Summer, part 3. Oh yes, there's a part 3!

First of all, for all two of you who took my poll, I think I should let you know that I made a decision and will be posting pics of my new mohawk shortly.

Now, onto the final summer update. We celebrated Hubby's birthday with friends, pizza and laser tag - always a good time.

August started with us back in Nampa. The boys had planned to go, leaving me with some me time. As the time drew near, I realized that I didn't care to miss out on the trip. There would be plenty of time to myself with Junior starting kindergarten.

Once in Nampa, we set off to a fantastic water park for kids. Most of the water is less than two feet. Junior had a ton of fun blasting Mommy and Daddy with water from the various toys any chance he got. It is definitely a place we will be returning to again in the future.

The next day, we met up with "Uncle G and Aunt T", and two of the LaChappelle's at Lucky Peak Reservoir for a day in a pontoon boat. Most of you know that I grew up boating. I've never been a fan of water, though, even less so as the years have passed. The boating death of a friend a few years ago did nothing to help. Facing my fear and going out on a boat is a very big deal. After debating for days, I decided to give it a go. While I did enjoy myself (wearing a life jacket always helps), I confess that my favorite times were while the boat was docked. More importantly, everyone else had a great time. Junior especially enjoyed exploring the beaches, collecting rocks, and trying to catch minnows.

A week later, Junior and I drove to my Grandma's in Montana. Husband stayed behind to work, and to build a deck. Fun! My parents took us to Montana Fair one of our few nights in Billings. It was Junior's first real experience at a fair. He did go in some fun houses, but we spent most of our time walking around, enjoying the sights. The best part of the night was watching Junior's expression as he had his first taste of cotton candy. As he held it in his hand, he wasn't convinced it was actually candy. He lit up when he finally took a bite! I wish I could have captured the moment on camera.

We spent a few days in Plentywood. This is always my favorite vacation of the year. We stayed in town most of the time. It's a fantastic town for walking, which I tried to do every chance I got. My family gave me some strange looks when I opted out of rides. I did convince them to walk at times, though. We had our first experience with a Wii. It was fun, but I'm not convinced we'll get one. It would be far too easy to spend time doing that rather than enjoying real activities. Time will tell...

I went to the Sheridan County Museum for the first time. My great-grandfather donated an old wash heater (a small tub) in 1969. The man at the museum actually let me crawl around in the exhibits so I could find it. He was a great resource. He told me I was welcome to scan some of the old photos and documents I found there. None of them are backed up or archived. They're just sitting out on shelves, collecting dust! Oh, to have the time.

We weren't able to stay at the farm this time, but did take a couple of day trips out there. It was different, between the land being leased out, and not staying there. Still great though. It will always be my favorite place. Junior likes it too. If he can't drive a tractor, then riding a four-wheeler is his next favorite thing. We did a lot of that. His favorite activities were riding around to the various oil wells in the area, checking on the barn cats, and playing golf with an adult-size club! Did I mention digging in the dirt and collecting rocks? Those are a given anywhere we go!

A week after we returned home, our boy started kindergarten. He was excited, but anxious, and really didn't want us to leave that first day. He enjoyed it, of course. The first couple weeks, we had some rough mornings when he didn't want to go, but he has adjusted quite well, and really likes it. I am able to help in his class every Monday. He loves having me there, and I love being there. I enjoy spending one-on-one time with the children. They are adorable! Along with his regular lessons, he has a bible lesson every day, and a memory verse each week.
So, there it is - our summer in a rather large, three-part nutshell!

Grrr

I own the worst cat ever. He attacked the vet assistant's face today. Yes, her face. At one point he had both paws and his teeth dug into her face. Not good--plenty of blood. They were all cool about it, saying it goes with the job. Little comfort to me. Probably not the poor girl either. Apparently she's alright, just broke out the ol' first aid box. She hurts, of course.

The vet sedated him for the rest of the exam. I was so upset that he's lucky he came out of there alive. Next time someone else gets to take him. If he makes it until the next time.