1. Booty looked hot in that long underwear so long ago – and still does.
Monday, October 2, 2017
50 reasons we love him
1. Booty looked hot in that long underwear so long ago – and still does.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
What a bargain
Even though the nabes were nice enough to take our kids for movie night, we still were too tuckered to start the arduous process of putting Tillie to bed, so Tristen offered to do it. For five dollars. I NEVER would have gone with his first bid, but he hooked Krumm. And now hearing them is about the world's sweetest thing. He brushed her teeth. She quickly changed into PJs, and he complimented her for being soft and snuggly. Tillie says, how about this book? Tristen says, oh that's my fave! And, we will read for 10 minutes, okay? And now I am on the couch thinking I would have paid 10.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
2014 to 1016 "good things" jar
June 1, 2014. Super fun family bike ride to Mathew's Beach, then Flying Squirrel Pizza.
Hike to Twin Falls. Tillie on my back in the Ergo. Slept all the way back. -- Anna
A perfect day. We rescued wiffle balls at the park! Played a long time. Chit-chatted with Jamison's family and then Cal and Deb. Then Chris and Tristen made their own pickle ball paddles.
Tristen playing soccer. He is really engaging and running after the ball and learning! 9/13/2014
Perfect September Sunday at Carkeek with Lori. Family frisbee, beach, fort building, soccer, sun, fun, joy, love. 9/14/14.
Taking Tristen to see his good buddy Owen perform in the Nutcracker!
Family frisbee night!
2015. "EliafoughtMelaniewamagramaw." (Elia thought Melanie was my grandma.)
Tillie: how 'bout MEEEEE?!
Making a monster eat Tillie's belly.--Tillie
Knit night with Aunt Amy. --Tristen
Family badminton in the backyard with Aunt Amy. 2016.
Marshalls plus friends great Thanksgiving 2016!
Seeing Tillie's drawing and writing blossom! 11/2016.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Years in review: 2015 and 2016
We are slightly better at putting memories in the jar and reading them at the end of the year than we are at documenting them for posterity. Thus, here are the items from 2014, 2015, and 2016:
- June 1, 2014: Super fun family bike ride to Mathew's Beach, then Flying Squirrel Pizza!
- Hike to Twin Falls. Tillie on my back in the Ergo, asleep on the trip down. Chomper was a superstar! (Anna.)
- Tristen playing soccer. He is really engaging and running after the ball and learning! 9/13/14
- A perfect September Sunday at Carkeek Park with Lori Compas. Fort-building, soccer, sun, fun, joy, love. 9/14/14.
- A perfect Sunday: we rescued wiffel balls at the park using a contraption Krumm made from a lopper. The balls are falling in between the two sides of the backboard, which is open at the top. Then we played a long time. We chit-chatted with Jamison's family there and then with Cal and Deb. When we came home, Chris and Tristen made their own pickle ball paddles, borrowing one from New Paul to trace on plywood. The paddles sanded up nicely. Old bicycle tubes made nice handle grips.
- The nutcracker with Tristen. Owen Odegard performs! (12/2014.)
- Rollerskating with a cousin!
- "How 'bout ME?" (A Tillie quote.)
- Eilla faut meline was my grandma. (Tillie, 2015. Ayla thought Melanie was my grandma.)
- The best aunt. (I think that was Tristen, meaning Amy.)
- Making a monster eat Tillie's belly.
- Family badminton in the backyard with Aunt Amy!
- Snow Lake and Enchantments. Our first time away from the kids TOGETHER in 10 years. What a hike!
- Family Frisbee night!
- Anna always setting us up for success when she's away on work trips.
- Tillie's drawing and writing are blossoming. 11/2016
- Thanksgiving 2016. The whole weekend!
- Knit night with Aunt Amy.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Montana vacation car list, August 2016
We also played a game I got from a book I read this winter: The Secret to Happy Families. Throughout the trip, I rewarded the kids with points for this and that (hiking 1 mile, learning the names of 10 plants, getting the brass ring), promising them a reward if they both reached 100. The reward turned out to be a stop at that crazy 10,000 Silver Dollar place, plus money to spend on souvenirs.
As always, it was hard to leave Missoula. Just what are we doing in Seattle again?
Here's the list of memories we made on the way home in the car.
Rocky start:
- Toilet overflowing in Spokane
- Hiawatha Trail: flat tires, crash, crazy bus ride
- Missoula VRBO not ready
- Closing down the Carousel
- The brass ring on Paint!
Downtown Missoula:
- Protected bike lanes!
- Farmers' market
- Scooting by the fountain
- Piano in the park
- Holly hock dolls with Vicki
- Tillie thought Mark might be Santa Claus
- Double D
- Three yellow jacket stings (Tillie)
Water sampling with Vicki
- Mermaid hair
- Playing in the river
Philip:
- "L" and Philip's
- Coffee with Philip
- Drink with Philip outside at...Old Post?
Butterfly bar with Tillie
- Her first ice cream soda
- Huckleberry pancakes for birthday breakfast
- Sushi
- Too much mochi
4th of July with Frank and Beth and Maddie:
- "The turducken of berries"
- Watching Lion King
- East Helena fireworks
- Amazing dinner
- Guitar around fire
- Sleeping giant
- Mount Helena
- Ray at the Merc
- Man Gulch Fire
- Geology
- Eagle with fish
- Osprey with snake
- Mule deer
- Saloon
- Hot tub under the stars
- Piano, guitar
- Caroll's art
- Old jeep
- Boner the bird
- Playing in the river, flyfishing
- Bear scat
- Moose pump
- Trout! on a Japanese flyrod
- Bats
Date night for Chris and Anna:
- Old post
- Dancing at Union Club
- Paula
- And his cherry tree
- Headwaters of the irrigation ditch
Blodgett:
- Swimming three times.
- Tillie hiked SO FAR.
- Smelling Ponderosa pines
- P pine, huckleberry, Indian paintbrush, quaking aspen, spruce, Douglas-fir, princess pine, twinflower, kinnickinick, gooseberry, elderberry
Friday, June 3, 2016
He really missed her


