{Missing Montana}

{views of Flathead Lake, where my dad and brother are finishing the log cabin they've been working on for the past few years...}

Hello to my long lost {picky partner}! I feel like I've been away from home for so long already - and we still have another 10 days until we fly back. The kids are having so much fun, and have started to refer to "home" as Papa and Mimi's house. At least we're good travelers, since our new home is a one bedroom peachy-colored stucco condo on the beach!

We are in love with Capitola {California,} but we already miss the mountains! I know, I know, we're at the beach, it's gorgeous, our cabin is right on the sand and I shouldn't be complaining at all!! We did get to spend some special time catch up with good friends and meeting my new "nephew" Taytem. I wanted to share a few of the rides the kids all had with my dad, "Papa" and Smoothie the horse. You have to show J & P the picture of Woody on Smoothie! We took that picture just for them. We never took Woody camping, but we spent lots of time on the boat, on the Ranger driving back and forth from home to The Barn for hot chocolate, and even on the dump truck...The boys would have soo much fun with us, so we have to plan a trip with all of us for next summer. Maybe we could plan a road trip. 2500 miles wouldn't be so bad with 5 kids, right?!

We miss you, sweet friend, and can't wait to catch up over coffee the minute we're back. We'll have pictures of the beach soon...Lots of love from sunny California!

{Adler and Aubrey}

{sweet baby Taytem}

{watching the kids ride horses with baby b}

{blake and woody trying to catch up with papa}

{adler finally gave it and rode the horses! she loved it!}

{blake and sierra, waiting patiently}

{woody made it! here is on on Cowboy Sunny}

{my baby brother, mitchell, with ader}

{my other baby brother, jake. with blake on the excavator and hanging with the girls}

and the Ranger in our back yard...good-bye Montana!

{Fourth of July in Bigfork}

Happy Late Fourth of July from Bigfork Montana!

{Picky in Montana}

I made my annual trip home to Montana nearly a week ago, and with three kids in tow, and I feel like it's taken me nearly this long to recouperate from the trecherous plane ride and adjust to the two hour time difference. I remember when I thought it was tough to fly alone, but hauling oversized carseats {why are they soo heavy!?}, multiple carry-ons, DVD players and worrying about feeding three little ones on 7 hours of flying just sounds exhuasting! Whew - but I am here, happy and loving the break from Chattanooga's horrible humidity.

I have always loved coming home. It's the same house I've been in since I was 10, and it just feels right to be here. The mountains surround the entire valley that our home sits in, and the views are, well, just amazing. Everything is green, the skies are bright blue and so clear at night. It's not dark until almost 11 p.m., and the sun peaks at around 5 a.m. But once it's dark, there are more stars in the sky than you thought were possible. We were out on the boat late 4th of July watching the fireworks from both sides of the bay, and the kids were in awe! There's nothing like your first midnight boatride on the Flathead. I can even remember seeing the Northern Lights shooting through the dark sky when I was a kid...

Enough writing for now! Here are a few shots of the kids around the house, playing with cousins who are up from Nevada, my younger brothers and the dogs, Hunter and Pickle. I'll share our 4th of July Parade photos next!

{adler riding smoothie the paint horse for the first time}

{sweet sierra and baby bridger}

{at Fazoolis - a delicious family-style italian bistro in Lakeside}

{the girls on the slip-n-slide on the front yard. COLD well water!}

{papa and blake driving the boat}

{my brother jake and nephew stephen on the big tube on flathead. they weren't on there long!}