Aunt Michelle Had a Farm, E-I-E-I-O....

Oh Boy, do we have a lot to report from our week in Spokane. First off, I have to tell you that Jed's sister, Michelle, along with her husband, Tom, children, Tessa and Matt, 5 dogs, 2 cats, two ponies, two horses, a bunch of cows and chickens, 2 pigs and some goldfish live on the most beautiful property that exists in this country. Seriously, it is so lush and breathtaking. It is for this reason and all that the property offers that we decided to have a big reunion at their homestead. The only regret that I have to report is that Jed's brother, Ryan, wasn't able to make it. We sure missed you Ryan! The rest of the report is as follows:


Catching Chickens and Pigs: I am not quite sure if I should start with this, but after polling the boys and all of the cousins, this activity was at the top of all of their lists of great memories for the week. The men made it their quest to catch this one particularly ornery rooster. It may seem like an easy task, but if you have ever tried to catch a rooster, you will know that it is quite tricky. It was hilarious watching the kids and men running around, totally out of breath, as the bird repeatedly escaped their grasp. I am not sure, however, if that was more amusing or watching them try to catch the pig (to avoid looking like a complete redneck family, I am not going to mention that the pig was lathered in butter--we'll just leave that detail out!). Those pigs are strong creatures!


Coeur D'alene Lake: Another highlight was a trip to Coeur D'alene, Idaho for the day. We had lunch at the park. Then spent time splashing in the lake before playing on the playground. It was a beautiful area and a very fun day.

Birthday Party: This event is documented in the previous post.


ATVs: Uncle Tom's ATVs are a HUGE thrill for Davis. How could he resist the repeated requests, "Uncle Tom, can I ride your A-T-V?" Tom, you are a champ!


The Trampoline: Oh how the kids LOVED the trampoline. They jumped and jumped and jumped and jumped. I am not sure all of the games that they played out on that tramp, but sometimes they were dinosaurs, or good-guys and bad-guys, or having dance contests...I am not sure all that went on out there, but there was a TON of giggles because of that equipment.


Strawberry Picking: Not far from Tom and Michelle's house there are a group of farms that neighbor each other, more or less. When the different farms have things in season they are open to the public and you can go and pick all the produce you want (for a minimal cost of course). Lucky for us, strawberries are in season. Yum-yum! The kids picked and picked and ate and ate and ate. It was great. Afterward we went to another farm for ice cream. Delicious!

Projects: Of course I had to bring a couple of art projects for the kids...I couldn't resist. My favorite was decorating Frisbees and then having contests with them.


Fire Pit: What would a farm be without a great fire pit? Two nights we enjoyed dinner made over the fire and SMORES. Each night Kate was a filthy little girl, but boy was she happy!

Paint ball shooting: Jed brought his paint ball gun and the kids (of all ages) enjoyed shooting at trees, tin cans and a wheelbarrow.

Grandma Nila's Reading Club: Jed's mom started this tradition a couple of Christmas' ago. When we are all together we have Grandma's Reading Club (that is what I call it anyway). She gives all of the kids new books and then the adults pair up with a child and the older children read a few pages to that adult and the adults with the younger children read their books to them. After a few minutes the kids switch. I just love that Grandma Nila is passing on her love of books and learning to this next generation.


A few other memorable things: The adult (I won't mention any names...Pam, Jed, Nila, Tom, Kristin...) fascination with Nintendo DS, Owen learning to play video games with Spencer and Sean, Kate seeking out Aunt Kristin, Cousin Jacob (not quite two years old) saying, "No fair!", Davis' new found love (besides the ATV), a dart gun from Aunt Kristin and Uncle Matt, Cousin Spencer telling Owen, "Owen, there are two things about you, you always wear those yellow sunglasses (this is true he would rarely take them off. He has another pair, but this pair is bigger and blocks out more of the sun, he has informed me.) and you like to boss people around (also true)," late night talks with the adults about politics, the future of our families and reminiscing about old memories, and did I mention...LOTS AND LOTS OF FOOD!

Thanks for all the fun...we miss you all already!