It's not really that warm

Today the temperature got up to the high 50's. This morning Isabelle kept begging to go outside. When it was finally warm enough to go out, I made her wear her socks, shoes, and jacket. As you can see from the picture that did not last very long. She's also eating a popsicle. (Brr.....)

After we picked Ian up from school, it was a little bit warmer. The kids all played outside for awhile, and ate more popsicles. Ian was very wound up. His school was "evacuated." They moved them to the 2-4th grade school that is next door. Someone had sprayed for weeds and the fumes were so bad that the fire alarms went off. They couldn't go outside for recess. I think all the teachers were glad when it was time to end!

Library Celebration

This past weekend was the celebration of the library's 50th anniversary. The library in Browning had their party on Saturday afternoon. This picture is the front of the library. The weather was nice enough that the band could set up out front.

Caleb is watching the band from the inside. At one point a dog kept running in through the open door. The kids all thought that was hilarious.

One of the library board members set up a craft for the kids. She is also Ian's first grade teacher, so he was very excited to see her there. We also had a station where the adults could stamp bookmarks, snacks, door prizes, etc. One of the highlights was a presentation by a member of the tribal counsel to the library.

On Sunday afternoon the Library in Cut Bank had their celebration. It was similar to the one in Browning. Here Isabelle and a friend are putting on a puppet show. They also had a storytime, coloring pages, paper origami, stamping :), and other activities.

One of the activities in Cut Bank was making fly fishing lures. Stephen and Ian each made one.

Spring Weather

We have finally had some warmer weather. On Sunday, we had some time between church and a program at the library. We took a picnic at the park after church. Ian, Isabelle, and Caleb enjoyed running around, playing on the playground, rolling down the hill, etc. They have so much energy!

Caleb at 15 months

It's hard to believe that Caleb is 15 months now. It is exciting to see him learning and growing. These pictures are from this past Saturday. He took a nap in the morning, but then he played and played. In the late afternoon he just crashed on the "comfy chair."

A Day at the Beach- Isabelle & Ian

Ian is pretending to rescue Stephen and Isabelle from drowning--
just like a real rescue hero!

Ian really wanted to be buried in the sand!

Another Day at the Beach- Caleb

We went back to the same beach on Friday and stayed for six hours. Caleb started with his hat on, but it was too much to keep it on the whole time we were there. But with lots of sunscreen, we kept his little head from being sunburned through his thin blond hair!

As the day progressed, Caleb became braver about being in the water. He liked to watch the waves coming and going. I think he was wondering just what was taking place. He also liked to pick up seashells or small rocks and throw them at the water.

A Day at the Beach

On Thursday afternoon of our vacation we went to the beach. We were at a place called Honeymoon Island, which is a state park. The weather was great-- not too warm, not too cool. The kids just played and played. The water was shallow pretty far out, so it was a really good spot for them. They also built a sandcastle, and looked for seashells.

Disney- Face Painting

We had quite a bit of rain (off and on) during the day, so we knew face paint would wash off pretty quickly. But the kids had been looking forward to it most of the day, so we did it. Ian is the Lion Prince, and Isabelle is a Princess.

Caleb didn't get his face painted, but I had to add a picture of him. He is enjoying a rice krispy treat shaped like Mickey Mouse, dipped in chocolate, and sprinkled with colorful sprinkles. He hadn't eaten much all day, but thought that was YUMMY!

Magic Kingdom

On Tuesday of our trip, we went to the Magic Kingdom. The pictures here are from Main St. (We are right inside the entrance.) Stephen and Caleb are consulting the map to see what direction we should go first. Of course we got a little side-tracked when we saw Daisy and Pluto. What a great photo-op!

Animal Kingdom- Part Two

The highlight of Monday afternoon was a safari ride. The idea of the ride was that we were trying to rescue a baby elephant from poachers. We saw lots of African animals along the way. They were very close to where we were driving, so we could see them very well. The last picture is of Stephen and Ian on the train ride. They were so bored they fell asleep. (for pretend.)
It was raining lightly at the time, so the rest of us were in a shop trying to wait out the weather. Unfortunately, it stayed rainy, so the kids were done with the animal kingdom. We headed back to the hotel. We were hoping that we would be able to go back for the evening, but it kept raining. We settled for popsicles in our room instead.

Animal Kingdom

On Sunday night (Easter) we went to a hotel, so that we would be close to Disney world on Monday morning. We went to the Animal Kingdom first. Our hotel had a shuttle that we were able to take instead of driving. After all the excitement of waking up in the hotel, getting ready, waiting for the shuttle, riding the shuttle, Caleb was ready for a nap. He fell asleep as soon as we put him in the stroller. Of course, I had to get a picture of that.

We spent the first part of the morning in Dino-Land. One of the things that Ian and Isabelle enjoyed the most was an area where they could dig for dinosaur bones and explore. At first Isabelle was afraid to go in, and Stephen and Ian went in without her. It only took about 3 minutes for her to change her mind, and then she had alot of fun!

There was a shaded walkway with this dinosaur that the kids climbed all over. It was nice to be out of the crowds for a few minutes, and then we were all ready to go again.

Zoo at Tampa

On Saturday afternoon we went to the Zoo in Tampa. The kids enjoyed seeing the animals. They also really enjoyed being able to walk around outside in the warmer weather. We ended up with lots of pictures of animals, and even a few of the children.

Ian and Isabelle were able to go for a camel ride. (for a small fee, of course) I thought Isabelle would be too scared, but both of them were excited. They had a great time.

Here are my little monkeys. Soon Caleb will be right there with them!

In Denial

There is snow on the ground this morning. I was going to post a picture of it, but decided to pretend like it is not there. Instead I'll post some of the pictures from our second day of Florida, where there was no snow, only sunshine and warm temperatures. The pictures are of the kids hanging out in the backyard.

More of the first day

Ian and Isabelle slept on an air mattress in the living room. Caleb had to test it out, too. But then he went into the pack & play. They never would have slept if they were all three together.

We miss Florida

We are glad to be home, but we definately miss the Florida weather. It is snowing again. None of the snow from yesterday stuck. Maybe this will do the same. We need the moisture here, but it could warm up and rain... right?
These pictures are from our first day in Florida. We spent Thursday night in Great Falls to be ready for a flight Friday early in the morning.
The kids all did really well traveling. When we got to Tampa, it was so nice to walk outside into warm weather.
As soon as we got to John and Vicki's house everyone headed for their great backyard. It opens onto a lake. The kids really enjoyed being able to play outside. (That is Scooter in the picture with Caleb.)