Check it out...it's only September 2nd and I'm managing to get the blog updated. I know I'm shocked. The problem is I wasn't really good at taking pictures in August outside of our vacation.
We continued our weekly trips to Cherry Hill. In the end we went 11 times. Mia and I would tape one of our wrist bands to the side of the crib after each trip so it would be easy to keep track of how many times we went.
We went bowling with our neighbors in August. Mia loves to go bowling.
This time she even got to wear bowling shoes.
We went to a local pond and fed the ducks one day.
And of course we have had multiple trips to various parks. One of these days Mia will manage to conquer the monkey bars.
Mia's birth mom was in town this month so we got to see her. It's always fun to spend time with her. I have pictures from that but am not going to post them here out of respect for her.
One day Mia came out of her room with various bathroom accessories tied to her limbs. She told Monty they were her claws. I don't know where she gets it.
This year in our garden we decided to grow nothing but corn. It isn't a huge garden and I got it planted a little late so it sounded like a good plan. Now it is a very tasty plan.
Our raspberries have gone nuts this year. We have had more berries than we know what to do with, even after Mia eats half the bowl as we pick them. Raspberry milkshakes are always a good way to use some up and we are going to be making raspberry jam here is a couple weeks.
The last week of August we went up to Coeur d'Alene Idaho. It's way up north about an hour and a half from Canada. I used to live up there before moving to Utah and I've wanted to take Monty up there for years. It finally happened. We left on Tuesday evening when Monty got home from work and drove 2 1/2 hours to my parents house. Then on Wednesday we got up and made the 8 hour drive to Coeur d'Alene. Mia was really pretty good in the car. It helped that she got a birthday present early to play with in the car. When we first got into town we checked into our hotel then wandered downtown and to the beach (CDA is on a huge lake).
Of course Mia ended up getting wet.
We explored downtown and Mia made some friends. I don't think the crab had a name...
This is Millie the Moose.
Thursday and Friday we went to Silverwood Theme Park. We had a great time. It was Mia's first time at an amusement park and she loved every minute of it. Monty and Mia on the 1st day before we went in.
Mia especially liked the rides that she could ride all by herself.
It was really slow when we got there on Thursday so she had a few of the rides all to herself.
I finally convinced her to let me go with her on one...I think I was a little big.
The dogs not only went up and down but barked too.
Monty did the Krazy Koaster with her.
And I did the Tiny Toot coaster.
Mia even went on the big wooden roller coasters. She was just barely tall enough. She said they were awesome but we couldn't get her to go back on them the next day.
We took the train ride that goes out in the woods around the park.
They have buffalo out there now. They weren't there 8 years ago when I left.
There is a little western village
And the Indian village out in the woods.
And once you are all the way back in the woods, the train gets robbed!! AHHH!!
We spent a couple of hours in the water park but the clouds and wind kept us from staying too long. The tube slides were a lot of fun.
Mia was right at home in Polliwog Park.
This girl cannot go down a water slide without ending up all sorts of turned around.
The raft rides were AWESOME! It was a blast.
The wave pool was a lot of fun too.
Selfie on the ferris wheel.
Monty on the Corkscrew Coaster. He's the one in the green at the bottom of the picture. Mia was really sad she couldn't go on the coaster that went upside down.
The helicopters were one of her favorites.
No amusement park is complete without a carousel.
Mia by the coaster sign. Yes she really did ride those coasters.
Monty and I took turns going on the Aftershock coaster. It was the wildest ride I have ever been on in my life. I seriously started blacking out when it started the trip backwards. Monty rode it 5 times. Once was enough for me though. You should seriously look it up its the Aftershock coaster at Silverwood Theme Park.
It was Monty's favorite!
The elephants weren't quite as fun because she could barely reach the button to make it go up.
Panic Plunge drop tower. Monty found as a single rider (we had to take turns staying back with Mia because she was too short) you could often jump to the front of the line because there always seemed to be one seat left open.
Monty decided he wouldn't fit too well in the bumper boats so Mia and I had to squirt him on the dock. She was a bad driver though, we just kept going in circles.
The Kiddie Wheel.
The Tilt O Whirl makes me sick so I left that one to Monty and Mia.
Mia is such a little dare devil.
After Silverwood we went to Dockside for Gooey's Sundaes, It is a huge massive delicious sundae. We all shared it and barely managed to finish it. I had forgotten how much I loved them.
On Saturday we biked the Hiawatha Trail. It's an old railroad bed through the Bitter Root Mountains that they have maintained as a bike trail. It's about 15 miles and you go through tunnels and across the old trusses. It's all gently downhill so it's a pretty easy ride, that is unless you are hauling an 80 lb trailer through the gravel behind you. I've biked it before but it was hard work pulling Mia. I didn't know if I would make it.
The first tunnel you go through at the beginning of the trail is 1.7 miles long. It is very dark and rather cold in there. Mia had her own little light in her trailer so she did pretty good.
When you come out of the tunnel you are greeted with a beautiful waterfall.
Photo-op at the tunnel.
It is gorgeous up in the mountains with huge forests all around.
There are lots of friendly chipmunks along the way, I think they are used to getting fed by the trail riders.
We stopped outside another (much shorter) tunnel for lunch.
We stopped on one of the trusses for a family pic.
The view from the trusses was breathtaking.
At the bottom we were waiting for a shuttle to bus us back to the top, remember I almost died hauling Mia down the mountain so there was no way I was hauling her heavy little kiester back up the mountain. Mia got bored and decided she wanted to sit on Monty's bike. It was a little big...to say the least.
Red Robin had a bike shaped bike rack. Mia had to sit on that bike too.
While we were up there I got to see a lot of old friends too. Sadly this was the only time I remembered to take a picture.
It was a great vacation and Mia even did ok on the ride back to my parents on Monday. Then today (Tuesday) we drove back home and back to reality. I always love vacation...we need to do it more often.
