Every year we spend some time at Ashley Lake in Montana (Jordan's Parents have a Cabin on the Lake) The whole family loves it, and this year was no different.
We traveled down through
Magrath so that we could celebrate
Magrath Days, and the boys Loved it.
Saturday morning my Aunt and Uncle served some
Divine pancakes with whipped cream, strawberry's, peaches and bananas, and
fresh blueberry's. We took the boys down the street for the parade which had some mighty ghetto floats in it, but they threw candy, so it didn't really matter.
The boys ended up with a grocery sac full of candy.
There was a petting Zoo which Ethan loved and Skyler could have done without, and an
Astro Jump
which Skyler loved, and
Etrhan could have done with out (Ethan loves them but just kept getting bounced into the wall which did limit the fun factor) Home for a nap, and then we got to go for a free town dinner of beef on a bun, which by the way is better than you would expect when it is being made for the whole town. We were able to put the boys to bed and then walk across the street for an amazing view of the fireworks. I love them because you are sitting right underneath them instead of 25 city blocks away, and they do put on a good show. Sunday we went to 2 hours of church before hitting the road for Montana.
The family is outgrowing the cabin in Montana so this year there was a trailer added which our family got, and I loved it. Sure we are still figuring out the power and water thing, as in someone walks by and absent
mindedly pushes down the lever on the water, and all of a
sudden I have no water, and the electricity came loose so I had alarms going off at 11 at night, but I still think it was the best
accommodations. It had air conditioning if we needed it, and we had our own little haven to retreat to after a fun day.
Our week was filled with tube rides which both boys loved. Skyler was always shaking the tube, giving thumbs up, lying
on his tummy or back, or just going crazy in general. Ethan loved them as well, and kept asking to go super fast (I think we have a little speed demon on our hands)
Jordan
wake boarded,
wake surfed,
and skied like a pro, which is good since I am no good at
it, and couldn't do anything this year because I am pregnant.
Skyler used a ski trainer this year, and loved it, although I am sure it will be another year or two before we have hum up on real
skis.
Each day Skyler would jump into the lake. Ethan
preferred the hot tub but wouldn't turn down a free ride where someone else is in the lake.
This year Grandma
Nielson had a grandma store so the kids would get a penny for doing jobs around the
Cabin like emptying the dishwasher, cleaning up dishes, making their beds, and of course jumping in the lake. Then the pennies could be used at grandmas store to buy candy, or if they saved up a little they could buy bubbles,
books, butterfly nets, and all kinds of cool things. I think it was brilliant. The kids were more than willing to help for a penny, and it gave them the
opportunity to buy entertainment for the the lake. It also helped to teach them about saving
their pennies for the bigger prize.
There was also the annual talent show and potluck while we were there, and the boys sand the bumblebee song, which was super cute. At the dinner Skyler decided to stuff a rock up hios nose - BOYS! I remember my brither John shoving a bead up his nose when we were kids, but he was quite a bit older than Skyler.
All in All in was a fabulous week, but I am also happy to be home, sleeping in my own bed.
Skylery thinks that every party needs a pinata, so as he has been looking at our calender and seeing the birthday sticker coming up he has been begging me to make a pinata (seriously, when he gets invited to another party he asks me to call the mom to see if I can make a pinata) I was asking Jordan what kind of Pinata I could possible make for Stephen, and he smiles and says a hot dog because Stephen has fondly been the weenie of the family, and I am not sure he will ever grow out of that, because we won't let him. It took a while, but we did make a weenie pinata and filled it with some things that the older boys would like. There were gold balls, tees, socks, full sized chocolate bars, and then some fruit snacks, and things that my boys would enjoy as well. It was a lot of fun seeing the boys get into it. 
I am not sure what happened, but I thought I had taken pictures of all of us getting into the pinata, but when I went to unload them from the camer, I only had some a Stephen and John. I really hope it was something I did wrong, and not something wrong with the camera!
