Fence, Field Trip, Friends

I have pictures from lots of miscellaneous activities to share. 

First, the whole family volunteered at Lincoln's school to do a fence project.

We just had to feed slats through the chain link around the playground.

Lincoln took it very seriously - he was proud to be improving his school.

Next, Parker's class visited a saw-mill and a forestry expo.

Looking cool in bright orange vests, safety glasses, and EAR PLUGS!

We saw how the logs (above) enter the factory and all the stages before they leave the factory as big sheets of plywood (below). 

The boys enjoyed collecting scraps of wood that were scattered all around the factory floor.

Learning how leaves, sticks, and mud can actually act as a filter to make water cleaner.

Checking out the screen from an underwater camera to see a fish's view of the habitat.

The Forestry Service did a superb job of getting the kids involved in everything - GREAT field trip!

We've had many wonderful encounters with friends in the last little while.  For example, here's Anndra with each of my friend's three daughters (ages 5, 4, and almost 3).

I also babysat their sweet little brother- so fun to have a baby in the house!

Fun with Linc's best buddy and Parker's pals:

Finally, a pic of Todd (there are too few of him on this blog!) and another funny sleeping pic:

About to leave for the race

Is Costco really that boring??

Kayak adventure

We just made it through a pretty crazy weekend.  I know everyone is anxious to see pics of Todd doing the Spartan Race... but those aren't ready yet, so I'm posting about our family kayak trip instead.

We gathered all the equipment and supplies in the backyard first.

We had everybody sit the way they would in the river...

...and talked to the kids about safety.

Then we carried the kayaks to the water's edge and we were off!

Lincoln watched for litter so we could 'clean up the river' as we went.

Anndra kept asking to catch up with the boys - she hates being left behind!

Parker was our cameraman (with a gopro on his head).

Got out to stretch our legs on a little island we found.

The kids enjoyed it so much they are already begging to go again!

Rollerblading & More

We had a fun weekend with Grandma.  Parker and I tried out our new rollerblades for the first time:

a little wobbly at first, but got the hang of it pretty fast

why didn't anyone tell me how crooked my helmet was?

trying out the idea of being a camera-man-on-wheels

Linc rode his trike around the driveway with us, but still managed to get in some cuddle time with Gma

Our two lovely spectators and their stuffed friends. "Here, Gma, don't you want to hold my pony... and my moose... and my doggie... and my otter... and my ladybug... (etc., etc., etc.)"

finished off our Sat afternoon fun building racetracks in the garage

Now I'll add a few random pics to help catch up from my non-blogging month and a half.

McDonald's indoor playground still a favorite hangout on blustery days

Linc is always asking me to time him to see how fast he can climb up the stairs, crawl through the tunnel, and come down the slide

Still have the occasional snowy day

Not a great picture, but a great smile :)

from a "camera war" with Mommy

going to play-dates in pj's and making new friends

about to perform his solo in the 5th grade music program

sharing a coloring book without squabbling - yay!

Something funny/cute about Anndra is that she will fall asleep in weird places/positions:

Another thing you faithful blog readers may have noticed about her is that she likes to look at anything BUT the camera when we're trying to take her picture.  For example:

So it is a rare treat to end up with one like this:

New Swings & First Campout

Todd installed two swings and a trapeze under our deck yesterday.

We had a beautiful sunny afternoon to enjoy them!

Note the reflection of Todd taking the picture (above).

Daddy, thanks for the fun new "playground"!


We also took advantage of the warm day to set up our new tent & portable fire pit for the first time.

We roasted marshmallows, had a picnic dinner on the lawn, and the kids even talked us into sleeping in the tent last night.

But guess what we woke up to this morning...

Brrrrrr!  I guess we're learning our lesson about Spring in Montana.