Cousins

Trav's sister and family was in Montana for most of the month of July.  Over the 4th of July weekend, we headed to the cabin to catch up.  I think this is the first longer trip we have gone on since Bryant has been potty trained, so we made a stop in Ennis for a potty break and some popcorn.

 

The popcorn was enough to get him to take a nap so he could be all rested to play.

 

There was more stuff to do and not enough time to do it.  They flew kites...

 

Look how high we got the kite - not bad for a Dollar Store purchase:)

 

Then it was a cousins birthday party (Madeline 6, Olivia and Bryant 3)

 

They all got sleeping bags!

 

Time for cake!

 

All weekend we were trying for a good cousin picture.

 

The kids get bored with smiles, so this is their sad face.  This has to be one of my all time favorite pictures because they are all looking at each other sadly, yet trying not to laugh.

 

And of course, a silly face picture.

 

They played t-ball - this is their defensive stances

 

Roasted marshmallows for smores

 

I don't think Bryant got the memo - raise your hand if you like smores...

 

Madeline and Bryant showing off their shades.

 

They went for a boat ride.

 

Bryant was pretty concerned with driving at first but gave it a thumbs up at the end.

 

Then it was time for fishing

 

Bryant's first fish!

 

Then we headed to West Yellowstone for their 4th of July fireworks show.  Bryant was whistling away waiting for the show to start

 

All snuggled up in their new sleeping bags

 

This picture is so not attractive of us, but it makes me laugh anyway.  The flash is a bit bright at night!

 

The next day was cold and I didn't pack any warm clothes.  Bryant wanted to go fishing, so we improvised with the extra clothing at the cabin.  Sweet socks B-Man!

 

 

Olivia's fish - all of the kids were excited to get a fish on the line, but as soon as it came out of the water, they weren't big fans.

 

One of many fish for Madeline

 

They got to eat fresh picked strawberries

 

And then it was time to head home.  The next weekend, we met up with the cousins again in Bozeman to see the Museum of the Rockies.  We of course saw the dinosaurs

 

And then toured the chocolate exhibit.  Each kid got to pick out their favorite chocolate for a picture

 

Trouble started when Olivia and Bryant liked the same piece of chocolate

 

But in the end, all was good

 

 

Madeline got a ring made for her by the blacksmith

 

Another weekend we headed to Whitehall for the last playdate with the cousins in Montana.  Bryant has been doing really well with potty training and we very rarely have an accident.  So much so that I don't think of bringing spare clothes on road trips.  With all the action, he got busy and got an accident.  So we improvised and got Trav's wrestling singlet out from when he was about 6 years old.

 

The kids got to swing at the owl pinata

 

And mined for gold

We were so glad we could spend so much time with them while in Montana and I love that Bryant and his cousins play together so well even though they only get to see eachother a couple times a year.