Montana & Wyoming

July 22-23….It was yet another interesting weather day as we got into Montana. It started out beautiful and within a matter of about 15 minutes we drove into a horrible storm. There was very large lightning bolts coming straight down, massive rain, and tornado like clouds. Thankfully the kids were being excellent in the back seat so I was frantically looking things up on our phones (thank goodness for Iphones). Everything posted about this storm was not good for a family driving through. They said it was extremely dangerous and it would be best to seek , shelter…well, in the middle of Montana there isn’t much shelter, so we just kept driving. This was the most scared we had been in the car. We didn’t know if we should stop, turn around, or just drive through as fast as we could. Andy did a great job and got us through. It was about an hour of getting through and then just like that we were back in blue sky. We arrived in Billings in time for dinner, a swim, some laundry, and a family game. Allie had a throw up incident right before bed, so I had the joy of cleaning that mess up in the hotel room and trying to wash out all the clothes. It was just one of those fun adventures on a road trip!!
We woke up Saturday ready to make our drive to Yellowstone. It was a beautiful drive through mountains and valleys all the way to Yellowstone. We started off by passing through an old town that was having a car show. The kids loved seeing all the old cars lining the streets. After the town we started our way up the mountain. It was one of my favorite drives of the trip. There were breathtaking views, beautiful mountain peaks, green meadows a top of the mountains, bright blue pools of water, and snow capped mountains. We passed through Wyoming on our drive and then ended up back in Montana.

Medora, North Dakota...a little cowboy town

July 23…..After leaving Canada we drove to Bismark, North Dakota. It was a yucky city and there was only one room left in a “not so nice” hotel. We made it a very quick visit and once we woke up in the morning we were headed out. Our Canadian relatives told us about an old cowboy town in North Dakota. We kept seeing signs for it and found a small magazine about it, so we thought we would stop. We got to Medora, North Dakota around 10 and surprised the kids with a game of mini golf at their western themed golf course. The kids were very excited! It was a true cowboy town with horses riding through the streets, old saloons, and ma and pop shops. We spent some time walking around trying to find the perfect souvenirs. Daddy got Allie a bright pink cowgirl hat that she was very proud to. Wear. After many shops the boys each decided on their souvenirs of choice. Andrew is very serious about carrying around his money pouch and his coin bank he purchased in South Dakota. It was a great way to spend a few hours out of the car and break up the day.

A week in WINKLER

We had an amazing week in Canada. We were very blessed to visit with many family members from Oma’s side of the family (the VandenBergs). It was a treat for us to see Pake and Oma as well up in Canada. We arrived at Aunt Joyce’s house on Friday afternoon. The kids were so excited to see her farm. The boys were instantly in heaven. They ran through the fields and up and down the dirt driveway. Not long after we arrived Andy’s cousin Andrew came over with his two boys William and Jesse. They are the same ages as our boys and they all clicked. We didn’t see the four of them for quite some time as they explored the farm and our boys got the grand tour. A favorite activity was picking fresh strawberries…oh they were yummy!!! Luke just loved picking them and went to bed that night asking if we could go picking again first thing in the morning. Arlene (Aunt Joyce’s daughter) was amazing with the kids. She is used to being around her 7 nephews and 1 niece, so our kids instantly fell in love with her. Allie was quite attached to her the whole week. Friday night Pake and Oma arrived from Kansas City so we had a nice evening hanging out with them. Aunt Joyce blessed us with her entire upstairs, so we were able to spread out and everyone slept very well. Saturday was a fun filled day. We went to Aunt Mariann and Uncle Reynolds house in the morning where cousin Karen gave us rides on her horse and then the kids got to go on a semi truck ride with Uncle Reynold. After that we met the VandenBerg families at a park with a water spray area for a picnic lunch. After lunch we headed to the beach where the kids went on cousin Joel’s boat for tube rides and swam the afternoon away. Sunday we went to church in the morning with Aunt Joyce and her kids. In the afternoon Aunt Joyce had all the VandenBerg relatives over to her house for a BBQ and hang out time. She has an amazing yard for large get togethers. Everyone had plenty of space and the kids had a grand time together. One of their favorite activities of the day was picking peas and walking around “selling” them from the wagon. When people stopped wanting peas they just added beer to the wagon (it was very cute). Aunt Mariann organized some intense relay games and we had a blast playing them. Andrew was on my team and he was very into the games. He volunteered to do every activity. It was a very nice afternoon and it was great to see all the family (minus a couple families) together. On Monday we drove to Winnipeg, which is about an hour away. We visited Opa at his apartment and he took the kids swimming. It was neat to see where he lives now and the kids enjoyed seeing all his old pictures and decorations. After Opa’s house we visited Aunt Tini and Uncle Jack’s house for a bit and then headed to Uncle Harry and Aunt Sharon’s house for dinner. The kids had a great time playing with cousins Lucas, Courtney, and Shannon. The boys played wiffle ball and Allie covered everyone’s legs in bandaids. The night slipped away from us and before we knew it, it was 9:30. We followed cousin Dana to a favorite ice cream shop where we had a late night ice cream treat. The Staska family blessed us with an apartment to stay in for the night at Dana’s complex. Aunt Wilma had it stocked with goodies for the kids and clean sheets and towels. Tuesday morning we met up with Pake, Oma, Aunt Wilma, and cousin Brett and went to the local children’s museum. The kids had a blast and it was the perfect activity for a very warm day. Aunt Wilma took us to lunch after the museum and we walked around “the Forks” area and visited a few souvenir shops. That afternoon we enjoyed a nice swim in Dana’s pool and then Uncle Joe and Aunt Wilma made us a yummy dinner that we enjoyed at Dana’s house. We drove back to Winkler on Tuesday night so we could enjoy one last day at the farm with Aunt Joyce on Wednesday. Wednesday morning we took a ride to Joel and Julie’s house and let the kids play with their kids for the morning. It was nice to visit with them and see their house and get to know their kids. We follow their blog, so it is always fun to see where they live. In the afternoon we got stuff ready for our drive back and let the kids rest and relax. A beautiful wind kicked up in the afternoon, which made for a perfect evening. We went to Aunt Mariann and Uncle Reynolds house for a hot dog roast. We enjoyed a chilly evening around their fire pit with yummy food and good conversation. All the kids had a great time going on a scavenger hunt planned by the amazing Aunt Mariann and then they roamed the yard and farm and played for hours. It was another late summer night, but so relaxing and fun. We ended the late night visiting more Mike, Angeline, and their boys. Thursday morning we let the kids sleep in and then headed back for the U.S. Our boys did not want to leave and just loved their time there. They are already asking to go back. We were so blessed by all the family with their hospitality and planning. We had a lovely time catching with Aunt Joyce and Arlene at their house and they spoiled us beyond belief. Thanks Canada for an amazing week !!

A Plethera of CANADA pictures...

our collection of pictures from a very fun week on the farm....