Monday, June 7, 2010

Road Trip

Well, we survived our longest road trip yet with kids and a dog. Memorial weekend we drove down to visit our friends Shane and Karrie in Medford, OR. (not as far as another dear friend who is at this moment driving here from TX with 3 little ones...) But we all packed in and made the 10 hour drive down. It was wondeful! We had an amazing weekend full of fun and fellowship. Here is a random glimpse:
Pepper was packed in tight. She did great. I only stepped on her once.

We camped on our friend's parents 200 acre ranch. It was beautiful!  No one else but us...and the horses...and cows...and deer...and coyotes...and foxes...

Making smores!
Although he is asleep in the picture, Samuel didn't sleep real well, 
I think he felt cramped between Chris and I and 
awkward in disposable diapers.(he wouldn't poop while wearing one!)

That first night was rough. Samuel didn't sleep well. Chris and I froze. Not to mention that we both woke up to the yapping pack of foxes (we didn't know what they were at the time) that ran around for about 20 minutes. It sounded like there were a hundred of them. We both woke up, but neither dared to move a muscle so we didn't even know the other was awake until the morning!

Elijah: Hurry and take the picture- I'm cold!
Abigail: I'm still groggy but I'll smile.
Samuel: That was not fun. I'm trusting you that we won't do it again.


Cocoa makes everything better. Sorry you can't have any Samuel.

You can see the bathroom just beyond the fire.
Pick a tree - any tree.

It was nice getting mini bouquets of something besides dandelions and wild poppies. They had wild iris, those pinky ones, and 'kitten ears'.

The kids and Pepper enjoyed the freedom to run as far as they dared.

Benjamin, Abigail, and Joshua. "Mom you can go the other way back to camp."

Besides the thrill of teaching small children a whole new use for leaves, we also enjoyed riding a 4-wheeler around the ranch, visiting the ever moving herd of cows and calves (they were eating grass outside our tent one morning!) and going on a hike to see some waterfalls.



The whole clan.

Abigail: 5 1/2     Benjamin: 5
Joshua: 3 1/2      Elijah: < 3
Samuel: 6months   Baby in tummy: due in July


A sign of not enough sleep and WAY too much sugar!

Of course the highlight (at least for Abigail) was riding a horse. 'Grandma Nancy' taught her how to use the reins so she got to ride 'all by herself'! Elijah rode the horse as well, but my camera battery died.

Check out the mini-saddle!!

Well, we did indeed have fun. The trip home was long and arduous, but we made it (2am...).
And in the style of the Mastercard commercials:
Cost of gas: $198
Cost of food: $75
Cost of being stuck in the bathroom for an hour and a half -just steps from the breathtaking view of Crater Lake -during nap time- surrounded by snow -still 8 hours from home : Priceless.

 PS:
A note from Pepper to my doggy cousin Moose:
I got to ride in the 4 wheeler, too! I had fun until I fell out of the trailer and face planted in the gravel. You are not alone in your coordination - I feel your pain.