Finally...

I have finally had a few moments to update my blog - sorry it's taken me awhile.  Our Montana trip was just over a month ago and was so much fun!  We got really lucky with the weather - it was in the low 80's and sunny the whole time we were there.  It was nice to get one last squeeze of summer out before coming back to fall. 

Ashlyn was a great little traveler and the DVD player in our car finally came to good use.  We surprisingly made it all the way to Bozeman the first day and stayed overnight in a hotel.  It was also our anniversary so we celebrated with some subway sandwiches and a movie in bed while Ashlyn snored away between us - romantic I know :)  The next day we headed to Big Sky.  It's only 40 miles from Bozeman so we were able to sleep in and take our time getting ready.  We hit up Wal-Mart on the way to get our supplies and were treated to an amazingly beautiful drive up to the mountain.  We checked into the condo before my mom and Roy so we decided to have some lunch and check out the town.  The next few days were spent relaxing, exploring, and playing.  We can't wait to go back and ski when the kids are older.  It reminded us of a mini Whistler.

After we left Big Sky, we headed to Yellowstone.  Neither Aaron or I had ever been so we figured since we were so close we definitely needed to check it out.  We had a great time and saw a lot of animals - some were a little too close up for me!  We both agreed we needed more than a day to really experience it all so it will for sure be a family vacation destination in a few years.

From Yellowstone we headed to Ennis to stay with Aaron's sister Rachel and her family for a few days.  Ennis is a little over an hour outside of Yellowstone and is such a cute town.  It is pretty small - there isn't even a traffic light.  We had a really good time and finally got to meet our newest nephew, Tegan.  One of the days we were there we all headed out to Ennis Lake for a picnic and fishing.  Then we headed to Butte to the Fairmont Hot Springs.  We had a great time and Ashlyn loved splashing around playing in the pool.  They had this really big water slide there that Aaron finally convinced me to let him take Ashlyn down.  I was really nervous, but he promised he could go slow and she would be fine.  She LOVED it!  She just wanted to keep going down it all day long.

We were sad to leave, but I guess we have to go back to work sometime so we can afford these fun little trips.  We made it to Moses Lake before settling into the Holiday Inn.  We ordered dinner in and watched the Huskies beat USC...again:)  The really funny thing was that the whole week we were gone, it was so warm and we hadn't hardly seen a cloud, but when we got up the next morning to head home it was raining and never stopped the entire time.  Kind of ironic.  Here are some pictures of our trip...

 

The zipline course we did at Big Sky

For some reason this picture came out sideways, but this is me zipping through the air.

Family portrait

 Ashlyn and Aaron coloring in the condo.

 Aaron and a herd of Elk in Yellowstone

 Yellowstone lake

 Ennis Lake

 Ashlyn getting a fishing lesson from Daddy

 Enjoying the pool :)

 The Brown Family

 The big slide

 Ashlyn and Aaron coming out of the slide

 The kids relaxing after we got home from the hot springs (after baths and a meltdown x 3)

 This just cracked me up.  As we were leaving Ennis to head home, we had to stop so this herd of cattle could pass.  Not something you see everyday.

Montana here we come!

We are heading to Big Sky Montana next week for a little family vacation.  We can't wait!



And here is where we're staying....
http://www.bigskyresort.com/Lodging/Lodging-Locations/Shoshone.asp

After we stay in Big Sky for 3 nights, we're heading to Ennis, Mt to stay with Aaron's sister and her family for a few nights.  We haven't seen them since our new nephew was born so I'm anxious to do some cuddling with him :)

So far, the weather report says sunny and in the mid-60's - hopefully it's right.  It is supposed to dip down into the 30's at night so I'm glad I just got Ashlyn a new winter jacket!  Stay tuned for pictures from our trip, and wish us luck with on our 11 hour car ride with a toddler!

Sunland 2010

We are so fortunate to have close family friends, Mike and Karen, who have an amazing "vacation" home in Sunland.  They are so gracious to let us come visit and stay at their house pretty much whenever we want.  They always make us feel at home and we have the best time with them.  If you don't know where Sunland is, it is a small community (pretty much all vacation homes) by the Gorge right next to the Columbia River.  We usually try to go once, sometimes twice, in the summer, but we skipped last year because we had so much going on and I was paranoid that Ashlyn was too young to go in a boat or be in extreme heat.  So we were very eager to get over there this summer.  We all had so much fun and Ashlyn enjoyed her first ride on a boat!

 Ashlyn loves Mike!  They had such a good time together.

 The back yard.  Not bad huh?

 Ash playing in the yard.

 They have a fun game room upstairs and Mike let Ashlyn play on the pool table.  She had a "ball!"  Ok, I'm not very funny I know.

 The front of the house

 The guys heading to the boat launch to put the jet skiis in the water

 Ashlyn just enjoying the view

 And what an amazing view it is!

 Being silly!

 Snack time!

 First boat ride.

 Thank goodness they have Yo Gabba Gabba in Sunland!

 She played on these stairs all weekend long...up, down, up, down, up, down....

 Mike and Aaron having a beverage or two, or five!

Family pic

Ash on the way home!  She was pooped!

Dan's 60th

A few weeks ago Aaron and I, my Mother-in-law, and Evan and Kimmy, hosted my Father-in-Law's surprise 60th birthday party at our house.  We had such a fun time and he was actually surprised!  The turn out was amazing and even his friends from east of the mountains came over for the celebration.  The weather was perfect too.  The kids had fun playing in the pool and the adults had a good time visiting and playing in the horse shoe tournament and of course, my favorite, the Amazing Race!   It was a pretty late night like most of the Hufana parties so my Mother-in-law was kind enough  to come over the next morning and cook everyone who camped and stayed the night breakfast.  Here are some pictures of the festivities...

Grandma and her girls...

 Easton and Kamryn

 Aaron and Ashlyn - is Aaron fist pumpin'?

 The Birthday boy and Ashlyn

 Ash getting her grub on

 Ashlyn giving Grandma a bite of her cookie.  She was taking a bite whether she liked it or not!

 Swinging like a big girl.

 Watching Daddy play in the championship game of horseshoes (I think she was enjoying her milk more though).

 The winners!  Aaron and his Uncle Jeff.

 Cuddling with Grandpa in her Jammies getting ready to go "night-night"

 8:30 - Ash goes to bed...8:32 - Mamma finally has a drink!  Let the adult party in the shop begin :)

 Hmmm....I think these boys are having a great time!

 Aaron and his "Uncles"

 The birthday boy displaying the amazing cupcakes I make that he loves so much!

 ???

 Grandma and Easton

 The Village people...minus a few

 Family...

 The morning after...Ash and Kam

 Grandpa being bombarded with all the kiddos!  I'm pretty sure he was in heaven.

 Ash wouldn't let poor Easton go.  I finally had to pull her away when he started crying.

 Grandpa was being silly

 This was so precious to watch.  They just love being with each other

 Secret time!

 Aaron after everyone left!