Life: October and still feeling new to this place

 

 

Rock Climbing competition.  First ever for the kids on at team- “ Pirate Gnarrs”.  Cole got 6th and Birch got 7th in their age group.  Cole needs three more arms for reach and Birch still working on mental endurance for the sport.  Great club in town with twice a week practice.  Next comp in Bozeman next weekend.  So cool to hear them use all the rock climbing lingo..

 

Happy Halloween.  No donkey pulls and we miss our Europeans take on this American tradition, but fun none the less.   “scored well mom in this neighborhood”.  Kids really into the house to house thing and Missoula is so safe no one worried about poison or razors in the candy.  Thank heavens the Halloween Fairy Witch came to our house and took the candy to give to kids in Africa ( left a small target toy instead!!!)
Thanks Mimi for Cole’s again.

Day of the Dead Parade in Missoula.  What a cool event.  Next year we are doing it up big time.  David totally in to this.  Cole’s class was in the parade because they made a giant roller print skeleton to carry.  So we walked it, watched fire throwers, watched a lot of white African dancers, and fell in love more with our new community.

 

 

 

 

Life: Other things new and old about our lives.

New:
Jealous Matt and Lisa swam with whale sharks.
Both kids are rock climbing.
Bears and deer are normal day sightings.
Hulu and Pandora- we love.
New cool friends and community starting to form.
Old:
We have too much stuff.
Our house looks like we live in Africa.
Birch still reads 100 hours a day.
Cole still doing the robot.
We still miss our friends from all around the world.
House still needs fixing, now we just have to do it ourselves..

Life: We have a dog.

Went to the humane society and after two days brought home Miko a 4 yo black lab/pit mix.  Never barks.   Completely mellow.  Comes when you call.  % kids on top of no problem.  Loves to run.  Just a little fat and snores.

Adventure: Coldness comes and we borrow friends’ cabin to be with other friends.

Hiking.

Fort building!!

Mona and Joey

The kids warming up and getting ready for movie night.

Lessons: the deer will eat the nose out of your pumpkins if you leave them on the porch.

Mimi and Popi visit and we go pumpkin carving. But then our carvings change overnight.?.?

Travel: Visiting our new surroundings. Yellowstone National Park

Before we left we poured libations and spread smoked sage as a cleansing ceremony for our new house.

On the road we see our first wildlife. 

Old Faithful and 10000000000 visitors.

More beauty.

The boiling river and elk everywhere, even at the ranger's house.

Adventures: Getting used to a new land and life. 2 months in!!

The view of our city from the top of Mount L.  Still no shoes and no shirts.  This will change soon winter is coming. 

Hiking and hot springs.

Friends invite us to their lake house for a great time.  Tubing!!!  “Why did we never do this in Africa?”  Cole says.

New responsibilities… fold and put away your own clothes.  We miss Stella.

New School.  Bike riding every day.  The library- with a  dragon statue in the back.  No way a mosquito net in Birch’s class. 

New house we hope- closing maybe in three days.  Is this bad luck to post early.  View from back patio to MT Jumbo and public trail.

Camping in our beautiful new state.   Who wants to visit?

Before going in make sure to ask for the 1000000 time “ Are there crocodiles?”  per Cole-  “ No Cole we have told you – there are none in MT.”

Cliff jumping…  Birch did with undies- Cole did skinny dip style and said  “ Ouhhhh my balls”  so we have learned a lesson.

 

More to come after we move in.  Birch and Coles started Music lessons again and are doing a rick climbing gym after school.  Our family Unit of Inquiry is” How Change is good for communities, families, ourselves,a and the world.” Missing Africa friends and loving meeting new cool friends.