Being reunited with Uncle Mike is always a highlight of our MT trip:) Paris is holding her special white bear that Omi has kept for her in MT since she was a baby.
Omi spoiled the grandkids with this awesome race car.
Out on a fun walk with Aunt Pam and Omi.
The annual picture in front of the ram at Sugar & Spice!
Our much anticipated first lunch at our favorite restaurant of all time, S & S with Krista and Nick. The kids love and adore their cousins:)
Paris and Omi doing morning yoga stretches with an audience.
Checking in at the Yellowstone with Omi.
Alex diving off the board.
Paris, Alex, Krista and Mason chilling at the pool.
Mason catching some air off the board.
The whole family went to Candytown USA. Omi gave each of the kids $5, and they got busy picking out their favorites (and, amazingly enough, even came in under budget)
In the evenings we enjoyed many thunder/lightening storms, which we don't get much of in Walnut Creek. Here the kids got soaked (on purpose) in a down pour.
The kids took up where they left off last summer in their fort above Omi's shed. They spent a lot of time eating, decorating and playing up here.
They were very happy to have Trent join them!!
Here are some of the decorations.
Enjoying dinner with Mike and really enjoying one of Aunt Pam's awesome cookies.
Family picture outside of Omi's house.
Alex and Uncle Dan getting ready for the football.
Alex is proudly showing off his missing tooth to Uncle Mike... and, luckily, the tooth fairy found him in MT:)
Paris enjoyed giving a quiz from her American Girl magazine to Uncle Mike and Omi... and many others throughout our stay.
Enjoying the morning out in Omi's beautiful backyard.
We got to go behind the scenes to see where the magic happens at Sugar & Spice thanks to Aunt Pam:)
The kids got a lesson from Krista on how to operate the drive thru window. Alex even took an order from Omi when she drove through.
Here's Mason manning the ship.
Eating one of our many delicious meals at S&S
... back to the American Girl quizz:) ... Krista's turn.
Watching Omi make yummy waffles for breakfast.
Mason and Mike having a heart-to-heart.
The kids loved seeing Jim, or as Alex sometimes puts it, "grandpa".
Pam and Dan spoiled us all with a delicious dinner of barbecued/smoked sliders and many fun accompaniments to celebrate Omi and Mike's b-days.
Pam made this masterpiece!!
They even set up a slip-n-slide for the kids.
... and they got to try out Pam and Dan's awesome, new hot tub.
Our annual day at The Reef in Billings.
Alex and Paris went down the slides nonstop, together and separately. 
... Mason, who is the most daring of the three, missed the cutoff and wasn't happy about it (pictured here: he kept checking t0 see if he was tall enough). He enjoyed the other slides and wave pool though. Hopefully next near he will make the 48"!!
We all got to see Mike's new and beautiful home. The kids were very enamored with Mike, his girlfriend, Katie and the house:)
We all enjoyed stopping by the cemetery to leave some things for Grandpa.
We all enjoyed stopping by the cemetery to leave some things for Grandpa.
Paris left this note, a hair clip and a crab shaped silly band. Mason left a Palm tree silly band and Alex left a snowboarder/skateboarder silly band. Each had special significance:)
My mom and Paris spotted this amazingly huge cloud one day.
Saying goodnight to Omi.
We enjoyed another yummy dinner at Omi's, complete with fresh corn delivered from Iowa, by Jim:)
and made smores for dessert.
Aunt Pam and Paris hanging out
Going out for our final walk around the neighborhood before we left the next morning:(
... and saying goodbye to Uncle Mike and Katie.
We all enjoyed seeing Aunt Eleanor, who is doing great.
... and then, back to reality. This envelope full of school information was waiting for us when we returned home. This is the first year that Paris, Alex and Mason will be at the same school:)
4 comments:
Good post...love all the pics. The picture of you, Pam and your mom is REALLY good..just need Annie. Love all the meals at S & S and the behind the scenes...very cool. Mike is adorable as usual and his girlfriend is darling. great to see Eleanor...she hasn't changed at all...looks wonderful. Can't believe how tan all the kids are and Pam's kids are so grown up...I would never recognize them. Makes me miss being in billings with you...I love everyone in your family.
one last thing...very impressed with Alex diving off the board...none of my kids can dive.
wow, great update of your vacation. sorry we didn't overlap so we could've had coffee at S&S together. :) gma sue took us to candytown too, heaven. you all look darling--mike's girlfriend is adorable, as is he. fun fun pictures. and i want your mom's red kitchen table/chairs. too cute!
Great photos, looks like a wonderful time was had by all! Very impressive jumping & diving by the boys. I'm dying to go to S&S now, that chocolate cake looked insanely good. Awesome cloud too, and what little I could peek of your mom's place looks lovely - and fun for the kids, with their own private "clubhouse"(by the way, your mom continues to look younger every year - I want her secret!)
We just got back from Normandy today, I'll try to post some pics this week (will probably just copy the same ones from Facebook ;)
PS: good luck with back to school - it should be nice having them all in the same place though, right?
Post a Comment