2014 Summer Travels - Part 4 - Montana

We returned home from Colorado on the afternoon of August 12th.  We left for another 16 day trip to Montana and Canada the afternoon of August 21st.  10 short days at home.  We embarked on the next trip in the car.  Little did I know that we would drive 2000 miles in the next two weeks.

We drove from Seattle to Hayden ID, had a brief one night stop over there, then continued to Townsend MT (634 total miles from Seattle) to spend a week with GG and Papa (Scoffield grandparents).

 My kids always love going to the farm. There are many fun things to do:

--Pet sheep

 --Feed corn cobs to the cows

-- Sit on tractors (or whatever this one is called....)

--Eat fresh from the garden corn everyday

 --Ride Snowflake and pet the nice dog

--Find worms to make your new "pet" ....poor wormy got stretched a little too far and died.

 --Ride the scooter on the porch

 --Play with Ryan and Carter who live next door

--Help Papa mow the yard

--and help GG make frosting for Daddy's birthday cake

We celebrated James' birthday while we were there

and went into Helena to ride the carousel.

 We went up to the dry farm and tried to take family pictures in the grain field

We got some good pictures of the girls

But not really any great pictures of our family. Here are a few of the ones that are decent...our kids were not cooperative about taking pictures after the first 5 minutes.

My girls were great travelers, as they always are.

We had a such a fun time in Montana and they are already talking about what they will do "next time" we are there.  

Maija

2014 - Summer Travels - Part 3 Colorado (continued)

As I started my second week in Colorado my mother returned home from Finland (a bit tired and jet lagged).  My girls were very happy to see her. They were so confused that she was not at "Grandma's house" when we first arrived.  Over the next few days James and all of my siblings and their families arrived.  We congregated in Ignacio, CO to celebrate my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary.

My girls had a good time playing with all the cousins (11 total grandkids).  We went to the swimming pool at the Durango Rec Center.

My brave kids went down this water slide time after time.  At first Elin went with an adult but after a few times she asked to go down on her own.

This is how Anikka looks after every time. She laughed the whole way down the slide.

The kids did a lot of playing in my parents yard. They had a great time together. It reminded me of when I was young and we would get together with my cousins.

My parents were married on August 8, 1964.

They have five children Pentti, Leina, Maija, Erek and Oscar.

They have 11 grandchildren. They are pictured here oldest to youngest.  Kali, Sylis, Kijanna, MJ, Ella, Noah, Deekon, Lincoln, Elin, Anikka and Amelia.   Yes, that is my youngest child running away screaming because she didn't want to take pictures.

The whole family.

They day after their anniversary we had a little party for them.  Aunt Betty and Uncle Dave and my cousin Kim and his wife Kayla came for the day

Grampy and Amelia

Elin was fascinated by the ice cream maker

Kijanna, Grampy, Grandma and Kali

Aunt Amy and Anikka

Aunt Betty and Uncle Dave

We had such a great time together, as always.  I am always sad when the time ends and we all go to our separate parts of the US.  I love each and every one of you very much!  

My family stayed one extra day and my kids had a fun day on the slip n slide with Deek, Linc and Mia

We traveled home on an early early flight out of Durango with our rock star diva, Anikka Elise

We had a fantastic time in Colorado, but after 17 days away from home, we were all ready to be back in Seattle.  At least for a short visit....our next trip was only 10 days away. 

Maija