Still playing catch up

I know that we are well into Fall and almost approaching Winter already, so I better finish posting our summer photos.  Hopefully this will be my last batch of photos, and then I can start blogging "in the present" instead of "in the past" :)

I've already posted all of the summer of 2021 baseball photos, and (to be honest), baseball comprised the majority of our summer, but there still were some other very special highlights....  

Here's the top 10:

1. Maria went to "girl's getaway camp" at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort with a few of her treasured friends
2. Dominic and Nathanael went to Catholic Camp at Legendary Lodge and had a blast growing closer to friends and to Jesus
3. Dominic turned 15!!!
4. Joseph's friend Garshon from Franciscan University came for a visit
5. 4th of July Family Reunion in Aberdeen, SD
6. Camping trip to Bozeman and rock climbing at Spire
7. Camping trip to Missoula and hiking to the big "M"
8. Getting 2 new outdoor kittens---"Oreo and Marshmallow"
9. Dominic running a half marathon
10. Taking Michael to college at NSU in Aberdeen, SD

Maria with a few of her best friends on a "Girls Getaway" weekend to Quinn's Hot Springs.  

It is fittingly located in Paradise, MT.

From left to right:  Melissa, Laura, Maria, and Beth

Soaking in the lovely Quinn's Hot Springs while having great conversation with great friends.

It doesn't get much better than this!

Nathanael ready for his first-time church camp at Legendary Lodge!

He had a LEGENDARY time! :)

Dominic getting dropped off for the High School church camp at Legendary Lodge.

He also had a fantastic time growing closer to Jesus and other great Catholic friends.

Dominic turns 15!!!

May God bless you abundantly this year as you start high school at a totally new school!

May he grant you great, holy friends and a fun Freshman year!

Joseph with his friend Garshon who he met at Franciscan University.

The two of them went backpacking in Glacier for a week and then came back to do some local hikes.

They even went to daily Mass while they were here and took our local priest out for pizza!

These young men are on-fire for their Catholic faith, which is SO inspiring!

 I am so happy that Joseph is at a college that has helped him find holy friends and grow so much in his faith!

It was such a gift to have Garshon at our house for a few days.  

He was a true gentleman and so awesome with our kids!

We hope he comes back every summer!!!

Joseph and Garshon playing spike ball with Michael and Dominic.

Isaiah, Dominic, and Nathanael playing mini golf at Wylie Park in Aberdeen.

Dominic, Nathanael, and Isaiah with their cousins from Oregon (Evan and Gwyneth) at Storybook Land in Aberdeen.  We all came home for a 4th of July family reunion.

Nathanael and Isaiah riding the rollercoaster at Storybook Land.

Starting the 4th of July fireworks at Uncle Mike's house.

Isaiah and Gwyneth still love sparklers!

Isaiah's crazy hair after a ride on the jet ski!

Our youngest three with Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Pat in Aberdeen for the 4th of July.

Nathanael rocking climbing at Spire in Bozeman, MT.

Isaiah getting braver and going higher every time we go rock climbing at Spire!

Camping in Bozeman, MT for a weekend baseball tournament.

So peaceful, so beautiful, and absolutely FREE because we found a spot of forest service land!

Isaiah showing off his muscles after winning a big round of Chuko! :)

Taking a snack break at the top of the big "M" in Missoula, MT.

This always reminds me of hiking to the big "M" with my mom when I was a little girl.

We camped and hiked in Missoula for a weekend baseball tournament.

Dominic with our new kitten named Marshmallow.

We named him that because his ears and his tail are reddish-brown just like a toasted marshmallow :)

Isaiah with our new kitten that we named Oreo (for obvious reasons) :)

The two kittens are brothers even though they don't look alike.

We got them from friends who own a ranch outside of town.

Dominic running in the Governor's Cup Half Marathon.

Dominic did amazing in the half marathon!

His final time was just under 2 hours...

not too shabby for a 13.1 mile run!!!

Taking Michael to NSU for his first year of college!

I am so grateful that he will be in the same town as my parents and my brother Mike's family.

I'm sure Michael will get to do lots of fishing with grandpa in-between his college studies :)

Maria with Nathanael and Isaiah taking a tour of the campus.

Leaving Michael with Grandpa and Grandma for his first year of college...

he will be in good hands :)

May St. Michael, as well as Jesus, Mary and Joseph watch over and protect him always!

Totus Tuus,

~Maria

Summer Summary (Part 2): Birthdays, Beaches, & Music Camp with Masks

My last post was all about baseball, but lots more went on this summer than just baseball... 

(hence, part 2 of the summer summary)

(stay tuned for part 3!)

We celebrated 3 birthdays this summer:  Mine in May, Paul's in June, and Dominic's in July.  Sorry, no pictures of Paul's birthday or mine (I honestly don't even remember how we celebrated!), but here are some sweet ones of Dominic :)  Due to Covid, we didn't invite any friends out, but he had a great time celebrating with our family.  He got some new Minecraft books, a new (used) cello, we took him out to eat, and kept things simple.  He is growing into such an amazing young man!  He might be the smartest kid I've ever met and also the most musically inclined.  He is also very spiritual...he loves to pray and to altar serve at Mass.  I wonder what path the Lord will lead him on for a career?  My guess would be either an engineer, a professional cellist, or a very holy priest :)  He is growing not only in wisdom, but also in stature...  He grew out of at least 4 shoe sizes this summer and probably 4 inches in height. At the beginning of the summer I was still taller than he was, he surpassed me by the end of the summer! :)

Happy Birthday Dominic!

We love you so much and are so proud of you!

May you continue to grow in wisdom as you grow in stature,

may you keep that burning love of learning ablaze all your life,

and may your love for the Lord always be burning the brightest!

Love, Mom and Dad

We tried to enjoy some beach time throughout the summer.  To be honest, I think we only made it to the beach 3 or 4 times.  In Montana, there aren't very many "perfect" beachy days, and even on the perfect days, the water is still quite cold because these are high mountain lakes and the temperature gets chilly at night.  But is sure was fun when we made it out to our favorite local beach (Canyon Ferry) and also we were able to go on one camping trip to a lake near Butte, MT called Delmoe Lake...

Dominic and daddy having a snack break in the sun.

Nathanael having fun with our new tube!

I love those freckles!!! :)

Sweet, shy, and silly Isaiah!

I love those dimples and those smiling Irish eyes! :)

The 3 youngest boys searching for frogs at Delmoe Lake

Daddy taking a nap while the little boys make waterfalls and dams in the distance.

Nathanael making sure the base of the waterfall is secure

Yay!  It worked! This project kept the boys entertained for HOURS...

and HOURS! :)

Now that baseball season was over, the big boys were happy to be able to get some fishing in before Joseph headed off to college.

They basically had the whole lake to themselves!

They had lots of fun, but only caught a few little trout.

There were tons of frogs to be caught though!

Isaiah thought it would be fun to make a castle for the Frog King :)

I really had no desire to swim in the cold mountain lake, but it sure was fun to paddle around in a boat!

Joseph soaking in some sun and some relaxation before packing up for college.

We literally drove away for Franciscan two days after this picture was taken!

Despite Covid 19, Dominic was still able to participate in one summer music camp.

The kids had to wear masks, but they were so happy to be able to grow in their musical skills!

I'm so glad we didn't let the pandemic steal our fun this summer!

Totus Tuus,

~Maria