Montana!

We had an amazing week visiting our Montana relatives! The girls did really well on the flights... we had two legs each way, and we only had a few minor meltdowns :) Mostly, the girls slept and smiled at the flight attendants. We took an umbrella stroller and a front pack, and the girls did really well.

We had layovers in Minneapolis each trip, and the girls relaxed with a little floor time. They're beginning to learn how to yoink toys from each other which, for the moment, is pretty amusing.

We packed a lot of activity into our five days! There was a BBQ at the Obert ranch on Sunday, where the girls got to meet lots and lots of Montana relatives. We all stuffed ourselves silly and had such a great time!

Here are the girls with Dan's brothers, Kevin and Ryan...

...and with the other Obert twins... Dan's Uncle Jeff and Aunt Drea's daughters. Cody and Hannah were born on February 24 (Dan's birthday) five years ago. They share middle names with our girls... Hannah Grace and Cody Elaine... Dan and I didn't realize that until this trip!

Cody, Hannah, Riley, and Hailey all had a fantastic time running around and playing on the slide and in the pool. The girls are really looking forward to getting to play with their cousins when they're independently mobile.

Riley and Hailey giggling with Grandpa John and Papa...

The girls got to meet three more of their great-grandparents on this trip! Here they are with Great-Grandpa John and their cousin Hailey....

...and Great-Grandma Katy and Great-Grandpa Jean

Izzy was pretty mesmerized by the paper cups at the BBQ...

We had a lot of fun in the garden, picking potatoes and carrots, which were DELICIOUS!

The girls got to sample some fresh carrots, which was pretty fun.

Nana grew some huge zucchini this year!

Papa started harvesting his wheat in this GINORMOUS combine while we were there. It's always pretty fun for me to learn little things about ranching each time we visit. It's my dream to have a ranch someday... my own particular skill set doesn't lend much to ranching, but slowly and surely, I'm learning!

Abby, marveling at the price of wheat.

Izzy, learning about ranching from Great-Grandpa John.

Dan spent some time helping Papa with the farming...

No trip to Montana is complete without seeing lots of animals! Izzy REALLY seemed to love all of the creatures... she giggled and giggled whenever Gus, Caitlin's Great Dane, barked. Gus thinks he's a lap dog and liked to "sneak" onto the girls blanket in the living room.

We got to see some wild creatures when we visited the Beartooth Nature Center on Tuesday. The girls got to see mountain lions (which are HUGE!), black bears, elk, bison, coyotes, and wolves (who seemed to be sizing the girls up as tasty morsels). We had perfect weather, and the girls got their first "pink cheeks," because I forgot to slather on the sunscreen... oops! Here we are with the mountain lion and the bison. Dan framed the bison picture so that Auntie Caitlin is picking the bison's nose. :)

After the Nature Center, we visited Scoops, the ice cream parlor. We got pretty brave on this trip and let the girls sample lots of different foods... here, it was mint chocolate chip ice cream. The girls, as might have been expected, given their mother, LOVED it!

The girls had a fantastic time with their cousin Hailey. She shared her toys with them, and gave them lots of love and attention...

Hailey racing with her mom :)



Talking things over with Gus.

Aunt Caitlin with all of her nieces!

Taking a bath in Nana's kitchen sink....

Abby thought that by pulling the old "fall asleep on Aunt Caitlin" trick, we wouldn't have to leave, but sadly, it didn't work... it was a valiant effort.

A sad goodbye to Nana at the airport... we promised that the next time we come, we'll stay longer!

And last, but not least, Dan noticed an American National (which is his employer) billboard and office in Joliet, just down the road from the ranch. Small world!