Red Bluff Round Up

One of my favorite weekends in Red Bluff! We brought a whole house full of guests up to invade Oma's house - she was a very good sport about it and feed us all weekend :) It was like a revolving door - we had friends come up with us, a whole bunch come up the next day (some we didn't even know were en route!) and our Bumble server Tracy Hinson who is this years Miss California Rodeo Queen! She and her mom and her horse stayed with us too. SO MUCH FUN!!!

We drove up in the RV with the Edwards - it always sounds so much more glamorous than it actually is :)

and on the way there we couldn't get the back AC working (just needed to turn on the generator :)

Heff at the wheel - he can handle any size rig ;)

The guys were nice and cool up front in those captains chairs while Susan and I had kids crawling all over us!

cowboys and girls arrival in RB

and then off to RODEO Friday night at the fairgrounds!

opening ceremonies -

gotta love the USA

Let's do this

Initiating the Edwards - they were naturals

got the most important stuff

my cowgirl (hair is not straw francie - trying to break this habit!)

much better

Maisie fits right in

Dads and babes

the plaid gang family shot

cowboy up!

our chaperones Oma and Lala!

Tessa's first Rodeo

Maisie kept hiding her eyes when the Buckin Broncs came out. I told her "it's ok Maisie - see the cowboys stand up and are fine when they get bucked off." and she goes "Mommmm - I'm not worried about the HUMANS I'm worried about the HORSES!"

it didn't stop all night..

Kat and Lauren

sun set selfies - couldn't resist

Look at those happy campers :)

there goes the sun - time for the Crown Royal girls to come out!

someone stop torturing this child

and someone pelase get this kid a wet wipe

big THANKS to Oma for putting up with us all weekend!!!! More pictures from Saturday Ranch Day to come

More Red Bluff

More photos from our fun trip to Red Bluff with lots of friends! It was way such a blast - 9 kids and 6 adults and lots of miles, dirt, cocktails and fun!

Green Hills

Susan and kiddies

going fishing in the pond

big girls

new fishing spot!

canoe ride

the best part - model rocket testing for Red Racer. Check out this awesome picture Susan took - rocket in air

"horsey" rides - with the giant RV in the background ;)

kids on the hillside

and Saturday morning Heff and Susan put us to shame by getting up and going for a 10K on the river!

sidecars in the afternoon (might not have been 5pm yet)

quad fisting with the ergo baby

heading home! The RV trip - even with no AC on the way there, crazy kids, having to drive 55 so it took 6 hours was AWESOME.

sleepy D

we took turns in the captain's chair

lady pose JJ after a day on the ranch

until next time Red Bluff!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY MAISIE!

Happy Birthday Maisie Moo!! I can't believe you are FOUR. You are such a sweet little girl and a light in our family. You LOVE babies and your little sisters and ask me probably 12 times a day if you can 'hold Tessie' which you do with a big smile on your face. Yesterday I found you sitting on the front porch in a tiny chair holding her around the belly in her little onesie (you had gotten her OUT of her crib!) and had the iPod next to you playing music for her. You were whispering to her telling her what a good baby she was. You are so sweet Maisie!

we had a birthday celebration for you in the morning. You woke up and said "let's go see if there are decorations!" Emmy got you sprinkle donuts and Jamba Juice as you requested. You had cards from Jannie and Aunt Marge and your sisters. Mom and Dad got you art supplies and outdoor stuff. Walkie -Talkies even!

and Gladys our awesome housekeeper got you a HUGE hello kitty pinata filled with candy. She knows you well! She brought it two days early and you had it sit at the table with us every meal.

Dad got you dressed in your cute skinny jeans and tank top (you are bean pole Maise!) and brought you down to see

love all your cute little Maisie faces

opening presents

You wore a pretty pink dress to school (after Francie spilled a Jamba ALL over you at breakfast) with your new sparkly pink shoes from Emmy and a pink headband and pink bracelets. Not sure what your favorite color is? ;)

You love that you get to spend so much time with your god-mother Emmy - she made this cute collage for you - Maisie by the years!

Dad and I took you to school for your special birthday morning. Teacher Jamie was sick but Francie got to sit with your group for morning story time and a birthday candle

and even Tess, Emmy and JJ came to watch!

you were so cute up there - your friends were so excited to sing to you

then DAD got to read your favorite book to your whole class! (The Sneeches! thanks Aunt Maureen)

you looked pretty proud to have your Dad up there

he did a good job reading the whole book

we just had some family and neighbors over for dinner for your birthday. You made treat bags at PLAY in the afternoon and then we all went to Baskin Robbins and picked out a cake.

you and Francie decorated

then it was pinata time!!!

it's a spectator sport

Daniel did it in!

bye-bye kitty!

