Laughing out Loud!

I pulled out "Baby Einstein" for Ben to watch the other day and he was cracking up! I had to get it on video this time around. He is so funny. He'll be the only one watching something, in the other room and you'll just hear him totally cracking up. I love that! You can't help but laugh as well when he does that!

First, he's laughing at the Tiger puppet being silly and then he tries to count along with the numbers. He's really into that lately. He usually only puts 2 fingers up and says, "three" a few times in a row.

Bye-bye pacifiers!

It was time. We asked Ben to get the pacifier out of his bed and throw it in the garbage and he obediently did just that. It wasn't until nap time later that day that he realized the severity of his actions. I told him that he's a big boy and he didn't need them anymore but, I felt so sorry that he had to give up those beloved pacifiers of his. (If the trash wasn't already taken out, I probably would've fished one out and gave it back...)

It took a couple of days but, going "cold turkey" seemed to work for this little guy of ours.

7 Years and many more!

Matt and I's 7 year anniversary!

We started our day off by surprising the boys with going to the fair in Plains! We missed our fair in Missoula this year so, this was a treat for all of us. I LOVE funnel-cakes("fried-dough" for you East Coasters) so, I was pretty excited to have one and that was probably one of the highlights for me!

It was so fun to surprise the kids! The whole way Will was giddy with excitement. And it wasn't until we were on the fairgrounds and he seen the rides that he realized where we actually were! It was super cute. We grabbed some tickets and headed for the rides. Will's first ride was the helicopter ride and he LOVED it! Ben was a little sad to not be able to go on with his big brother. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have more rides for the little ones. Ben isn't THAT small! O well. By next years fair, he'll be ready to ride.

We watched while Will enjoyed!

And then, my cute boy wanted to try the roller coaster. I was shocked when he said he wanted to try this ride. I remember how timid he was when he went on the roller coaster at Disneyland and how we practically had to force him on things(that was a while ago, but, still!).

And I know I have a biased opinion but, he was the cutest kid on that ride! His smile was adorable.

And then, when that turn was over, he went on for another round!

The only ride Ben was able to go on was the carousel and all three of the guys enjoyed that one.

Matt tried a couple of rides out himself! He had fun although he was dizzy for a while after that hang-gliding one!

And we let the kids play one instant-win game! You fish for a duck and get a prize. Ben got a dog and Will got a duck. And as soon as our ride tickets were spent, we were done with the fair.

After the kids were settled in bed, my awesome friend, Grace, babysat the kids while we went on our fun date to Jaker's. We heard really good things about their steak and we were NOT disappointed!(and their Lobster Bisque was AMAZING!).

I know I've said this before but, I LOVE date-nights! And especially when we're celebrating another year together. We got to eat slowly and talk about how far we've gotten and how we can't believe it's already been 7 years and so on and so forth! We had a great night. After dinner we did some shopping at Target and I know that doesn't sound like much but, shopping without kids is fun every now and again...

Happy Anniversary babe! I look forward to many many more! Love you.

Goal!

Matt made it a goal for himself to run Mt. Sentinal (the mountain behind him) by the end of this summer. He's been working hard and running during his breaks at school. The morning of our anniversary, he got up bright and early and went to accomplish his goal. He did it! I'm so proud of my hubby. Usually when he says he wants to do something, he finds a way to get it done and that's pretty inspiring!

1st Bus Ride!

This is my excited little boy! He LOVES riding the bus. And this was his first day. I love how convenient it is(being that they pretty much pick him up from our house!). It was a little rainy but, Will enjoys carrying his umbrella! He was so cute and super-talkative.

He did this goofy pose and it cracked me up! I gotta admit that the first day of school wasn't really hard for me. I went with him and he was fine and I stood for an hour and so, it didn't feel like we were apart for too long. But, the first day I let him ride the bus, was soooo hard for me. I had to relinquish the control and trust someone else to get him safely to school. And to top it off, Will was sooo excited that he forgot to give me a kiss and hug goodbye. The bus driver pulled up and opened the doors and he said hi to the bus driver and ran to a seat. I didn't even get to say, "I love you and have a good day" again! I cried as I watched the bus pull away and I walked back to our place. I told him later that I was sad that I didn't get to have a kiss and he looked concerned. He told me loved me and he hasn't forgotten since! He is such a big kid now. I really can't believe I'm sending my kid off to school!

Ben gets a little sad when Will leaves to catch the bus. And he gets so excited to go and pick Will up later. They were so cute later that day. They played guns and then found this empty bin and decided to sit in it together and watch t.v.!

Will's 1st day of Preschool!

