More Backyard Fun

Tyler has been having so much fun in the yard this summer! Not only does he have a sandbox, but we got a blow up pirate ship kiddie pool for a BBQ with our friends. It is like our very own playground!

I love digging!
The guys checking out the set up

Matty getting up from the slip n slide while Tyler falls out of the ship

Using the water cannon- the hose got hooked up the next day when there were fewer targets to hit!

The Crew!

Slip n slide right to the pool!

While all of the other kids took a rest, Tyler kept on going!

Fun game of pour water on your head

Awwww... two cuties playing so nicely together!

The Stanley Cup comes to Whitefish!!!

Couch Doug Houda from the Boston Bruins has property at Iron Horse here in Whitefish. With his one day with the cup, he chose to bring in to Whitefish! He first brought it to the rink where each person got to spend one minute with the cup, taking pictures, checking it out or whatever.
Little did I know, he would be bringing it to the Northern that night for 2 hours! He let all of our customers and employees hold it, take pictures, kiss it, or whatever else they could think of!

Cup Security!

The Crew with Coach Houda!

Happy 4th of July!

We hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend! Scott and I were fortunate enough to be invited to Eddie DeBartolo's Annual 4th of July bash at his ranch near Whitefish. It was a heck of a party and a great time! (For those of you who don't know, DeBartolo owned the San Francisco 49ers during the 80's). This party is known for having great musical guests and phenomenal food. We enjoyed lobster tails, ribeye steaks, cornish game hens, endless shrimp cocktail, a chocolate fountain, fruit, cheesecakes, and an open bar. Yeah, it was pretty good!

Driving in to Candy Bar Ranch, there were carnival rides set up for the kids. There are 4 days of events that they host here, and the party on the 4th is the grand finale.
Seating set up for the fireworks show.

Beach theme this year! I am in the middle of blinking in this picture....
My sweater was to prevent the bajillion bugs outside.

Joe Montana, his wife Cindy, and Eddie DeBartolo. It was pretty surreal to see Joe walking around at a party in Montana.

There was an enormous tent set up for the party, probably as big as a football field. There were probably 400 guests this night.

Cool Shark cake!

This year's entertainment was a group called The Midtown Men. These 4 guys were the 4 original cast members of the Broadway musical Jersey Boys. They were amazing.

Oh, and as we were out getting a seat for the fireworks, I spotted Tyler Florence (celebrity chef on the Food Network)! He was there with his wife and kids, just relaxing with some red wine.

The fireworks show was second to none. It was set to music and about 20 minutes long. The guy in the very middle of the picture with gray hair is Joe Montana.

Tyler also had a fun night playing with his Nana Kathy. Thank you Nana for watching the Goose so we could go out!

Making of a Sandbox

With the arrival of nice weather (finally!), we decided to turn my garden into a sandbox for Tyler. We had such a late, wet spring that I still hadn't gotten around to planting any vegetables. Since our monkey loves to play outside so much, it is now becoming a sandbox. We have mostly cleared out all of the weeds and the dirt must look so inviting to a two year old. Yesterday morning was beautiful and we were outside playing at about 9 am. Before I knew it, Tyler had climbed into the garden/sandbox and started digging.

Getting set up with rakes and trucks
Mommy, this is fun!

This amount of dirt required getting sprayed off with the freezing garden hose, but he didn't seem to mind. Of course, then a real shower was needed. That dirt was EVERYWHERE.

10 minutes later, the kid was out like a light... he slept for 3 hours.

Yeah sandbox!

Cool Boots!

After spending a rainy day with Grandma and Grandpa a couple of weeks ago, they decided that Tyler needed a rain slicker and rain boots. They let Tyler choose which color he wanted, so it should come at no surprise that he chose the one covered in tractors (or beep-beeps, as they are known in our house). Since he received them, it hasn't rained enough for puddle jumping, but he still constantly wears them as they are the easiest shoes for him to put on himself. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Playing outside in an outfit of his creation
This slicker is #1! These boots rock!

Tractor Man

Tyler loves tractors. There was construction dowtown Whitefish for about a month, so he got to see tractors every day. Now when we get in the car, he is in search of tractors. Today he came along with me to a meeting and they happened to have a John Deere. He spent many happy minutes driving it (pretend driving, I should say) and making tractor noises. He will probably be the only one in the family who is happy when the road construction is in front of the bar this fall!

A Beautiful Weekend

After LOTS of rain, we finally had a gorgeous weekend to spend outside. We took a field trip on Saturday and went to the Kalispell Kreamery, a local dairy farm that was having a "Milk & Cookies" event where you could take a tour, drink some milk, and enjoy a cookie. Tyler was able to pet two calves and marvel at the tractors, cows, and smell of the farm.

Petting Cookies the Calf
Checking out the milkers

On Sunday, we were anticipating 80 degrees, so a BBQ was in order. Team Peppmeier and Erin came over for lots of backyard fun that involved bubbles, large frisbees, and just plain old running around. It was great to dine al fresco and watch the kids play. Tyler fell asleep immediately after his bath and slept for 11 hours straight... Kelly, can you bring the kids over EVERY night?

Enjoying the "slo-melt" popsicles... notice Kirby in the background checking to see if anyone dropped anything

Say Popsicles! Tyler loved chasing after Will and Jack and they were good sports about playing with him. Annemarie was the sweetest and gave Tyler a hug and a kiss before she left.,. it must be love!