Last week, the kids and I counted down the days until Saturday. Grandpa Pat and Grandma Suzie were coming, and they were bringing the horses! When Saturday morning arrived, we
started counting the hours until they got here, but I got a surprise first...
I had just put mail in the mailbox, and Isaak, Anya, and I were picking wildflowers next to our driveway when a car pulled up next to us. I though it was my neighbor's car, but the door opened and one of my Portland-area cousins, who I hadn't seen in six years, got out! Kim had only found out the night before where we live, and she was driving right by our house to pick up her daughter from the camp at the end of our road. We got to talk for a little while before she had to go pick up her daughter, but it was SO much fun to have her stop by!
A few hours later, Grandpa and Grandma got here, and we had some very excited kids running around! (They even abandoned their lunches, and if you know my kids, that's saying something!) After we got the horses settled in our round pen, we headed off to the farm supply store and picked up supplies for an electric fence. The kids played inside while the grown-ups worked on getting the new fence set up. I quit helping part-way through the job, because more cousins showed up!
Roy and Kerri got to stay for about an hour before they had to head north to Kerri's house, and the kids got in as much "Uncle Roy" time as they could. (We all love Roy so much that "Cousin Roy" just wasn't sufficient any more, so we just adopted him as an extra uncle. He hasn't complained yet!)
Sunday morning, the kids took turns riding the horses, first in the round pen, then on a "trail ride" around the front yard. They had a blast, even when it was time to do horse chores! We let the horses (and the grandparents) rest in the afternoon. They'd earned it!
(And they even promised to come again!)
