Sunday, April 13, 2014

Wonderful Weekend

Off we went on Friday to see our son and grandkids.  Hubby took a half vacation day and we left at noon to go over the mountains to meet them in Missoula, Montana.  It was about a 3 hour drive for us and about 1 1/2 hours for Jamie and the kids.  We were SO EXCITED!  Grandpa and I hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving, almost five months ago.

First mountain pass was Fourth of July Pass.  No snow yet but beautiful scenery.  Up, up, up we go!
What goes up, must come down.  Here we go, down, down, down to the valley floor.
A few more miles and then it was up, up, up into the snow heading up and over Lookout Pass on the Idaho/Montana border  And there was definitely lots of snow there.  And to think, I was wearing flip-flops. 
Icky, dirty snow at the pass.  Look at the exit number 0.  RIght on the border.
Then it was down, down, down again and around lots of mountain curves until we reached the valley floor and the river that runs into Yellowstone National Park.  All of these pictures were taken from a moving car with my iphone so please excuse any blurriness.
This is our hotel in Missoula.  The "Cmon Inn".  Do you see Grandpa, practically running?  Jamie had just texted us that they had just arrived and parked next to us.  We were definitely in a big hurry to see those kids.  Grandpa didn't even wait for me.  :-)
The waterfall in the courtyard of the hotel.  Both sides had a waterfall.  Do you see the taxidermy mountain goat on the top?  The kids loved that goat!
The lobby.  Antler chandelier and deer head.  I forgot to take a picture of the bear rug on the wall.  Yep.  We're definitely in Montana!
The courtyard.  This place was absolutely gorgeous.  I would love to have a log cabin like this.  Look at those stairs.  The construction was amazing.
There's our two kids in the pool.  There are two pools and five hot tubs.  We spent lots of time swimming and the two of them are like fish.

Something else we liked about the hotel was the amazing complimentary breakfast unlike any we've ever had in a hotel before.  Eggs, sausage, bacon, country fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, waffles.  Then were were 3 different cereals, oatmeal, bagels, fresh baked blueberry muffins,  toast, juices, milk, yogurt.  Tea & Coffee were fresh and available 24 hours a day.  It was really an amazing breakfast.  We will definitely be staying here again.  The people who worked here were the nicest hotel employees I've ever dealt with.  They are definitely doing something right.
We took Kyleigh a bracelet making kit and she made me a beautiful bracelet.  Grandpa had to work for  a little while on Saturday, but not for long and he used the ipad and was able to sit with us while he worked.
Here's Caleb with his Mars Rover hot wheel we brought him.  You can see Kyleigh behind him sketching the waterfall with the pencils and sketchpad we brought her as part of her birthday present.  She's quite the little artist and her sketch turned out very well.  She even drew the mountain goat!
Outside of McKenzie River Pizza Company where we had dinner last night.  This is a grizzly scuptue made from junk metal.  Look at that sky.  It snowed last night but was gone in town by the time we left this morning.  Look at tough little Caleb with no coat.  Grandma was freezing.
This was just before we left this morning.  Caleb has a picture he drew.  Oh my goodness it was hard to leave these two behind.  Both Saturday and Sunday they came and climbed into bed with Grandpa and me and we watched Looney Tunes Cartoons while their dad slept a little longer.  It's a tradition with us.  All the grandkids, even Piper, pile in bed with us in the mornings when we're together.  Sometimes we read books, sometimes we watch cartoons while their parents get some much needed sleep.  All of the kids are early risers.
Just outside of Missoula on our way home.  None of this snow was there on Friday when we arrived.  Winter hasn't left Montana yet.
Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, just about 35 miles from our house.  This is really blurry as I was reaching across Dennis as we drove to try to get a picture with my phone.  This lake is one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen.  It's quite the tourist destination.
And then, just befoe we reached home I saw this cloud.  It looks like some kind of bird doesn't it?
And one last picture Mandy sent me of Miss Piper this afternoon.  This was her first time climbing into the chair all by herself.  Of course she had to take Monkey, Bunny and Baby with her and a blanket too!  Doesn't she look proud of herself?
And now we're  home for one night and it will be back to the lake tomorrow for a couple of days.  It was a wonderful weekend with Jamie, Kyleigh and Caleb and I already miss them.  They are so full of hugs and kisses for us when we see them.  I hope they never get too old for that.

