After the bath

Views from Polson

Here are a few pics from our weekend trip to Polson:

Obviously, this devise is used to dry our clothes, but it's just a classic view on our trip, and I meant to take a picture of it while the sun was rising one morning, but didn't want to traipse back into the house.
View from the side of the patio. Aunt Jean set up this pool so the little ones could play near the house and avoid exposure to "swimmers itch" (thanks, Tracy!)
Everett, at the end of his first boat ride, just waking up. He slept about half the trip. he's sitting on Aunt Jean's lap, our amazing hostess!
Everett and I, at the end of the dock. If you know me, you know this is one of my absolute favorite places ever, and I was so happy to take Everett there this year. We just wish John could have been with us!
Aunt Jeans' boat. The neighbor got it up and running again, so it was pulling skiers and giving rides again!

More pictures, later...

Hi!

4th of July weekend

Friday night, we went out to the lake with Patrick and Jayme. We set up camp and played cards in the camper because a storm was blowing over. Saturday was windy and we did some fishing, but spent some quality time in the camper off and on until evening, when the wind finally died down, making outdoor activities more pleasant. Sunday we spent most of the day on the lakeshore, fishing, swimming, and visiting.

Crazy or Courageous?

So, I watched the Miller girls again today, and had this fantastic idea! Wouldn't it be so much fun for the kids if I set up Everett's little wading pool, I thought. They'd love it! Yes, it was fun for the kids, but a bit of a logistics nightmare for the crazy adult involved. "I can do this," I told myself. "How?" I asked. (You see, I had little adult conversation today, mostly it was a small child saying "outside?" "wing?" translation: swing, so I had a lot of conversations with myself) And, with 3 kids under 2, I think I must have been crazy to even consider it beyond the first thought. But, I told myself to be brave, this could be an adventure, a challenge for the day, something to keep us all from going completely insane.

So, I filled the pool so it would warm up. I grabbed towels and set them outside. I found shorts and shirts for 2 girls to wear while playing in water. I pulled the kid swing close to the pool. Before and after naps, depending on the child, I fed them lunch. Put sunblock on 3 kids, changed 3 diapers to avoid any major contamination of the pool water, took out a blanket to lay in the grass, hauled 1,2,3 kids outside, putting 2 in the swing and one on the blanket. Luckily, they still hadn't noticed there was water in the bright green blow-up turtle in front of them, and before they did, I set up the canopy so the sun wasn't so scorching. Finally, I introduced them to the fact that there was water in that turtle. And, they were amazed!

They splashed and played and had a grand old time. Then, I saved the little one from the splashing, the oldest one wanted to wing, and the only boy continued to splash. And one by one they got in and out and in and out, bringing the obvious blades of grass and occasional grasshopper with them.

So then, how do you get them out when one has had completely enough, and they most likely all need an afternoon nap, one would wonder. Or maybe you know, and you're thinking I had this one coming! Well, it wasn't so bad, because the younger 2 had had enough, and the other was 'winging. So, take 1 and 2 in, then peel the third off the 'wing in protest. Get 3 kids changed out of wet clothes and 20 pound diapers and back into dry clothes. Pop in bottles or sippies, whatever is age appropriate, and the rest is history, except the taking down, but that has been accomplished this evening.

Whew~!

For Anne!

Anne,

It was a good day, and this was before things got a little wild around here!

Crazy Driver!