A little Riding

A morning out at the polo field.  Horses, sunshine, and the beautiful Big Horn mountains.  Pop helps teach polo school and the boys watch, waiting for their turn to ride.  Poncho is saddled and ready to go.  The boys are anxious to ride.  Gabe, especially.  Now that he can ride by himself, now that he has control, he loves to ride.

I watch each boy ride and it reminds me of my childhood.  Being with the horses.  Sitting in the horse trailer.  The smell of the tack.  Being with family.  It's the best.

Owen waits patiently for his turn to ride.   What better way to wait then get out the horse whip and practice whipping anything that moves.

Gabe goes first.  Pop helps adjust his reins and gets him ready for his ride.

He is learning very fast.  Starting to get comfortable in the saddle.  This is his first time riding an english saddle.  He took it in a stride.

Then, it was Eli's turn to ride.  Sitting up with Pop, he held on tight.   He was very serious the entire ride.

Last but not least it was Owen's turn.

Poncho was very hot and tired but, he is such a good sport.  Good job Owen!

We had a great time and are so lucky to be able to spend time with the horses in such a beautiful place!

Hot July Sun

We spent a week in Sheridan.  A week trying to beat the heat.  What do you do when it's 100 degrees and you have 5 children who have lots of energy?   You add water, lots of water.

One place to stay cool is Whitney Commons Park.  There is lots of room to run and water fountains to run through.

Waiting patiently for the fountain to start.

After we are all cooled off, it's time to head home.   The babies decided that they wanted to drive.  Watch out!

What to do when we get home?  Make our own fountain, of course!

Or we could jump on the trampoline....that is always fun!

Boy, we sure had fun!   We love summer.

Rodeo

The boys spent a week with Grammy and Gramps in Buffalo.  Playing golf, going to the mini golf course, and eating ice cream.  They had a great time!  I arrived in Buffalo and they had so much fun they could have stayed forever.

But, we had plans to go to the rodeo and stay with Grandma and Pop in Sheridan so, we loaded in the car and headed north.

Addie and Amaya were so excited to see the boys!  Addie and Eli snuggled up in the chair together....beyond cute!

 And, when Eli would cry, Addie would help him feel better.

 But, we didn't have to long to play because we had to get ready for the rodeo.  They boys put on their hats and boots and were ready to be cowboys.

 We headed out to see Pop's horses before the big event.

We couldn't leave until we caught a few grasshoppers.  We added them to our grasshopper jar that we keep with us at all times.  They have become our new little pets.

Then, it was finally time to go to the rodeo.  We had a great time watching the indian relay races and the saddle bronc riders but, our favorite were the rodeo clowns.   It was a big night and we had a great time.

Fishing in Custer State Park

We stayed in Custer State Park for two days.  The entire two days the boys asked us to take them fishing.  They didn't want to ride around looking at wildlife or go for a hike.  They wanted to fish.  So, that is what we did.

And, this moment will be the most memorable for me from our vacation this summer.

The moment watching my oldest son fish.  I mean really fish.  Watching him from a distance as he casts his pole like his father.  Concentrating at the fly on the end of his line while nothing else mattered.  Setting the hook at just the right moment.  He is becoming a great fisherman and it amazed me to watch his movements.  Those movements that only a fisherman with many hours on the water know by heart.  It took my breath away.

I watched my three boys with fishing pole in hand and smiled because there is nothing else in the world that these three little boys would rather be doing.  Like their father, they have a true passion for something that can carry them through their lives.

I also thought about our little girl and how she too will be a great fisherman, if she wants.  It's just something that will continue to be part of our days no matter where we live or what we are doing.  Fishing is something that lives in our souls and brings us so much joy together as a family.  This surely is what life is about.

Custer State Park

We rented a little cabin in Custer State Park.    The boys were excited to do more fishing and to explore the mountains.  Our little cabin was beside a small creek and Gabe and Owen spent the afternoon getting wet and exploring.  Eli preferred to stay up by the cabin opening and closing doors, locking and unlocking our Tahoe, and walking up and down the stairs.

Bryan and I discussed our dinner options.  They were offering a hay ride with a chuckwagon dinner.  We weren't really sure that it would be something that Eli would sit still for so we were a little apprehensive.  In the end, we decided it would be fun.  So we loaded the boys in the car and drove over to the Bluebell Lodge.  They handed us each a cowboy hat and bandana and told us to load into the wagons.

As we started our hay ride, I could tell immediatly that Eli loved it.  Our guide sang cowboy songs to us as we traveled through the park, looking at wildlife.  Eli sat on my lap, mesmorized the entire time.  He loved the music!  And, he even wore his cowboy hat.  We definitely made the right choice.

As we arrived at our cow camp we quickly realized that a buffalo herd would be joining us for dinner.

We settled in to enjoy our dinner and entertainment.

We all had a great time and were ready to head back to our cabin.  So, we said goodbye to the buffalo and climbed back into the wagons to enjoy a few more songs before we called it a day.

Spearfish

Spearfish, SD holds a special place in our heart.  It's a place we go to spend time with family, enjoy the beautiful Black Hills, and hunt and fish.  We love the little town that offers us so much to do.  A beautiful park with a fish hatchery, a river where we can fish, and the hills where we can drive around looking for wildlife.  We also love Spearfish because our Great Gramps and other family lives there.

We rented a little cottage in town and spent three days enjoying Spearfish and our family.

Our mornings were spent down by the river, fishing and playing in the water.

And, on Sunday we headed down to the park with lots of food and spent the day with our family.  The boys had the best time.  We spent our day visiting the fish hatchery, wading in the river, playing in the playground and relaxing.  The boys would run back and forth and grab a bite to eat as they played all throughout the day.

Bryan, Uncle Gerald, Uncle Dennis, Cousin Larry, and Great Gramps lined up and enjoying the afternoon in the park.

Here are the boys stopping for a minute so I could get a picture....between bites of food and sodas.