GORGEOUS NEW YEARS EVE DAY

The moisture finally arrived to Montana! We woke up on New Years Eve day with an inch at our house and glorious sunshine so we knew we needed to seek out the snow. We loaded up the car and headed to Bozeman to check out a canyon we hadn't been too. If you know Salt Lake then I would compare it to Millcreek Canyon. It was a wonderful suprise to discover and to see that there was a nice good dumping of fresh snow to play in. We had a great couple hours of snowshoeing and sledding and then off to warm up with some good food at applebees. Fun day. We are hoping the snow will stay around but we hear it will be 50 degrees next week! Well, winter is 6 months here so more time to play in it will come. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

SNOWSHOEING HYALITE CANYON

Checking out the Bridger Bowl

The day after christmas we took a beautiful drive up the canyon to the ski resort bridger bowl.
The drive was dry and hardly any sign of snow but once we made it to the top it opened up to a beautiful scene of trees, snow and sunshine! We wanted to give Zach a glimpse of what it will be like as he takes some ski lessons this year for the first time. Carter also hopes to do some snowboarding. It is a nice small mountain that is perfect for kids. Love these handsome boys. We hope everyone had a very merry christmas and Happy NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011

Christmas morning

Christmas morning started early at 6 am at the Roberts household. It was a great morning despite Gavin's many sad faces as the others opened their gifts. Once the Wii was revealed, all woes came to a hault. :)

An angel among us

Here is our "Little Angel" :) When I asked him what he was going to be in his play he said "an angel, I don't want to be an angel". I had to laugh, he would have preferred a shepherd or a wise men. He did a great job singing in his school play and I was so proud of him for making it through with a stomach ache, hence the sad looking face. What an angel!

TREE HUNTING

We set out to find the perfect christmas tree on a cool 20 degree morning. With snowshoes on and a saw in hand they were off in search of the best tree. I watched as a few other dad's came up the mountain with their sons and quickly cut down a tree and left but not my guys. . They spent an hour in the cold temps to find a most perfect tree. Even maggie joined us but quickly learned that the snow is cold on the paws and wanted to head back to the car but not untill she ran freely through the snow path. Good job boys.

Ducks at the Park

One day when the snow finally fell in the morning I decided to take a drive past the park after picking up the boys from school and this is what we saw as we drove by the creek. It was completely full of ducks and geese. It was a beautiful sight to see all of those green heads and a flash of white here and there. I would have thought they would migrate but they have remained here in montana.

WE HAVE EGGS!

Every afternoon we head out to the coop and find a few eggs waiting for us. Beautiful brown and green eggs! Organic eggs sure make for wonderful scrambled eggs for a quick dinner.

wolf badge award!

We are so proud of Carter for working hard to earn his wolf badge. Here he is with his good friend Tyler after Dad put the ceremonial face paint on him. Good job Carter!!!

Playing by the Yellowstone

The boys love to be able to drive right up to the river and throw rocks and sticks in and watch them disapear down the mighty Yellowstone. I feel blessed to see this scenery just a short drive from our home. And I am especially grateful that I can see it without having to hike as my knee will not allow that at this time. What a beautiful world our Savior has created for all to enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving dinner and Maggie stood and begged for her share. I am grateful for my family and all the blessings the Lord has given to all of us and all of those in our lives who we love.

My Guys

They took a walk on Thanksgiving day and enjoyed the 50 degree weather outside.

Happy Haunting

Pumpkin Patch

We enjoyed a wonderful Saturday afternoon at the pumpkin patch and hay maze. I have to admit, the maze was a lot harder then I thought it would be and Carter finished first by running through. I think we spent at least an hour in there trying to find all the checkpoints. I was very impressed as I learned they change it often. Thank you to those who do these things that our children may enjoy.. and us parents too. We found 3 nice pumpkins, Gavin had a train ride and the two boys enjoyed the bungee trampoline. We ended the day with Carter's last football game. The skies have gone cold here and we feel winter is in the air!

The Fearless

Carter has always been the adventureous type, stares down fear and turns it into an opportunity to try. When he was 3 yrs old he took his bike down the very steep driveway to see how fast he could go and ended up in the ER with stitches. He does not fear things that others may take caution in, he wants to try them. He was the first one to say that he wanted to try the bungee trampoline and boy did he ever! He flipped untill he couldn't find the energy anymore. It was fun to see the two boys side by side in a high flying act! GO BOYS!

Jumping Joy

I was such a proud mom to watch Zach brave the high flying bungee trampoline. Afterwards he commented how he would never do it again. I think it was exhausting to him to use his upper body strength to get so high. It required pulling down on the cords as you jumped up to reach great heights. Overall, I see a smile on his face and he did an awesome job! I love to see the boys try new things out of their comfort zones. I think it was 5th grade when I finally tried new things but I was always cautious. Great Job Zach!

