Over the river and through the woods...

To Grandmother's (and Grandpa's too!) house we go,

the truck knows the way to carry us all

through the green and dusty road OH

Over the river and through the woods

Now is this ride quite over?

It's one more town and one more turn

as over the river we go...

Or something like that! The last week of July I loaded the boys and we headed up over the mountains to Geneva to see Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Rachael and her kids, Uncle James and his kids, Aunt Hailey and her kids and Aunt Sarah and her kids. The drive was carefully and strategically planned to coincide with nap time which I thought for sure would get us as close to our destination as possible but both boys decided to rise and shine (boy did they shine) right before Kemmerer and for the last 16 miles all I heard was I'm hungry, more crackers please, and crying from the hungry 1 year old who can't say I'm hungry but sure can scream it. And so we made a pit stop at Kemmerer and got something to eat and eventually pulled into Geneva around 2 that afternoon. I'm glad they slept for as long as they did in the truck because, as is the case when staying at the grandparents', there was little sleep to be had the rest of the week. However there was fun in store and we ate it up! Tuesday evening we went fishing and Wy caught 2 fish with his spiderman pole; Whiteny caught 1; Hannah caught 1; Ethan caught 2 and that was dinner Wednesday night grilled with some fresh veggies from the greenhouse - yumm yumm! Wednesday morning Wy, Rily and Ethan took Grandpa and Grandma fishing once more and 6 more fish came home with them. They seem to be very persuasive fishermen :)

Tuesday and Wednesday we spent the day canning green beans for my mom and at close of business we had done 39 pints and 14 quarts of beans and that's not even the beginning of all the beans left to can! Glad I got to help out and learn a little more about canning. I really admire my sister and sisters-in-law as they all know what the heck they are doing and well I, I take a recipe to can pinto beans and turn them into refried beans without even trying. We were just glad that there was not broken glass and beans to scrape off the ceiling (all of you who know my history with jell-o and minute rice may commence laughing - wait for it - NOW!). Heidi thinks I'm an idiot and that I don't listen to instructions and I think she just might be on to something. Now I'm even more apprehensive about getting a pressure canner.

Thursday I packed up and came home, leaving my boys in very capable and loving hands to stay until Sunday but don't think I didn't want to get up Saturday morning and go retrieve said children. It was nice to have a date night with Brad and attend the Jo Dee Messina concert without worrying about a babysitter and getting home early (although we were home and in bed by 11, 11:30 at the latest - are we old or what?) but we were sure glad Sunday afternoon when we pulled into Mt. View and saw our boys sitting on a picnic table with my mom and dad. Our silence was over as Wyatt talked our ears off but it was fun to listen to him share all of his adventures and all the new sayings he picked up from aunts (thanks Rachy!) uncles (still not sure who taught him that phrase he shared Tuesday night after fishing) and cousins.

While we went to a concert Thursday night my mom and dad took all 12 of their grandkids to the circus in Montpelier. Wyatt was so excited and reported that there were lions and tigers but no bears oh my (his words, not mine) and that he only fell off the seat once and Aunt Ria gave him a hug. Thanks for taking care of our klutz!

We are grateful for family and are so happy that we can travel a few short hours and spend time with siblings, parents, nieces and nephews. How does anyone survive this world without the support of family? Thanks mom and dad for taking the boys. We love you!