Hiking Mount Helena

With no house projects to do, we are pretty free during the weekends. So, we are trying to be Adventurous! We want to experience all we can around Helena. (and then be able to persuade people to come visit us with all the cool things they could experience. LOL)

So today, we decided to have Justice take us on the hike that he did with his Scout Group around Mount Helena. It was a little steep and long for our inexperienced hiking family but we did it! We took tons of "breaks" along the way and it took us 3 times longer than it did for the Scouts but it was totally worth it! The views are PHENOMENAL! The Devil's Kitchen rock and cave was one of the kid's favorite things. And we even saw a couple deer on the side of the path. Crazy! Where are we living?? The beauty here amazes me!

George the Sleeping Giant

When you visit or drive through Helena Montana, the mountain range to the north is called the Sleeping Giant.

The Sleeping Giant, is located north of Helena, MT and can be seen from the south hill. It is called The Sleeping Giant because it looks like a giant man lying down sleeping. It is easily viewed from the south end of town, especially if you are on the south end of the hill, like Montana Ave. This main road through Helena, MT is a perfect view to get a glimpse of this spectacular site. To get a close up view, you simply drive a few miles north on Highway 15, heading toward Great Falls, MT. 

The Sleeping Giant is one of our favorite things about Helena. For some reason, the kids started calling him George the first week we got here. And the name stuck! So now every time we drive into town, we look for George, the Sleeping Giant. It's kindof a fun family tradition! We even got to drive up pretty close to him when we visited the Gates of the Mountains. We love George!
*These are a couple of pictures that we actually took of him ourselves.

Glory's 1st Day of Kindergarten

My baby started Kindergarten today at Eastgate Elementary. I can NOT even believe it! She has been so excited to be a big kid. She was way brave and didn't even blink an eye when I left. I think I may have gotten more emotional but Liberty's still home sick. So maybe next week, it will settle in that I'm a Daytime Empty Nester. Or maybe I'll throw a party! ;)

Glory had a fantastic first day! When I asked her what her favorite part was, she replied, "EVERYTHING!!!" Luv her to pieces! So glad she loves it.

Meeting Mrs. Johnson

Even though Glory starts tomorrow, she got to go in and meet her teacher today. She is SOOOOO excited for school. What a cutie!

Glory & Mrs. Johnson

1st day of School at Radley: Justice & Victoria

Justice and Victoria started school today at Radley Elementary. They were a little nervous but we got them all settled in their classes and they did great! After school, they rode the shuttle bus over to the Eastgate Elementary (the K thru 1st grade) because it's closer to our apartment. I picked them up there. Yeah! We survived the 1st day! Wahoo!

P.S. Liberty came down with a flu bug so she stayed home. Bummer! AND Glory starts tomorrow!

Trips to the Laundromat are Over!!!!!

Oh the joys of moving and apartment living!

We included our washer & dryer with the selling of our house in North Dakota. Mostly because we didn't want to move them and also because we've been meaning to upgrade anyhow.
Unfortunately, that meant several weeks of using the

Clean & Coin Laundromat

1411 11th Ave Helena, Mt 59601‎

(406) 442-9395

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
It's a lot of work to haul 4 kids and several bags of laundry across town. Not to mention all the quarters and time it takes to get it all done. Thank heavens for WiFi. ;)
It was kind of an adventure and a fun memory and the kids were amazing at helping but let's just say- I'm glad that's over!
We finally had Sears deliver our brand new gorgeous RED front loaders today. They are beautiful but I am still a little scared of making the jump. I know people say they work great but really? To me- it seems like trying to clean Justice after he's played a muddy football game with a spray bottle and twirling him in circles. Guess we'll see if these water & energy-saving beauties really live up to their reputation and price. They are RED though so they've already scored points in my book! LOL

P.S. Sept 26, 2013 This is pretty funny and OK... I'll admit not the safest thing the kids could be doing with their spare time. LOL But the kids started laughing really hard in the front room and told me to come check it out. This is what I saw.....

Silly girl! See!!! This really is a LARGE capacity washer! LOL

Meeting the Co-Workers

Brett's work situation just keeps getting more amazing here all the time! We are very lucky!

Another co-worker is moving here in a couple months. So, Brian and his wife Lindsey came to do a house hunting trip this weekend. We wanted to make sure we met them so we went out to dinner together. We tried out the Mackenzie River Pizza Company. It's a gourmet pizza place. It was pretty good food!