Buzz Light Year.. to the RESCUE!

A fun photo op at the Pumpkin Patch. Of course I am very fond of the character "Jessie" in the Toy Story movies and Gavin has always loved the beloved Woody.

Jackson Hole

We had a wonderful weekend trip down to Jackson Hole and Pinedale Wyoming for the blessing of baby Samuel Brian Roberts. We arrived on Friday night and spent Saturday shopping in Jackson and having a picnic off the side of the road by the Tetons. It was a cloudy weekend so we were not able to see their grand peaks but the scenery is breathtaking no matter what the weather. We also saw Sharon and Steve's home and it was a great place. I enjoyed spending time with Isabelle and her toys and watching her learn on the computer. :) We then drove to Pinedale that evening where we enjoyed some chinese food with Aaron's family and swimming at the hotel for the kids. Sunday morning was the blessing. Brian gave a most beautiful blessing for this sweet little boy who has come into the family and also shared his testimony with us. It was very touching to see Brian as a new father again and to see Aaron stand with him as he blessed Sam. What a wonderful blessing the Priesthood is! It was such a quick day that I completely forgot to pull out my camera! We really enjoyed seeing Brian and Jen's new home they are building also. It was hard to leave all the family we miss so much.. Julie and Emily, Brian and Jen and kids, Steve and Sharon and kids, Jeannine and Sueann. It was great to see all of you!

Heaven on Earth

We were lucky to be able to see some colors in Grand Teton National Park. I am so glad we took the time to go the long way home to see this little slice of Heaven on Earth. And to our amazement as we were making our way through Yellowstone.. A grizzly. I was in Heaven! I have never seen one close up in the wild before and it was a great experience for the boys! I am so grateful to have these experiences and to enjoy the beauty that has been created for us to enjoy.

A Drive along the Boulder

Every weekend feels like an adventure as we pack a lunch and find a new road to discover. It is one of the greatest things about moving to a new area where everything is fresh and new and there are discoveries around every corner. We knew we needed to take advantage of the last nice weekends we have left so we took a drive along the Boulder river. We saw antelope running along the road, men fishing the boulder, a wildfire burning in the distance and a breathtaking waterfall. To our suprise it was almost 90 degrees out so Gavin had to take off his long sleeve shirt and enjoy the playground of the Mcleod Montana School with Dad. We ended the day at a fish hatchery and then it was off to Carter's football game. What a weekend! Zach spent the day in Yellowstone with his scout troop observing the geysers and the boys all had a camp out with Dad at Pine Creek the night before. Needless to say.. Sunday WAS a day of rest. Happy First days of fall everyone!

Happy Fall

Happy Fall Everyone. I love this time of the year when the morning awakes with crisp air and the kitchen smells of pumpkin cookies and chicken noodle soup with hot rolls. I would love if you would share your favorite fall recipes with me! Send to robertsjessie@yahoo.com.

oops..

Just a quick Sorry to SARA for putting an H at the end of her name! All the Sarah's I know have one so I am sorry about that. You are wonderful, unique, and an amazing mother! Hope all is well.

Dinner with the Elders

We enjoyed having the missionaries over to our house on monday night for some last of the summer bbq. The boys really enjoyed playing candy land with them and laughing at how funny Brother Maloney was. By the way.. He is the same missionary that would eat frequently with Eric and Sarah in Missoula! How fun is it that we get to feed him now?! I heard that he loved Eric's pancakes for dinner so I think I will give it a try next time. I am craving Pumpkin Pancakes! I am ready to bake. I love fall!

Special Day

We had the priviledge of attending Stake Conference last sunday in Bozeman and it was a wonderful meeting! We have an amazing Stake President here and his words are always very powerful and uplifting. I want to share just a few thoughts:

Do you have any part of the world in your home? How do we dress? What language do we use? What TV do we watch or movies? How can we remove ourselves from the things of the world and focus on family? I have been trying to do this. It seems to be a constant battle with all that we are exposed to each and everyday.

We also were very excited to hear from Elder D. Todd Christofferson. It was a big event for an apostle to come to Montana, in fact they mentioned that they only come every 16 years or so.

He spoke about how our covenants give us strength in a difficult world. And the Prophets messages of young men to serve missions, strengthening our marriages, rescue those who are drifting, and minister to the rising generation (our children).

After the meeting was over, Elder Christofferson invited all the children to come up and shake his hand. He commented to Zach how much he liked his suit and tie, and thanked Carter and Gavin for coming. It was so touching that I couldn't help but cry as I watched my boys. They seem to be getting older each day.

We love all of you! We think of you daily and pray for you. I hope everyone is feeling joy and comfort in our Saviors love.