Richardson Grove

It is always gorgeous up at Richardson Grove and this trip proved to be no different.  The redwoods keep everything cooler and the river is always nice for the kids to raft down.

We went for our usual Redwoods walk with a ranger, but the ranger never showed up.  Ranger Robert stepped up to the plate and I think the kids got more out of that walk than the usual one.  

Austin found a couple of 4 leaf clovers.  The rest of us looked and looked but we were never able to find another.  He's a very lucky boy to have around.  

We spent the rest of our time playing at the lake, taking hikes and sitting around the campfire.  And taking pictures!  It was so wonderful to get all those grandkids together again.  It never takes long for them to get comfortable with each other again and since so many of them are close to someone else's age, they always seem to have a friend to play with.  Here are a few of the many pictures we took.  

The big boys...

 Look at Ethan's face in this picture.  Whatever was being said, he was very, very excited about....

The Grand-Boys

The Grand-Girls

 

The grown-up kids...

Putting the kids up in a really high tree trunk...the best time-out ever. 

 Finding fossils.

 The gun show.

 

I look like an angel in the picture, don't I?  Or maybe a scary ghost?  Everyone else looks pretty terrific though...

 

We loved out camping trip.  It was a perfect break from out 115 degree summer.  Ugh.  We don't get to see enough of the Jones clan and we are glad we got the chance to see (almost) everyone there.  The only people we were missing were Lindi and little Benjamin.  However, camping with a brand new baby would never be on my to-do list, and I'm sure they were both much more comfortable at home.  Lucky for us, we were (up until a couple of weeks ago) living 7 minutes away, so we did get our chances to visit before Nathan and Lindi's big move.  

Now we will start the count down until our next reunion.

The California-Utah Trek

July brought us The Great and Everlasting Trek across the western states.  Well, at least two of them.  We packed up our bags, our camping gear, our dog, three kids and a baby into our trusty van and drove out into the dry Nevada Desert.  Instead of traveling through California, which would have made our trip about 4 hours shorter, we drove North towards Reno.  Why add this extra bit of crazy, you ask?
For Alaina, naturally.  We knew that Molly, Alaina's BFF from Washington was camping with her Dad's family just outside of Reno and we were able to coordinate our trips just enough to meet up for a short play date.

Alaina was so excited that she could hardly contain herself.  The moment we drove into the park, she was out the door and running over to Molly.  (She had made sure to wear her special shirt that Molly had given to her last year.)  Molly's face lit up just as soon as she saw Laina coming too.

Before we got out of the car, the two girls were off playing and catching up.  It was sweet to watch them fall right back into the friendship they had before.

We were able to stay for a little over an hour before she had to pack up and head back to camp.  Saying goodbye has never been easy for Alaina but she handled it well and was still so excited for being able to meet up that she didn't have it in her to dwell on the parting moment.
 

We made it into Santa Rosa a few days before our big Jones Reunion and so we were able to spend a little time with Gina and her family.  One morning the kids played outside and another day we went to the park for a couple of hours.  It was fun getting all those kids together.

Gina came with us on a shopping trip to get food to go camping.  As soon as we drove into the parking lot, Jason fell asleep.  I thought that he would wake up as we walked through the store, but he spent the entire time sleeping in Gina's arms.  Not the frozen food or the meat section even made him stir.  Poor tired boy.  He is almost too big to carry while he sleeps, these days.

In just a few days Hunter will be starting college in Portland.  I can't believe he has gotten so old, so quickly.  I was lucky to be there at his birth and it seems so strange to know that he is walking out into the world by himself.  I had a good talk with him while we were gone and he is full of excitement for his future.  I also made him promise not to get one of those horrible ear-expanding earrings that are so very popular in Portland.  I've never seen so many of them anywhere else.  I'm glad to say that he found them equally unappealing and seemed pretty sure he would never make giant holes in each ear.  :)  (score one for Auntie Christy!)  

Before we headed up to Richardson's Grove, I swung by the old Montecito Meadow's house.  It is so strange not to be able to run up the stairs and bust through the front door.  We did our best to peer into the backyard, but the owner has worked really hard to keep curious eye's out of his backyard with tons of vines and stratigically placed bushes. Who does he think he is?  A celebrity?  Wait....is he?  We'll have to sneak back for another look, just to verify.

I wrote up all of June and now I can finally write about the 4th of July!  I'm so glad because this happens to be one of my favorite holidays.

This year I wanted to do something a little more meaningful for the kids to help them celebrate the 4th, so throughout June we worked on a family project. We found a website, give2ourtroops.org, that collects packages and letters to send to troops who are deployed in war zones.  They list items that the soldiers need but have a hard time getting in the countries they are in.  Things like toiletries, snacky items (beef jerky, gum), and supplies that they hand out to kids/families in need in their areas.  The lists they provide give you lots of room to stay in whatever budget you want to.  In fact, they emphasize that the best thing that soldiers can get is a letter of support.  We let the kids pick out a few items that they each wanted to send from a couple of the lists and trudged off to Walmart to pick it up.  A different day we had Ryan and Anna here to play and we all painted pictures to send.  It involved a lot of paint and a lot of glitter.  What could be better?   When my parents were visiting, we all sat down and talked about what it is like to be a soldier and we all wrote letters to express our gratitude.  The kids letters were so sweet that I decided to write them down:

Ethan:

Dear Troops

We thank you for fighting for the U.S.A.  Also I think it might be hard to leave your family and go fight in wars.  I really appreciate it even though others might not really care.  I hope you can make it back to your family safe.

