Big Sky

How do you keep 3 young kids from driving you (and everyone else) on a flight bonkers?  Screens!  Glorious, wonderful electronic devices!

Sure, some people think cars, running water, etc., are technological marvels, but can they really compete with Angry Birds?  Of course, we still have to turn the things off for take off and landing, but I have hope that someday humanity will tackle this too.  Right?

We were flying out to Montana to visit Grandma and Grandpa:



Milkshakes at Fords Drive-in:

The State Fair!  We didn't manage to see many of the farm animals/crafts/etc., due to the wonderful rides!  (I don't remember the section for little kids - I think maybe it's new since I last went to the fair?  But it was perfect for this crew.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids fed the fish at Giant Springs (ok, I will admit, I might have slept through this particular adventure.  One advantage of visiting grandparents was their willingness to take the kids elsewhere for the early morning hours.)

We drove the rental SUV to the Thane Creek campground outside town for a cookout - unfortunately we had a flat tire on the way, but after some friendly assistance (and cheering up from a beautiful black lab named Cody) we made it up to the campground.

(Note to Hertz: in Montana, a flat dirt/gravel road doesn't count as "off-roading".  And putting the crappiest tires available on a vehicle, and then not supplying a jack, is irresponsible.  Seriously, does this look like off-roading?)

 

 

Lizzie, especially, enjoyed digging for worms, though there was only a little big of fishing.  But for her, it seems, worms are their own justification.

We visited some friends at Harley Creek, and did a bit of fishing - Lizzie caught the only fish of the day, though (with help!)

Playgrounds:

 

A race around the track Grandpa Gene built (at East Jr High) - the twins won't remember Grandpa Gene, which makes me sad, but Spencer might.

 

 

Backyard time:

 

Feeding ducks at Gibson:

Outside Amazing Toys:

Dinner at Eddie's:

Mini-golf!  We checked both courses out - to adult eyes Valley View Mini Golf had nicer landscaping, but judging from Teddy's throwing-himself-on-the-putting-green tantrum, perhaps he enjoyed Big Sky more.  Lizzie enjoyed her hole-in-one, and Spencer enjoyed whupping his mother on the course.

The Ulm Pishkin State Park, 15 minutes out of town.  For some reason, the skies in some of these photos look like a fake backdrop.

It's not helpful that some of the pictures are inside the museum, so it is a fake backdrop!

Fake, inside (and please note that I took the weaponry away shortly after the photo was taken.  3-year-olds shouldn't be given rock hammers.):

Real skies, outside:

Grandpa took Spencer up to the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center, in Bynum - they took tour with a geologist for the morning and went out and looked at real fossils:

Grandpa's panarama shot just kind of screams "Montana" doesn't it?

Meanwhile, Grandma and I took the twins to the Farmers market downtown - the twins weren't entirely sure how they felt about riding a pony:

But they were both firmly in favor of balloon hats, sceptres, and fish (Teddy's got a fish hanging of the end of a fishing pole):