We took our annual trip to Montana for skiing (for Brian) and shopping (deals for the whole family not to be missed!) this year at the end of January rather than Family Day because we really wanted to go with Candice & Warren and that is when they had time off. It worked out well because we also booked a vacation in Idaho for the end of March and I think 8 weeks between the two is a nice amount of time.
So in past years I have either taken few photos or we have only gotten ski pictures. This year I tried to make an effort to take more so I would have something to show you all :D
Candice spotted this Bald Eagle on the side of the road!
I was able to get pretty close to snap those two pics before it flew off, I was not fast enough to catch an in-flight photo. But pretty cool to see a bald eagle up so close!
Highlight of the trip for Grady? On-site swimming! I wasn't sure if he would even want to go swimming as last year we had to bribe and cajole him to get into the hot tub! But different story this year. He went every night sometimes twice. He loved it and I was sad I had forgotten his water wings at home. I think he would have really enjoyed the freedom to move around independently of being held.
Candice was a good sport in helping us swap off on the "holding" duties. As you can see Grady enjoyed swimming with his favorite gal! Although now that she is expecting it is interesting to see that his attitude towards her has changed a bit. He still loves her but doesn't dote on her the way he used to, I guess he's getting ready to be "mature" when she has he own little one to love!
Yes I had fun in the pool too! Although this is from before my trip to the doc and I think the swapping from hot to cold may have amplified the effects of whatever is/was wrong (the American doc thinks I have Pressure Angioedema, more on that another day)
Loving the hot tub!
Here I was playing around with the underwater abilities of our camera.
Grady got braver and braver each time he went in the pool! Now if only I could find some lessons here that fit into our schedule!
That face says it all! The outdoor hot tub WAS pretty cool.
No child can resist standing on a spout squirting water!
Candice caught this great action shot! Although my face looks pretty funny :D
This is the first year that we have gotten the large 2 bedroom condo at
Meadow Lake. It was nice to have the loft space and we probably could have squeezed another couple people in to cut costs even more. Although I don't know if the condo provides enough dishes for 6! They seem to have an unreasonable amount of cups and glass but very few of everything else.
In any case the larger condo also came with a Jetted Tub! Because of my foot issue Grady was the only one who got to enjoy it though. And he sure did! Who wouldn't want bubbles up to their ears?
And there was ping pong to be enjoyed at the rec center plus Candice and I took in a day at the spa and then a yoga class all offered on site at the resort. (we might have thrown shopping in the mix too)
See even Warren calls that a WIN!
And this is the first time we have stopped to "smell the roses" and take some pictures of the beautiful landscape.
I'm not sure why it is called Flathead Valley but I am thinking it has something to do with how the clouds always sit on the mountains and make them look like they have no peaks.
And just like that you turn your head and see the prairie.
It really is a beautiful place to go and visit. Plus it is less than 6 hours from Calgary and there is no sales tax in Montana so you cal take advantage of $1 premium beer, and deals on "stuff" (clothing, baby gear etc) that cannot be beat. We got Grady's crib at the Wal-mart here for less than $200 the same crib was selling at Sears in Calgary for over $500! Candice picked up a play pen for their impending family member for $154 that was over $200 here. Plus the clothing is cheaper than you can find USED items for in Canada. It is awesome and disgusting at the same time.
We got a babysitter (the resort keeps a list of trusted sitters) for our last night and went out for an Adult Dinner. The restaurant was called "
Hops" and it was AMAZING! I would say you must make a reservation because it is pretty small and very busy. The food was so good, we all got burgers and they we probably some of the best I have ever had!
Don't you want to eat that?
Happy Brian!
It was a great trip, even though it was a bit adrenalin filled! We nearly got in a collision on the way there as there was a head-on right in front of us! Brian drove like a superstar though and we came out unscathed. We stopped to give a statement and help the people who were involved. Luckily no one was hurt! But I think the running on the highway in my mary-janes was what lead to the flare up of the angioedema. So that made for another experience! Then there was a cougar on the resort grounds, and lucky we never saw it! And seeing that eagle was pretty cool too. The boys had fantastic ski conditions and I think they are secretly glad they did not try to go out 4 times in the week, but they will never admit that 3 was more than enough! Maybe next year the girls will get 2 days? Sounds fair right? We will be going back for sure as we always enjoy it!
Are you coming 2013? :D