Sincerely,

Ethan       Thanks.


Austin:

Dear Troops,

Thank you for fighting.  I put you in my prayer each night.  It must be really, really, really, really hard to leave your family and home.  I hope you come home safely.

I have a great grandpa Speakman fight in the army.  We are grateful.  I hope that you win.

From Austin

P.S.  I hope your k-9's are O.K.  And that your K-9's have enough food and water.

Alaina:

Dear Troops,

Thanks for fighting for our country.  It must be really hard to leave your families.  The freedom, education, every thing you fight for, I'm very grateful.  Your in all of my prayers and I think of you every day.  We hope that you and your friends get home saftly.  My great-grand-pa fought in the army. His best friend died bravly.  Your family must be very fritend.  You might be able to tell a pretty good story.

NEVER Fear, Hope's HERE!!!

Sincerely, Alaina

P.S. My uncle is a doctor in the air force!

Aren't those sweet letters?  Sometimes it surprises me how empathetic those little kids could be.  My parents were visiting when we wrote the letters and I think it was good for all of us to express our thanks to the brave men and women who serve our country!

By the 4th (a little late for mailing, oh well) we had everything in a box and sent it off.

Ethan had already left for California the week before, so we had to celebrate our day without hime.  (so sad.)  First we had a festive red-white & blue dinner...

and after baby went to bed....

Robert took the twins on their bikes and rode down to the park for the Henderson fireworks.  Even at 9 at night, it was in the 90's and so by the time they got home they were sweating like crazy and gasping for water.  

I watched the same fireworks from my porch, and even I had to go in to the A/C every few minutes to cool down.  We had originally planned a bunch of activities all through the day but since it was in the 110's by 8 in the morning, we had decided that anything outside was scrubbed out of the schedule.  I love me some parades, but even a parade in sweltering heat is not a whole lot of fun...especially with a little baby.

We did enjoy our day, however, and we are always thankful to have at least one day where we can reflect upon the freedoms we enjoy and the men and women who make those freedoms possible.

Happy Fourth of July!

So.  The beginning of the month brought a very lovely, very brief visit from Jen and her sister Shell.  I met them down on the strip and we caught up over dinner and then after sunset, we headed off to the Neon Sign Museum.  Didn't know that place existed, did you?  I sure didn't.  Apparently all good Vegas signs make their way to die.  

If you can believe it, even after 9 at night, it had only cooled down to the low hundreds.  We spent the entire bone yard tour sweating and downing as much water as we could manage. 

The museum is pretty unique, though with all its rusty glitter and faded glory.  

Here is our little Jason eating a Popsicle for the first time. I'm thinking he likes it.

And here he is rocking a pair of goggles.  It's a good look for him.  

Then came a visit from Mom and Dad Scribner as they ended their month long voyage from Utah graduations, to N. California graduations, to watching Lora give birth to Joseph in L.A., to painting walls in Spence's new house, back to Lora's for a few days and on to Vegas where they stopped with us for a few days.

Robert took off for a two week trip and so we were forced to celebrate Father's Day without him.  We all dressed up nice for church and took a picture to send him.  Then we ate a really nice breakfast on our own.  :(

The night they came in we took them to the mountains to watch the Music Man.  

Then we spent the rest of the time just hanging out, washing baby,

playing games.

and, of course, eating some of Mom's home made bread.  Yum!

A day after Mom and Dad arrived, Lindi had her baby.  Here she is with one-day old baby Benjamin.

Is it fair that anyone can look so wonderful right after having a baby?  

Little Benjamin is just about the sweetest little babe I've ever seen.  We are going to miss the other Nevada Joneses now that they've up and moved across the US.  

After my parents left, Tom, Annette and Tonnette came for a visit to see the new baby.  Robert finally came home and we decided to celebrate a real Father's Day with him.  

It was double the fun with Grandpa around.

We were so busy running back and forth that I only took a few pictures.   Here we are in the pool.  I should clarify.  Annette, Tom and I were sitting with are feet in the pool while the rest of the crazies spent the afternoon finding more and more dangerous ways to jump into the water.  Look at Ethan's silly mug in this shot!

 Nathan became the favorite mode of transportation for Ryan and Austin

Strangely enough, I think Robert told Bella to jump....

Tonnette hanging with Alaina and Anna.

Jason is my first picky eater.  He likes about five things.  Cheese, grapes, apples and....olives and pickles.  Isn't that the norm for babies?

As the month came to a close, Grandma and Grandma Jones (and Aunt T) flew away into the big blue sky.  The only difference with this flight is that they took my very big boy Ethan with them.  This was his first trip without Mom or Dad and we were as homesick for him as he was excited to be out on his own.  He loved the entire trip and especially all the time he was able to spend with his grandparents and cousins.  I don't know if I was ready for this trip but he sure was.

Now the twins are begging for a chance to be next.  How did I get such big kids?