A Visit from Grandpa

A couple of weeks ago my dad took the train out here to babysit/work on our house/drive back with me and Kai to Canada.  Kai loved having his grandpa here to play with him, and Bryon and I really enjoyed having an in-house repairman/babysitter :)

A trip to Schweitzer to enjoy the first snowfall of the season and try out our "new" sled (which we bought from our neighbour's garage sale).

Kai absolutely loved his first sled ride, and completely surprised me by staying in the sled! 

Apparently this sled veers sharply to the right, and Kai crashed into some rocks as my dad ran over to catch him!

Attempt #2.

And then he needed to try sliding down the hill on his belly.

Can you tell that this boy's mother is Canadian, and his father is a wannabe ski bum?  What can I say, but that we  are thrilled to have another snow lover in our family. :)

Bryon organized a fundraiser for the Sandpoint Rock Gym (where he is on the board as their accountant), and brought in Matchstick Production's 2010 ski film, "The Way I See It" to show at our local theater.  The whole event went over really well, and because my dad was here to babysit, I was able to go to it as well!

One of the raffle items.

The Climbing Gym crew.



Fall is Here

Okay, I'm not going to lie...as I write this, fall is long gone and winter is here with a vengeance.  BUT, I still have a few fall pictures left to post so here is fall, with its flurry of leaves (which means much raking), chilly mornings (and days and nights for that matter), the return of tea and hot chocolate and hoodies and warm cozy duvets.  I'm sad to see summer go, but fall really is lovely

My boys, on their way to the last Sandpoint Bulldogs football game of the season.

Ohh, the joys of home ownership!

There is a family here in Sandpoint who will make apple juice for you if you bring them your apples.  So, I took a bag of apples from the tree in our backyard and...

...Voila!

Taking a little hike up Gold Hill.

We took about 10 pictures and Kai wasn't smiling in any of them, so we decided to match our expressions to his instead :)



Missoula

Now that I don't have my weekly deadline to attempt to meet, I have been forgetting to blog.  But, the blowing snow and freezing temperatures have inspired me to sit down at the computer and post a few pictures of our lives recently. 

A couple of weeks ago Bryon had to go to Missoula for an accounting course.  Kai and I were just going to stay here, but at the last minute we got a fantastic deal on a nice hotel and decided to tag along with Bryon.  Sadly, Kai and I were both sick for the two days we were there, but we managed to have fun and explore a bit of Missoula.

I bought a "spillproof" snack cup for Kai to use on the trip, but he used it with such gusto that it didn't turn out to be too spillproof :) 

While Bryon was in class we explored the river trail into downtown Missoula.

And, after daddy got out of class, we went on a picnic to this beautiful park.

Favorite spot to play in our hotel room - the drawer.

And, while we were wasting our last hour before Bryon finished his class and we headed home, we stumbled upon the Elk Foundation and went in to visit all of the stuffed elk and other wildlife.  Kai loved it! (not that you can tell from this photo!)

Hands on the head = "Wow!"



Halloween

As I mentioned previously, the duck costume that I'd originally bought for Kai wasn't working out the best.  So, we moved on to plan B and got him a pair of pjs with a glow in the dark skeleton and cute little red heart on them.  Although we weren't here on Halloween night, we did get to go to a costume party the evening before where Kai had lots of fun playing with his other costumed buddies.

Kai and the ladies, as usual :)



A Visit from Gramma and Papa

We were so happy that Bryon's parents were able to fly up and visit us the weekend after Kai's birthday.  Even though it rained (as it does every time they come to visit!), we had lots of fun.  Bryon and I took full advantage of having in-house babysitters, and Kai took full advantage of havings two more very willing entertainers and playmates :) 

Indoor Entertainment

Fall has definitely arrived in Sandpoint which means that we are spending more and more time indoors.  I'm feeling rather apprehensive about this winter and how I'm going to entertain a toddler indoors when the snow piles up outside.  I jokingly told Bryon that he would have to plow a track in the backyard so that I could let Kai go out and run circles when life gets too crazy inside. :) 

Anyways, this past week we've been having lots of fun despite having to be indoors more than usual.

These days, Kai loves helping me do whatever it is I'm doing - sweeping, vacuuming, folding laundry, cooking etc., he's there and he wants to be my helper.  Here's my little window washer :)

Quite proud of himself!

We discovered an awesome rec center in Coeur D'Alene.  It's a bit far away, but it was the perfect place to visit on a cold and dark Friday evening.  Kai loves swimming, but this was his first time in a pool with slides, toys, a lazy river, whirlpool, etc.  So fun!  He absolutely loved it and was so brave.  He would climb up the kiddy slide all by himself and throw himself down the slide head first, just like he does on regular playground slides except that this one was A LOT faster!