We had yet another busy weekend! But I guess that’s what they are for, to fit in all those things you can’t do during the week because you are at work and the kids are in school. We went east to Arlington, where I grew up (Population: 524) to visit with my Dad and also stop in to see my Grandma.
Question: How many cattle guards are there between our house and Papa Ron’s? Answer: 6
It was beautiful weather and the girls got up bright and early on Saturday morning to help Papa feed the horses.
This is Cocoa, the pony. I love his blonde hair!
the girls with Papa & Marta's newest equine addition - Bailey, she's very sweet!
Charlie was loving the outdoors!
Papa and the girls, wearing the brightest colors ever.. They went to get "dressed" and apparently all that meant was layering a bunch of warm clothing over the top of their jammies. Hence, Veda in her nightgown and snow boots. Goofballs!
Then Papa set out to install a heater for the water trough...
...because the horses were having a bit of trouble drinking from this...
..he even put Mark to work...
..and then I noticed he was wearing a Columbia hat that I had not seen before, turns out it's about 10 years old (he thought) and he said he only wears it when it's really cold because it doesn't look like much, but it keeps his head really warm! Kira/Karen - what do you think?
Then we went back inside to warm up and the dogs were loving the hot fire in the woodstove. Papa fell in love with little Rudy the moment he streaked by his feet when we arrived Friday evening. It was pretty cute to see them snuggling in the chair. Rudy is a great lap dog, and he’s so darn cute it’s hard to not get attached. I was afraid we were going to have to pry them apart when we left!
We played a new game I picked up while shopping on Black Friday, it's called "Mad Gab". I highly recommend listening to the suggested playing rules, and pick one person to read out loud while the others listen. It's a lot harder than it looks!
Of course Rudy got in on the action..
and then it was naptime! so sweet!
In the afternoon we made the drive along the creek (currently dry as a bone) over to my Grandma Brooks’ ranch.
Question: How many cattle guards are between Papa’s house and Grandma’s? Answer: 8
I love this ranch for so many reasons, but mainly because it’s been my Grandparent’s ranch since before I was born, so all of my memories of my Grandpa (who passed away in March of ’99) are at this house. Every time I visit I am filled with the most wonderful warmth and happiness. It’s a piece of heaven in my opinion, see for yourself…
This is the garden and the greenhouse, you should see all the beautiful colors in the Spring and Summer, I will definitely have to post again then.
Here is the gazebo where I have the most wonderful memories of my Grandpa holding tiny Claire, just weeks old. My Mom and my sister were home from Las Vegas and the weather was gorgeous. We were all mesmerized by the sweetness of this little girl. I really wish she could remember this too, she would have loved his laughter.
The barn, where we used to play as kids. There was a loft up top (it has since aged and become not safe to climb up to) that we used to play in for hours on end, and the tack room where I used to picture my Mom as the 1967 Arlington Rodeo Queen, getting her horse ready for a parade.
My Grandma now lives there alone, but my cousin and his family live just a mile up the road and help her take care of the ranch. We were fortunate enough to see them also that day, and my Mom came out and brought my nephews (my brother and his wife were at a Larry the Cable Guy show that evening, yeah buddy). So Grandma Brooks had a house full of great grandchildren and it was a lot of fun!
It took awhile for Hunter to warm up to all the chaos, but as soon as you put the camera on him, he knows how to turn on the cuteness!
Wyatt was showing the girls the new wrestling moves he learned this fall...
My Mom with my nephews, they are definitely Grandma's Boys.
This is my cousin Chet's little boy Kade, he thought Rudy was pretty cool.
When it came time to try and get them all wrangled in for a group photo with Great Grandma, Hunter wasn't really in the mood anymore. But he did stay there long enough to capture this, which he will be teased about the rest of his life I'm sure. I know this because as I was taking pictures, my Mom recounted a story about how I was always the one crying in the group shots when we were little. Thanks Mom!
I had to throw this one in for redemption, could he be any cuter?
This is the wallpaper in my Grandparent's sitting room off the kitchen, it has always been a favorite of mine. That and the velvet flocked naked lady wallpaper that used to be in the downstairs bathroom that was referred to as "Grandpa's bathroom". Did I mention it was bright red?! My Grandpa was amazing!
It was another fantastic weekend and it was great to see everyone. Thanks to Dad and Marta for opening up their home to us, they always make us feel like we have lived there all along. See you again soon!
Papa and Wyatt playing with "orange bob".
Claire taking more boy-cousin-abuse, which she is used to since she has a total of 7 of them, with one more on the way!
And finally, a little bit of heaven on earth. Thanks for reading, until next time! xoxo
