Tor's Dentist Appointment

Tor went to see the dentist Dr. Pond for the first time. It was just a check-up, and mostly meant to introduce him to the dentist, so it went pretty quick. He jumped right up in the chair when we arrived, and followed all of the directions from the dental assistant. Tor took it pretty seriously, opening REALLY wide, and he never said a word or showed any signs of being afraid or upset. Plus, his teeth looked good! He was very excited to receive a new toothbrush, and a token that he used to buy a bouncy ball.

Summer Swim Lessons

It's time for the second set of swim lessons at Briarcliff. Jillian is in the upper half of level 3 they are working on diving in the deep end, the elementary backstroke and the underwater "dolphin". She continues to swim like a fish. Bridget is in the upper half of level 2 (no floaties, EVER!) -- they are working on swimming across the deep end, floating on their backs and breathing to the side. She is making a huge improvement, especially in going underwater. Tor continues in level 1 (floaties all the time) they are working on paddling with arms and legs. He is still working on speed, since he likes to drift and just look around.

Kitty Sitters

Jillian and Bridget have been a good job of taking care of Anna Ashley while Grannie and Papa are in Europe with Ty and Brock. Jillian was shown how to feed the kitty, and she pretty much takes care of all of her meals each day. Bridget likes to hold Anna in her lap (as does Jillian). Most times Anna is well behaved, but sometimes she gets a little frisky and wants to "bite" and "scratch" (in her playful way - - she's probably stir crazy from being penned up for so long with her broken leg). The girls want nothing to do with that and will put her back in the cage. As for Tor, he'll give the kitty a few soft pets, but that's it.

Family Vacation 2016 - Days 10 & 11

The next two days were eagerly awaited by the kids -- our trip to the Silverwood Amusement Park! We met up with The Paul Family and Grandma Cindy at the entrance when the park opened at 11:00 am. Our first stops were the BIG rides on the far side of the park. We started off with easy with the log ride, and the kids enjoyed getting wet.

Jillian nearly attempted the Panic Plunge, but got off at the last minute. Next, we went on the huge wooden rollercoaster "Tremors", and Jillian rode with Daddy. It was very fast and very rough, with lots of scary drops. Daddy was scared, and Jillian was terrified ... she rode most of the way with her head tucked away in the car. That was pretty much the end of big rides for Jillian.

Later, we all went to Boulder Beach Water Park. Tor and Bridget spent nearly all of their time in Polliwog Park and the Lazy River, while Jillian tried all of the tube and slide rides with McKenna and Lindsey. This was followed by some time in the wave pools where we got knocked around a while. We finished the evening with some more amusement park rides. Mommy and Daddy rode another wooden rollercoaster "Timber Terror" and got scared and beat up even more, then ended with the Tilt-a-Whirl with the kids, which made us nauseous. We had some very tired and worn out kids after the first day.

On the second day, the kids tried some rides they hadn't seen yet. One of their favorites was the Tiny Toot Rollercoaster, which actually went pretty fast.

They also liked the Krazy Koaster and the Paratrooper. Tor did most of the rides, though he always had a very serious expression on his face, so it was hard to tell if he was scared. But when we asked what he thought of the ride, he always said "Great!"

A highlight for the kids was playing the carnival games and winning some prizes. Tor had seen a stuffed Batman, so we played the water shooter game for him (Jillian actually won, but let Tor have the prize). Bridget spun a wheel for either a stuffed animal or candy ... and luck was on her side - she got a blue stuffed bear that she called "Woody". Finally, Jillian threw bean bags at ballons and popped two of them, earning a sparkly stuffed owl.



Our final destination was the train ride / western show. The kids were both excited and scared when the bandits boarded the train and took people's money.

That night, we went back to our hotel in Spokane Valley. On Saturday morning, we took off for home. It was a long trip, but a lot of fun for everyone. The kids were very good little travellers.

Family Vacation 2016 - Day 9

We made the drive to Coeur d'Alene on Wednesday, to meet up with The Paul Family and Grandma Cindy in the afternoon. We arrived a little early, so the kids had some time to play on the incredibly large playground structure on the waterfront park, as well as play on a small, rocky beach.

At 5:00 pm, we met up on the dock to board our rented ski boat, equipped with an inflatable tube. Everyone (except Tor) took turns riding on the tube as we spun around the lake. The water was actually not too cold. Jillian enjoyed going fast and bouncing around, while Bridget probably spent the most time on the tube, wanting to ride at every opportunity with whoever would go with her. Mommy set the pace for falling off the tube (3 times). Tor wanted nothing to do with the tube; he insisted on staying on the boat.

Family Vacation 2016 - Day 8 (PM)

The second part of our day involved going to the Crazy Horse Monument. When Mommy and Daddy had seen it long ago, it was just a mountain with nothing carved into it. We could only remember the tall, white statue. Now, the face had been carved and they were working on the arm.


For a souvenir, we picked out a large, sparkly rock from the visitor center bin. After visiting, we made a long drive to Bozeman, Montana. Because we spent so much time sight-seeing, it was a race against the clock to get there by 11:00 pm.

They're Back!

 I just got these skateboards and Rielee and the girls were excited to practice.  They had just started in these pictures.  Rielee had the big skateboard and they had the little ones.  I'm not sure what kind of balancing pose Bridget is using.  By the end of the day and a couple falls, they got pretty good.

 They all wanted to cook so Rielee made a dump cake.  They all chopped up apples for half the cake and put blueberries on the other half.  It turned out very good.