Thank you for humoring me by looking at all of these pictures and I hope I didn't bore you too much.

Have a lovely evening my friends.

Blessings,
Betsy

14 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to see that you got to spend the weekend with your other grandkids! Good for you and hubby to make that happen! What a fabulous place!! I love log lodges like that. Isn't the weather wonderful? Have fun at the lake.. I'll bet it will be awesome! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bore us!! Never!! I loved hearing about your weekend trip to see the kids. Such little sweetie pies. They look like they enjoyed their gifts very much! And what a neat place you stayed in!! I loved the photos. Miss Piper did indeed, look very proud of her accomplishment! And that cloud most certainly did look like a bird!!!
    Thanks for sharing. And have fun at the lake!!
    xo kris

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow what a wonderful tour of Idaho and Montana and I'm so very glad you got to spend time with your son and grandchildren, and Ms. Piper is just so cute, she is such a princess.

    ReplyDelete
  4. On the contrary, I enjoyed your adventure, Betsy! I'm so glad you had a good visit with Kyleigh, Caleb and Jamie. I can see why you liked the motel! I laughed out loud at your flip-flop attire while driving through snow country, and I loved Piper's triumph in chair climbing with "friends" :) Hope you have a good time at the lake this week. xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the name, C'mon Inn... What a beautiful place. AND--what an amazing breakfast you had while there. I can imagine how much you loved seeing your grandchildren.. Such CUTIES.

    Enjoy the lake this week... Supposed to get really cold here tomorrow (freeze watch for us)... Dang it ---and we have so many pretty flowers blooming now...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  6. It looks like you all had a lovely time, Betsy. The hotel is gorgeous, what a perfect place to stay. I'd never seen an "exit 0" before your post, how interesting! I had no idea they even used that number for exits. I've spent lots of time on interstate highways too. Learn something new every day! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bore us? I always enjoy seeing trip pictures and the different landscapes, especially the mountains. So pretty. That cloud absolutely does look like a bird! I can see it clearly.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well that looks and sounds like a magnificent weekend. Love to see the grandkids making things and drawing stuff. Such beautiful scenery along the way. So amazing how there's no snow and then up you and go and there it is. My son in CO has pretty much had his fill of cold and snow. We've had hazy days here every day of Spring Break, but that's okay by me as I've enjoyed my time at home and still am able to walk. That's all I need. Oh, and crochet. And blogging. Ha! Best wishes, Tammy

    ReplyDelete
  9. What beautiful scenery and that log hotel (love, love)...amazing cloud (yes, I see the bird too--never, ever seen a cloud like that)! Glad you had a great time with your family:)
    Blessings, Aimee

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh such a beautiful post! I love seeing all those happy faces so full of love. You are truly blessed with a wonderful family. The lake is so beautiful. What a lovely hotel, too. Safe travels to you both as you travel to and from the lake. Blessings to you always sweet friend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I always enjoy looking at photos of different countries!
    Kyleigh and Caleb are too cute! :0)
    Greetings for England! <3

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for taking us along on your weekend! I wish you could see them more often. I know they are your heart and joy!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I already wrote this once but it didn't take so if it comes up as two I'm sorry.
    Thank you for taking us along on your weekend. I'm glad you had that time with them. I wish they lived closer, I know they are your heart and joy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. wonderful time indeedy Betsy.. so many varied shots an sights... family are so very very precious ... God's blessing this Eastertime, Shaz in Oz.x

    ReplyDelete