Camping in Montana.

The family went camping in Montana this year.  We tried out a new campground.  It was beautiful and virtually mosquito free.  The name shall remain top secret:)

 

The girls made a fort complete with a kitchen area (kitchen table aka stump pictured in the background).

 

A little rain cannot tarnish a good camping trip.  Karla "K" took the opportunity to doll the girls up.

 

Sid had an early birthday party at the camp.

One of the crowd favorite gift items was this noise making monkey nose.

Everyone had to try it on.

 

 

Grandma Terrell taking it easy in the calm before the surgery storm.

 

Beautiful Montana wildlife.

 

A trip to Montana is not complete without a hike into Glacier Lake.

 

Summer Vacation with Papa and Grandma

I am so completely behind on blogging.  The disappointing part is that I print out the blog into a book each year for the girls, and this year the book will be very thin.  In my attempt to not totally disappoint, I will post pictures from the past few months (with very few words). 

Here are some pictures of the girls July 4th (yes, July) vacation at Papa and Grandma's house.

Home girl Kendall.

Sweet, sweet Sidney.

Smores every night (even in their pajamas).

Sparklers and other loud fireworks.  Sidney was certain to go indoors for those.

Lots of pool time!  What you do not see is that Sidney and Kendall were running, jumping on the trampoline, then lunging for the pool.

More pool time...

Pancakes with cousin Dylan.

Sister Love!

The Girls Meet Their Cousin's.

We stopped by my cousin's house on our way home from the coast.  It was so great to see him and his family!  This was the first time the girls had met them.

The girls with their cousin Nicole (also Sidney's middle name).

Ronnie with the girls.  Not pictured this trip were Jake, Rebecca and Kevin.  I was terrible at remembering to take pictures the entire trip.  Thank goodness Ronnie broke out his camera.

The girls and I stopping for a picture.

A little bit of underwater fun.  They were all supposed to hold up peace sign fingers.  Sidney was the only one that had them up when the picture was snapped.

The girls were like fish the entire vacation.  Forget all of the other things, they just wanted to play in the water.

Visit to Our Old Stomping Grounds.

Avila Beach pier.

 

Kendall putting the sneak on this bird.

 

This picture does not do this place justice. 

We are high above the ocean on a beautiful rocky cliff.

Avila Barn.

Blueberries from Avila barn...the best ever!

Shell Beach Elementary, the home of Kevin's student teaching.  Rough life for those kids to overlook the ocean everyday!

The Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach.

Not pictured...Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  The campus is beautiful as ever.  The girls left inspired and Kevin and I left with more memorabilia (yes, the girls got some as well).

The Cake.

Well, I celebrated another birthday this weekend.  The girls made a very special cake for me.  They had conspired all week with Grandma Terrell and made SEVERAL last minute game changing decisions until they settled on the perfect cake.  Below is a picture of the cake, lit candles and all.

After I had made my wish, and the girls helped me blow the candles out, we decided to take a close up picture of "The Cake".  

Take note that nearly half of the cake is missing.  We owe the dietary thanks to our newest family member, Chili the Chiweenie.  The girls had a sleepover the night before my birthday to celebrate their dear friend Hannah's birthday.  They hid the cake in the dining room and turned out the lights so I would not go in and take a look.   Kevin and I were watching a movie that evening, and we let Cooper and Chili into the house.  Cooper was laying on the floor beside me when suddenly she perked up and walked into the foyer.  I did not notice.  However, Kevin noticed the action and saw Cooper cock her head toward the dining room with an "I cannot believe you are doing that, you are in such big trouble" look.  I am not really certain that dogs can give those kinds of looks, but it was enough to make Kevin jump up and run in the dining room.

Sure enough Chili was in the middle of the table plowing through one side of the cake.  Of course the other half was untouched.  Being that it was chocolate and looked delicious in every way, we cleaned up the carnage and decided to keep the rest of the cake.  After all, the girls had worked so hard on it.  I thought certainly that the girls would be devastated when they found out.  In fact, they were not sad at all.  They found the whole thing quite hilarious!

The cake was indeed delicious.  I certainly think we made the right decision.  Kendall going straight in for seconds.  No plate, just a spoon!  

Sidney enjoying every last piece.  Most assuredly she asked me right after this picture if she could lick her plate.  Yes, we know how to party in the Strong household.

It was yet again a most awesome birthday!  On a side note, I am not totally sure that I believe the rumor that chocolate is dangerous for dogs.  This was my second "dog stealing my chocolate" incident.  The first incident occurred when I was about 10 years old.  I had an Easter basket FULL of chocolate in my bedroom.  Yes, in my bedroom.  It was hidden under my bed so that my sister would not steal any of my candy.  Unfortunately my childhood dog, Snuffles, found the basket first and ate every last piece of chocolate.  She did not get sick either.  I am sure it is true...somewhere...but my personal experience would suggest something different.  Needless to say, it was me who was stealing chocolate from my sister after that!

The Capitol Classic

Kendall participated in her first fun run.  It was one mile from the Depot to the State Capitol.  Kevin dropped us off at the start.  He and Sidney went to the farmer's market to pass the time until the race began.

The race was VERY well organized.  The boys lined up in front, oldest to youngest.  The girls lined up second, oldest to youngest.  They had the music blasting and water to keep everyone hydrated.   

They had a "mock" life flight helicopter from St. Alphonsus.  The college cheerleaders were also there to get everyone amped up.

Just before the race, they walked the boys group down to the official start.

Once the boys were off, they walked the ladies down to the start. 

Kendall met up with two of her friends.  Leave it to Kendall to identify a few of her friends in the crowd.

The cheerleaders led the runners in one last hoo-rah before the race began!

And, the runners were off!  Kendall was pretty excited that she got to high five some of the motorcycle cops that were lined up along the course.

I noticed a little bit of extra pep in her step as she got closer to the finish line.  The cheers of the crowd made her light on her feet, and she crossed the finish line strong. 

After the race, they had a great kids fair with lots of food and good times.

 

All of the finishers received a medal. 

Sidney was Kendall's biggest fan and trained for the race with her.  Next year Sidney will be old enough to race if she wants to.  The two sisters posed for a picture in front of the capitol.  It was a gorgeous day! 

Many of the racers gathered on the capitol steps for a post race picture.  In Kevin's words, "Kendall is the one in orange."  It was a great event.  Kendall already has plans to do it again next year.