A Day Out

This weekend was the last of it. The last of fall. Sunday night a storm blew in. We all knew it was coming. It's not supposed to let up until Tuesday. 

So Friday, Adventure Man and I took Bunny and the dog for one of the last hikes of the year. (I say "one" because Saturday he took the other three kids up on a hike too. By then Bunny had come down with the flu, so she and I stayed home.) 

Here are some fun shots and views we enjoyed. 

 

I really love it up here. There's a view around every corner! 

I shared my chocolate with her. Funny kid won't eat m&ms but she loves my Dove dark chocolate squares. I have this way of making my kids like fancy stuff! Darn it! 

It's fun going out with Adventure Man because he's such a great Dad! 

Can these two be any cuter!? I mean really! 

It's also fun hanging out with Advinture Man 'cause he likes to take pictures of me. Kind'a makes me feel special! 

I'm planning on sharing this one again, once I've lost my little belly. I know it's not much. I've lost a lot of weight since Bunny was born. But I've got about 10 more pounds to go. Still, for having four kids (and a puppy), I'm feeling pretty good.

Speaking of the puppy, she found an old bone piece and a shady spot. 

We were having fun. It was such a nice day! 

Now on to snow boots and wool caps! 

Happy Winter! 

V is for Victoria ~Or~ The Day I Took the Boy to Victoria's Secret

I'm getting older. Things change when you get older. Add pregnancy to that... No, four pregnancies. And nursing.

Let's just say there was a time after number 4 when nothing fit.

I made do.

I made do for a long time.

But eventually the old maternity bras and nursing bras just weren't cutting it either. I had to do something. I had to go shopping.

Sadly, I didn't have anyone to take my little kids while I did this. It is 80 miles one way to get to any kind of... (uh hem) stores with... underthings.

We were, and still are, for these parts, new to the area. I'm a stay-at-home mama. My darling husband couldn't take the time off, for some reason. I don't remember. Maybe because he has a job! Running a guest ranch? Yeah, that must of been it.

But I had a plan. I wore an undershirt. I tried on new... things over the undershirt.

OK, if I only had girls none of this would have mattered. But my boy, well is extremely aware of, ...women.

I felt this modification was necessary.

All in all, I figured out my size, made my selection and headed out to pay. That's when the trouble started.

Apparently I wasn't getting the right color! Bear wanted me to get the blue one! Excuse me???

Um, Bear, I was getting the color Daddy likes. No, that just wouldn't do. He started grabbing blue under garments out of drawers! But that wasn't even my size! Put that back! Put that down! He was getting louder. We were making a scene!

Oh for heaven sakes! I'll get the blue one!

So how much of a turn on is it to Daddy, knowing his four-year-old picked out Mama's pretty blue unders?

Ha!

I liked the blue one too,  and the story will never be forgotten. Every time I get dressed and undressed!

O is for Owl

Once we built our dream home in Utah.

It was on a large lot at the end of a cul de sac that backed up to a pasture that belonged to a neighbor not in our development.

We put a lot of sweat equity into the building of the house. After work, Adventure Man would go do the wiring. He would sometimes work late into the night, using only a headlamp to see his way.

Over the course of his work, Adventure Man noticed a car that would come each night and sit at the end of the street. The driver would sit in his car with a spotting scope. My husband felt there was something creepy about the situation and decided to investigate.

He approached the vehicle and said he couldn't help noticing the man's pattern and wondered what he was looking at? The man, enthusiastically shared that there was a Great-horned owl in the tree in the pasture just beyond our home and she was nesting!

Mama Owl and her nest. Her's is the large one to the right.
I'm sure who ever lived in the smaller one moved out as soon as an owl moved in next door! 

Now my husband loves birding. He eagerly shared this man's excitement for the arrival of a new family member in this tree. Then the man confided in Adventure Man his plan. He came every night to see if the chick had hatched because he planned to climb the tree and take the chick so he could raise it. He was a licensed falconer, after all.

We have a dear friend, The Cowboy, who is a falconer. Now, if you are a falconer, there are two ways that you can acquire a bird. One is by catching it. The other is by taking it from the nest when it's young. But if you do so, you need to have the land owner's permission. Plus, you need a special license for an owl.

Mama Owl

We had a friend in the Fish and Game Department and he said that no one had gotten a license for an owl. He checked the individual in question and confirmed that although he was a registered hawker, he did not have the license for an owl. He also didn't have the land owner's permission. The F and G Dept. decided to put a camera in the tree (pointed down) so if anyone did try to take the baby he could be identified.

Once things were in motions, our would be bird-napper did try and rectify himself by asking the land owner, but their response was to please not remove the owlet from the nest. Because of this, he was also not grated his permit.

I know we disrupted this man's plans, but we have never regretted stepping in. And here's why: The chick hatched, just as we were moving in. Every time we were outside the little mother would hoot at us. A soft gentle sound. Not a warning. I told my girls she was saying, "Thank You!"

The baby when he was still fluffy. I still have one of his feathers.

