FINALLY THEIR FIRST FISH!!

Jason came home from work bubbling yesterday because he had been at the base pond while the game and fish folks were stocking it with 5 lb trout and saw all the little trout surfacing like crazy. He wanted to take the kids fishing because he was sure they would catch something this time.
And they did - 3 rainbows and 1 brown (they threw it back)! He said that after Gracie reeled in the first one (on her Barbie fishing pole!), he saw the light bulb go on in her head - that fishing actually means catching fish, not just casting and reeling! And she was soooo excited for the next hour and a half that he could hardly contain her! She was watching the bobbers to see if there were bites and when they did bring more in, she would run over to the other people fishing and scream, "we got a fish!".

Emmett was a little nervous about the slimy wigglers, but after they got 'em home, he felt a little better about touching them. As you can see, Gracie had no fear of them, even when she was helping Jason clean them.

Fort Benton

We decided to take a short drive on Monday and explore a town to the NE of us called Fort Benton. It was a major hub in this part of the country because ships could make it up the Missouri just as far as the Fort. Therefore stimulating fur trading and other forms of commerce (they had a section of town called "The Bloodiest Block" because even the 'madames' carried pistols and weren't afraid to use them!)

This picture was taken along the highway - almost to Fort Benton - we were looking over several bends in the Missouri River and fertile farmland.

Downtown Fort Benton on an old bridge that used to swing to let the tug boats and ferries through. And, yes, we were overdressed! It was a beautiful day with hardly a breeze.

Jason's Arizona Turkey Hunt

Jason recently returned from turkey hunting in Arizona and since his hunting buddy's wife did a great job writing a post about their trip, I will defer you to look at her blog and read about it! It was posted on May 16th.
http://www.keepingupwiththejoneskids.blogspot.com/

Grammie's Visit

While Daddy was in Arizona turkey hunting, Grammie came for a visit. She was a huge help and we even had some fun! She and I got out for a few hours on Saturday (Jason didn't leave until Monday) and did some "fun" shopping, we celebrated Mother's Day with a nice home-made meal, one day we went to the Children's Museum to play, and before she left the kids planted flowers in one of Grammie's window boxes. The kids loved having her here and we can't wait to have her and Pa come back! :)

The Girls

Jessie seems to be following suit with the older two and is a very smiley baby. :)

Emmett Turns 2!!

Hooray, Hooray for the 8th of May! (Emmett, that's a grown-up joke, Pa will explain it to you someday) :)

Emmett's birthday was May 8th, so Jason took the kids fishing (still no catching, but they are learning to be more patient!). Then, Grammy arrived and we had our neighbors, the Haagenson's, over to help us eat cake and ice cream. He had a great day and was very excited about his new tools and sports equipment - great toys to fit his busy personality!

Look at that triple-threat stance!

Tractor cake made by Mom

Gracie Turns 4!

Gracie has been talking about her birthday since Christmas and finally, it arrived! This is the level of excitment she had ALL day:

New Toys

Emmett grew a little frustrated with the whole birthday situation - he wanted to open presents and play with new toys too. I kept telling him that he would have his turn to open presents next week and Gracie eventually shared her toys, so he felt better. :)

Trying out her new bike - she did great!

We had our neighbors over for dinner and cake - Gracie (and Emmett) loved the extra attention! :)

Even Jessie had a good time

Rough-housing with Cody and Josh

Showing off her new pjs that match her Bitty Baby's pjs

Overall, I think Gracie had a great time and will probably start reminding us of her "upcoming" 5th birthday in no time! :)

Record-Breaking Snowfall!

Well, we're getting a pretty good idea of what we have to look forward to next year and a full-length Montana winter...This week we had a big 48-hour snow storm that dumped 21 inches of snow at our house. Outlying areas had up to 4 feet!! Fortunately, the kids love the snow and will still go outside. And it's spring so it's melting fast and I might be able to start doing yard work next week. Maybe the flowers will be able to bloom before we get more snow!

The snow fort that Jason and the kids built on the first day of the storm.

That's a concrete bird bath next to the spruce tree (completely covered).

Gracie, "mowing" the snow.

Emmett, not too sure if he'll venture off the sidewalk.