On the ranch

On Boxing Day (also known as the 'day after Christmas' here in the US, but Boxing Day is still how I always think of it!), we drove up to meet our friends Greg & Renee and their two kids Winter (one day older than Leighton) and Ronan (2 months older than Riley) at Greg's parents' ranch in Eustace (not Eunace as I kept telling Lindsey it was called while she was trying to figure out where in the world - well, where in TX! - it was!). We met Greg and Renee in NYC through my friend Lori, but they moved to Seattle a few years ago. We last saw them when we visited my family in Seattle for my cousin's wedding when Leighton and Winter were 9 months old! Greg's sisters and their families and some family friends and cousins were also there.

It was such a wonderful time being outside and spending the time surrounded by such a large, welcoming, and funny group. They better watch out though - we have a way of making ourselves get adopted into big families wherever we live far away from home. They might just find us driving up on Easter and Thanksgiving ;)

Leighton rode a horse (on the way there, Riley talked a big game about how she was going to ride a horse to be a cowboy, but she chickened out in the end!), the kids roasted marshmallows to make s'mores, both kids loved collecting sticks from the woods for the fire, and we watched a bunch of the dads and teenagers skeet shooting. I even went on a ride with the kids and the teenagers on the RTV because the kids wouldn't go without me! Unfortunately, there was a bit of a scary moment when Winter hit her head into a metal railing and needed to head into town for 7 stitches, but she came back feeling ok, so we were all relieved.

Leighton's new 'thing' - winking at me

a true science nerd never leaves home without a microscope!  kidding - it's not Roy's, Leighton actually got it for xmas

a Budweiser for Leighton!  Yeeeee-haw!

Before dinner, several of the kids all were upstairs watching a movie together - I caught them all looking rather cute!

And they went back after dinner to watch more ….

That night we stayed in a hotel. The highlight for Riley - she kept saying how excited she was to be there and to watch Dora there! And we had a balcony that the kids really liked, too. It was FREEZING in the morning, but they kept going out there to take a look around. The name of the town where the hotel was is called GUN BARREL CITY. I love it! There were two towns with hotels by Eustace, but I just HAD to stay in Gun Barrel City to say that I did! I wanted to stop to take a picture by the sign so badly, but it didn't happen. Boo. There will have to be a next time, I guess.

The next morning we went back to the ranch and spent some time visiting, taking family pictures, and playing outside in the yard but not up at the barn this time.

And then it was time to head home. And the kids were tired enough to sleep a good portion of the way. Nice!

On the drive we passed a GIANT statue of Sam Houston. It was right by the road and super huge!

We loved out little road trip mini vacation!