th of July with memories to last my daughter a life time (that to come in the next blog).

So I hope you enjoy this story of pictures! Yes mom, I will send you a copy of all of these pictures as well if you would like!


Gabby"helping" with camp set up


brrr what a cold morning... coats and sweatshirts in July!? Where are we...? SURELY not AZ!!


getting ready for fishing


killing time with water guns and bouncing on the inner tube


Papa teaching his Gabby


Ready to fish!


my studdly husband!


ok... so my "funny" husband wanted to show me that one day I will find Mason being "a boy" and playing with knives... and see he already is...



Looking for worms for fishing... no such luck


Off to the lake


Gabby and her Papa Rod


holding the fishing pole very carefully


the entire "team" off to the lake


ready to go on the wave runner... will it work!?


red marshmallow boy is ready too


YAY IT WORKS!!



2 min later... ehhh not so much...



cute piggies (Mason and Auntie Melanie)



dirty little guy



piggy backin a ride to fishin'


on the dock at sunset with Papa



sunset and silly jokes!


they used strawberry marshmallows as bait (Gabby's choice for smores... YUCK) but Gabby got bored, and ate the bait



and to finish it off... some wildlife and scenery from the trip!


purdy white flower with lasting rain drops...


I thought this was cool how the camera caught the drops on the leaves


ginormous butterfly that let us get really close!


The gopher that bothered our site... and the dorito that was fed to him by none other than Justin and Melanie



Well it was a happy trails to us when we left (especially with everyone vying for our camp site) We had a blast, and can't wait to do it again!

Stay tuned for yet ANOTHER installment of our vaca to MT... next up.. 4th of July spectacular!