 They roasted hot dogs outside on the new fire pit.

 Next they made smores with Papa supervising while I fixed the graham crackers with peanut butter on some.

 I found this Darth Vader costume at a garage sale and Tor was all over it.  He would push pretend buttons on the front and make Star Wars noises.  The light saber was a little scary as he swung it around.

When Rielee was here they make a volcano so after she left they made another one.  They had it erupt and said the dinosaurs were now extinct.  Busy day and tired kiddos.

Family Vacation 2016 - Day 8 (AM)

This was a very busy day. We woke up early and took off for the Black Hills National Forest, driving on a winding highway that took us through needle-like rock formations. The sights were impressive, and the kids enjoyed exploring among the rocks.

One of their favorites was a stone slab leaning against a cliff ... it made a small cave that they walked through (but far too small for Mommy and Daddy).

Just as we were about to to through the "Needle Tunnel", the kids discovered a mountain goat and her baby (see photo) on the rocks right above them. They were very excited to see a wild animal so close.

Family Vacation 2016 - Day 7

Our next destination was South Dakota. We arrived at our hotel in Rapid City on Monday afternoon, and after the kids swam in the pool for a bit, we headed out to see Mount Rushmore. We were able to snap a few photos before it started getting dark.

The night show followed, including a presentation and a lighting ceremony.

Family Vacation 2016 - Day 6 (Evening)

After leaving the Mack Farm on Sunday, we went to the old Peterson Farm. The barn was mostly underwater from the rising lake, so Papa Ken decided to set fire to it and burn it down. He and Cousin Curt had to row out to it. Several others of the Peterson family came to watch along with us.

Afterwards, we went to the Knox Cemetary to visit Grandma Karlene's resting place. The kids also rang the bell.

Family Vacation 2016 - Days 3, 4, 5 & 6

On Thursday, we drove through the rest of Montana and North Dakota to get to Rugby at about 9:00 pm. We thought we knew the way to Fillmore, turning down a familiar gravel road, but we just ended up wandering around for about an hour looking for it. Since it was getting pretty dark, we headed back to Rugby to call Papa Ken and get directions. It was a late night, so the kids went to sleep quickly in the upstairs room.

We travelled to the Mack Farm on Friday, and met up with many of the Peterson family. Every meal we ate there (brunch and dinner) was delicious, and there was always more than enough. The kids especially loved the bacon. One the kids' favorite activities was a bean bag toss game, like what Bridget and Tor are playing here. Cousin Meagan was often playing with them.

A favorite play place at the farm for all the kids was the big pile of boulders. Jillian, Bridget and Tor could often be found climbing all over them. Here's a few pictures of the kids on the rocks, plus a picture of Bridget with her Cousin Charlotte from North Dakota ... they had a lot of fun running around together.



There was a horse saddle and hats for kids to wear, so we took a photo of Bridget and her bunny Winter on it.

Family Vacation 2016 - Days 1 & 2

Our destination this summer was the Peterson Family Reunion & Mack Farm Centennial in North Dakota. We decided to make a longer, round-about trip out of it, to see many of the sights on the way. We packed up the Equinox and headed out early on Tuesday morning. After a lunch break in Ritzville, we arrived in Kalispell, Montana for our first night's stay. The next morning, we took off for Glacier National Park.

The scenery was pretty amazing, and we made many stops along the drive to look. We stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge, where a small stream washed into the lake. The kids spent a long time picking out rocks for their collection. This photo shows Bridget negotiating with Mommy to take one more rock.

We traveled up the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which made Daddy very nervous because it was very, very high up -- so high that we were in the clouds and could hardly see. Eventually, we reached the lodge at the summit. It was cold, windy and raining, and we were not dressed for it ... so we ended up soaked and freezing.

Our day ended in Havre, Montana, where the kids finally got to swim in a pool.

Fourth of July Weekend

It was a busy kids weekend, with Jillian, Bridget and Torion teaming up with Adam, Andy and Karlee. On Saturday, we celebrated Adam's 12th birthday with cake and ice cream, along with fun on the bouncy house and playhouse.

On Sunday, everyone met up for the Go Fourth Parade. The kids worked hard picking up candy, putting it into a common bag. It was a long parade, so we left a little over half way through.

Later that evening, we met up again at the lake to watch the big fireworks. The kids liked to "oooh" and "ahhh" throughout the show.

Sleepover with Rielee

 Bridget was thrilled to hold Anna after her operation. Anna is feeling much better but still can't run around.  After their trip to North Dakota, it won't be long until Anna can play again.

 The girls love to swing on tree branches so Tor found this low branch and had a ball swinging.  That branch must be pretty tough since Jillian even swung on it a couple of times. He is playing Tarzan.

 Rielee got to come play before Jillian and Bridget went to her house for a sleep-over.  I heard they had a ball staying up late, had breakfast with Rielee, and then they all came  here to play some more before Rielee had to leave.  Here they are building a dam with rocks from the waterfall.  Tor would hand them to Rielee, Rielee would hand them to Bridget, and then Bridget would give them to Jillian who was working downstream.  Whenever Jillian would say the word "dam" Rielee would look at me and laugh because Jillian said a bad word.  I had to laugh over that.

 Later Jillian, Bridget, and Tor decided to ride the wagon down the hill.  It gets pretty wild with Jillian kind of trying to steer but not successfully.  They ran into the bushes and the fence.  Bridget had a worried look, rightly so.

It was a big accomplishment for Bridget to get comfortable climbing trees.  This was the highest climb of the day.