September Shananigans

Despite the fact that my title suggests that this post is all about the month of September I am going to start by posting some pics from August; they are from a hike that Mark and I went on with a sprite 17 year old leading the way. The hike was a 12 mile roundtrip trek, entirely uphilll, and at times very treacherous. We hiked up with our bikes the first 5 miles, then hid them prior to becoming "billy goats" - climbing up the rest of the mountain. Think loose rocks in a cold, windy, downpour of rain. How did we like it?

The pics say it all...

AT THE TRAILHEAD, READY FOR ADVENTURE...

1 MILE IN, BREAKING A LITTLE SWEAT...

 3 MILES IN, TIME TO COOL OFF...

5 MILES IN, RAIN FALLING...

AT THE END, THE RAIN WAS RELENTLESS, BUT WE DID IT!!!

Despite the freezing cold rain and the difficult trek up, we thouroughly enjoyed ourselves,

As you can see, we're still smiling (sort of).

OKAY, NOW ON TO OUR "SEPTEMBER SHANANIGANS"...

At the beginning of the month Mark's brother Brian and his family surprised my in-laws with a short visit over Labor day weekend. Gracie thoroughly enjoyed playing with her cousin Dylan. It was as if they were best buds! Everyday was spent doing something fun and here's proof:

awwww....

our lil king kong :)

cheese balls :)

Notice the deep concentration on the lil kiddo's faces? The tongues sticking out? It's a Francis thing. ;)

Two weeks later we made a 14hr. road trip to north Idaho where we stayed in a cabin owned by my brother-in-law's family in 'Island Park'. The cabin was about 35 minutes from West yellowstone. We visited yellowstone on two occasions along with some of Mark's extended family. It was great spending time with Mark's sister Ann-Marie, her husband Bryan, and their two little girls. Gracie had a great time!

(At the cabin)

Pop walking his girls in West Yellowstone.

20 car pile up, Bison style. (Only in Yellowstone ;-)

Gracie and Laenie (?) (still not sure on the spelling... I will get it eventually)

Gracie & Tori. Just a couple cheeseballs! :-)

Awwwwwwww.......

As usual, September was full of new beginnings for us.

Gracie is now a "dancer". In our eyes, she has always been one, but new shoes, new clothes, and a dance instructor have made things official!

At the end of the month Gracie awaited her first day back to pre-school. the day finally came and she was super excited! Here she is on her first day...


Nothing amazes me more than the way my heart keeps growing
to make more room for the love I have towards you.