Scotland playing ball with his cousin Bryce

The first leg of our trip was spent with my folks in Moxee, WA gettting Scotland adjusted in preparation to leave him for two weeks (Ack!) Five of my other siblings were also there! It made for a mini-reunion, which was super fun. My parents live on a gorgeous estate/hobby farm. They have a host of chickens, a few ducks, a dog, a horse and by luck a pen full of baby chicks and a new litter of baby kittens! Their four acres complete with rolling hills, secret wooded hideaways, and various water sources makes for a child's paradise.

My Dad leaned these branches up against this tree to preserve them for planned a tree house, the resulting tipi is good enough for these boys.

Living it up pantless in the kiddie pool

It got up to 80 degrees Friday. To celebrate the warmth and sunshine we pulled out the kiddie pool. Kids captivation with water, is a lesson you learn early in parenthood. My parents have a pond with a fountain in their front yard, in the past the grandkids loved walking across the little bridge and throwing rocks and leaves in the pond. After many frustrations cleaning out all those rocks and leaves, my parents decided that they were going to have to impose a rule of no throwing rocks in the pond. (Much the grandkids' chagrin.) Knowing that removing such a beloved activity would be unsuccessful, we sought to remedy it with a replacement. An aluminum bucket filled with water did the trick. Everytime we all went outside the children would gather around the pail and throw in in their rocks. My mother always taught me “You never take something from a child without replacing it.” She's wise.

My mom planned a hot dog roast. My dad is planting grass in the area they usually hold their bonfires, so we chose a new spot on a ledge overlooking their newly planted vineyard. It was a bit precarious, and there wasn't much in the way of seating, but we had a great time, and the kids were in heaven.

(One of the first things I'm going to buy/build when we get settled is a little table for Scotland. Everything is more fun at a table your size.)

Our rustic picnic view- not too shabby. (The tall stakes are for hops.)

Brigette, Keiton, Trevor and Coleman

I always forget how tiny they are when they're this young.

Cousin time