We've returned from a wonderful 2 week vacation away from they every simmering desert of Las Vegas. Our trip to Southern Oregon was just wonderful! We were very busy and really got to enjoy our time with both family and friends. Jeramis enjoyed his 10 year reunion... catching up with old friends and learning about some of those in his High School who changed and all that good stuff!


Jordan and Jade just loved spending time with their cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Grand and great Grandparents. It was a wonderful time. They spent mornings with Nano while she enjoyed her coffee on their patio, they learned how to sit calmly so that the kitty, Baby, would actually come up to them so they could pet him. Jade was very attached to Pa and his lap was always available for her to sit on. All of us felt very spoiled by Pa's good home cooking and his and Nano's constant care! They were great hosts! The kids loved playing in their sunny room. They also learned how to play Jacks which created a huge amount of giggles. (And a mother fretting about the breakables! Brave grandparents I tell you!)
We had a great adventure heading up to Vicki's house. The kids loved all the fun stuff she had. They spent a LOT of time on her swings, in her pool, on the trampoline and - especially for Jade - in her garden. Jade surprised us all when she emerged from the Garden with a huge, ripe, green bell pepper, which she was enjoying as if it were an apple. She would have devoured 2 more if I had she had not been stopped by another delicious BBQ'd meal! Along with the bell pepper she loved picking the cherry and pear tomatoes and fresh strawberries. Jordan favored the strawberries but he had fun exploring the garden and checking out all the bugs. His favorite spot was the swing set. The kids also got a kick out of all of grandma's stuff animals!!! (See the photo of the Elk head with the hats on it!)

We also were lucky to catch Aunt Elicia and Jeb in town. Jordan and Jade thought they were neat. I dare say the children tried to wrap them around their little fingers... I fear they may have suceeded though! Poor Elicia and Jeb mwuahah! Aunt Stefanie and Uncle Danny also spent time with us. Of course the real treat for the kids was when Stefanie would bring their cousins Krystal and Daisy over. Daisy was too little to play with for long (although I think Jade would have packed her around on her back if she could have!) but Krystal was a world of fun. The kids quickly made up games to play together. One that they really enjoyed was making up treasure maps and going on treasure hunts. Poor Nano! Those kids turned her home upside down. She sure seemed to enjoy it. As did Vicki when she had the kids at her home.

We also spent one afternoon rafting on the River. That was a first for Jordan who really found it thrilling. Jade spent the day on a drift boat behind the raft with Vicki and her friend Mike. Near the end of the trip she actually fell asleep in grandma's lap! I will have pictures of this trip later once I get our waterproof cameras printed and a CD made! (I"ll probably post them over on the babiesonline site so keep an eye on both spots!)

Jeramis and I were lucky to catch up with a lot of people we knew. More of them, of course, he knew but since I made several trips to Oregon before we married I knew a lot of his close friends and many of them are my friends also now, along with their wives and girlfriends. We spent one day up at the lake with the 'friends' group. It was great. After the lake the children spent some time with the grandparents and Jeramis and I extended our visit over a dinner and then later dessert. It was very nice to get out but we definately have lost our "night owl" abilities!