Snowmobiling in Island Park!

A wonderful day for riding. Tyler took Dad, Wesley, and Adam and met Roy, Jim, Nate, and Brett up in Island Park for the day.

Christmas Day!

Christmas Day at the Curtis's. Felt Like Home!!!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at the Grants. Lots of fun!!

Back For Christmas

After much anticipation, we are headed home in the morning. Cannot wait to see some real mountains!! Although we will only be home for 2 weeks, it will still be home. Avery has been asking to go to Maggie's house and also saying she misses Sunny. It is a great and glorious day!!! YAY!

Other pics!

The house is the house that my brother built--very nice setting right in the woods.

A Big Night Out

Tyler and I decided a night away from Avery would be beneficial, and so we planned an evening in Madison at a bed and breakfast called The Parsonage. The owner was a friendly guy that made us a delicious breakfast!!

We left Avery and headed out. Then we went to The Melting Pot for dinner, which was a 3 hour affair. Very yummy!!

When we got back to Brent's, Avery still didn't want to stay with us. She spent rest of the evenings with Grandma and Grandpa!!

Baby Jack!!

These are the pictures of the Little Baby Jack. Avery was a little jealous toward the end of the trip, not too sure about what that baby was all about!!

A Trip to Wisconsin

Over Thanksgiving, we headed over to North Freedom, Wisconsin to see my brother and his wife and their new little one, Baby Jack-Jack.

On our way there, we stopped in the Twin Cities and stayed with Paul and Melody Trevithick, and had lunch with Bryce and Amy Hagbom, with their three children.
Also staying with Trevithick's was Melody's sister, Diann.

Robin Hood...

Robin Hood and Little John walking through the forest, laughing back and forth at what the other'n has to say. Reminiscing, this'n'that, having such a good time, oo-da-lally, oo-da-lally, golly what a day!Robin Hood - Oo-De-Lally lyrics

This is our theme song as of lately. Golly what a day!!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We went up to Medora this past weekend and did a little sightseeing. We were able to do a little "hiking" with Avery in tow...

"DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS" missed that sign.
(eating a curly fry)

Family pic

Bismarck Zoo

Sunday afternoon, we headed over to the zoo since it still is open on the weekends.

This was our favorite exhibit, the Bengal Tigers. They had this golden tabby tiger, which is among 30 in the world. It was so pretty! It had no black in its stripes, and was huge! We enjoyed watching him with the other 2 tigers, a white Bengal, and a traditional Bengal tiger.
Tyler liked to see our ISU mascot in the flesh!

Just a swinging!

Tyler and I took Avery to the park right before we headed out Trick-or-treating. She didn't want to leave!

Baking Disaster

I do enjoy a good cookie once in a while. Encouraged this week by others to "bake something" I attempted, good naturedly, of course, to bake cookies in a kitchen that I am unfamiliar with, but with my favorite chocolate chip recipe in hand, I began the near fiasco...

To begin, no electric mixer. Found a hand mixer, began the task of mixing, and the crisco and the brown sugar became a lovely lump stuck inside the paddles. Lovely. Then recalled where I had seen the electric mixer and vwa-laa, magically mixed. However, was missing said lump-which I suppose is needed.

Looking for teaspoons, tablespoons, anyone? No idea where to find these items. Continue on my merry way, needing to add 2 tablespoons milk. Not hard, one would think, right? Wrong. Promptly overfill guesstament spoon, pouring more or less 1/2 cup of milk into dough...yikes. Try to pour out what I consider excess, losing vanilla, I'm sure, so I add more vanilla, looking around to see if there are any witnesses to this catastrophic excuse for an experienced "chocolate chip cookie baker." Good thing I chose to do this experiment when all were away, and Avery fast asleep downstairs.

Next, the baking. Ah, yes, the baking. All ovens are not created equally. First batch, bottoms burnt. Second batch, tops still doughy. Third batch, not really sure what is wrong with them, but the good thing is I happen to be married to a garbage disposal. No worries there. He'll eat them all and ask when there might be more coming. Not this week, I think!

Halloween!

All Hallow's Eve

Avery was going to be a kitty this year for Halloween, and she was. But I also became a kitty, and then Daddy did as well...3 black cats. We headed out around 5 p.m. to the Olson's neighborhood, which turned out great once Avery realized that ringing doorbells=treats, lots and lots of treats! By the end of the night, she didn't mind the cat ears or tail, and I think we even could have gotten away with no whiskers on either Mommy or Daddy's faces!

Grandpa Dennis, Avery's good friend and co-consipirator! We spend an awful lot of time here, as they are like our parents away from parents! They take good care of us here in Bismarck! We had a pizza party here after some cold-weather trick or treating.

Pumpkin Pickin'

Right before we left, we had to get some things out of the garden...Avery helped Daddy pick the pumpkins!

The green and the orange---shame we couldn't enjoy them---but we heard that Davita made pies with them, and froze the corn---I guess atleast someone enjoyed our harvest!!

Helping Out In Jamestown

Avery playing farmer. We really need to get her one of these!

Avery and Levi "helping out"

Grandpa Paul loving on Baby Emily!

We headed over to Shar and Sedric's this past weekend because they are moving, so we wanted to help out. It was good to see them, and our old pal's Paul and Melody. They used to live near us in Idaho, and we were at their house almost every night the first few years we were married. It really is like old times when you are with those you love!