Hiking and More Camping

 One morning we made chocolate pancakes and had some of the first eggs from our chickens.

 On one of the camping days, we took a seven mile hike to some waterfalls.  The terrain was pleasantly flat and the scenery varied quite a lot. 

 We had to cross a swinging bridge.

 I wish I could remember the name of these falls.  We hiked above what you can see in this picture.

 We had to cross a log to get to the other side so we could hike above the falls.  Laughing Water is crossing in a cloud of mist.

 It was a hot day and the kids found relief by dunking their heads in the glacial waters.  Brrrr!

 Back at camp, Mr. Blueberry Eyes found a buddy of the squirmy kind to play with.  Later in the day, they joined a group of Blackfeet children and played happily with them for quite some time.  Their favorite story to tell is that the native children said, "Wanna know how Indians fish?  Butt naked!"

 The camp store had some huckleberry soft serve that we couldn't pass up.

 This little black bear hung out for several days on the mountainside above our tent, feasting on ripe huckleberries and elderberries.

S'mores on chocolate graham crackers....perfect ending to an outdoor adventure.  - Nanette

Our Summer Camping Trip

 Camping for a week was a high priority for us this summer.  It became obvious that The Wood Artist would have to leave for work in the North Dakota oilfields before we could do it, so I realized if it was going to happen, we would have to do it without him.  We had never camped in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park and were intrigued with its wild beauty.  So we packed up and headed out for the adventure.  We were not let down!  The water and the rocks in the water were just amazing!

 The kids took Stratego and had fun playing it at the picnic table.

 We situated the tent in the trees, but if you looked through the trees, the view was truly magestic!

 On morning I left the children sleeping in the tent and snuck a couple hundred yards to the lake to meditate and pray.  Its pretty hard to beat a church like that!

 We visited a little restaurant in East Glacier that had this huckleberry French toast.  They said it was world famous and I believe it.  I ate only about half and I'm pretty sure I still have it with me!

 We found a new game we fell in love with. Its called Moose Farkle and played it everywhere!

Sorry if this seems odd.  You'd have to live here to see the humor in this  This was the most beautiful bear poop I've ever seen!  It was a deep, rich purple from the huckleberries in season.  I'll have to do another post or two to get in all the pictures I want to share. - Nanette

Uh-Oh! I blinked!

 They always told me not to blink.  If I did, my children would grow up!  But I must have blinked, because Laughing Water grew an astonishing amount over the summer!  When did that happen!

 Here they are at the start of a very long swinging foot bridge The Wood Artist took them on while he was home.

Chillin' by the river on a gorgeous fall day. - Nanette

Daily Life

This year, I enrolled my kids in several classes offered to homeschoolers by other homeschool parents.  One of their favorites is an Anatomy and Physiology class.  They are in different classes since they are in different grades, but they are using the same curriculum.  One of the experiments they did was to soak eggs in vinegar for a week.  They chose to add food coloring to their eggs, hence the strange colors.  They have graduated to more technical experiments since.  Today, for example, they extracted DNA from their cheek cells and make necklaces out of them.  They are really enjoying it.  Mr. Blueberry Eyes was even pretending that the cell phone was a centriole.  The resemblance was so striking, I burst out laughing when I heard him chattering on about it!

 So Mr. Blueberry Eyes has decided he must have a horse.  He is working like crazy, doing little jobs here and there to earn money for a horse.  He actually has well over $100 saved.  But he got a bright idea to give others the opportunity to help him out and this is what he came up with! 

And this is the rough life he has at school!  -Nanette

I'm Back

I knew it had been a long time since I'd added a post, but I was surprised when I saw that my last post was the last day of May.  There are a lot of reasons for that.  Our family came to a place where we had to make some tough decisions and I just couldn't break through the stress enough to write.  In all honesty, we aren't dealing with anything that millions of other Americans aren't dealing with right now, so I feel like a bit of a weakling to admit that it really took me down a bit.  I guess its just that I don't like change and change had to happen.  I never really dreamed our life would look like it does now, but its all good.  God will see us through.  I can finally say that.  I haven't always had that much faith.  But now I know He is good and He will bring good out of it all.

We had to close most of our reading therapy business and The Wood Artist had to go to another state for work.  Since I actually like my husband, this has been hard.  But, we are thankful for the work!  He is home right now, but will soon leave again.  We have so much to be thankful for, though.  I'm blessed that I live in a safe place and have family and friends at my fingertips should I need them, and I do!

 I'm posting some pictures of a hike I did with a dear friend in Glacier National Park.  It was 19 miles of pure majesty and we had a lovely time.  I have so many pictures to post of our summer.  Be prepared for a lot of posts soon!

 The views were breathtaking and awe-inspiring.

I'll try to catch up soon. - Nanette