Visit with Tia and Julia

We shared a wonderful weekend with Nate's sister, whom Claire calls Tia, and her youngest, who's also three, Julia. Their visit coincided with some of the first Spring weather we've had this year, so we were able to take full advantage of some outdoor activities.

Friday afternoon when I was done with school we all headed to a state park close by--Madison Buffalo Jump. We hiked to the top, and since we (me) forgot to bring the backpacks, the girls (Julia did better than Claire) actually had to walk most of the way with us carrying them to get through the tired patches. The views from the top are great this time of year as the valley turns green and the ranges still have snow on them.
On Saturday we went into Bozeman and enjoyed a few hours at a Watershed Festival with some great exploration/science activities for the girls, bluegrass music, and yes...ice cream. Could my daughter have picked something that screams SUGAR any more than this? Those eyeballs? Yuck.
Eating ice cream and dancing are a good combo though.
On Sunday we headed north to Canyon Ferry Reservoir and Helena. We had a morning walk by the lake. My first time in shorts this year. This was supposed to be a girls' picture, but the two little ones didn't cooperate. I'm so thankful for a sister-in-law like Sarah who's so much fun to hang out with and such a wonderful friend to me.
After the lake, we went into Helena to visit the Exploration Children's Museum. Nate was a good sport all weekend as he was slightly out numbered--mostly evidenced when we took over the TV for Grey's Anatomy instead of letting him watch a basketball playoff game.
They had some Wii dance game in the museum that the girls loved, once I barely managed to figure out how to work it. We got some video of them that will be perfect for future embarrassment--like at their weddings.
We still weren't done Sunday. On the way home we stopped at the lake again for some canoeing.
A final cute picture of these two characters. Thanks for coming all the way out you two!