natural bridge & falls.

a few saturdays ago we decided to do some exploring & hiking. we drove up a dirt road to mcleod & ended up at natural bridge & falls. it was amazing! & a perfect adventure for our little family. we started hiking and tyson found a little path that looked like it led down to the bottom of the falls. going down it was not as easy as we thought. it was super steep and by the time we got to the bottom we were all covered in dirt. but i'd say it was worth it. the falls were spectacular & i was glad we were so close to them. tyson & presley did some additional exploring while mason & i looked for butterflies.

then we had to hike back UP. i'm kind of surprised we made it. & poor tyson had mason on his shoulders or in his arms the entire time.

can you see teeny tiny presley & tyson in the picture?

iPhone photo dump...

...where I don't bother coming up with anything proper to blog about. Here's what we were up to for the 4th of July & a few days after.

sunday funday...family crafts. see that cute birdhouse? tyson built it for me!

4th of july picnic @ the park. river time. underoo masks.

river rats. 

farmers market. and, yep, more river time. 

my first time taking both boys & both dogs to the river. nobody drowned!

A visit from Grandma Becky.

The first weekend in July Grandma Becky came to visit. We were all so delighted to have her!

We took her to our favorite places. Like the river & Mark's In & Out.

She was even in town for the 4th of July parade.

We showed her the Gallatin National Forest.

& our favorite breakfast spot, The Beanery.

Grandma even had some alone time with her grandbabies so mama & papa could go on a date. When we got home we all went outside to look at the stars in Big Sky Country. 

We love you, Grandma!

Our adventure so far.

Well, we've been here for a month already. We've been up to so much that I don't even know where to begin.

I stay home with our babies. That alone has been an adjustment for all of us. I'm still trying to get used to it, & I'm so thankful that it's even a possibility. I was a single mom for so long & I've always provided or contributed -- so not feeling like I contribute financially has been interesting. Being home all day has also been interesting. The kiddos & I drive each other crazy AT LEAST once a day, I now have no excuse not to have the house somewhat tidy & dinner ready at a proper hour, & I'm trying to find ways to keep both boys entertained. Sheesh! I am getting better at it & I'm surprised & pleased that I still take time to get ready & look pretty for Tyson. ;)

Speaking of Tyson, he is loving his new job! He works minutes away from our home so he has lunch with us everyday. He's home by 5:30 for dinner & we still have plenty of time together as a family. He also comes home in a good mood & tells me all about his day. =) (Our old work schedules sucked big time. He worked 8am-4pm & I worked 4pm-9pm. We never saw each other & I was always so tired when I got home each night.)

Another nice change: not working Saturdays! We have time for adventure & exploring our new home. Summer in Livingston has been so fun. It's pretty lively around here since we're close to Yellowstone.

In our first two weeks we: found our favorite places to eat, got library cards, played at the park, went to the farmers market, had dinner in bozeman, explored the gallatin national forest, went to a grizzly encounter, bought a rad flag, made our summer bucket list, & have been making little crafts.

Up next: a visit from Grandma Becky.

Now, where was I?

Oh yeah...Disneyland & moving to Montana. We got home from California at 4am on Thursday the 7th, slept for a few hours & frantically continued packing. I also had to finish up my last few days at work, which just added to the stress. We finally headed out to Livingston on the 9th, spent the night in Idaho Falls, & made it to Livingston on Sunday the 10th. Exhausting! Presley stayed in Utah with his grandma, & my brother came to MT with us to help with the move. He stayed for a few days then headed back to Utah while Tyson, Mason, & I got settled for a few days & then WE headed back to Utah to pick up our boy & the rest of our belongings. We also wanted to celebrate Presley's 8th birthday with friends & family on the 16th. Fathers Day was spent driving! =( poor Tyson. But he started work the next day so we had to make it happen. We drove through Yellowstone which was a bonus. It's too beautiful & I'm so glad we live less than an hour away from it now.

The end...of this post. Next up, my first week as a stay @ home mama & our first week as Montanans(is that right?).

montana. 

breakfast @ the beanery.

home.

discovering our new mountains. 

livingston. i love it here. 

yellowstone river.

presley with his auntie.

my boys @ nunns park.

walking to the thrift store. & missing our presley boy. instagram pics: @meganhp4

birthday boy & his mama. 

mason helping uncle sean put the new bunk bed together. 

The happiest place on earth.

I have way too much to blog about. & I really don't wanna. So, I'm gonna post pics & ramble a little bit. 

We had spent weeks telling Presley that we would be going to Jackson Hole for our family vacation. Everyone was in on it & it was sooo hard not to tell Presley that we were actually going to be hanging with Mickey & his crew. 15 minutes before we arrived at our hotel we finally told him. It was perfect. & I still can't believe we pulled it off. We took our babies to the Happiest Place on Earth & we went with ALL of my side of the family. 20+ of us were there.

We arrived home at 4 in the morning on Thursday the 7th. We slept for a few hours & then frantically began packing for our first big trip up to Montana, our new home. That adventure will have a post of its own.

Here goes.. Our Disneyland vacation, in pictures (& in no particular order).

Riding the tram to our car @ midnight on our last night there.

Presley & Zeke after joining in on the Phineas & Ferb dance.

Preparing for a 10+ hour drive home. 

Meeting Mickey. I melted & teared up a little. Mason was due for a nap & was very grumpy, but he lit up as soon as he saw Mickey. 

ALL of the cousins. It added to the Disney magic. I love them all so much. 

Mickey!

First night in CA. @ Newport Beach,

Sneaking soda. Naughty Mason. 

Mason & Grandpop Ralph. Best buds.

This picture should be kicking off this bog post. Mason throwing up all over himself & Presley after finding out we were in California & would be in Disneyland the next morning. We tricked him into thinking we were going to Jackson Hole. The aunts, uncles, grandparents, & cousins were all in on it. Amazing. 

Toy Story Midway Mania. 

My siblings & I. My sister was heading home to Hawaii after we took this. :(

Our last night there, Until next time, Mickey Mouse. 

Simply the best. 

Ready to party. Bright & early. 

Watching the World of Color in California Adventure. 

Megan Mouse.