Built our house...Now our family: 2021

June ended with t-ball for Garrett and coach pitch baseball for Bryant. Garrett loved to play first base and it was pretty fun watching Bryant's team because they were able to get some outs to end the inning. We were really impressed with Bryant's defense and always knowing where to throw the ball for an out and he got several outs by catching a pop fly or catching the throw at first base. As parents we are biased but he's got a great looking swing when batting. It's a little sad he can't play both baseball and lacrosse next year because they'll be at the same time and he's already decided that he likes lacrosse better. Garrett was fun to watch too and I overheard other parents on his team talking about him as a ringer! He always hustles extra hard, runs the bases as fast as he can, and tries to go for dingers (if he hits it to the outfield). Usually the higher he lifts his front leg, the farther he will hit the ball!

I had a picture pop up in my camera feed of one of the boys as a baby and since it was at least 5 years ago it was hard to remember which boy it was. I found a picture of the other boy at the same age to compare. It's easier seeing them one after the other to know which is which. Can you guess which one is Bryant and which is Garrett?

Bryant was the first picture and Garrett the second

Playing with a worm he found in the garden

Relaxing at the cabin

It ended up being a little chilly and windy for the weekend but that didn't stop Bryant from wanting to swim in the lake. Garrett got dressed to go swimming but never went in after he felt how cold the water was

Nagoya for Grandma Betty's birthday

Garrett claims he wants to be a fireman but is afraid of the fire at the restaurant... and he also is afraid of going down the fire pole at the park... good thing he's got time to decide what he wants to be when he grows up

Garrett wanted to go to Pizza Ranch for dinner and Bryant and I didn't, so Bryant and I went to our own dinner and Trav and Garrett went to Pizza Ranch. Here are the pics from Bryant's and my dinner. Garrett and Trav's pics will be in a different post.

Last day of school (3rd grade for Bryant and preschool for Garrett)!

The boys love riding bikes to the park to play

End of the soccer season for Garrett!

State tournament for lacrosse was in Helena. Bryant's team lost in overtime in the tournament and ended up last in the "A" bracket. I can't remember if it was 4th or 5th place, but they played hard and had fun. It was a long and hot 2 days and Garrett was such a trooper tagging along for it all, especially because he wanted to play. So when we got home he put on Bryant's gear and played in the living room. He completely exhausted himself and took a nap on the floor next to Bryant's gear.

Okay - this was not my fault. I got last month in the correct order and I followed the same process and it went reverse....either way - here's May!

Garrett wanted stairsteps in his hair after he saw one of Bryant's teammate's haircuts. He also had to get a mouth guard so he could be like the older kids too.

After 6 weeks straight of travel for lacrosse, it was nice to have Memorial Day weekend at home. We hiked Refrigerator Canyon

Bella loves to explore

As do the boys

Garrett loves donuts and especially ones with blue frosting!

Bryant's lacrosse pictures came back and I love how they turned out!

Bryant wanted to build something, so Travis helped him with the cuts, but then Bryant created a "hammock" for Bella.

Garrett's been going without naps at school, which makes bed time at home so much easier. But sometimes, he comes home and falls asleep in my lap before dinner and doesn't wake up until the next morning.

His friend from pre-school left him this note in his backpack

Close-up of the team picture. They used a green screen and took pictures of the kids individually and this was the end result. Pretty cool!

So happy with his new mouth guard.

Coming home from a long weekend of lacrosse.

It was supposed to be a 2 day tournament in Bozeman. We weren't sure if the tournament was going to happen because it snowed all week. They shoveled the fields and played a couple games on Saturday. We showed up for our game on Sunday and as the kids started warming up, the rain started. By the time the game started, the weather changed between rain, snow, sleet, and hail. By the end of the game, there was at least 1/2 of standing water on the field. One kid left in the middle of the game because he was cold and Bryant ran over after the game convinced that he had frost bite. So we headed back to the hotel to get kids in the hot tub and try to dry off clothes, pads, shoes, etc. Luckily they cancelled the rest of the day and the kids played in the pool and enjoyed the koi fish in the pond before heading home.

Garrett had kindergarten orientation where we got to meet all the kindergarten teachers. Then the teachers asked the kindergartners to line up and go to the library to color while the parents learned more about the school year. Garrett knows a handful of kids that will be going to kindergarten at the same school and one kid was at orientation with him. When the teachers asked for them to line up, his friend grabbed his hand and they walked that way into the line...so adorable!

We got a drone and have been having fun playing with it. It's easy enough that Garrett can actually fly it (with adult supervision and lots of open space.

Just a boy and his ukulele

We did some Springfest events at Lowe's and they had a piñata with mystery garden seeds. We planted them and I'm pretty sure it's a mystery on what they were because they sure didn't grow!

Garrett has a little buddy right across the street, so when the weather is nice, they are usually out playing

Dinner at Suds Hut with my empty beer cup.

Bryant had reading goals set for him at school this year and if you wanted to go to the reading party, you had to meet your goal. His goal increased each trimester and I wasn't sure he was going to meet it the last trimester. He really pushed himself for about a week and even set up a fort outside to read a book. He met his goal and then didn't want to ready any more after that because he already met his goal.

Garrett's thoughts for Mother's Day

Another not fun weekend of spring sports. It started hailing during Garrett's soccer game. Bryant was so good after the game to make sure Garrett was under the umbrella.

Poor thing didn't stop playing, but he looked pretty miserable!

Smartest kid at the soccer game...

This was a long day of lacrosse as we left early in the morning for Kalispell (3.5 hours), Bryant played 2 games, and then we headed home the same day.

Not ideal weather, but Garrett was all set under the umbrella

That Friday was Vigilante Day - pre-COVID they had a parade down Last Chance Gulch. This year was a reverse parade where the floats were parked and cars drove by. It was at a horrible location so we waited in line for over 2 hours and then got there in time for the rain to start and the parade to end. We saw a couple floats, but Bryant was pretty disappointed. He was surprised at how little the high school students did on their floats when they had a couple days off of school to work on them. And now any time traffic is slowed down, Garrett thinks there must be a parade going on.

When you are in the car for that long, the kids keep entertained by taking selfies...

Bella is a little watch dog and barks and chases after any bunny, squirrel, or bird in our backyard. The other day, she was chasing a squirrel and she even surprised herself and jumped into the tree to chase it.

Since we found our house in town, we decided to sell our other in town lots. We had contemplating buying a property on the river outside Cascade so we took the boys on an adventure to see their thoughts and then some photos from the restaurant in Craig on the way home. Although the boys loved the property (Bryant picked out several trees for treehouses) and we stayed and played for several hours, we decided not to buy it.