We got to see her care for him. We got to see her fly off at night to hunt. And we got to see her teach him to fly. Adventure Man saw his first flight. Once he was grown he was much larger than his Mama. It is a wonderful memory for our family.

Shortly after that we moved to Montana and sold that house. But we will always remember our dear Mama Owl and her sweet thank you's.

F is for My Fireman

When it comes to my fireman, I'm not clowning around. 

Out here in the sticks, firefighters don't get paid.

• Of the 1.15 million firefighters in the United States, 812,150 are volunteers

And according to this, they drive VW's and paint their noses red and run around the rodeo. 

• 94 percent of volunteer firefighters serve communities with fewer than 25,000 residents

~~~~~~~~

Our volunteer department is a group of men and women who would drop anything to come to your aid. I know this because I've lived on the side of the road before. I've heard the pager go off at 2 am and seen my man run out the door with EMT kit in hand. I've seen his face when he lost someone to a car crash. He's seen what a drunk driver can do. Can do to a mini van. To an arm. To a soul. 

I've smelled the smell of blood and death when my man came home at 4 am. 

• 86 percent of fire departments are all or mostly volunteer; they protect 39 percent of the population

We don't live on the side of the road now. We live up in the sticks. It's not likely that it will be Adventure Man coming to the rescue if there was a call tonight. It would take him 30 minutes to get to town. But he's pulled people out of the snow. And he's helped guests a time or two. 

• Volunteer firefighters save local communities $37.2 billion per year in taxes

He trains with them all. He's worked on forest fires. 

And controlled burns that aren't so controlled. 

And they're getting a grass truck out here.

• 72 U.S. firefighters died in the line of duty in 2010; 44 were volunteers

They are starting up the search and rescue team in the area again.

He'll be on that. He'll be good at that. 

• There are 21,235 all volunteer and 4,830 mostly volunteer fire departments in the United States

They're all good men and women. No matter where they are. 

And out here, "They haven't lost a foundation yet."

Facts from here. Pictures by Adventure Man 

Big Sky Sunrise

Sunrise is my favorite time of day here on the Ranch. 

It seems to always take my breath away. 

Adventure Man, however usually gets to be the one to take pictures of it, 

as he is the one who takes the girls to the school bus in the mornings. 

He took these pictures today. 

I got to go back to bed only to be joined by that cat, 

and the baby and the boy just moments later. 

See, I'm lucky that I can go back to bed. 

But that doesn't mean I will get any more rest just more snuggles. 

We do have to watch for the neighbors out here.

Deer don't seem to know to look both ways…. 

nor do rabbits, or mice, or elk, or bears...

Have a wonderful weekend! 

One Talented Cowboy ~ Hand Carved Rifles

This is our dear friend. He and my husband have been friends since they were 19. The we in the Missionary Training Center getting ready to head out for a two year volunteer mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The Cowboy had never spent so much time indoors in his life and he wasn't sure he could make it. Adventure Man wrote a letter to his mom and asked her to send him a very special care package. He said he needed leather, beads and any other things that could be worked with your hands. Adventure Man got The Cowboy to start making stuff and it probably saved his mission. 

They were sent to the Okinawa Islands in Japan. At one point in my husband's mission he was on a small island for over a year and he had The Cowboy as a companion for a total of 11 months on their mission. Most missionaries will have the same companion for just a few months. But 11? That's unheard of! 

The Cowboy is very artistic. He hand carved this rifle and his wife is eager to see if they can sell it and more. If you are interested in purchasing one, please leave me a comment below and I will get you some contact information. 

A Thoughtful Gift

Adventure Man had to go out of town for a week. He's gone on business trips before, but never for a whole week. He was worried. About me. Or maybe he was more worried for the kids that I might just have to string them up by their toenails if they drive me to it. I don't know. But in his worrying, he came up with a wonderful plan.

He flew my Mom out to be with us while he was gone. She would keep me from going crazy in the woods with four kids. Or it would just be a fun Christmas gift to both her and me, and the kids! Who get to spend the week with Gramma!

Adventure Man getting Naked at the Beach.
Photo of himself. 

So really it's a Win Win! We all have a fun week while he is in Florida…

Oh wait, that was it! He knew I would be pissed that he was in Florida so I would be extra grumpy, irritable and most likely take it out on the kids, so Gramma is here, because that feels like a wonderful treat, until I think about him in the hotel on the beach in Florida….

No, really. What a wonderful thing to have my mom here all to myself and to have the extra hands with the kids. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift.

…Unless it was to have left all the kids with Gramma and gone with Adventure Man to Florida…

No, no! It really does take two to get this crew off to the bus in the morning. I really don't know what I would do without Adventure Man, or my Mom for that matter!

Starlight Star Bright How Many Stars Are There!

Today I want to share the pictures my husband took while we were hosting the Photograph the Rockies week, here at The Guest Ranch. This is the first time he has attempted this technic and I think they came out pretty great! 

The Milky Way by Adventure Man

The Lodge at Night by Adventure Man

 

Bruised and Broken But Not Forgotten