AND Brian and Lindsey are awesome!!!! They brought one of their kids with them (the baby) and my kids adored her. We had lots to talk about and they are so nice!

Then the night before they left, we went to dinner with everyone from the office. Let me tell you--- we are going to have a blast together! The kids all played and held the baby while the adults visited and laughed. The men talked sports and even came up with nicknames for each other. LOL
I am so excited for Brett and his work situation here. It's going be great!

P.S. I haven't quite broke into my "picture taker of everyone" self. I'm my normal self with my family but taking pictures of new friends???.......not quite there yet. Hence- no pictures of the Andersons. Soon enough, I'm sure. LOL

1st Montana GNO

I mentioned that our ward is known as the Party Ward here in Helena. Well... the ladies planned a Birthday GNO tonight and I got invited. One of my new friends, Jenny B. came and got me. We joined the other ladies for dinner/dessert at Applebee's to celebrate a couple of the ladies birthdays (Heather & Christa).
There ended up being about 15 ladies that came. Way fun and right up my alley!
One way cute thing was--- You know how when you end up with a huge group like that and you sit at a long table--- You never get to talk to the ladies at the other end. So someone decided we were going to play musical chairs. Every 20 minuted or so, we would all stand up and rotate 2 chairs to the right. That way, you always had a couple different ladies across the table from you to start a new conversation with.
I'm sure the waitresses hated us but it was so much fun!!!!!

Back Yard Fun

For picking our apartment online and from across the country, we really lucked out. Our apartment is conveniently located and has an amazing back grassy area for the kids to play. They are out there everyday! We play family games, set up obstacles courses, collect bugs, play with the neighbor's cat, enjoy the flowers, have grass fights and play with friends back there! Lots of fun!

Setting up our Smart TV

Part of moving has brought us to a point where we have had to make decisions of whether to upgrade in regards to the Technological World. For the record- we are very behind the times!
One of the upgrades we decided on was to get a new TV for the Master bedroom. We found a good deal on a "Smart TV". A what?, you say or at least that's what I was saying. I didn't know they even existed but now we have one. We are becoming very SMART here in Helena.

The setup of our new fun gadget was hilarious! We laughed our heads off because as we were setting it up, it asked us to pick between 3 different sounds. If I'm being totally honest- there was NOT any difference between the 3. We listened to them all over and over again and finally just did eenie-meenie-minnie-moe. Maybe Brett and I just have bad hearing?
We had the kids take a picture of our adventure and the look on my face captured the moment perfectly. LOL
Oh the joys of moving and upgrading! You just have to laugh.

Memorial Park

We had heard from a couple people that Helena does free lunch at Memorial Park during the Summer so we looked into it. Turns out that it's only during June and July but the kids and I took our own lunch and went anyways. It's right next to the Last chance Splash Park (and a ice skate rink/warming house for the Winter). It has a huge outdoor stage, lots of Memorials to different wars, and lots of red, white and blue!!! A park for the Seamons, for sure!

It also has an amazing Play Fort for the kids. We ate and then the kids played for a long time! Fun times!

Exploration Works

Our last deal with our tour Train Ticket was a DISCOUNT at Exploration Works (http://www.explorationworks.org/).  ***An innovative, hands-on museum of science and culture, located in the new Great Northern Town Center development in downtown Helena, Montana, ExplorationWorks offers programs and exhibits that appeal to diverse audiences in an engaging discovery of the sciences, technology, social sciences, culture and everyday life.***
We had so much fun! They had lots of things to do. Here's some of the fun things we tried:

Our favorite part was the life-size Metal Pin Art.We laughed our heads off by our creations. We're so funny!!!!! Here's a few we did:

Latte's & Sundaes

Here we are at Latte's & Sundaes (http://www.lattesandsundaes.com/) for our FREE scoop of ice cream or a cookie! They had some interesting flavor choices. It was fun to try. We may have to come back and try out some of their lunch specials. 

Justice's Scout Hike

Justice got to do a hike around Mount Helena today with his Scout group. I sent a camera with him but he forgot to take it out. So here's some of his Webelo group at the Library after they finished. Way to go, Bud! We plan on having him take the family up there sometime. 

Family Sunday Walk

Our family LOVES our Sunday Walks!!! We have decided that since we no longer have a block to walk around- that we would each take a week and pick the route we would take. Here's some shots of our route for today. It's gorgeous! We LOVE the mountains and seeing wildlife! Today, we saw several bunnies.

