summer's end... fall is upon us

As much as it pains me to admit it - summer appears to be winding down.  I will be the first to admit, I was very skeptical of this so called "summer" that Bozeman/Montana was supposed to have. After a soul-decimating Spring, I had convinced myself that all of these Bozemanites had deluded themselves into thinking that the summer up here was so lovely, that it made the rest of the year worth it.  I was sure of this... but alas... summer eventually did come and it was glorious.  We got to do so much, and next summer holds even more adventure in store as Ashley won't be pregnant, so we can do all sorts of things that we were a little less apt to do with a babe in the belly.

Ed is here and is a great addition to our family.  We enjoyed a visit from Ashley's parents to help with the transition, and were the benefactors of many lovely gifts and cards.  Thank you everyone!

Here's George doing his Harry Potter impersonation up at Hyalite reservoir.  Had a great time "fishing" with cheetohs and hiking with baby brother.

Ed's getting more alert, and is on an "ounce a day" weight gain plan. We are supplementing breast milk with muscle milk and gold standard whey.  He has consistently gained an ounce a day for three weeks running. Ed's gonna be a beefcake so help me...

Here is the little man after his first bath.  Opening his eyes and looking around "shifty eyed" like he's suspicious of everyone around him. Rightfully so Ed.. rightfully so...

Coupla suckers...

Story time... note Ed's attention.  Loves snuggling with his very gentle yet enthusiastic brother. 

A couple of weekends ago we went to a cabin down Idaho-way, near Ashton.  We had a view of the Tetons, and there was ample room for lounging and the kids to get into all kinds of outdoor adventures.  I love living here - and I love that George (and Ed soon enough) get to spend so much time outside. Ed was a big hit with the kiddos.  As you can see he was certainly not starved for attention.

We rotated cooking meals, and when we started to get pekish, we'd simply send George up and inquire as to how much longer we had to wait for our meals to be served to us, so as to avoid looking like a bunch of low class clowns. Kidding of course. It was so much fun to be around good friends and especially for George to be with his best friend Abram and his crush Ruby.

I love this shot because it completely captures George's post-Orange Julius drunkeness, if he were an adult he'd be singing old military songs and would reek of scotch.

A short hike from the cabin was a lovely little lake that we had all to ourselves except for when the Lord of the Flies children came up on their convoy of 4 wheelers. I swear the supervising child was no older than 9 and there were like 30 of them.  Kind of creep.  Here George and Abram practice safety skills before boarding the canoes.

George and I on our way down to the lake.

Mom and the boys enjoy a few chuckles as we wait our turn for the canoes.

Ashley and the boys on our very sea worthy vessel.  We liked it so much I think we are definitely considering a canoe purchase for next summer.  NOW are you interested in coming up to visit?

By the end of the trip, George was exhausted. Minutes from leaving he got very philosophical, pondering the world from the perspective of a dog, Tao - or "Towel" as George calls him.

The trip was a perfect capstone to our summer... We've still got a few weeks of good weather, and we're going to make the most of it.  Hope you all had a great Labor Day and summer in general.