Squeaker Foot.....

Someone has figured out the walking thing.....

And that super cute someone just happens to have a mother who adores shoes with all her heart.

Now that little super cute someone has a mother who canNOT pass up a fantastic pair of RED maryjanes (are you kidding me???) .... especially when they "Squeak" when she walks.

Someone thinks it's pretty funny with every step!

And finally, that someone has a brother who can't quite seem to keep his hands to himself.... but that's beside the point!







So in conclusion, I'm loving my walking little dollhead of a daughter. And, red maryjanes will eternally be on my very favorites list. Especially ones that squeak.

The summer that was 2010

It's "Meet your Teacher" day today at school. Summer is coming to an end. I am tooooootally o.k. with it!

Just a little Summer 2010 review:

My tomatoes lookED lovely at one point this summer. After spending a week in Montana and hiring a 10 year old neighbor kid to "water" them..uh, hum...they don't look as lovely. They were my first attempt at a green thumb and I have been pleased with their progress. Currently, they are so gigantic they are falling over themselves in their pots. What a mess. Next year, in the ground, in a literal garden!

KATE: She's been working on some great thighs, driving her pink buggy, growing incredible amounts of curly/crazy hair, and making messes. Why do I fold laundry?

JACK: We ran another 5k in July and have one more planned for October. They're fun to do together. This last race, he beat me and that's pretty cool!

He had buddies come play and eat fudgesicles.

And how could I forget..... He LA-HUVED Cub Camp! It's great to be 8!

We went on the Cascade Mountain Scenic Railroad Tour....and scenic it was.

Grandma and Grandpa Madsen were totally fun and took the whole crew out for a day on the train!

Uncle Aaron and cousin Quincy enjoying the view....

Look.....THEE Mt. Rainier, amongst the clouds!



This was the face I saw the entire ride up...."No Cole you may not have another Twinkie!"

Cole: This guy played A LOT of Legos. He is amazingly creative and can come up with the coolest motorcycle/ fighter jet/ turbo space station/ commando/ war transporter that you have ever witnessed.

Brody: He's almost 4 and thinks, acts, talks, sasses, reacts, jokes, and questions like he's 11. Enough said.

*Oh and I wanted to show my favorite sister how my little lady beads turned out for girls camp. I taught an early morning class on the importance of "Being a little more kind.." I found a blog with this great idea to use sour patch kids with the note attached saying, "Keep your words soft and sweet, you may need to eat them!" The bead was a big hit, hopefully the "kind" idea will be a hit as well.

I'm pretty pleased.....

4 years and 2 kids later I finally got around to planing a family photo shoot. We planned it out so that my entire family would be together for the big event and that in itself is a huge accomplishment. (Thank you cute friend Angie photographer extraordinaire) !

-please do not be concerned....Kyle, Jack, Uncle Allen....everyone's eyes are o.k., just a little case of the bad download.....

Come on....these turned out pretty cute!

I bought some old crusty frames at an antique shop and the Goodwill. They were originally a boring shade of brown (not to be confused with a hazy shade of winter). I wanted to bring out the mustard yellow in Kate's dress and pop against the teal of the background. I gave them a good 'sandin, then applied my stain.

I'm loving them.

The much anticipated....eagerly awaited debut of...Hannah Montana

My very favorite in-laws bought a real life...no kiddin...official ranch in Montana. They've been spending quite a bit of time over there lately. I don't want to say that they've officially "moved" over there cause I'm still a bit selfishly sad about the whole purchase. You see, I truly do enjoy my in-laws. The simple fact that they usually live up the street from my very own home has been a wonderful blessing. My kids adore their grandparents and I love the influence they are in all of our lives. With that said...they love Montana..or as we in the Kyle Thomas family affectionately refer to it as, "Hannah Montana."

It all went down like this: they invited Jack to come stay a week alone with them and we planned a trip to the ranch to go pick him up.

The looooong ride consisted of treats like the coveted 'ring pop', occasional cat naps by the little lady who despises her car seat, a quick visit to the Montana Antique mall in Missoula, and one too many "Chicken in a Bisquit" crackers which really are way too stinky and greasy for any extended amount of car travel. I digress.


We finally arrived and I found my first born city boy had magically transformed into a small cowboy ....happy as a clam in his big 'ole hat!

Within 20 minutes of arrival we decided to stretch our legs and take the city kids on a little walk around grandpa's lake. It sure was a good thing I still had my flip flops on and Kyle was packing heat (a 22 rifle) cause we stumbled upon this glorious creature slithering and rattling amongst the grass. TOTALLy GROSS!! It still gives me the eebie jeebies thinking that my baby's bare, darling, chubby loaves of bread feet were dangling happily from her stroller as we walked the lake. My city self was wearing FLIP FLOPS for heaven's sake. I know flip flops and Montana don't mix but I had literally just gotten out from the car and was just going on a little nature walk . I'll just say that Kyle saved the day and is a darn good shot.

-Uncle Mark was totally impressed by our rattle snake encounter...

Sweet Kate who is on the verge of full on walking, became one with the grass.... could the ranch house get any more delicious? Inside it's filled with bead board, hand made quilts, thick white molding, original door knobs, pedestal sinks and built in cabinets in the living room. Truly a beautiful home. Their hard work has really paid off!

The 4 wheeling was SO MUCH FUN!

We even went to a real rodeo. Can you tell who the city folk are? Brody was thrilled to FINALLY eat a hot dog after waiting for the rodeo to finish.Then, if the hot dog wasn't enough... all of his 3 year old dreams came true upon meeting this friendly pup named......Brody!

Uncle Mark and cousin Sidney fishing in grandpa's back yard, literally.

And the "Favorite picture from the Trip" award belongs to:

cute Mr. Cole and handsome grandpa with the most fantastic red barn. Quite a trio!

The big boys and their "catch of the day."

Kate's favorite past time.....knocking pop bottles over. It was SO fun!






Kyle's favorite past time: watching elk by the hundreds in the foothills above the ranch house. It really was beautiful, like a western safari if you will!

And finally just to prove that I really was on this trip...the front porch shot!

We seriously had a great time. It was the best having Uncle Mark, Aunt Lorri, Courtney and Sid join us for a week in the wild west! Great company, great conversation, delicious food, beautiful scenery (minus the snake) and fun memories!

Thanks grandpa and grandma for making Hannah Montana a huge hit!!