I also included a picture of the train that runs and Whoot-Whoo-s past our home several times each night. Oh the memories we will have of apartment living! ;)

Linger Longer & Flat tire at Church

We've discovered that our Ward is quite the Party Ward. Every 3rd Sunday, they have a Linger Longer after Church. They decide on a theme and everyone brings something to share. The theme this week was SANDWICHES. There was lots of food and lots of people. After getting our food, our family sat down at a table and no one sat by us. ;( That is until.... the Bishop came over and joined us. Then in his very loud voice (he's not a shy man by any means), he announced his disappointment in the Ward Members for not being welcoming to us. He said he'd have to make up for their slacker-ism. It was pretty funny! It was fun to visit with him and also meet some new people.
We were pretty much the last people out of the building. Guess we like to visit! To our dismay, when we reached our van, we discovered that we had a flat tire.
Everyone else had already left, so we had no choice but to change it out before we could head home. LOL The kids were a great help. What a Sunday adventure!

The Painted Pot

At The Painted Pot (http://www.paintedpothelena.com/), the Train Tour ticket allows you to make and take (or at least come back in a week to get it) a FREE ceramic magnetic in the shape of Montana. As a family, we tried out our artistic skills today. There was a place like this in Fargo so it brought back good memories. Fun times!

Taco de Sol

Along the Walking Mall, we stopped by Taco de Sol (http://tacodelsol.com/) for lunch for our FREE fountain soda. We also all got some tacos. They were so good! We will definitely be going back sometime. Yum!

The Parrot Confectionery

We had to stop by The Parrot Confectionery (http://www.parrotchocolate.com/) for some hand dipped treats. We all picked a chocolate and some Turkish Delight. Yum! Yum!

On the 26th- the kids and I went back for a Tour through the kitchen. We were supposed to see them hand-dip the chocolate but the Dipper had called in sick. Bummer! Guess we'll have to go back again sometimes. Darn! It was pretty neat though because the man that took us on the tour was Brian Ackerman- who just happens to be the owner. Aren't we special? LOL

Birds & Beaseleys

Birds & Beasleys (http://www.birdsandbeasleys.com/) offers a FREE gift to Train Tour riders. You can choose from like 5 different gifts. Choices included caramel bars, a bag of huckleberry popcorn, a spinning top, a small frame of an artist painting of different birds or a coloring book. We all left way happy! This FREE gift alone makes up for your train ticket. Pretty awesome!

Walking Mall

A few of our FREE deals are located along the Last Chance Gulch Walking Mall. We spent some time up there today. The Tour Train drove us through it but it was fun to walk down it as well. Here's some of the fun things we saw:

There are statues all over

One of the stores provides chalk

Reminiscent of the gold Miners 

An old Trolley

Taking a nap while Mom shopped in the Quilt Store

**The Last Chance Gulch Pedestrian Mall is located at the famous Last Chance Gulch in beautiful historic downtown Helena.

The Big Dipper

We heard a really great place for ice cream here in Helena is The Big Dipper. (http://www.bigdippericecream.com/) We had plans tonight to stop by one of our FREE deals but it was closed. So we went to The Big Dipper instead. YUM! We sat up in the loft. Way fun!

Last Chance Splash Park

During Brett's lunch break today, we went to the Last Chance Splash Park. (http://www.lastchancesplash.com/) We also met the Payne's there. It was perfect weather. We had a blast! Their prices are amazing and there's stuff to do for all ages. So fun!
Here's the Lazy River:

They have 2 different slides. One that is slower and winds around. And the green one that gives you whiplash and a wedgie! I know from experience! LOL

There is also free life jackets, a lap pool, a section to just play in the water,some diving boards and a little Snack Shack. They also have a little Splash Pad area but we never made it over there. What a fun place! Thanks to the Payne's for hanging out with us!

1st RS Activity with Liberty

Here's Liberty working on the PJ bottoms

Liberty and I were brave and went to the Relief Society Activity tonight. It was a sewing night so it was right up our alley. They were making pillowcases to donate to the local Children's hospital. They were also making reversible skirts and pajama bottoms. A few days ago, I took Liberty to get some fabric for a skirt because I thought it would be fun to do together. And I also got some fabric for pillowcases as well.
Tonight, we got started on a pillowcase but decided to spend our time learning how to make the skirt. That is.... until Liberty found some fabric in the RS stash that she HAD to make into PJ bottoms. It was quite the busy night for us! But Liberty is one happy girl so we'll call it a success!!! Luv ya, Sissy! We also decided that making pillowcases may be a great Young Woman's project for Liberty so we'll work on those later.

