Our first set of flights took us to Glacier Airport and our happy spot, Whitefish, Montana. I am not sure which of the four of us was most excited to get back into the Big Sky Country and we arrived just a few hours after Grandpa and Grammie unlocked the doors at Sigh Bar.
We spent the next several weeks in paradise. The girls woke happy each day and loved eating their breakfast on the big front porch. They played hard during the days, getting dirty, going on hikes, riding horses or ATVs or tractors, roasting hot dogs, making "muck" and so on. Isabelle read the Kaya book series each night before bed and learned all about the Native Americans who lived in that part of the world. Olivia ran from one thing to the next and especially enjoyed ringing the dinner bell each night to tell Grandpa when it was time to come in.
We visited the Big Mountain Ski Resort more than once and enjoyed the view while we rode the Alpine Slide and ski lift. Ben and Isabelle celebrated his 37th birthday one day at the Big Mountain Aerial Adventure Park where they climbed, swung and zipped high above the trees. Isabelle really showed just how brave she could be when she completed the blue zone which was not recommended for anyone under the age of 10. They had a great time together and it was one of those once in a lifetime type father/daughter days.
We made multiple trips into town to enjoy huckleberry ice cream at Sweet Peaks, visit the Farmers Market or eat lunch at the Fart and Slobber Inn. The weather was warm for Montana but still so lovely for us in July. The evenings were nice and cool and you could always get relief in the shade.
Of course Isabelle spent most of her time with Livibelle. She brushed her, fed her, rode her, talked to her, sang to her, etc. She cried tears and tears when it was time to return her to the Bar W at the end of our trip but we are so glad that she gets to have these experiences every so often. She is a real animal lover. Olivia is more careful around the horse, but loves her just the same. She loved to feed her a sugar cube and eat a few herself in the barn. She loved riding Arty the ATV most of all and was so proud when she was allowed to drive herself.
We are so lucky that Ben has the flexibility to work from wherever he is and although he put in some Berkman time in Montana as well, he also spent several hours building the barn roof with my dad and hanging two super cool tire swings for the kids. He turned the big 37 in Montana and he celebrated by never shaving the whole time we were there. Ben always spends plenty of time thinking about buying his own land in Glacier country... he really loves the mountain air.
Alee and Leo joined us halfway through the trip so we had extra friends to play with. One night we braved the Drag Races for Leo and also put on our boots for the Blue Moon Rodeo. The kids played hours and hours outside and also enjoyed tea parties on the porch. We love cousins and we loved having Leo around to make memories with.
So far we have never spent too much time in Montana yet. When the time comes to pack our bags and leave for the airport it is always a sad sad day. All four of us love the laid back life that we live in Whitefish and we continue to be grateful that Grammie and Grandpa share their little piece of heaven with us.
Thankfully, our next set of flights were not heading home but rather to sunny California so that made the sting burn a little bit less with this goodbye....
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