Gladys and her buddy Tiny Tess

more after dinner fun

and CAKE!

maybe already had some chocolate cookies face

make a wish

love that little face!

HBD MM!

presents

and the long awaited blanket Jannie MADE FOR MAISIE!

she was SOOOO EXCITED!

pretty good birthday :) here's to being FOUR!

Maisie the Mayor

Maisie was "The Mayor" of preschool and got to raise the flag in the morning and pick a "Vice President" as she called it :) We all went to school in the morning to watch her - she was so proud! (Heff actually took the girls skiing that day and waited to leave later since Maisie did NOT want to miss being Mayor.

Teacher Jamie asking her who she wanted to pick to be Vice Mayor -

She picked her little 3's group friend Chloe

spectators

proud Maisie

Raising it up

Teacher Jamie asked "Do you want to say "Ok have a great day!" and Maisie said "No thanks :)

JJ thought she was so cool to get to play for awhile. Emmy walked over to her and she looks over her shoulder and said "Emmy - go away."

walking home with the babies!

Cousin Campout

Last weekend we all got together with the Heff siblings for the "1st Annual 36-hour Pizza Oven Party Campout Bash!" Sarah had suggested we celebrate all the spring birthdays together so we rounded the troops and gathered at our house for the weekend April 5-7. It's not easy to move this group so we decided to stay put, cook three meals a day in the piza oven and camp on the island in the backyard. We split up meal duties and cocktaiul duties (equally important) and let the kids run wild! 

That's some serious cousin love

Francie and Izzy - BFFs

line um up and make um play Simon Says to get a photo op :)

Simon Says stick your fingers in your ears. #workseverytime

these three boys gotta stick together

Jumping for joy

brothers on the BBQ

Friday Night Dinner

and breakfast Saturday morning

just like camping! (only not ;)

Oliver

FOUR baby girls - the tail end of 15 cousins

Oldest three out of four (Ellie was busy cranking out potholders) Izzy, Kate and Francie

Ellie on the trike hauling kids

The island campout got moved to the grass in the backyar d- it had rained a bit and the creek was too high to risk crossing in the middle of the night for a potty break :)

lots of Dirt and Sunshine (or mud and cloudy weather but still...)

Craig's cocktail supplies and my pretty birthday flowers from my girls at work

Saturday mid-day trip to let the kids (and adults!) play at the arcade and check out The Makery - Oma and ALL her chicks!

White Ladies and Sidecars

Saturday Night pizza making! Jannie brought all the essentials

Matching PJ's from Aunt Kat and Oma!

Saturday afternoon run for more provisions (no kids, just needed empty stroller to haul the booze. totally normal)

The fire that burned for 3 days!

Sunday morning Mark made HOMEMADE bagels. From scratch. they were amazing!

Picnic in the front yard while the dads packed up the tents and cars - what a fun weekend!

Easter at Jannie and Grampa's

We went over to Jannie and Grampa's for Easter afternoon for lots of fun with cousins.

Francie with her buddies Caroline and Brooke

and it isn't a party til Jannie brings out the Cascarones!

I got to demonstrate the crackin egg technique on Drew- good sport Drewby!

Mimi practicing

sister smash!

Emmy let Tessa "pretend" to get her :)

Wine and confetti - happy UJ

Beautiful Emmy and her buddy Tiny Tess

Jannie and her girls! (just missing Scarlet James!)

and then it was egg cracking contest time (a Greek Easter tradition we adopted! Last egg end to crack wins)

Line up

last ones standing - Jerry and Heff...

Jerry wins!

basking in the glory -

... but notice quiet little Maisie in the corner...

Maisie still had an uncracked egg! (questionable if she cracked with anyone ;)

Jerry ready to take her down - (no a godfather would never do that...)

and it's MAISIE for the win!!

pretty happy about it

and then on to pizza making

if anyone in the family will want to be in the restaurant business - it's this one. (don't worry, we'll tell her to wise up)

pass the baby time

and trike rides

aw such a sad face for cousin kate!

the teenage boy cousins - Luke, James and Drew are very patient with the baby girls!

and where's crazy J been in these pictures? Oh there she is :)

HAPPY EASTER 2013!

HAPPY EASTER 2013

How am I so lucky to have these four little girlies?! They even agreed to put on pretty Easter dresses for me - and a few of them smiled for a sisters photo on the front porch before we left for Easter at Jannie and Grampa's (some ladies walking by the sidewalked stopped to watch the picture taking spectacle as Heff was trying to make them smile and look behind me - when I called it "I think I got ONE" he said "Thank God - let's not do that again til next year." The ladies laughed at us :)

This is how a lot of them looked ;)

and of course many many like this

but we sure love them!