Easter Bunny makes it to Dillon

Well, the Easter Bunny travels.  Thank goodness.  There was a lot of talk about this elusive rabbit this year and it did not disappoint.

A fun filled weekend in Dillon with the Hoffmanns!   Eric's brother and his family were there from Minnesota as well as his dad Ken.  It was a packed house and that always makes it fun for the kiddies!

While all our Midwestern, Southern, Floridian, and California readers read this .... It wouldn't be "Spring in Montana" without some sledding behind a horse!

Easter egg hunt in the riding arena - very Hoffmann-esque! I love this picture and how Shep the dog is hiding with the kids. 

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Mattie and her aunt Amy on Merlin the horse (he closed his eyes for the picture, dang it)! 

We just can't keep this kid out of a mud puddle or body of water!   I love her.

Peter took a cool picture of Merlins eyeball. 

I just love this for some reason - playing in the snowsuit in a playhouse and then little Gaucho sitting there as some sort of protector.... He is always looking out for that kid! 

The "easter bunnies" getting baskets ready for the morning... 

What a generous bunny that gal/guy is!

 On a side note, Mattie was very excited about the Easter Bunny thing.  We did walks around the neighborhood the week leading up, looking for him in the bushes, she had her headlamp out at night looking for the rabbit, and 2 days after Easter when she was home, Peter walked out with her in the front yard and there was a rabbit in the neighbors yard.  Very quietly she points out that it's there and then you hear this very soft and sweet, "THANK YOU" come out of her mouth as she looked at it.  It could melt your heart!

Cash Man 

Clearly liking her Easter Bunny bunny and not sure what the hanger is for.... 

Ski Bunny

Just like most people can only take the Cottongim's in little doses, so I will give you the Holiday blog posts.  It was a full week of fun, family, and Holiday cheer.  Dad got here on Tuesday, Clark and Sammi on Wednesday, and we didn't waste single minute of the entire week.   We put Clark and Sammi on a plane this morning and I am just now catching my breath (literally).  It's been nuts.  The good kind of nuts that leaves you smiling and counting your lucky stars.

We started the week with a great night out to dinner at the 2nd Street Bistro.  We ordered a million appetizers and many rounds of drinks.  They must have seen (heard) us coming and stuck is deep in the "wine cave" of the restaurant where our voices could soar and talk loudly over one another.  Bless Matine's heart, she is learning how to be a loud know-it-all from the best!

Nona and Jimpa at dinner (Mattie STILL wearing Grandpa Scotts glasses).

Thursday morning we were determined to find snow.  We drove to Red Lodge where they are having a legendary early season.  This apparently is the ONLY snow in the state right now and they had just received 16 inches within the last 3 days.  We had to see it to believe it.

Clark said Sammi had one final test to determine if this relationship could really work ... Would she like skiing?   He says she doesn't have to be great at it, but had to like it.  Being the sarcastic ass that he can be, he teases her about not ever being on snow because of her upbringing in the "sands of Baghdad", etc. ...

Clark and his beauty, Sammi. 

Sammi passed the test!   It was her first ever time on skis and within a few hours she was linking turns, stopping, and skiing all over the bunny hill and beginner lifts.   She even managed to smile while doing it.   We had a great a time in Red Lodge.  The snow was really that good and dad, Clark and I all got some fluffy powder runs in.    I am so happy to get a couple of days in before I am too top heavy to ski safely.  The baby (and me) enjoyed that powder and skiing a bit too fast .... Yippee!

We stayed at The Yodeler Motel in Red Lodge - great place.  They are catering to the active/outdoorsy crowd and have in room steam baths, a ski waxing room, hot tub and discount lift tickets.  Clean, nice place with great people behind the counter.  I will be leaving a great recommendation for this place on the online judgement sites!

Cottongim Ski Club is BACK! 

Me and my pops!  Love this man. 

The only pics that we took in Red Lodge were with the iPhones.  The rest of the week is documented much more thoroughly.     More to come...

Polar Express Weekend

We just got back from one of our FAVORITE Montana Christmas experiences yet.  In the center of the State (literally, it's the geographic center of Montana... see picture below) there is a quaint little town called Lewistown and it is home to the Charlie Russell Choo Choo - an older out of commission passenger train that usually is host to dinner trains and beer festivals.  In the winter they convert it to a money making Polar Express train full of elves, carols, hot chocolate, Santa, and a billion hyped up kids and parents.

Back in October our resident even organizer, Melynda sent out an email about the train and a possible weekend stay at a hotel in Lewistown - 8 families said "YES" and we all booked our tickets and our stay in the Yogo Inn (with indoor pool).  It was a great weekend and the kids and parents all stayed up way too late, swam way too long, and partook in some holiday cheer.   It is a MUST for any Montanan with kids 2 and older.   It really solidified the whole Christmas thing for Mattie, finally really understanding the whole Santa thing and seeing how other kids love the "really big guy" as much as she hears she is supposed to.

