We are embarking upon a new stage in life, school! We are starting simple and small. I am doing a home preschool with Shep and two other boys and their moms. It's working out great. The moms take turns teaching so it works out that I teach about one week a month.
We decided that all the moms would attend the first day to help the kids get used to it. It was kind of a nightmare. They were all very distraught that we were making them sit and listen instead of letting them go about their usual ways and play with toys. Shep was really good for about ten minutes then he just stood up and stated "I'm done.", and started walking off, like it was that simple. Since then, things have really improved. The boys are hilarious, and are total boys. Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is their first ever school experience and just to have fun with it. I have to remind myself of this as I am talking about the letter of the day, and the boys are fixated on saying "poop" and laughing their brains out. "Focus...Focus."
On the first day I taught I was teaching about our bodies.
Me: "Neal, what's a part of your body?"
Neal: "MY NOSE"-Neal is very exuberant and everything is a cheer, he said this with gusto and he jumped up and down, waving a fist in the air.
Me: "Ephraim, what's a part of your body?"
Ephraim: (think James Earl Jones, this kid has the deepest voice you've ever heard a 3 year old have) "My Eyes."
Me: "Shep, how about you?"
Shep: "My tiger!" Then he planted his two feet and swung one arm across his chest...this is my own child and he is a total mystery to me????
Closing Circle-
Me: "What did we learn about today?"
Neal: He looks up at me with the sweetest face and simply says "Jesus."
This kid's smart, he has learned that you can never go wrong with that answer.
I am looking forward to my many adventures with this rowdy bunch of boys, they have a way of making me laugh.
Reading the instructions.
Making the cake, with Daddy's help.
The best things in life are all the sweeter 
Grandpa Tom and Grandma Carol are Rob's parents. They live in Kalispelle and we always try and make a visit to them when we up that way. I love this picture, Shep and Grandpa have twinner faces. 
Amy and Bryan came up to Montana with us. It was so fun to show off the beauty to people who I knew would appreciate it. We went to Glacier Park for a day. We got cherries on our way up and ate about a million, oh man I felt sick afterwards but they were sooooo good. We had intentions to do 3 hikes. But, after one of hauling the kids we were spent. The hike we went on was gorgeous and the kids got to get with feet of some mountain goats, and some big horn sheep joined us for lunch. 
Donuts and early morning hike to Kerr Dam. So yummy!
We have a plum tree in our backyard and last year I attempted to can them whole. If you are a canner, never do plums whole, they were disgusting. So, this year we were on the lookout for something we could do with our millions of plums. Aram was a total stud and willingly made us plum chutney and canned it. There's nothing like a morning of canning and grinding wheat that slashes my idyllic dreams of living off the land. It always sounds more fun than it actually is. 
When I was in high school I got my lifeguard license and was well certified in first-aid. Since then I have considered myself well prepared. But for some reason, all knowledge and sense leaves you when your 19 month old sticks his hand in a open can of tomatoes and his fingers are wedged between the can and the lid. Blood was everywhere, I just held Marshall and called Aram. "What should I do, Marshall is bleeding bad?" Hello woman, how about pressure? This all happened on the 24th of July and our Urgent Care was closed for the holiday-what? Aren't those places made specifically for holidays? So we took him to two other clinics before he could get stitches. He was so brave. He held totally still and was infactuated with what the doctor was doing to his finger. He got seven stitches on his little finger. He had to where a sock on his hand for over a week. But, he loved it. Everytime it feel off he brang it to me to put it back on again. And, he wore it for an extra week just because he liked it. Funny kid. Funny mom-you think you could keep your wits about you when something like this happens, hopefully this is the last time something like this happens, but I have a hunch (knowing my inquisitive, and fearless Marshall) that it is the first of many incidents.
We have done lots of hiking, and lots of throwing rocks, Marshall seems to have an obsession!
We bought Shep his first real bike, but he does not want to ride it. I think I have damaged him for life, he has no clue how to peddle he just scoots on it because that's what he's been doing for so long on his other scooter-bike. This picture is from a 4th of July parade that the boys rode in. 
We played with our cousins alot, I love my sisters. 
Catching bugs in our backyard, Shep has been determined all summer to catch a butterfly.
We have done ALOT of slip 'n slidding down our hill this summer. We have fun with our neighbors Jake and Addy, and with all our friends during play groups.
