Summer recap in the Fall...or should I say winter?

Well, we already have snow on the ground and I realized I had not posted the rest of our summer photos yet!  You would think that now that all of my kids are in school, I would have all the time in the world to update my blog, but somehow I feel busier than ever.  Oh well.  Life is full and crazy and good.  So here's some photos of our full, crazy, good life:

Riding the Tour Train with Grandma Jean

We didn't get to travel much this summer, 

but thankfully we have so many cool sites to see right here in Montana!

We had fun going to the lake to sip on Freezy pops...

The big boys chillaxin' while eating at the lake...

Dominic using flippers on his hands to cruise the lake...

Only in Montana can you get an entire lake to yourself! :)

This summer was Natey's first year playing baseball on a team...

HE LOVED IT!

And he was a cut above the rest because of all the practicing with his older brothers!

I sure love that dimple, those freckles, and the pinstripes!

A future Derek Jeter or Aaron Judge?

This pinstriped boy wants to play for the Yankees someday!

Can't wait to see him play next summer!

Once baseball season was over, we jumped in the car to head to SD and MN to see family...

and do LOTS of fishing with grandpa!

Michael was our most passionate fisherman and spent countless hours fishing for carp

and helping his little brothers reel them in!

Joseph preferred cooling off in the lake from time to time,

and then chilling with a Pepsi the rest of the time.

The little boys loved the tube and the jet ski!

Isaiah's sweet ski-do hair-do!

Grandpa and Michael...two peas in a pod, happiest with poles in their hands! 

The carp were happy that our boys chose the "catch and release" method :)

Our boys were so happy every single time they caught a fish.

Grandma and Grandpa were so happy watching their grandkids have so much fun!

My god-daughter Gianna took me out for ice cream while were in SD;

it was certainly one of my summer highlights! 

After our trip to SD, we continued on to MN to see Paul's side of the family.

Me and the 3 little ones stayed with Aunt Rachel and her girls, 

while the big boys went fishing in the boundary waters.

Not sure which group had more fun!

A butterfly landed on Holli at the Minnesota Zoo!

And one landed on Aunt Rachel's shoe too!

This butterfly might be confused and is trying to talk to the butterflies on the chart!

We got to see a really cool bird show at the zoo.

This is the sulphur crested cockatoo from Australia that was trained to dance.

This red-legged seriema bird from Brazil was showing the crowd

how it can kill a (fake) poisonous snake.

A kangaroo taking a nap in the hot August afternoon...

probably what I was hoping to do at the moment too! :)

My boys loved this Komodo Dragon!

Natey and Isaiah loved being with their cousins Holli and Kennedy,

and they also loved the new snakes they bought at the zoo to snuggle with :)

Holli and Natey riding the raft that their cousin Rowan made!

Joseph looking cool with his long-haired mullet :)

I love watching big boys and little boys having fun! :)

The Boundary Water Boys!

This truly was a coming-of-age experience for this crew.

They endured endless mosquitos, humid August air, sunburns, 

having to catch and eat their own supper,

and sleeping on the hard Minnesota ground in a tent.

Personally, I was happy with hanging out with Aunt Rachel and her girls,

sipping on wine in an air-conditioned house, 

painting our toe nails, and visiting the zoo to see my wildlife :)

As you can see, our summer was filled with so many memories!  Some of our boys said it was the best summer EVER.  I'm eager to see what next summer holds and we will try to embrace every moment of it.  It won't be long before Joseph will be heading off to college, followed quickly by Michael, so I want to enjoy every second of the time we have together as a complete family of 7 while it lasts!