Hyalite Canyon (Jan 1st)

So, I believe this is my last post from our Christmas trip. I'll have to look at the pictures to see. Sorry it has taken nearly two months to catch up. We have been doing a lot of traveling, and having tons of problems with our internet at home, so haven't been able to post frequently.

After staying up way too late for this woman on New Years Eve(which by the way was really cool. We prayed in the New Year, and ended up going to bed at 1:30 TX time. John decided to wake up bright and early to welcome in the New Year, so needless to say I was a bit sleepy), we decided to take in some nature on New Years Day. One of the prettiest places in Bozeman is Hyalite Canyon. Apparently the rest of Bozeman thought that it was a good day to spend in nature as well, as the parking lots were packed. There were all varieties of people. Some were out there having fun, making tons of noise. Others were out there enjoying the beauty of nature, and very annoyed by those who were interrupting it. It was interesting to people watch. I love being in God's creation, especially in the mountains and snow. It was beautiful. It was invigorating.
The boys couldn't get over the mountains and the trees & the snow! They took pictures all the way up there, and then we had to get a few dozen when we were there. Here are some of the best:


This is actually a lake that is frozen that people are walking, skiing, snowmobiling on.


Some ice fisherman. Believe it or not, there was actually some people further down the lake who actually dug a hole in the ice and scuba dived in the water.



Us hiking. Due to all the snow, they had closed the roads up to the top, to the waterfall, but we could walk a little way up there.


Family picture



Some pretty scenery on the hike


The family posing, minus dad the photographer


Chris had never ridden a snowmobile before, so he went up to a group of people, and asked if he could ride with one of them. The owner said sure, as soon as mine gets back. Well, as soon as it got back, he showed Chris the gears and how to run it, and sent him on his way. The guy loaned him his jacket to keep him warm, and Chris was very thankful. He got up to 60 mph. He was freezing at the end, but also exhilarated.


At the end of the day, John bug was still in a good mood!

(For more pictures of our day, including a dog doing his business, see New Years

The Museum of the Rockies (Dec 31st)

So, one thing that Montana, particularly Bozeman is noted for, aside from the mountains and skiing, is our research of dinosaurs & discovery of one of the largest "intact" T-Rex's. We have a Museum that is dedicated primarily to displaying the research/bones of all the discoveries. We decided to check it out. Man, a lot has changed since I was last there 10 years ago, but then again, a lot has remained the same. John got a kick out of touching, and feeling, and seeing everything. I found out that the mom of one of my high school friends was super involved in the research of dinosaurs, and was published nationwide. It was a great relaxing way to spend the day. Here are some pictures from our time:




Sarah & John having a conversation on the way to the museum.


Daddy pretending to be a bat. John looks not impressed!


Dave conversing with the locals



John exploring the hands on exhibits!

Hanging with the cousins (Dec 30th)

T & Sarah left bright and early on the 30th, so they missed hanging out with our cousins from Helena. They almost didn't make it as they slept through their alarm. Thankfully mom & dad were awake & went to check on them. I had woken up to feed John, probably around the time they were supposed to be up, and kept waiting for them to wake up, so that I could say bye. I figured maybe they had talked about leaving at a different time after I went to bed so I didn't wake them. Needless to say, b/c of that, I didn't get to say goodbye. :o(
After church & Sunday School, we met up with my uncle Dan & Aunt Jeanne, cousin Courtney & her hubby Craig & Abigail, their 1 year old, cousin Josh & his wife Sarah, & cousin Melissa & her hubby Dave. We had some yummy Mongolian BBQ. I love watching them just move it around on the big stone and all of a sudden it's done, and they flip it into your bowl.
By the way, just a side note while I'm thinking about it, Dave & Sarah I think should get the record for knowing the most people. Not only does Dave know everybody in San Antonio (or at least half of them), he knew people in Montana. They made a special trip over to the Alliance Church so that Dave could say hi. It turns out that Sarah knew just about everyone there too!
Anyway, after eating and catching up, we went to do Montanan's favorite pasttime: bowling. At least that's what we did for quite a few b-days & often on the weekends in high school. Brought back all sorts of memories! It was a lot of fun, & I actually for the first time didn't really care how I did (although I do think the lane was slightly slanted, as all of us didn't do very good, and even though I was aiming & following through straight down the middle I kept making gutter balls, but that's beside the point!) I got to talk to my Aunt about scrapbooking, and how to do it quickly, as it takes me forever. I looked through Sarah's wedding scrapbook, and got some neat ideas, and had fun playing with John & Abigail, and hanging with the cousins. Oh, and then we went to the Leaf & Bean, a fabulous coffee shop, and chitchatted. I love how Bozeman has a million different coffee shops. I made it my goal to try something from almost all of them!
We took pictures of both the guys and the girls, but for some reason, I only got the girls.



I had to put both of these, b/c the first one is a really good one of John & me, but not so good of Cortney & Abigail, and vice versa on the second one.


Mommy & John hanging out after bowling!

