Max’s Hike

Max rode in his backpack for most of the hike. He and Isi sometimes hold hands and he loves it, even though he looks cranky here.

When we stopped at the waterfall, we had a snack and Max hung out in his backpack.

More Hike

There are several waterfalls on this trail but we turned around after the first one (2.5 miles! And the last section was really rocky and steep.) Everyone was glad to see it though.

Climbing

On our hike was a giant rock formation, which was obviously the highlight.

Sweathouse Falls

We went on a 5 mile hike today! It was beautiful.

Kittens

We moved the kittens over to our house, but the mama wasn't a fan and carried them under a pile of wood at her old house.

 We catnapped them all back home. Their mama is in there with them but we're giving them a little big-kitten formula to start them on food.

Kittens

Kittens! Ack they're so sweet.

Kittens

The neighbors' cat had kittens. We're going to take care of them for a few weeks and we're psyched about it. Two orange and two gray.

Isi is trouble

Isi can now go down the stairs

At the park too

And she climbs up slides now too. Trouble!

The M

We hiked a steep trail with a giant concrete M at the top.

Lucy is up there! Charlie is off to the side.

The M

Max hiked almost all of it himself! Not Isi.

Chick love

Chicks are so big! They're pretty friendly.

Hike

These kids love to hike. If it's difficult, all the better! Here we're on a break

Hike

May Crowning

We're Catholic enough to not just have a statue of Mary out front, but to crown her!

Lawn brigade

They decided to help Mrs Anderson move her hose. Please enjoy.

Chicks

We moved the chicks to their outside home. They were taking up the whole brooder, smelled terrible, and now have all their feathers. They seem fine with it, but the hens are not delighted.

Isi loves them so much

Fun outside

Max is wearing the case to his chair on his head while eating his hot dog and s'more. His head was cold, he told me.

Bonfire

We needed to burn our lawn debris, so we got a permit and started a fire!

The kids were SO EXCITED

Then there were hot dogs and marshmallows!

Isi and Daddy

Isi is really into her daddy right now. She likes to yell "ahhhhhhh" and jump onto him. When he comes out of his office during the day she goes to see him and then cries when he goes back to work.

This is her favorite when he comes upstairs during the day. Can't walk away with a baby on your legs! (She does the same to fence and banister rails ha)

Ahhhhhhhh

Blue scoot

Max loves to get his boo heh-met and his boo scoot and vroom around.

"Take one while me vroom!"

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

 We decided last week we should cross the border into Idaho and check it out! We even went all the way to Washington, just to do it, but it wasn't pretty there so we didn't stay. We got a hotel (those unused points have just been calling to us) and did outdoor, covid-safe, stuff.

I asked Isi what she thought of her first hotel experience and she giggled behind Dad's legs.

She's really into Justin right now. She cries when he can't stay and play with her during the work day.

She also mastered crawling off the bed

Well, mostly mastered

We also had pizza on the couch, who could resist that?

It's an incredible drive and then everything is so beautiful, but we had trouble locating a good trail. We finally found a walking path and went for a couple miles. (Charlie took this picture, so he's not in it)

Isi cracks me up here. She must be part of the action!

Then we got ice cream and took it to a playground.

This is a brilliant swing and I want one. No pushing for me!

Sunday we decided to try the trails we'd been thinking of on Saturday. The guy at the pizza place gave me a tip on where to park. There was a huge, cool playground they started there.

But I'm glad we told them we wanted to try hiking because they had so much fun. First we went up a very steep "path" and they eventually went back and ran up and down it. If there was a more difficult way to go, they did that. And what a view!

It's too bad she's in the shadows here because we had to get her out of the pack to go down some rocks and she was delighted to walk around. She tried to get in the water and even though she fell down repeatedly she hopped back up and kept trying. 

Charlie, James, Lucy, and Nora went over some big rocks and found a little cove. Lucy named it "Four olvale" because it's the Four Oldest's Hidden Cove, and Vale because in Swallowdale that's what they call their cove. 

I wasn't wearing Isi at the moment so I got to climb over and see it!

They were very excited to be close to the lake for a little while. 

Here are my two little girls

This one eventually passed out. It was a big trip.

This is what most of the area looks like. The Ponderosas are very interesting. 

Max rode in his backpack and he loved it! He asked for the canopy I had forgotten it had.