Sometimes, I think the throw-away pictures are even better than the on-purpose ones:

We brought the kittens outside for the first time:

As usual, Wendy is patient and tolerant with the kittens, but keeps her nose at a safe distance.  After all, you never know when one of those things will be overwhelmed by the largeness of the dog and start hissing and swatting.  One thing she does know: those things are sharp.

The kittens have two new-to-the-outdoors settings.  One, they stand in the grass, lost in the vastness of the yard, yowling for mommy.  Two, their eyes lock on to a familiar set of legs, and they take chase, turning neither to the left nor to the right, desperate to not loose sight of those legs.  So they follow any moving person, tails bobbing like flagpoles in their little kitty parade.  Funny stuff.

Speaking of funny stuff...  Have you met my children?

Usually, our visits to Montana are chock full of family events, so that we hardly have time to wave to old friends as we drive by.  This time, I set aside some time to actually visit.

We spent the morning at the Tromps', touring the garden, the goat pastures, the chicken coops...  We could have danced, danced, daaanced all niiiiiight, but we had a lunch date.  Jediah came along to Gramma Betty's, where we played her Camouflage game, enjoyed hearty servings of turkey alfredo, and marveled at Jediah's recent growth spurt:

Our next stop was the Browns'.  The kids picked up a quick game of soccer while Dana led me around her garden, offering divisions of her perennials for my flower garden: vinca, sedum, phlox, hops, white echinacea, daylilies, and a few unknown others.  She sent Frank to the barn for a freshly plucked turkey; before he packed it on ice in a Styrofoam cooler, we guessed at its weight.  I guessed 18 pounds; I think it was closer to 19 pounds.  Wow.  (Wow big turkey, but even more wow because I am not great at estimating weights, distances, volume, etc.)

Kirby had given me strict instructions to check the oil before heading home.  This is the first time I've had to add oil to the van; I didn't know the cap was a pop-off not a twist-off.  Oops.  I got the cap off easily enough, but in the process disconnected the fill tube from the way-down-there oil reservoir.  Shoot.  Things are crowded under the hood, and the engine was too hot for grabbing around in the dark; I couldn't reattach the tube, and not for lack of trying.  It would be dark before the engine cooled, and I was parked at a not-so-nice gas station in Pablo.  Before my imagination made me frantic, I called Kirby for some calm advice.  "You're on your way to the Tromps?  It'll be okay 'til you get there.  Just borrow a flashlight."  Well, Dan not only offered a flashlight, he fixed the problem and even added the oil.

We snacked on the way home: string cheese, carrots, bagels, almonds...  Kirby was still awake when we pulled into the driveway.  He didn't say a word when we came in, but let me find the new washer and dryer on my own.  *speechless*

Man, I know the nicest people.

They tell me Mari and Bri worked their fingers to the bone for Grandpa Rick, but it sounds like they had plenty of fun in the meanwhile -- swimming, riding horses, sewing, shopping with Nicole and Rikke, visiting friends...  I drove to Montana to pick them up, and stayed for the weekend:

So long, summer:

Hello, sweater weather:

Cold, cloudy, even rainy.  Invited Caysen over to play.  Kirby made a fire, and the kids roasted hot dogs and marshmallows:

Wednesday: Brought the kids to the fair.  There must be some sort of fair template, so thanks to someone (4-H, perhaps?), it's familiar territory.  Felt like home.  We voted on our favorite quilts, saw lizards, tarantulas, snakes, ferrets, owls, a chameleon, a crocodile, etc.  Kid zone was cool: the kids made aquifers, we found a water fountain, bought a subscription to the Spokesman Review, ran into Eli, Joseph, Seth, Karleen and... her baby girl.  Kendric and Myra went on the Kamikazee -- upside down and all. Myra loved it, Kendric was properly frightened.  Flying bumblebees for the boys, carousel for all.  Ran into Leigh Sales on the way out, she told us about the camels and zebras, hot and miserable, but we saw Gail at the race car evangelist and stopped to say hi; Kendric and Wilson let Seth take their pictures...  Lunch at Taco Bell. Tried to meet Kirby at the river, but we waited at Corban, he looked for us at Kiwanis, so we met at 41 and 16th in the dark.

Thursday:  Cleaned the house.  Removed doors from kitchen cabinets, painted shelves brown to match the door:

Organized cupboards, cleaned kitchen and bathrooms, washed and changed sheets for Shoups, made fancy schmancy spaghetti for Kirby. Put kids to bed and started to watch Psych... and the Shoups got here at about 11.

Friday:  Kirby and Justin went cliff jumping at Corban.  Holly and I hunkered down at the house with the kids.  The boys had a ball in the playhouse, set up the tent, etc.

Saturday:  Too cold to go to the river.  Shucks.  Kirby worked on Justin's computer...  We all went to Cabellas, brought the kids to see all the stuffed animals, then shot up the gallery.  Watched Couples Retreat.

Sunday:  Shoups left.  Went to church, just me and Myra.  Got home.  Worked 'til I dropped.  Literally.

Monday:  Laundry.

Nicole (from church) brought her boys over to play.  Between settling arguments, soothing wounded bodies and spirits, etc. we managed to get a lot of talking in.  I noticed LOTS of things about my house that are not kid proof.  It's been so long since I've had toddlers around.  : (  I put Wilson down for a nap.  He woke up when Kirby came home with pizza for dinner.  That was nice.

Those geese fly over the house every night.  Full moon.  Electricity went out in the middle of the night.

yesterday:  Went to Walmart to buy shoes for Logan, ordered more red drawers.  Kendric and Logan went to Brett's birthday party.  I tore the sod out of the pathway, Kendric and Myra patchworked it into the area behind the shed, we watered it, maybe it'll grow.  Kirby went shooting.

today:  Church. Talked to Nicole. Car battery dead. Came home. Boys napped.  Got my hair cut even more.  Barbecue hamburgers, wind, kids wanted to sleep outside, but there's a thunderstorm in the forecast.  Myra brought things in from the tent; she found a big spider -- it crawled up her leg, she screamed.