White water rafting in Big Sky

What an amazing time we had rafting.  We suited up in our wet suits and AJ (our guide in the back) gave us a quick lesson on rowing.  There were some challenging areas to row through and we didn't do the best at following directions.  Grandpa spent much of his time ducking so that Bobby could get wet.

Somehow we managed to get stuck on a huge rock.  Our raft was literally suspended there until another raft came blasting through and hit us so that we were dislodged off the rock.  AJ told us in all his years of rafting (11 total) he had "actually never had that happen before."  Wow, happy to be the first in something.  He had asked us to try to reach the level of Viking War ship but by the time this happened he stopped asking us to try to reach that goal and was showing some signs of exasperation.  He said, "Remember when I told you to follow directions and row really hard when I told you to?"  LONG PAUSE  "Yeah, what happened there then?"  No answer was given from the rowers.

Bobby lost his paddle in the water......then we almost lost Bobby.  I grabbed the paddle, Robb grabbed onto Bobby.  AJ wasn't impressed but we sure did laugh.

Emmy probably had the most animated facial expressions of us all.

I started to tease our fearless leader (from our raft side) about his inability to focus and follow directions.  I can't say it made him any more willing to take directions from AJ, but again......we had some great laughs.  What great sports my parents were for doing this with us!

 We survived and enjoyed the entire trip!!  My mom took a half naked tumble in the locker room trying to get out of the wetsuit.  I tried to help her up with my pants half off.  We were quite the spectacle.  My dad hit the bus driver in the head taking off his helmet.  Bobby got hangry on the bus ride back to basecamp.  All in all.....job well done.

Big Sky Family Vacation 2021

We loaded up into the car to get ready to travel to Big Sky, MT for our family trip.

We made a stop in Wibaux, MT for some ice cream at the Tastee Hut.  It was delicious and worth the stopover.

We made it to Billings on the first day of travel.  Bobby and I convinced everyone that Olive Garden was a great place to eat.  Kids played trivia and mom, dad, and I started the meal with salad.  I teased dad that he took ALL the olives so he tipped the waiter to add 10 olives to the salad for me.  It was pretty funny.....I did enjoy those olives.

We made it to our cabin, which was amazing.  Kids loved the game room.  Emmy discovered a new favorite ice cream flavor.....Huckleberry!

Emmy was often in the lead on our hikes.  All that hockey has made her legs so strong!  She made a Lamoureaux select travel team this month and the practices have put her in such good shape.

Montana had some beautiful scenic hikes for us to enjoy.  We were able to make it out on two of them during our quick 3-4 day trip.

We went on a hike that ended in a waterfall.  I bribed the kids and told them if we got enough good family photos for me to make a Christmas card out of then we wouldn't have to pose for a formal family picture this year.  It worked - I got a lot more cooperation when I wanted to take pictures.

We had many great conversations along the way as we hiked.  I really enjoyed the kids' company.

Grandma Launa and Emmy have a special bond.  I love to see them together.

We had many great meals in Big Sky.  Bobby enjoyed some Key Lime Pie one particular night.  He didn't really want to share!

ZIP LINING and OBSTACLE COURSE

Mom booked us some great adventures.  One was this zip lining/obstacle course.  We had to spend some time learning how to hook ourselves up and switch lines (I can't believe we were able to figure this out). The kids had no trouble learning this new technique.....I was worried that I could master the zip lining set ups.  We were fast learners and the kids truly had no fear. Robb and I took our time but managed to keep up with them.  The kids were great at the course.  I was a little nervous flying through the air, but I tried my best to be brave like our kids.

The kids were pros on this course.  It was cool to see how strong and agile they are.  My dad got such a kick out of watching us.  He took about 100 photos of us. He was like the paparazzi out there taking these pictures but we were so grateful he caught the moments.

The scariest part for me was the rope drop from the course to the ground.  You had to trust that the rope would hold your weight and lower you slowly. It didn't feel natural to do!  You can tell by my facial expressions how wary I was.

Medora was our final stop!  The musical did not disappoint and we had one last final fun time together.

Grandpa and Grandma bought Emmy this cute back to school outfit.  She is such a beauty....inside and out.