Horses, Haystacks, and Homage.

We took a very, very, VERY impromptu trip to Pennsylvania over the Memorial Day weekend. So impromptu that it was brought up at 7 pm, decided upon at 8:30 pm, and acted upon (as in, packed and on the road) by 10pm. That's just how we roll. You would think that someone with 3 children under the age of 3 would pre-meditate a 20 hour car ride for more than 2 and a half hours, wouldn't you? We actually would, usually, but this one was brought on by a desire of Jessie's to see his very dear and very ill grandmother, and we had reason to worry that if we didn't do it right away, we might miss out on the opportunity to be with her while she could still appreciate visitors (thankfully, she did revive from the down-turn she took that weekend and is still with us).

Although the car trip was something we would like to eradicate from our memory permanently, we did have a lovely visit with Jessie's parents and his sister Joy. The actual time spent at their house exceeded the actual time spent traveling by about 53 minutes, I think. The girls adore their grandparents and Aunt Joy, and were rapturously happy the entire time they were there.

Ingrid on the trampoline

Theia and Eliza sitting on the "horsey food"

Joy's horse, Misty, just had a foal two weeks before our trip, so we had a delightful time introducing the girls to horses.

Misty and her little colt, Destiny

Is he cute or what?

We took the opportunity to give them all a lesson in riding. This was the first time any of them have submitted to being put on a horse (Ingrid had never even seen one). The last time we tried with T and E they both froze in terror and let out a primal shriek that convinced us not to press the issue. This time they loved it. L-O-V-E, love. They are still talking about it.

Theia even went bareback with Aunt Joy

Eliza was nervous at first, but soon she was

saying "Go faster, Daddy!"

Ingrid took it all in stride

"What's the big deal? Yeah, I can ride."

We also got this great shot of our whole family while we were there. Well, great except for Eliza sticking her finger up her lip. Now, that was worth driving 4o hours for, right?

Jessie was very blessed to be able to visit with his grandma when she was having a good evening, and we all saw her together before we left for home. She hadn't met Ingrid yet, so we were happy we got the chance to introduce her. She is a beautiful, special woman, and we feel so blessed to be a part of her family. She has a pretty far-reaching influence since she has nine children and their spouses, fifty-five grandchildren (including their spouses), and fifty-four great-grandchildren (and that number is always growing).

Grandma at her 80th birthday party in May