A friend watched Ben so I could take Will to school and hang with him for a bit! Thanks Heather!

Before we left for school, I asked him if he was excited or scared or happy?! And he said, "Excited!". I was glad to hear that.

When we were walking up to the school, he asked, "are you going to stay with me for a little while?" And he seemed happy to hear that I was. Look at that cute big kid!

Will was so cute. He was quiet(which is not his usual self but, I know that won't last very long!). They had breakfast and then brushed their teeth. After, they explored the classroom and played with whatever they chose to! Will found rocks and a scale and played with that for a while. He then went over to the markers and drew on some paper, as seen in the above pic. Usually when I tell him to smile, he makes that forced smile you see above!

He decided to then go over to the cutting station and cut some paper with different kinds of scissors.

Before I left, I needed to get a pic of my little Preschooler and I! He was so darn cute. I'm so glad he gets to experience that classroom setting and make some new friends. He makes friends where ever he goes so, I know that's not going to be a problem. I love this little boy and I can't believe how fast this time has come!

It wasn't too long ago that he was THIS little!

Forest Fires.

Will got out with matt to check out the crazy forest fires. Ben and I checked it out from the van.

It's strange to have the fires be so close to ya. Thankfully, they're not close enough to look out of our window and see them but, they're about 5 minutes away to view it(driving). They're under control by the firefighters and many volunteers(we drove by their sight and there was tons of tents pitched...amazing sight!).

It is however, close enough to have our home smell like campfire! We've used the A/C's to filter out the air and that seemed to help a bit.

Gamers!

This is what our home looks like at least 20 minutes a day... These kids love playing video games. And like I said, we keep it to a minimum so don't worry! It's actually a good incentive for Will to keep him in line... Will LOVES playing video games with his dad and I am pretty sure Matt likes having someone to play with, as well.

Lake Time, Again!

We decided to get the Lake in one more time since we knew Summer would rapidly be coming to an end. Matt invited one of his friends from work. It was a HOT day once again.

Mohamed and Will. Mohamed is so great with the kids! He bought snacks just for the kids and even rode in the back with Will and watched Spongebob with him on the way back! Mohamed said he was impressed with how Will pronounced his name since even adults said it incorrectly. Thanks for coming with us Mohamed!

The swimming gang!

Can you find the chipmunk?!(he's on the log) He has come out each time that we've been there! He gets pretty close to us and takes the scraps of food we leave behind. I watched as he ran around under our van and then all of a sudden he hopped up and in the trunk! We left the trunk door open and he decided to jump in. He got out about 30 secs later but, I was shocked! The Nerve!

Bandana Boys!

I just cleaned Matt's bandanas(he uses them when he runs to keep the sweat outta his eyes). I asked the boys if they wanted to look like daddy and they were very excited about it! They ran around with them on, whilst playing guns (of course).

Farmer's Market and the Lake!

Matt has made it his thing to take the kids on a bike-ride every Saturday morning for breakfast at the farmers market (while they let me sleep-in!). The boys really look forward to it and they have a lot of fun. This time, I decided to go, too. I had a creamcheese and blueberry crepe, yum!

We then walked over to a sandy spot along the river and threw sticks and rocks and such in.

There's nothing like fresh veggies from the farmers market!

Last year around this time, we had just moved to Missoula. I took a pic of Matt and his boys in this same spot at that time. I think it should be tradition each year that we're here! The one from last year is in THIS post.

Later, we decided to head back to St. Mary's Lake and try a different spot over there. It was an awesome spot! We had more sun in this spot and plenty more space for the boys to walk around and still be in shallow water and play!

Drinks and...

sandwiches are a must at the lake!

I was on that float for quite a while since it was so soothing to just be in the water and have that weightless feeling (since I'm definitely NOT weightless as you can see by the way the floaty sunk in on my side...lol).

I really loved making these lake memories with our boys. I remember going to the lake or beach with my family when I was little and it was a joyous time. I remember my mom making bologna and cheese sandwiches and packing lots of snacks and drinks into a cooler. It's sometimes a lot of work to get everything prepared so we got smart this time around and put all of our swimming stuff in one spot in the front closet. We also just take our towels that we used last for showers or baths (so we don't have to do twice the amount of laundry). It's been worth it!

St. Mary's Lake!

Montana gets HOT in the summer. It was time to head to the lake! We picked St. Mary's, right by twin lakes and we were happy with our choice.

Ben went right in!

Will is like me when it comes to water and how COLD it is. We take our time!

Matt used Ben and his floaty as a kick-board!

And then Will joined in with his ducky float!

They also had fun gathering rocks and dirt and such in their buckets!

Will, being cute!