Finished PJs

Finished Skirt

Great Northern Carousel & Out to Lunch

One of the FREE things on the back of our ticket was a ride on the Great Northern Carousel. (http://www.gncarousel.com/) I took the kids there today. It's a beautiful indoor carousel. They also have a fun little extra activity. While you are spinning in circles- you can grab these little plastic rings from this machine (see right bottom corner of collage). It's a little tricky but if you end up with the golden ring- you get a free ride! Also- if you get a different color ring- you can throw it at the hoops of the bear (pictured in the right top). It's kind of a fun way to keep your mind off of going around and around in circles. Anyone dizzy yet? LOL

Also- we choose today because Helena also does an Out to Lunch Activity all Summer on Thursdays. They have different bands come perform and offer food vendors outdoor of the Carousel. Two birds with one stone. I love it!!

Last Chance Tour Train

We heard that one of the best thing to do to start seeing Helena is to ride the Last Chance Tour Train. (http://lctours.com/) It's about an hour train ride all over downtown Helena. They take you through the old neighborhoods, past the Cathedral, by the Capital, through the walking mall, past the old Governor's Mansion, near our Church, past several Historical sites and you may even see the Wildlife roaming the streets. Way cool! We had a great time! I loved hearing the stories behind all the places.

It's not way cheap but on the back of the ticket- it has coupons/ free deals for several other things in town. Even if you do a couple of those things, you end up paying for your ticket. Awesome! And who doesn't like a train ride?? The day was beautiful. What a way to start off our Adventures in Helena!

Here's some of the sites:

Clark's Bay

Luckily, we made it to Church on Sunday so we could meet a few people. The Ward members were way friendly. In Relief Society, they announced that they were having playgroup at Clark's Bay on Wednesday. It sounded fun so I invited the Payne's to join us and followed Christa (a lady in our Ward) to the Bay.
It was only like 15 minutes away and it was gorgeous! It's located on the north edge of Hauser Lake which is part of the Missouri River. There turned out to be a really large group of people that came. I tried to be brave and meet as many people as I could. It's scarier than I remember. LOL It was a warm day and perfect for playing in a lake. The kids had a great time!

The Bagel Company

We left our washer & dryer with our house so we are slaves to the laundry mat for a while. Lucky us!!! On one of our trips, we decided to go to lunch at a little place next to the Clean & Coin while we waited.
The Bagel Company was awesome!!! Everyone got to pick what bagel they wanted and what they wanted to top it with. They had pretty much anything you could think of to put on a bagel. Yummy! And a fun toy corner for the kids. A definite place to go back to!

The Bagel Company

735 N. Last Chance Gulch

(406) 449-6000

OR

1421 11th Avenue

(406) 443-1900

Meeting the Paynes

It's a new concept for us but Brett's boss has been awesome to make us feel welcome. He and his family had us over tonight for dinner. The kids totally hit it off! They had a blast!
Their home has this awesome back view. During and after dinner, we spent quite a bit of time checking out the wildlife hanging out in the field behind them. Brett was in heaven with the mountain view and the animals.
It was way fun to get to know them. I think we'll be great friends!

The Donut Hole

As we were driving around town, we came across this little donut shop. It looked shut down (there was only one car in the parking lot) but the sign said OPEN so we stopped. We were a little leery- I mean afterall it's called the DONUT HOLE but we braved it. It was pretty good! Not a Sandy's or a Krispy Kreme but it will do! The worker said the mornings are crazy busy so we may have to come back sometime in the morning to experience that.
Thumbs up from the Seamons gang!

The Donut Hole

406.443.2325

20 East Lyndale Avenue

Deer Sighting in Montana City

Since we don't know anyone ad we have nothing in our apartment yet, we decided to take a drive to Montana City today. It's a couple miles south of Helena. I forgot how beautiful the mountains are! Gorgeous!!!

As we were heading home, right on the side of the road- we sighted a deer next to the road. I got out and took a couple pictures of it before it headed over to the next yard to find something else to munch on. You don't see that much where we came from. ;)