Last week we had no guests. Not a single person in the whole world wanted to come stay at our Ranch. So we closed and let the staff have the week off. That same week was the week my brother and his family were already planning on being here. Lucky for them, they got to sleep in one of the guest cabins!

This also meant that we gave the horses the week off too. They were up the mountain for a few days when we decided we wanted to have our family go horseback riding. There were a few staff members who stayed here, and one of them helped saddle up a pair of horses. Sam, who she's been working with and Ruby for Adventure Man to ride while they wrangled in the rest of them. Now just because Ruby wasn't out to pasture with the rest doesn't mean she wasn't on vacation too. I guess she was enjoying her "staycation" too much, because she made it really clear that she didn't what to go out. So Adventure man got off, ran and got a helmet, and they made her turn some circles. They had her turn some more circles after AM got back on and that's when it happened. At this point they were up the trail a little ways when her saddle slipped and the movement of her hissy fit sent Adventure Man down into the dust. Only he didn't hit dust, he hit a rock. Right in the ribs. He was having a hard time breathing and since he is an EMT himself, he knew he better head down the mountain to get checked out.

We kept our guests here so they could go on their ride once the wrangler got back with the heard, but I loaded up the four young ones and we drove Dad to town. He had 2 different sets of x-rays taken. Once they determined his ribs weren't broke, or cracked than they needed to decide if his lungs were collapsed. He was ordered to come back the next three days to be monitored.

It has been determined that Adventure Man does indeed have Pneumothorax, a collapsed lung. He has been monitored by the best in Little Town. I am extremely confidant in his Doctors. They have told him to take it easy and that he may be in pain for the next 6 - 8 weeks. I told him, "Yeah, Just like having a baby!" Haha! He has a hard time with the taking it easy part. But he'll survive.

And I'm just glad it wasn't any worse. It could have been A LOT worse!


My brother and his family enjoyed the ride immensely and even got to see one of our local Mama bears and her two cubs enjoying the wild berries up the mountain. They were lucky enough to see another Mama and cubs earlier that morning through the spy scope so that put them at six bears in less then 24 hours of being here! Nice!

The Big Four-Oh!

Doesn't he look excited!

Yep, he's 40! For such an important event we knew we had to have an "over the hill party." And what better way to celebrate, then with a piñata! It turned out so nice I wanted to share.

The kind of hills we have around here are snow capped mountains. So…

Over the Hill's!

We ended up having a pair of twins here that week who had the same birthday so we shared the piñata with all the guest kids. I was so proud of my kids, when we got it open, which was hard because we used a paper mosaic look that added an extra layer of glue and made it hard as a rock (thinks Steve Martin in Parenthood, sawing the darn thing open), they stepped back and let the other kids take most of the loot.

Adventure Man had to eat with the guests that night, so the piñata was really all we did. They all sang to the birthday boys and girl. When you add a bunch of guests to the mix of a homemade birthday, it can be quite a crowed! And since he'd rather not have had the day come at all, I think he handled it very well!

Happy 40th, Babe!

Working From Home or Living At Work ~ Is There A Difference?

Darling Adventure Man (aka DAM) is a really awesome father. I knew he would be. He's quiet, and patient and funny. He's really good at getting a whiney kid to laugh. He says, "You know what would help? Whining about it! (or crying or what ever) Let's all whine about it!" And then we all pipe up and the kids see the foolishness in their behavior.

DAM's Father's day, yesterday, kind of sucked. No, it really sucked. His wife, me, was up all night holding a baby who had a fever and was throwing up. We've all been there. So, the big breakfast I had originally planned on having for him when he woke was replace by him taking the baby and sending me to bed. He turned Father's Day into truly stepping up and being a Dad. I am very greatful. He did later get to take a nap. But then it was off to have dinner with the new arrivals and do the whole welcome thing. I think I'll plan something for later in the week, when he can be present and pampered.

Adventure Man goes to work about 7:30 or 8. He goes and has breakfast with the guests. He comes home and brushes his teeth then heads back to the office. Meets with the staff; has phone meetings. He answers phones and makes reservations, works out problems with the staff; handles guests problems; he helps with maintenance work. He comes home around 5:30 and changes his clothes, and sometimes showers if he has been hiking with the guest or working on repairs of some sort. Then he goes back and has dinner. He gets home for good about 9 or sometimes 10 that evening.

This schedule is not constant. He tries to rotate who eats with the guests so he can be home with us. But on average, he will work a 12 hour day. One of the challenges of living right here on the property, is that you never really get to leave work. We see guests and staff coming and going. We can be here to help in an emergancy. Once we had a guest come racing to our door at 2am calling for help, as her companion was having a diabetic attack. Adventure Man is a Wilderness First Responder, a volunteer fireman, and an EMT. We called 911, as the guests don't have phones in their rooms and DAM took care of things. That's what he does.

And so it goes. He's the Father of my children, my Husband, my lover, my friend. He's a hard working Man. He's the Innkeeper. And I am so very grateful to have him. Happy You are the Best Dad Ever, Day. Everyday!