Some of My Favorite Places - Glacier National Park

August of 2008 I was fortunate enough to take my family to Glacier National Park. This include my husband, my then not quite 2 year old, my then barely 3 year old, and my parents. We all loaded up into a motor home and headed to northwestern Montana to visit a national park I had wanting to scratch off my "To See" list for a while. The drive was long, but it was worth it.

We spent most of our time hiking around this picturesque piece of the big sky country. The above photo was taken at Avalanche Lake, a fairly easy hike with a few difficult spots. My husband and I did it with our toddlers in backpacks on our backs. My parents also came along, although they said if the ending hill had been at the beginning, they probably wouldn't have tackled it. The view was spectacular, and the sun seemed brighter than it has anywhere else that I have ever been. We even met a friendly Ranger in his 80s, whom my daughters invited to the youngest's birthday party.

We also hiked the Hidden Lake Trail at the top of the Going to the Sun Road. Here the gazillion steps nearly turned me back initially, but once it was back to solid ground, okay really snowy ground in August!, it was a pretty easy hike. Here the mountain goats were close enough to touch and the sheep were visible in the distance.

We got to see the Going to the Sun Road up close, which my great uncle engineered, and we spent time wandering on smaller hikes and strolling by the lakes. It is a gloriously beautiful place that everyone should see.

Toys that Stood the Test of Time

Okay. So we all know how the Christmas toys fall. Some are barely looked at before they are set aside. Some are played with on the day of, and even a few days after, but quickly become old and tired. Then there are the few, the proud, the toys that stand the test of time. These are the toys that two months later, are still being pulled off the shelf everyday. For my girls there are two presents from this Christmas that really stand out. The first is the game Hullabaloo by Cranium. It is a wonderful moving game that practices colors, shapes, and categories. It also focuses on listening, and while they have the winner "do a funky dance" there is no real feeling of losing since we all just dance.

The second, and my favorite, is a handmade gift from their Grandmother, my mom. These dollhouse purses allow them to play pretend with any and all of their current toys. They also make for a great toy when you are heading off to somewhere you know you will be waiting, like the doctor's office. My girls adore these, and I have been known to play a little pretend with them as well.