Busy, busy, busy

Mara had her violin concert last week.  She was really nervous, but did great.  This is her warming up...

Mara and Ashlee also had their dance recital.  Ashlee has been posing with her leg out like that ever since Halloween.  Her costume had the picture of "Dorothy" posing with her leg just like that and she thought it was the coolest thing... or at least it seems that way to me.  Too bad, she didn't catch on to "Dorothy's" smile.

Glacier National Park, MT - Aug 2010

We hopped on a train to hang out at Glacier National Park, MT. It was our first train trip (other than a short train in New York into the city), and our first trip to a National Park. Notice Ashlee's broken arm. She did that 2 days before we left falling off her bike. The train was roomy and Elaine liked the fact that the kids could walk around.

The hikes, mountains, lakes and streams were beautiful!




Ashlee refused to pose except by the sign. We saw plenty of big horn sheep, mountain goats, deer, and a marmot (which are similiar to beavers)







Ben got a little tired, so David carried him for a while. After I tried to put him down, he refused to let go.

Mara took this picture along with several others. She liked the flowers.


We loved the bed and breakfast (Apsenwood Resort, I highly recommend it and it has a military discount too.) The kids loved the bed and breakfast because they got to play with the owner's 5 dogs. We also liked the paddle boat. This is the kids with Nana and PopPop.


It got unseasonably cold the last day when we went to Many Glacier. You can't expect kids to smile every time.


We did see a bear and her 2 cubs.


It was the perfect distance for viewing. The little dot on the ridge is the bears.

Mara pretending to be a bear.

We saw a moose too, but no one pretended to be a moose. The trail at times reminded me of a playground.

Camping

We had so much fun camping!! David made a yummy crumb cake. I don't know what Mara is looking at?

We warmed it up by the fire, but didn't wait long enough. The night before, Alyssa helped make a huge fire.

We had also gone swimming. At first the kids were too afraid of the cold to go in at first and stuck to the beautiful North Dakota beach.

After a group of big kids ran in, Mara and Ben were finally willing to try it. Mara ended up swimming all the way to the buoys (twice even)!!!

David and Ben went hiking on Friday night.

Ben talked about how cool it was where they went, so Ben led the way on the hike on Saturday.

Mara took this picture.

Random Pictures that Elaine forgot about...

Some random pictures that Elaine forgot about by now. The summer started off cool.

Mara is tall enough to drive a go-kart. She did great until they told her she had to stop. She did a nice victory lap and crashed into the side to stop. It was better than the other kid that crashed into the line of cars to stop.

I got to drive with Ben and Ashlee.... So did Elaine...




Mara and I went on a daddy-daughter date to this dinner and dance on base. She really liked it.


And another random picture that Elaine took from our patio.

And I just love my cute kids...

Batter up!!!!

Elaine has been loving coaching Mara's softball team. This is Mara's first year playing softball, but Elaine is quite the expert. She likes it even more now that she found a parent who pitches for them. That was one skill she lost over the years. She lets the girls pick which position they play (for at least one inning). Mara just doesn't like outfield.

Mara came up to bat with the bases loaded... She swings hard...

but it's a little early. (The softball is the yellow right over home plate.)

Mara made a great catch when she was playing 3rd base. It was the first game they won this season and they crushed the other team (My boss's daughter plays on the other team.)

Ashlee and Ben had fun during the game too. Ben is enjoying his T-ball, but doesn't like playing outfied either.

If you could walk on water...

While I was taking a nap today (trying to catch up on some sleep after my long flight), Elaine and the kids went to play in the puddles. I was shocked to see this picture of Ashlee walking on water.

But then I discovered it wasn't just Ashlee...

Don't think they got it on the first time...

Of course, after some practice, Mara did better than just walking on water...

Gone Fishin'

Ben had a field trip to go fishing at a stocked lake. It was catch and release. Ben caught 3 fish and had a great time.