Great Things

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.  Psalm 126:3

Summer is over, and I am a little sad about that!  But don't these boys look sweet and ready for school?  Yesterday was their first day of 3rd grade and 1st grade.  We don't really talk up the beginning of school around our house.  That seems to cause unneeded anxiety.  Of course they know when school is about to start, but we don't make a big deal out of it.  I am so thankful that our kids like school, even though they may not admit it!

I started thinking that I haven't written anything about what's going on in life for quite a while, and that's a shame because "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!"  There was some anxiety in May when Brian was told his last day at his job would be May 31.  His employer wasn't getting as many contracts as they were expecting.  We didn't have enough savings in the bank.  Thankfully our trust is not in the company or ourselves.  God's timing is so amazing!  Almost as soon as Brian worked his last day at his job, his new company started demanding all of his working hours!  He and his partner were doing so well, that they began looking for office space and moved in as soon as we returned from our trip to Montana.  There are of course still some uncertainties, but we will continue to trust God and praise Him for everything!  In addition to getting an office and making more sales, Brian is happy.  He's happy with his work!  That is such a huge praise!  Oh, I am so blessed.  God is so good.  He has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!

A Lost Tooth!

Spence woke us up this morning crying because his tooth fell out in his sleep and he couldn't find it so he was convinced he wouldn't get money from the tooth fairy!  I told him we'd leave her a note to let her know what happened and I was positive she'd leave him the money.  I know these things, you know.  Then after I woke up a little more and Spence stopped blubbering through his tears, I learned that he felt the tooth on his tongue in the middle of the night, took it out and put it under his pillow, then couldn't find it this morning.  And he was wondering why the tooth fairy didn't leave any money.  I told him she must have already made her rounds by the time his tooth ended up under his pillow!  So tooth fairy, I know you tend to be forgetful, but please remember to put money under Spence's pillow tonight!

Seems my kids' teeth are in no rush to fall out.   Coleman was well into first grade before he lost his first tooth.  So Spence has him beat there!  Check out this big smile!

Can't Do That When We Fly!

It's nice to fly to Montana and get there after half a day of traveling, but I have to admit driving was fun!  We got to see family that we rarely see, and parts of the country that we'd never seen before.  We stopped at places that otherwise we'd never go, like an extinct volcano in the northeastern corner of New Mexico.  After convincing the kids that lava would not be spewing and endangering our lives, we started our drive up the volcano.  No guardrails and a very narrow road made for an extremely nervous Momma!  But we made it!  The rangers gave the kids booklets to complete activities while exploring the volcano and after completing they were awarded honorary ranger badges and certificates.

 

Ready to walk down into the vent

 

I always seem to wear flip flops to go hiking

There was quite an amazing view from the top

 This was really a neat stop that everyone enjoyed!  I mean, how often do you get to drive up a volcano and then walk down into it? We drove on to Wichita Falls, TX and spent the night there.  We made it home the next day, July 22, 15 days after we left!  What a journey!  Can't wait to see what we'll find on our next road trip!

Cousins!

On our way home from Montana, we drove through Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.  We stopped and visited Uncle Brent, Aunt Dre, and Rylan!  Allie and I went to see Rylan last summer, but Brian and the boys had never met her.  It's so fun to have a cousin!

Making it to Grandpa and Grandma's

After four days and 2000 miles we made it to Grandma and Grandpa's house!  I love love love our visits to Helena.  It is such a beautiful place, and the people we are there to visit make it all the more wonderful!  Several years ago Grandpa bought treasure boxes for the kids.  Every day of our visit the kids look in their treasure boxes and find a small toy or tokens for the carousel.  Now that the kids are older and, ahem, pickier, Rita asked them to give her some treasure box ideas.  Of course their ideas were "the coolest toy ever" and a "100 inch plasma TV."  Ha!  One day their treasure was a combined gift:  an inflatable ball that you get in and roll around in.  They loved it and played with it all week!

At the big hill at Carroll College (this is where we sled in the winter)

Spence ready for his ride

The weather was absolutely gorgeous!  Summer at our house involves lots of air conditioned activities or trips to the pool.  But in Montana summer is the time to go outdoors!  The kids played outside and at parks (virtually unheard of at home from late May to early October).  We ate lunch and dinner outside every chance we got!  Brian and I are already planning to summer there when we're retired.

Concert at the park

We planned our trip so we'd be in town for Brian's 20th high school reunion.  There were two dinners for the adults, and one family day at a lake.  The water was sooooo cold!  But Allie enjoyed it!

One day we visited a ghost town.  The old buildings were pretty cool! 

Leaving the ghost town we stopped at a little stream and the kids played around.

I'm so thankful for a beautiful place to vacation and for amazing family who we love and enjoy visiting!  Thanks for letting us stay an entire week!