Sprucing up the Sandbox

Oh, BTW, We are Five Now!

On July 26th, my sweet twins, Rita and Anthony, turned 5!  I can't believe my babies are so grown up.  Of course, many things are easier now that they are older, but many things are harder.  For instance, the time when Karl took the kids for a hike.  Hiking, or walking any distance just for fun, is not Anthony's idea of a good time.  Karl timed it.  Exactly four minutes from the car, Anthony announced he wanted to go home.  As Karl was squatted down to give Anthony a talking to, he felt a thump on his back, which was, luckily, covered by a backpack.  Turning around, he saw Rita with a big stick.  She shouted at Karl, "don't you yell at my brother".  I think Anthony will always have a defender.

Rita asked for princess clothes for her birthday.  She loves the idea of pretty dress up stuff, but when it comes right down to it, she just isn't that kind of girl.  She takes the princess stuff out every now and then, hauls it around in a box, lays it out on the floor to look at it, then puts it away for weeks at a time.  The only one who has worn the stuff is her friend from preschool!  Rita is more of a roll around in the sandbox girl.

Anthony is a superhero nut.  He was all about Iron Man around the time of his birthday and now he favors Captain America, but only when he takes a break from drawing super heroes and cutting paper into little pieces.  He is quite an artist.

A New Friend

We went to the pet store to buy lightbulbs for the aquarium and came home with the sweetest little rat, Zoey.  She was up for adoption because her owners had to move.  I picked her up in the store and fell in love with her.  Since Collette got cancer and died in February, the rat cage has been sitting empty.  Now we once again have a furry little friend with tickley whiskers.

Summer Fun

Looking back and already longing for lazy summer days!

Great Falls to Helena

 

Way back in June (really, almost four months ago?), we took a two day road trip.  Our destination was Helena and the ordination of our friend, Charlie Harball, to the permanent deaconate of the Catholic Church.

We spent a day in and around Great Falls before we headed to the ceremony.  We stopped at some of the places Brendan and I had seen in April, like the First People's Buffalo Jump, so that Rita, Anthony and Karl could see them.  Brendan wanted to put his hand in the great Missouri River since he had seen so much and learned so much of it in the past two months.  He finally got his chance.

We were so blessed to witness the ordination of Deacon Charlie, the culmination of five years of hard work and dedication for him and his wife Claire.

Where Did July Go?

Well, it's the 1st of August and it seems like a minute ago we celebrated the 4th of July in our back yard.  It's been a wonderful summer so far, so busy that the days are flying by.  Brendan reminded me that school starts in four weeks.  I know moms get excited about the return of school, but there is something wonderful about having all the kids home and lazy summer days.

Holland Lake Falls

Since we had to make the four hour round trip to Legendary Lodge to retrieve Brendan's laundry, we decided to make a day of it.  After we secured the laundry, we drove to Holland Lake and hiked to the falls.  It was a great day and Chad was delighted that he got to go.