The Bald Butte Swim Party--Year 2

Papa LeRoy and G'ma Trudy bought the Bald Butte Swim Party Package at the school auction again this year!  Lucky us!  This year it just happened to fall the day before Dad and Ben were going to harvest.

We couldn't pull these kids out of the water!  G'ma and Papa joined the fun--and even Papa Greg and G'ma Joan got in the water!

They feed us a delicious dinner...  ...don't we all look so summer-like:  all dried out with our mouths full of food?

This was all new for Millie this year--she participated with wide eyes for MOST of the day.

Love this picture!  Brookie helping Josh...

And seriously, is there anything cuter than kids wearing goggles?

G'ma and Papa with the Weber/Moser great-grandkids

Cousins!  Brooke (almost 16), Abby (8) and Megan (almost 7) Morrow...Gracie (4) and Josh (2) Lochhead...and Millie (5 months) Moser

G'ma Joan wanted the March birthday buddies in a picture...for the calendar!  Gracie and Megan felt a bit left out, so they took their own picture:

"Fishy, Fishy, in the Brook..."

Every August we wait for "The Harvest Call," announcing that we're needed to help bring in the wheat.  This year Papa Greg told us that we'd start on Monday, so we decided to come two days early so we could take G'ma Trudy and Papa LeRoy fishing!  They've been leaving their boat in the driveway this summer, waiting for someone to invite themselves to go with them!  We didn't have to hear this twice...

So on Saturday, Gracie got to wake up early with Jeff and I, and ride with G'ma and Papa to Dworshak Reservoir, near Orofino, ID.  We thought the day would be too long and hot for Joshua, so he got to have a G'ma Joan day all to himself!

The fishing was on the slow side, but we weren't complaining.  After all, isn't it known that a "bad" day fishing is better than a "good" day doing anything else?

Grace was quite excited about the fish that we did catch.  She didn't reel this one in, but inspected him closely on the boat and then in the bucket.

It was  a sweaty day.  Gracie thought a dip in the lake would be a great way to wash all of her sweat away.

She could have done this for hours, if Daddy's back would allow it.

Gracie practiced reeling in SEVERAL times during the day so that she'd be ready...

Finally we gave up on the fishing and headed to the floating dock that they have for SWIMMING.  Jeff couldn't help himself--he couldn't go to the lake and NOT jump in.  Seemed sacrilegious or something.  So the two FISH jumped in...and then even I got in.  SO refreshing!!!

It was such a fun day--filled with fish (dreams), summer sausage sandwiches, gorgeous views, sighting osprey, singing fishy songs from my childhood, and reliving all sorts of memories that we had made at this fairytale place while I was growing up.

Hunters? Nope, Gatherers.

On a day where we had no outing planned, Jeff suggested that we go look for huckleberries on Mt. Spokane.  After consulting his grandparents, we headed up the hill, not sure exactly where we were going to find these delicious berries.  At our first stop, we unload the kids and walk down the trail a few feet to find...huckleberries!  Now, I will never insult a huckleberry, but you must know that these wee berries were a bit challenged in the size category.  Much smaller than most seasons, but a few, nonetheless!  We walked away with only a handful--and they were delicious in pancakes!

And I have to post the next picture from Jeff's phone:  it was taken at the Vista House where we had lunch.  We'll always remember that day and place, b/c while we were there, Uncle Drew called to announce that he got a Spokane teaching job and would be moving back to Spokane!  A picture-perfect place to have that news delivered...

And this is one of the many treasures that we've found at Greenbluff this harvest season!  We went with the Van Sickles when they got back from Alaska--and have gone again since for blueberries!--and came home with zucchini, apricots, beans, potatoes...and carrots.  This little carrot cracked me up immediately upon pulling him out of the ground.  I was just saying that there was nothing better than pulling a delicious carrot out of the ground...and wha-la!  Instant laughter.  Definitely worthy of a picture.  (I couldn't eat him!)

ONE Cute Birthday Boy!

Henry is one, folks!  He had a delicious blue cupcake, if you couldn't put that one together...  Love this picture of many hands washing him up.  Happy birthday, sweet boy!

Photo Shoot with Mills

...and when we watched Millie her Auntie LE had to have a little photo session...

You should see this girl do her "inchworm"!  She is determined to scoot and pushes her bottom into the air and wiggles forward while on her tummy.  It is so funny!

Pre-Harvest Farm Visit

In early August, I was ITCHING because it had been six weeks since we'd seen my family at the farm. So, we squeezed in a three-day weekend trip to hug relatives and soak in the farm air.  

Mom even called Kelly to see if we could keep Millie home from her daycare to spoil her with cousin/auntie/grandma time.  This baby is so darling!!!

Mom had just had the Morrow girls stay for almost a week, so when she fell asleep with Millie on her lap (for two hours!!) we didn't wake her.  She woke up mid-nap to read Gracie her book before nap.  Then everyone was out again!

Oh, my word!  Isn't she the cutest thing?!  I had to run into Moscow to pick out a swimming suit for her so she could go in the pool with her cousins.  This little Hello Kitty suit was the only one left on the rack!

Dipping toes in...

Joshy doesn't politely fight the urge like the rest of us do:  he just dives in for a kiss!  She is quite irresistible!!!

Grandma Joan brought the horse outside this visit and Joshy was quite pleased to find that he could climb up and down by himself!  (The horse is Bullseye, according to Josh).

This guy has a BIG HEART...of watermelon!  Papa Bob used to eat the middle out right away and Dad has continued this tradition.  On this particular day he just leaned over the kitchen sink and ate three slices like this.

Papa and his crew just re-hung this sign that my uncle made years ago--it was at the base of our driveway for EVER growing up, but I think they were repairing it and then the highway rerouted our driveway, so it's finally found a spot on one of the old telephone poles that Dad asked the telephone company not to remove.  They even have an old plow sitting below it, now.  So fun to see this when we arrived!

Popsicles on the Deck--this picture is taken every year, couldn't resist.  I'll have to compare it to last year's picture to see how these two little peppers have grown...

On Saturday night Katie and Brady and Jeff and Brooke and I had to go down to Ben's--even though he was away with his family in Warden--to see "The Wall" in person.  Ben engineered this whole retaining wall in his front yard--and it is so amazing!

Classic scene that I stumbled upon:  Joshy just staring at all the movies at Grandma's house.  "Movie night?!?"

Stickers in the shade with Megs

Another classic scene from the Moser household...Papa doing a Sudoku

And my sister Katie helping with dishes--so monumental, I had to take a picture.  :)  Just kidding, sister!  She is holding that frying pan with an ease that makes me a little nervous...  :)

It was a great visit to the farm--we left knowing that we'd be back before we could blink--two weeks until harvest!

Anthony is FOUR!!!

Had to post this cute picture of our FOUR-YEAR-OLD cousin (nephew) Anthony.  He had a great "Cars" birthday party at the end of July, and now he's..."FOUR, like me!"  -Gracie