Poort's in the Mother Country

Part of the Poort clan ventured to the Montana, aka the Mother Country, in August for a few sun filled days by the lake.


We took off about 7 am on Saturday morning. I was really worried about how Sloane would do on the 8+ hour car ride so had picked up lots of little toys and fun things to distract her with including the new portable dvd player and Sesame Street dvd that was going to be my last resort. The girl was a total rock star and I didn't ever make it half way through my basket of toys. We got there just in time to enjoy the last of the afternoon sunshine and a delicious dinner on the deck with a gorgeous view.

Sloane had such a fun time with all of her cousins. They LOVE entertaining her and she thinks they are pretty hilarious. We have lots of cousin’s pics from the trip.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There was a lot to do every day and night....we relaxed, read, played in the water, layed in the sun, talked, and played lots of games including, but not limited to, ladder golf, volleyball, ping pong, beer pong, cards, and the most fun charades type game.

The box game was a big hit.

And Melissa was the big winner!

The guys did some golfing.

But mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed mother nature.

One of the highlights, if not THE highlight of the trip was Poort Olympics.  A mix of 'minute to win it' type games that kept us laughing hysterically throughout the day.

We broke into three teams:

Team Badgering Honeys

Team Type A:

Our team (no photo) was Team Unicorn Princess (thank you, Lola!)

John was ready to compete.

Matt was our tour guide for the day.

We started with ladder golf.

The saran wrap race was by far the craziest.  Pretty sure the neighbors thought we were nuts at this point in the day.

Sorting skittles

Amy was amazingly fast

Move the cracker from your forehead to your mouth without your hands

Ping pong ball booty shake

We ended with the obstacle course

I'm not 100% sure who won so I'll go ahead and give it to Team Unicorn Princess!

Some more ramdom photos (there were a lot taken!)

 

A casual dinner at home.

Blueberry yogurt is one of my favorites and I'm getting pretty rad with my spoon skills.

Okay, maybe I got a little too cocky. 

Most of it made it in my mouth though so let's celebrate.

I'd like to propose a toast.

Raise your glass.

What, do I have something on my face?

Whatever.



The next Jerry Lee Lewis?

We're teaching her Great Balls of Fire, but she's clearly got the theatrics down.



Around here

We've been tickling the ivories.

Playing lots of peek-a-boo.

Practicing our gentle touches.

And getting ready for some Husky football!

Things I learned while camping last weekend

1. Everyone should invest in a good pair of hiking boots.
2. Hot, buggy, water slogged hikes are so worth it when you get to the end.
3. It’s actually kind of nice to get dirty, really dirty. To get scratched by the bushes. To go without a shower. To do your business in the woods.
4. Falling into a freezing river and getting stuck in the bushes along the bank while trying to cross it with your best friend can be the best moment of a weekend.
5. Your kids will disappoint you, but you still love them (This one’s for you, Coop. Sloane is still perfect)
6. Having grandparents who are over the moon to spend the weekend with your kiddo while you take off with your friends is priceless.
7. Being away from this one sucks. Bigtime.

8. American Pie and Piano Man sing-a-longs by campfire are a must.
9. Be sure to make a plan for your sleep position long before the cocktails start flowing and campfire starts burning. If you don’t, you’ll just dive into the tent at the end of the night and end up sleeping balled up in the corner if you’re not on perfectly flat ground.
10. Fly fishing is awesome.
11. Road construction is a pain. Road construction with long delays when you are trying to get home to take a shower and snuggle your kiddo is excruciating.
12. A flowing river is mother nature’s refrigerator.
13. There is something so satisfying about seeing just how dirty the water is during your first shower back in civilization.
14. I’m actually more of a car camper. I like a cooler with ice in it, being able to bring whatever I want, and not having to haul everything into the campsite in on my back.
15. But, at least once every couple of years I need to do a trip like this.
16. When a friend wants to take you to their most special place, you go.

We had a fun and adventurous weekend in the woods with some of our good pals. It was hot and it was buggy but the river was cold and the cocktails were refreshing. Cooper got off to a bit of a rough start with the one dog there she didn’t know (and really didn’t like) but they ended up as boyfriend and girlfriend. We hiked, we drank, we fly fished, we talked, we sang, we cried, we laughed. Thanks, Brian, for sharing your special place with us.