The Republic is Born!

It's been a while since we've been to a battlefield! We went to a lot on the east coast, but unfortunately, Nolan wasn't around to remember them. So at some point we'll probably have to go back, but for the time being, there are a few to see right here in Texas! We remembered the Alamo, watched the massacre at Goliad, and now we've finally been to the place where Texas won its independence. When we were in Houston a couple of weeks ago, we stopped by the San Jacinto Monument and battlefield, where the rebels from Texas finally beat the Mexican army and won their right to form the Republic of Texas. Overall, it wasn't quite as impressive as I'd hoped. I think they were trying to return the area to what it would have originally looked like, so it was mostly just overgrown swampland with a few roads and parking lots through it. The museum was a bit lacking as well, but the monument was cool. As is everything in Texas, it was big, even taller than the Washington Monument. So we took the elevator up for a look, and then got drenched while walking around the grounds.

That's a tall monument.

The sun was blinding at first, and the humidity was a bit high.

And then the storm clouds rolled in... but don't worry, they won't be here for a few minutes, so we have time.

Um...

Nevermind, we don't have time. Just got a little wet.

Just another fun visit to another park! Except this one for some reason was lacking in cannons... there must be a few other battlefields around here, so I'm sure we'll find them.

Dirt tracks and Houston trips

A couple of weeks ago we took the boys to the dirt track races in Corpus Christi to watch the cars go round and round and into each other and off the track. It takes a lot of noise to drown out these kids, but those cars managed to do it for a few seconds at a time. It was a nice, warm summer evening for the races, and the kids had a good time. Nothing like burning oil, loud exhausts, and stadium food.

Then the next weekend we had to drive up to Houston so I could go to some training for work, and Becky took the boys to the Children's Museum. Other than the massive amount of people (which is everywhere in Houston), the museum had some cool stuff and the kids had a blast.

The long trip home...

It took a while, but I finally got through all the photos from the summer vacation. After Becky and the boys stayed in Montana a couple of weeks, they made the drive back to Salt Lake and met me there for the long drive home. We got to spend a couple of extra days with Andy and Kelly, hit the new aquarium, and then said goodbye to the north and headed back to Texas.

Got to hang out with the Clayburn girls one last day before summer vacation was over!

And then we stopped at the four corners of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado on our way home. Summer was good, lots of travel, lots of family, lots of new things we saw. But now it's back to reality, school, work, fall sports, and on and on! Until our next long drive...

The Great Outdoors

If Montana is known for one thing, it's the great outdoors... the mountains, the forests, the lakes, the rivers, and on and on. While the snowy winters have their own share of the fun, nothing beats the summer time in Montana to get out and enjoy it all. The kids got to do quite a bit of it on their summer vacation.

Looking for adventure with Nolan the Explorer.

Looking for ghosts in old towns.

Even Nick and Conner got out to explore the wilderness!

The water is always cold, but it's manageable when the weather is perfect.

The family's newest kindergartners - Adam and Sophie!

View from the top...

Growing up in Missoula, the concrete M on Mt. Sentinel was always present, high above the University of Montana watching over the city. We hiked the winding path to the top numerous times over the years and it was always an awesome view of the valley from up there. While Becky and the boys were in town, Paul took his first trip up, with a few members of the Unbehend family tagging along.  Looked like a nice day for a hike.

Missoula, Montana.

Aunt Kelly only looks half as enthused as Uncle Chris.

A little better...

Bill & Ted... on an excellent adventure I suppose.

The mountain climber!

Pause for Pictures...

When family gets together there's always the opportunity for updated photos. So here are some of the pictures Becky took on her trip to Montana of the kids together and having fun under the Montana sun.

It's not an easy task getting them all in one... let alone getting them all to look the same direction.