I think that our trip to Red Lodge is turning into a yearly event, which I don't mind at all! It is a great way to welcome fall and have a good time. We had to stop at the candy store and fill up our bags. We have learned that in order to avoid kicking and screaming we have to cave and let each of the kids fill their own bag. We just have to monitor what is going in and take them as soon as we can get away with it.
Aubrey's bag was also known as Daddy's bag. And I helped Kendra fill hers with some of my very favorites. I LOVE salt water taffy and they have just about every flavor imaginable. I am such a sucker for candy that this is the highlight of my day in Red Lodge.
Preston didn't quite know what to do with himself in the candy store. We made it out of the store alive and the candy only lasted a couple of days thanks mostly to me!
We headed up to Wild Bill Lake with the fishing rods that Gma and Gpa Black got for the kiddos after our last trip fishing. Josh hadn't caught a fish all day until he was holding Aubrey so that I could gather up our things to leave and what would you know, he finally caught one. I am giving the credit to Aubrey on this one.
A close up of Ethan's fish!
He was so proud of himself! I reeled in a couple for Grandpa and caught one all on his own too. The fact that he stayed dry is a miracle. Grandpa Beau helped Ethan, but he got the casting down pretty quickly.
Uncle Justin was Preston's helper for the day and they caught quite a few fishies. Preston was brave and held them so that I could take his picture, but he never took his eye off of them.
This was their first catch of the day and I think that Justin was more excited than Preston was!
Kendra was a pro and did a great job casting. What a difference it made this year with Kendra and Ethan being able to cast their own lines. Kendra was the first on to catch a fish in the family and she did great, although holding it her hand was not something that she was willing to do quite yet. Kendra had worn her big ol rainboots so that she could wade out into the water, and it was raining when we left Billings. Well.... she waded out a little too far and her boots filled with icy cold water. It wasn't too long after that we headed out for dinner. He feet were FREEZING!
While the kiddos were busy catching fish Aubrey and I had fun with the camera. She was a trooper and it was pretty cold out but she stayed pretty happy and I got some GREAT PICTURES! The one above just totally captures her personality. She is really playful lately and has a great temperment. She can get a little worked up when she doesn't get what she wants but is communicating really well lately. She will nod her head yes or no, but you can usually tell by her reaction. And when you ask her to say "I love you" she just makes a kissie face and pretends to kiss you.
The kids found this crazy catepillar and so the guys of course put it on a hook. I don't think it stayed more than a few casts before it was lost in the water but it was a nice try.
We had so much fun and then Grandma Black cooked us some amazing french dip sandwiches back in their camper. It was a great way to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
She has curly hair! I can't even believe it but Aubrey has curly hair! I was glad when Preston's hair came in curly and I still just adore his sweet little blond curls but now I have a little girl with curls too! Aubrey has been pretty good about letting my put ponytails in her hair and just smiles and giggles at herself when I stand her on the counter to look in the mirror when I am done. She still has her big blue eyes and we still get comments on them everywhere we go. All four of our kids have blue eyes but something about Aubrey's eyes gets people to stop us where ever we are to tell us what beautiful eyes she has. It is strange.
Yup, this is her playing peek-a-boo with us. She is extremely playful. She loves to laugh and play. The older kids are pretty good about letting her tag along and Aubrey almost always has a baby doll AND doll blanket in her hands.
I took Aubrey to Old Navy to do some shopping for her as it started to get colder around here. She found some boots. Well, I found the boots first and showed them to her and asked her if she liked them. That was a huge mistake! Those pink patent leather boots were on her feet before we left the store and she carried them around and wore them for weeks. She even slept with them! She loves her boots! She gets really excited to put them on and they can take her mood from frustrated and upset to perfectly happy. I am almost in love with the boots as much as she is!