Bridger Bowl (Dec 27th)

Soooo, I realized that it was taking me longer than I wanted to post about Christmas due to trying to organize pictures while uploading, so I decided to get smart and organize them before I started blogging, in the hopes that I could catch up faster. We'll see how fast I can post now!! Back to Montana & Christmas:

The view from the top/the six kids


Since we were up in Montana, we couldn't pass up skiing. We decided two days after Christmas was a great time that we could all go. Turns out we were absolutely right. The night before it had dumped snow onto Bridger, allowing us to have 18+ inches of fresh powder!!! Now for those of you who haven't skied before, there is nothing like skiing on powder. It's amazing! It's also a wee bit difficult. All of the in-laws (who by the way are much better skiers than those of us who grew up in Montana) found it fascinating. Apparently, even skiing in the Alps, Colorado, New Mexico, etc. didn't hold a candle to it. I honestly can't remember what skiing was like (since I can count how many times I've skied on one hand!), so it was hard for me to compare. It was fun nonetheless. I enjoyed how it wasn't icy.
We left "late" b/c I wanted to feed John one more time before I left him all day (wow that was hard). It turned out to be just the right time, b/c by the time we had to turn in our skis, all of us were ready. We started out all in a big group on the bunny hill, which by the way they put in a lift, so we got practice right away in getting off the ski lift, something my sister and I are not the greatest at. I was surprised at how quickly I picked it back up. My sis-in-law & Chris were the first ones down the hill. Chris has skied the most recent, and Sarah's mom used to be a ski instructor so she learned how to ski when she was four.
Once we all made it down, we decided to attempt a green. My dad & I remembered Alpine being pretty fair, so we headed for it. Again, Sarah & Chris were the first at the bottom. My sister had a wee bit of trouble, and so Dave stayed back to help her out. T, decided, what the heck to just go for it, and was quite humorous to watch as he fell more often than he skied! Well, maybe not, but he did lose his balance quite a few times. My dad ended up staying with Sarah & Dave for the morning, while the rest of us continued on. We set a pre-determined time to meet back up, and then were off.
It turns out that the time Chris said was Texas time, but dad took it as Montana time, so we had a wee bit of confusion, and a good half an hour was spent waiting at the designated place. Chris agreed to wait, while the rest of us grabbed some grub! Of course, since it was nearing 1:00, all of the soup & chili was gone, so I settled for a hamburger (weird-just not skiing food!)
After we all joined up, dad joined us for the rest of the day. We attempted some blues. (Yay!) Both Dad & Chris got stuck in some pretty intense powder-up to their waists! It was quite amusing.
All in all it was a great day, but I was ready to get home and see my bug! He did really well, thankfully, as the night before we had left him, after he was asleep, and ended up waking up, and staying awake until we got home from our movie. Here are some pictures from the day:


My dad & me on the first run


Aren't we cute! The background almost looks unreal, but yes, we were really there

The morning group

T & Sarah-before T got covered in snow


Notice the difference in the amount of snow between the two. Sarah-no snow; Dad-covered. Sarah never fell the entire day. She was the only one.


I think this should be on Bridger's flier promoting skiing there. Chris looking all professional kicking up some powder


The view from the lift-look closely, and you'll see dad & T & Sarah


The first time I seriously fell. I hit some crazy powder, and couldn't control my skis and ended up tumbling, and landing backwards down the hill. This was shortly followed by Chris falling on the other side of the hill, and T falling shortly thereafter. Of course, Sarah made it to the bottom without any trouble. She actually "hiked" back up to help me get out of my conundrum.


Dave & Sarah after a long hard day skiing! Sarah looks like she enjoyed herself, even if she says she didn't


Yay!! This is how John bug greeted us when we arrived! His shirt says, "I get my good looks from my dad." Yes son you do!

For more pictures (lots more) please see http://picasaweb.google.com/armyforchrist/Bridger

"Relaxin" (Dec 26th)

The day after Christmas we split into two groups. Dave & T & the 2 Sarah's & Michael went with my mom traversing Bozeman and seeing the sites. Chris stayed home (& napped-the boys went to Bible Study with my dad at 6 am) with me, Auntie, Grandma, Ian, and John. I attempted to learn Pinochle. I was kind of getting the hang of it when the group returned. We all went to eat at Taco Time (similar to Taco Bell, but better!!) and then headed to the mall to "shop." Chris actually ended up getting some much needed jeans. John & I just looked. While the Sarah's were still shopping, Chris & Dave decided to take Ian & Michael mini golfing. I sat and caught up with Auntie and talked to a very unique lady. Montana is filled with interesting people. The granola/hippie type people love living there. This lady was in her 50's, with short gray hair, the layered clothing look, (you know the long johns under t-shirt, pants under a skirt...) and was sitting talking to herself at a table in the food court. John caught her attention and she began opening up. He just laughed and grinned and cooed at her. She seemed rather lonely. She talked a lot about how she missed her boys. They both lived far away. I wanted to give her a hug, but she randomly in a lull in the conversation, just stood up and left.
While they were playing putt putt, the boys decided they wanted to build a snow fort. Chris & Dave got the ball rolling while the two younger boys went to Walmart. Mind you, the snow is not the sticky kind that can easily roll into balls, but they still were determined. They actually made quite a fort, and when the two younger boys came home, they had an all out ambush. It was great.
Here's some pictures:


Chris decided, on a whim, after he woke up from his nap to shovel the patio


These are Chris's styling snow pants, army issued!! These things smelled nasty. Dave about threw up when he came near Chris in the house. They smelled like old wet rubber & throw up mixed together, but of course Chris wore them!


Preparing the way for the fort


Preparing the kids. Note: Plastic garbage bags work great if you don't have snow boots!!


Chris waiting to ambush


The attack from behind. I must say Michael was pretty smart. He grabbed a shovel, and started tearing down the walls. It was fun having an army guy play "war" b/c he was using tactical terms, and saying things, like, "Look, they are bringing the engineers..."

Peace!



This is how Johnbug spent the time while Daddy was out being crazy!

For more pictures see: http://picasaweb.google.com/armyforchrist/Relaxin