Stop #6 Butte/Fairmont, Montana
After leaving our old stomping grounds in Bozeman, it was time to make our way to visit my family and where I grew up in Butte and Fairmont. As luck would have it, our sweet niece Joey was celebrating her 2nd birthday while we
were in town so when we arrived in Butte we went straight to my sisters house to see her and her family. Claire and Henry were pretty excited to see their cousins, aunt and uncles, and grandma and grandpa. I don’t think the kids stopped running around and laughing until it was well passed bedtime. Cousin Ella stayed the night with us at grandma’s house almost every night and grandma was a trooper and stayed in the camper with the girls a few nights as Claire was really looking forward to “camping”.
While we were visiting Fairmont we took the kids fishing at the same pond I grew up fishing in. 
The kids spent some time catching grasshoppers for bait and than cousin Anthony and I set up the poles for the kiddos to try their luck. Claire and Ella weren’t very interested in fishing and spent most of their time catching grasshoppers and frogs while Anthony and Avery fished and Henry snuggled his momma in the side by side. It was nice to watch the kids roam the same creek bed and woods that my brother, sister, and I played in while growing up. Henry really enjoyed strolling around and looking for golf balls and old shell casing left behind by my brother and I eons ago. Grandma kept the 
kids entertained by painting rocks for her garden and offering them an endless supply of sugary treats. Claire and Ella kept themselves entertained with the
stick horses at grandma’s house and road them inside, in the yard, and down the road rounding up cows and making sure the horses were getting their exercise.
While at Fairmont, we went to my grandmother Shirley’s house and had the pleasure of seeing quite a few of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course Grandma Shirley. It was nice to catch up with family that we have not seen in a few years. My sister Cassie and her husband Ryan had a really nice birthday party for Joey where we were able to see more family and spend more quality time just relaxing and catching up.
An added bonus about spending some time in Butte was getting to see Claire’s biological mother, Miranda, and her family. God has a plan for how things are supposed to play out, and through Miranda and her selfless act, we were lucky enough to adopt Claire at birth about 6 years ago. We have a special bond with 
Miranda and her family and consider them an extension of our family. We met at Clark’s Park where the kids could run around and play while the adults could sit and enjoy the beautiful day.
Our time in Butte and Fairmont consisted of lots of playing, snacking, family time, and showing the kids all of the fun things I did while growing up. Henry loved playing with my old cars, trucks, and farming toys while Claire was on cloud nine when I let her sit in my lap and “drive” on the dirt road that lead to grandma Susan’s house. One of Claire’s bedtime routine usually consists of me telling her stories of when I was a little boy so she had me show her the fort I built with my brother and cousin, the pond where I caught frogs, and anything else she could remember from those bedtime 
stories. It was fun to relive my childhood a bit through her eyes and watch her and Henry get excited over the same simple things that I loved to do years and years ago.
Our time spent in Butte and Fairmont went by much too quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to say our goodbye’s, give some hugs, and load up in the car and make our way west to Washington. Kileigh, the kids, and I would like to say thank you to our family in Butte and Fairmont for their love, support, all the food, and fun and we cannot wait to see you all again soon!
