Our Daddy Is Smart

Last Sunday Josh left to go to Montana for the week to finish his masters degree.

All but two weeks (the first week & the last week) of the program was distance learning.

This was his chance to be on campus again, do presentations in person, and wrap up what has been 11 months of hard work.

 ***

 I am so crazy proud of him.

 At 30 years old he is a tenured teacher, with his masters degree, a wife & three kids.

A Masters of Educational Leadership in less than one year...

He is one busy, AMAZING guy!

 These two are BOTH busy, amazing guys.

Josh and his friend Joe (who has been in Marshall for eight-- or is it nine?-- years) are the best dads/husbands/providers in the world.  It was a crazy ride, but I am so glad that Joe, Krista, Josh, Leah and I were in it together.  They are my Marshall family, and without them, I surely would have lost my mind this year.  

Congratulations Joe, Leah & Josh.

You guys are awesome!!!

Road Trip :: Montana to Washington

The last leg of our journey was a long one, starting with Friday morning.

I was attempting to pack everything up for the 900 mile trek back to Washington from Montana, but our kids had other things in mind. Like fighting. And tantruming. And crying.

Holy awful.

Somehow I managed, while Josh had his final class at Rocky, to get us all packed up and the kids fed.

As soon as Josh got home we hit the road. 

Our goal was to drive until Josh couldn't continue on.

We made it through Montana fairly easily, stopping only for dinner.  My favorite part of the drive was passing the continental divide. You could see in all the rocks how the plates had run into one another. It was fascinating.

The boys were excited to play with their toys and watch more fresh movies.

We stopped for dinner in a tiny town called Alberton, Montana.  We ate at this quaint little cafe that had an ancient chocolate lab named Milk sleeping on the hardwood floor beneath our table.  The food was delicious and the kids loved the dog!

While Josh was gassing up the Pilot in Alberton after dinner, I stepped out of the car to snap some pictures, when a huge gust of wind swept down main street, giving me this hairdo!

After our stop the kids fell asleep and Josh and I enjoyed visiting in the quiet of the car.

Around tricities (in Eastern Washington) Josh decided he'd had enough driving.  So we pulled off to check into a hotel. But they were ALL booked.  We drove on to Boardman, and Umatilla... All booked.  Finally in the Dalles (only an hour and a half from home!!!) we found a hotel, at two in the morning, and settled in (grouchily) for the night. The twins went right down, but Wyatt was a wreck.  He screamed from two until about 3:30 when he finally passed out.  

We all slept until 8am and then bathed and slowly loaded the car to head home.

We arrived at my sister's house that afternoon and promptly laid down to take a nap, all five of us.

We were so happy to have that road trip tucked away in the memory books!

Road Trip :: Rocky Mountain College

Get ready for a little bragging.

My husband, who, I must tell you, is quite modest, would never tell you this little gem.

He is one of only fourteen individuals who were chosen from a pool of over 250 applicants to participate in the masters program he just started at Rocky Mountain College. (The whole reason we were in Montana to begin with.)

I am so proud of him. 

And thankful for his drive to succeed and provide for our family.

Road Trip :: Billings, Montana

WE MADE IT!!!

As soon as we pulled up to Krista's driveway, we could see Michael's little face peeking out the side window by the front door.

The boys were elated to be reunited with their friend.

We quickly unpacked & settled the kids in for bed.

The next morning Josh's Master's program would begin.

While Josh (and Leah, who flew in late Sunday night) were on campus, Krista & I managed to entertain seven littles, age five and under.

Some days were easier than others, and I will admit, my kids were NOT on their best behavior.  But together we made it through the days.

One afternoon we took them all swimming.

And since it was shallow and there were two life guards, I let the boys swim without life jackets.  Logan & Jack were actually swimming, under water, from one end to the other. It was so awesome!

It was super fun to have the kids all together, but my favorite part was visiting with Krista.

She & Joe have taught in Marshall for seven years, this will be their eighth.  

When they came, they weren't even married. 

Now they have four beautiful children.

They are inspiring.  They take this whole lifestyle in stride.

They abide by the same standard we do.

We will stay for as long as it works for our family.

It's so much fun to talk to Krista about parenting, about bedtimes & routines, about school & identical twins. We talked about parenting goals and whether we want more kids or not.

I really felt for her while I was there because Joe was already gone to Alaska.  He will be our principal this year, which has Josh and I excited beyond belief, but means he had to leave weeks before the rest of us.

---

One...

Two...

Three!

:: and again ::

One...

Two...

Three!

Go Logan!

High jump!

I was happy to be able to help Krista out a little bit by watching the kids two morning so she could go to appointments without all four tagging along.

Aside from playing inside, riding bikes & going to the pool, we played in the back yard.

The kids loved it,

and quite frankly so did I.

I tried to soak up as much sun as I could, knowing how I will long for it come winter in Alaska!

Meanwhile, Wyatt tried to keep it cool!

Before we knew it, our week was up in Billings, and we were loading up the car and saying goodbye to our friends. But only for a little while.  We would meet up with them again in Seattle on Tuesday en route to Marshall.

Road Trip :: Washington to Montana

After our impromptu family reunion, we reluctantly headed to our hotel room to put the kids to bed, knowing that the next day would be a long one.

The hotel was super old school. 

Not only did it have a phone in the bathroom,

but they gave us REAL keys.

I can't remember the last time I got a real key for a hotel room.

We got ready for bed as quick as we could,

dressing the kids in their clothes for Sunday so we could hit the road.

(A tip I read online just before leaving for this trip saved our butts--
It was this: if you are on a long trip, and only staying somewhere, like a hotel, for one night, put everyone's clothes/necessities for that one night into ONE BAG.  We did this for our Moses Lake hotel stay, and it made wrangling the kids and finding our room so much easier!)

The twins fell asleep super quick, and slept all night long.

Wyatt, Josh and I, however, did not get any sleep.

The following morning the kids got to watch one cartoon while Josh and I got ready.

Before we knew it, we were on the road with 600 miles to go.

The boys absolutely LOVED seeing all the trains.

Washington passed in the blink of an eye, and soon we were in Idaho.

Josh was so happy to see his first 75 mph sign!

Just as quick as Washington passed, so did Idaho.

Then we were in Montana and trucking along.

It really is big sky country.

Breathtaking everywhere you look.

Logan thought it was cool there was a city named Logan like him.

They even had a dump!

As we drove, miles passing, Josh and I listened to music and fantasized about being home in Alaska.  The yummy food we were going to make (homemade bread & pizza) as well as the normalcy of our everyday life.

The kids managed being on the road really well.  

After lunch they all took naps, 

and the rest of the time they either played cars or watched movies.

Josh was amazing, keeping his calm even when drivers were going 50 in a 75, and keeping us safe from the crazies.

I really enjoyed the trip from Washington to Montana.

I will admit that the last two hours on the road, I was done for!  But considering we were traveling hundreds of miles with three children under the age of five, the trip was really smooth.  But never have we been so happy as when we pulled into Krista's cul-de-sac in Billings!!!