Redneck Garden Party

Sad state of affairs that my kids used garbage to play their pretend game!

Soccer Season Summary

We ended the season with two tournaments.  A two day tournament in Kalispell called "Three Blind Refs" and a one day tournament in Missoula.  The boys were used to winning up until that point, having played only local teams.  They weren't so fortunate in the last two and lost all six games.  Apparently some of the parents were upset by this.  We were very happy with the season and our coach, Miles.  Our goals for Brendan were that he improve his soccer skills and learn to be coached.  So for us it was a successful season.

The weekend of Three Blind Refs Tournament was cold and rainy, perfect Irish soccer weather.  Missoula was sunny and warm.  We stayed in a hotel that is popular with traveling sports teams and has water slides inside.  We got to know some of the other soccer parents and saw some old friends from St. Mattew's who were in town for baseball tournaments.
 

Invention Convention

Brendan and his friend, Bridger, entered the Invention Convention that took place in May.  They spent about 8 weeks getting ready for the event.  They invented a geography board game called "Journey to Hawaii" and came in third place overall.  Nice job boys!

Last Day of Preschool

A Nest in the Swingset

Silly Lily

Lily, Rita and Anthony goofing around in Anthony's tent.

Best Field Trip Ever

 I got to go on an overnight fieldtrip with Brendan in May to Helena and Great Falls.  The Montana History Field Trip is something planned for the entire year and the kids study hard in preparation.  I had at least as much fun as Brendan and can't wait to go back to the places we visited and spend more time.

After our visit to the capitol we headed for the Gates of the Mountain, a boat ride up the Missouri River.  Spectacular scenery and lots of history.  Left to right upper row:: Brendan and his buddies; the boat we did not ride on; Brendan's friend Peyton.   Our boat (not pictured) was the Sacagewea.  We nicknamed her the Sinking Sacagawea as it broke down and left us stranded for a while. Second row: Brian, the paramedic prepared for all emergencies with chapstick; the gate of the mountain; as the boat goes from the right to left it appears as though a gate is closing. Third row: Mrs. Adkins calls for help; the other boat comes to our rescue; Brendan and Britton considered paddling with their clipboards.