We caravanned up to Lewistown with the Rogers' gang and took our time sightseeing through the smaller towns of Central MT ... Here's our weekend.  WARNING:  there are a LOT of cute kids here....

A few pit stops for little boys to pee on fenceposts on the side of the road.  Way to go William!

I can't pass through Judith Gap, MT without stopping at the Mercantile for a milkshake.  I apparently have amnesia and never realized that a 4 oz shake is $4.50.  Oops.  After all kids had to have their own, we almost spent our entire lot before we even got to our destination!  But hey, the Journey IS the destination, right?  They are good.

Approaching the TRAIN!  The location of the tracks is actually in Ware, MT (about 40 minutes) from Lewistown.  The road was washed out this year with high water and we had to detour through all sort of beautiful back farm roads to get there.  It was really special and we got our sing-on in the car with Mattie.  She has informed us she likes the songs with the Baby Jesus in them more than the others.

Dad and daughter, geared up and ready to board.  The kids are told to wear their PJ's and nightgowns, just like the book.  It was so cute to see all the kids pile out of their cars in their slippers, hats and PJ's... Some even brought their teddy bears and blankets.  Parents are allowed to bring snacks, beer, booze, whatever they need to tide their kids (and selves) over.

Mattie and her BF Audrey

Dorrel and Gray 

William, Logan, Chloe, and Ben (behind his sis) along with all the L-town parents

Albert and Mike aboard the Polar Express

 Kids were able to kind of run amuck all over the train.  It was pretty funny to see.  There were a few hot chocolate spills but otherwise they had a great time and we got to visit a bit too.

I think the coolest part was when the train finally stopped (after about 1 mile of travel, maybe?) and we were all of a sudden at "The North Pole!"  It was some sheds and shacks lit up with lights and Santa walked out of his workshop and waved at all the kids on all the train cars and then GOT ON the train.  He spent the next hour or so walking through each car talking to EVERY SINGLE child, collecting their "wish lists" and giving them each a special present.  It was pretty cool.

having fun....

Mattie doesn't understand the concept of ASKING Santa for things yet, she just said "thank you" to him when he gave her a hug and talked about giving him her Mardi Gras beads.   When he walked back through the car she wanted to give him a "high five."  Her first comment when she saw him walk into our train car was, "mom, he's a big guy!"

Sophia helping her momma with some Peppermint Scnapps in her hot cocoa.  I told you the kids had fun. 

And you know, it's never really a party until someone takes their clothes off!  Audrey got us started!

High-fiving Santa - which made him chuckle and comment on her cuteness. 

After we all deboarded the Polar Express it was back to the retro-fabulous Yogo Inn.  We got the block of rooms that surrounded the indoor pool.  Our 20 plus children and 16 parents hung out, taking turns of making sure kids weren't drowning or jumping off of balconies.   I am crossing my fingers that Matine doesn't get some strange disease after we caught her licking the handrails into the pool.  Ick.

The kids went crazy.  Hopping from hot tub to pool, hot laps around the large carpeted area (yes it is carpeted around the pool... ick, again).

Peter did a great job of swimming with Matine.  She learned to kick like an Olympic swimmer with those floaties.  It wasn't until she got out of the pool that I realized why she might have been kicking so hard.... The wedgie up her butt perhaps?   Pete had put her suit on backwards and she looked like a cute little Brazilian swimsuit model with a thong!

So cute I can't stand it! 

And here we are, at the geographic center of Montana!   Having the Christmas memories of our lives!

Gobble Gobble

Turkey Day was quite a contrast from the Thanksgiving Blizzard of 2010.  We had beach-like weather (for Montana) in the upper 50's, sun, and no snow.  Kids are now on autopilot and full of their own adventure and entertainment (save for the occasional sharing conflict which requires our attention).

Walks, food, naps, crafts, movies, games, family, friends ... that's what it's all about folks!

Jhett, Joellyn, Cash, and Amy

3 generations of Buell / Howell gals 

Nana Jo with 2 of her 3 grand babies. 

me and my gal

Vroom vroom

 And  now, if you are having a hard time getting into the Holiday spirit , just check out these pics of Mattie with the horses.  It could melt any cold heart out there!

She is SO darn cute.... Mini Amy.

 Room full of great people - Scrabble anyone?

Naps for friend Brett... he made himself right at home. 

 Mattie and Cash were really into watching the Lion King.  Mattie had never seen it.  She loved it.  It was a bit hard explaining to a 2-year old what was wrong with the "daddy king" lion when he was trampled to death .... Thanks Disney!