We arrived on Sunday afternoon and got settled in to the barn/shop/apartment which was just perfect. The apartment had its own kitchen and bath, and we shoved two couches together to make the perfect bed with edges for the twins. Dad and Shari had a portable crib for Christian.
Mom came down from Salem and also spent the week with us. Michael and Jill and Olivia arrived on Monday. Troy and Crea and Theo and Mose were there, and we got to see Lee and Morgan a little bit, too. Carol came to see us one day; Betty and Joan and Allan visited one evening.
Dad has created a beautiful swimming lake, complete with island, dock, boats, lounge chairs, picnic table, umbrellas, toys, and a sandy beach. We spent time relaxing there. The boys mainly played on the dock and the beach. Chris did a lot of swimming and some boating. Chris also brought his bike along so he could ride--I was impressed with how he tackled all those crazy hills!
On Wednesday, Michael, Jill, Olivia, and the Herb-5 went to the Wildlife Safari. We drove through the park and saw all sorts of animals. Then we had lunch there, and after that we let the boys feed the goats at the petting zoo.
Dad has several "Mules" which are open-aired vehicles that everyone uses to tool around the ranch. This was Thomas's favorite thing--he liked riding in them, and was happy just sitting on one when it wasn't moving. Matthew enjoyed all the space to run around, though he really suffered from allergies. Christian had a good time, too--he liked the people holding him and the good food. On Thursday, we rode the mule to go blackberry picking, and the twins loved blackberries. Blackberry picking was over, however, when I got stung by a bee or hornet. Ouch!
Michael and Chris (and Jill, too) did a bunch of shooting at the gun range on the ranch. It was great for them to get practice and enjoy the challenge, too.
Finally, Friday was our day to make the long trek home. Another 24 hours--this time at least one baby, and often 2 or 3, were crying or screaming nearly the entire trip. It was quite miserable, and we were so happy when we finally arrived home yesterday at about 12:30. We did have one enjoyable stop--we picked up Taco Bell and enjoyed dinner in a park in Yreka. The boys played on the slides, and we thought we'd worn them out so that the would sleep for hours . . . unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. Matthew didn't get sick (normally the puker), but Thomas got sick from the winding hills.
Can't wait to go again next year!!
xo, j&c, m&t&c
