October birthday wishes

My mother in law turned 70 years young on Sept. 29th. She had 12 children, now has 14 grandchildren, and been married to the same great man through everything. So this birthday couldn't just slip by without a couple surprises. Two of the best were her sons Johnny & Nick flying in from Texas.
Johnny, Irene, & Nick

mom & I at Irene's next "ladies luncheon" surprise party.

She was surprised again....it was the best!

All they Byrd women who helped make the party such a success. The Montana sister in law's made the trip over which was so great!

Irene, her sister in laws, and some nieces

Irene & her beautiful daughters! Don't I have the prettiest sister in laws?

We also celebrated Stephan's birthday once we got back to MT.

The cake looked good, but it was terrible. I'm not sure what happened, so we went out for ice cream. Happy Birthday babe! Love you!

Famous in MT!

Hudson & I made the front page of the Daily Interlake paper here in the Flathead Valley. It was freezing, but we still got our pumpkins. We went to this cute place called Sweet Pickins' with their preschool class. Ravenna was sidetracked with the other kids, as Hudson & I did the hard work.

End of summer work weekend

Stephan & Jacob bucking up some trees.
Alli & I getting rid of the bushes on the beach.

My guy measuring for our new horse shoe pit.

Mom & Aunt Barb tackling the bushes again.

Last swim of summer at the end of September. It was surprisingly warm for the time of year.

Wrestling with their grandpa.

We always do a work weekend at the end of summer to get the cabin ready for winter. We accomplished quite a bit & had fun too! With a tear in my eye I say goodbye to my favorite season....until next year!

Welcome Makena!

Makena born Sept. 21 at 12:12 am in Spokane, WA

Mommy & Makena
The first time holding his little girl.....clearly multi-tasking.

She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. & was 19" tall.

So glad I could be there to welcome her to the world! Love you new family of 4!

Football in the Palouse

We headed down to my alma mater, U of Idaho to support my cousin & watch their first home game in the newly renovated Kibbie Dome. We couldn't pass up a good party on the way so we stopped by WSU to tailgate for a couple hours with the Pool family.

The kids had their own little game going on.
The Pool family RV and their great tailgating spot.

Awww! The Kibbie Dome, always great to watch a game indoors & out of the cold!

My cousin Robbie coaching the Vandal linebackers.

Nice Hudson!

Vandals won & so did WSU...great day of football in the Palouse!

Robbie & Delaney after the game

Leavenworth

Downtown Leavenworth, WA
On a walk with Grandma

A view from our little Wenatchee Lake hike

Leavenworth has this crazy hat shop, so we took full advantage.

That's my guy!

No Bavarian town is complete without their own mountain goats.

We took a little day trip to Lake Chelan & just had to go swimming in the pretty blue water.

A stop by "Dry Falls" on the way home.

Fun in Seattle!

We went to Seattle for the University of Idaho vs. University of Washington Football game. Our friends the Pool's let us stay with them in their gorgeous house on Lake Washington. Friday night we went out for a cruise around Mercer Island on Dave & Teri's boat. It was a beautiful sunset & a great night to be out on the water. Saturday morning we got an early start & boated to Husky stadium. I don't know many college stadiums you can boat to & then watch a game overlooking the water. The weather was perfect, actually down right hot! My Vandals lost, but gave the Huskies a good game. I was also able to convince my great friend Colie & her husband to drive up from Portland & join in on the fun. I have never been in Seattle & experienced such great weather....not much can beat that place when it's nice. A huge thank you to Matt & Shannon for such a fun weekend & my cousin Robbie for the tickets & side line passes to the game.

A tradition I have when in Seattle is to visit Pike Place Market. Stephan has been sucked into a few of these excursions as now are my kiddos. I love watching the people & looking at all the beautiful flowers, produce, and wares people make. We also did the Seattle Aquarium, which was a first for all. Well worth the money and we went on a Monday so didn't have to fight the crowds. It was very interactive for the kids. They got to feel starfish, anemones, and shell fish. The seals were also a big hit. Then we headed a little south to Gig Harbor & stayed at the Gormley's for a night. The kids had so much fun playing together & we always share a few laughs as well. Great times in Seattle with good friends!