Montana Vacation Part 3

On our second day in the park, the bunch of crazies that I call family (through marriage of course… Baxleys are way to sensible for this nonsense, right?) decided to go swimming in Lake McDonald.  This is a glacier fed lake people, and it is COLD!  I went into my ankles to get a picture or two, but there was no way I was going any farther than that!!!  Everyone else kept saying how it was not so bad once you got in and blah blah blah, but I think they were just too numb to realize how cold the water really was in there.  But I had a good time watching an epic water gun fight and taking lots of pictures (and trying to keep Asher from eating rocks).

Don't worry, Cash is as crazy as the rest. He waded in as well!

Asher dipping his toes in the water.  It didn't bother him, he was trying to go all in!!!

Super Stud Max ready to battle! With pink goggles… I thin that takes him down from super stud to just stud.

Kendra and Asher splashed along the edge of the lake.

"Don't you put that rock in your mouth so help me!!!"  

Grandpa wading in with Asher.

Melinda and Kendra

Someone (not sure who) rented a paddle board and everyone took turns out on the water.  I wanted to give it a go, but I was afraid I would fall in… then COLD!

Just another beautiful day in Glacier.  So pretty!

Anika… She's so grown up now.

Grady was a bit of an instigator! Don't fall for that innocent face!

Emma

Max was so funny.  He would duck down into his floaty when someone was shooting at him, then pop out to return fire.  Pretty smart!

Friendly fire!!!  Emma's been hit!

Ross and Stuart got into the action.

I needed another week in this place.  Two days (not even that really) is not even enough to make you believe it is real.  I loved it and we will definitely be going back again and again!  Be ready Uncle Steve and Aunt Judy!!!

Pardon the Interruption

We interrupt our vacation pictures to bring you the following {heart}breaking news:

Max started school this week at Waco Montessori (pre-K).  He had a half day on Wednesday and Thursday to help the "new" kids transition, then a full day today (Friday).  So far, so good!

And, Asher Neal is 8 months old!  He is now crawling on his hands and knees (after army crawling for the last month) and pulls up on anything that will stand still.  Time is flying by in Waco!

Montana Vacation Part 2

After our long hike, it was nice to come back to the house and rest a while.  Carol brought a stack of kids nature magazines, and she and Max had a nice time looking through them together. Asher was well entertained with a cup.

Grandma brought some kids science magazines, which Max LOVES! It was a good way to get him to sit still and rest after "Snow Fun Park".

 Sweet moment with the grandparents.

 Asher with Great Grandma Gladys

 Max, the goofball, ever entertaining his brother and everyone else.

 Obligatory family pictures!

I don't have a picture of the whole big group yet, but this is our branch of it!

Sweetest faces!

Grandma brought magnifying glasses for the kiddos.  Max and Emma put them to good use!  They looked at flowers, insects and some baby toads.

Montana Vacation Part 1

July 26, 2014 - 0200 hours, the Quigley's embarked on an adventure of epic proportions!  It was one of the best trips ever… but there were bumps along the way which created some unnecessary frustrations, but overall the trip was a success.

 Rude awakening!  He slept the whole way from Waco to DFW and woke up in the airport.  We missed our flight out at 6:00 (begin first major bump) and spent the day in the Grand Hyatt attached to the airport.  Thank goodness they rent rooms for day use!

 Max asleep in the Grand Hyatt.  Is this trip fun or what???

 Overall our delay was not too shabby.  The room had "robot" shades that darkened the room COMPLETELY (side note: my mom would have loved them so much she would have insisted on having them installed in her room at home). Max liked to hide behind the sheer curtain.  We were able to rest and eat before catching a flight at 5:00.  The only drawback is that we landed in Montana LATE and the boys were asleep/grumpy and not too welcoming to the rest of the family.

 Yeeeaaaaah!  Max was supposed to share a bed with his cousin Cash, but somehow he wormed his way into bed with Mama, Daddy and Asher.  It was a tight squeeze and long nights for Curt and I.

 No words and/or pictures can do Glacier National Park justice!  You must see to believe!

 Driving into the park on day one.  We drove up the "Going to the Sun" highway, which is only open a few weeks during the summer.  It was a spectacular drive, even for someone afraid of heights (that would be me!).

 Max loved the tunnels.

 I didn't expect so many waterfalls!!! I should have knowing there were A: mountains and B: melting glaciers.

 We hiked up to Logan's Pass and viewed Hidden Lake.  I was a short, but difficult hike as we had to traverse glaciers.  I mean seriously!!! What kind of national park allows visitors to tread upon the very thing the park is named for??? You can't go into the Carlsbad Caverns and walk wherever you please.  But here, walking over glaciers is unavoidable!

 Glacier lillies

 Our path started off as a boardwalk.  It soon gave way to dirt paths and glaciers.

 Max started off way in the front of the pack.  That didn't last!

 Hoary Marmot!  The term hoary means "silver tipped" as they had beautiful grey fur.  Not too afraid of visitors!

 Finally!  All Max wanted to do was throw a snowball on the glacier.  It's crazy that we are walking on snow/ice, but it was probably 90 degrees up there!  We were sun burnt by the time we came down (all except Asher, we kept his sweet bald head covered much to his dislike).

 Throwing them at Grandpa and me.  I had a number of snowballs his my back and melt down into my pants.  {Sigh}  Life with boys.

 Max called it "Snow Fun Park" instead of Glacier Park, but is sounded like he was saying "It's No Fun Park".  Oh, but he had fun!

 So many goats and babies.  They were not too afraid of tourists either.

 I love this sweet picture of me and the boys looking over Hidden Lake.  One for the wall!

 These four massive red rocks were the perfect place for pictures!  However by this time Max and I were straggling way behind so there is only him to photograph.  I am surprised he was so willing sine we had been walking a long time by now.  He did the whole hike himself, but needed steady hand to walk through the snow.  I did my best, but I slipped and fell as much as he did!

This is Bird Woman Falls and I took this on our way down the highway.  It is 495' high.  Awesome!

More to come!!!