Grandparents are the Best

Jill's Journal: We’ve had so much fun being with my parents during our time in Tehachapi and have gotten a million things done, including steam cleaning our carpets, defrosting our fridge and freezer, and all those satisfying things that take a ton of time and effort but can be hard to find room in the day to do.

But if Rob and I have enjoyed being here, it doesn’t compare to the happiness it’s given the girls as they’ve pretended to be farm girls and soaked up time with their grandparents.

A ride with Grandpa…

“Farm” chores for Grandpa…

Photo by Beppy

And more work for Grandpa. These girls are trying to earn money for some big purchases they have planned and caught on pretty quickly Grandpa pays more generously than anyone else when it’s his granddaughters. Boy, oh boy, has he been popular as they’ve clamored for their turn to “work” for him!

Photo by Beppy

The girls have had an equally wonderful time with Beppy indoors. Just look at this fruit salad Beppy and Erika made for dinner one night. Isn’t it the cutest thing?

Ahhhh, grandparents. There’s not much better than grandparents.

I Hate Goodbyes

Jill's Journal: Our whole family gathered from different corners of Southern and Central California for one last time over Father’s Day weekend before we start heading East and leave this clan. We all so enjoy our time together, which we know is a great blessing, so these last days together were appreciated. Of course we’ll share visits in the future, but the chances for us to all be together at once will most certainly be few and far between. *sniff, sniff*

The girls got some last time with their new baby cousin. We tried to talk Kristi and Adam into letting Logan come with us, but to no avail. I want these cousins to grow up knowing each other. *sniff, sniff*

Erika said a special goodbye to her most favorite dog in the whole world, Kristi and Adam’s aging Meisje. She’s never known life without Meisje and had a harder time saying goodbye to her than the people. (I remember moving across half the country when I was about Erika’s age and having to leave my beloved pony behind, so I understand). *sniff, sniff*

It was hard for me to say goodbye to these two. How I love my sister and brother, best siblings in the world. I really, really wanted to be an only child when I was a kid, but now I’m so glad I’m not (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I couldn’t possibly imagine life without these two. *sniff, sniff*

One last shot of my parents with their four granddaughters before Uncle Adam, Kristi, Kristi’s Adam, and Logan had to leave. Happily, we’ll get a little more time with Grandpa and Beppy in the coming week or so, but then we’ll wish them farewell too. I hate goodbyes. *sniff, sniff*

Last Stop in California

Jill's Journal: We’ve been in California a really long time. With the exception of three months in Oregon and five or six weeks in Nevada, we’ve been in “Cali” since arriving on the West Coast almost 19 months ago. We feel like we’ve covered this great, varied, and gargantuan state pretty well – from north to south, from east to west, from ocean to deserts to mountains – and although you can never see absolutely everything, we’ve had a pretty fulfilling (and wonderful) time here.

We have one final order of business before exiting the Golden State and that, of course, is spending time with my parents near Tehachapi. Life is never dull with three little girls around, as my Dad could attest when he found his cowboy boots (above) gaily decorated with bows. Rumor is the girls may have had some help from a visiting Aunt Kristi. Now Grandpa sure adores his granddaughters, but no word yet on whether he’s willing to actually wear his boots in such a fancy state.

Logan Admiration Society

Jill's Journal: While I promise this little spot in cyberspace won’t be solely spent in basking in the Logan glow forever, that little sweetie is the focus of our days right now. Here’s the two grandmothers meeting their new granddaughter for the very first time, about three hours or so after she was born. What a special moment.

And the next day, our girls finally got to meet their one and only cousin.

Madelyn, who has always had a soft spot for babies, is head over heels in love.

It’s safe to say they’re all pretty smitten.

Even Erika, with all her talk about wanting to be an only child, would very much like her little cousin to just move right in with us.

Beppy, Kristi, and Logan…three generations of special ladies.

Grandpa has had so much fun with his older three granddaughters that he was kind of hoping for another one. He got his wish! Four granddaughters for Grandpa and Beppy…that always makes me think of my Grandma (the girls’ Great Grandma June and my Dad’s mother), who had four sons and would have been over the moon at the prospect of her son having four granddaughters. I can just see the smile on her face if she were still with us today.

What a cutie! Yeah, we’re definitely all smitten. And Rob and I are so proud to finally be an uncle and an aunt! :)

Fallbrook Memories

Jill's Journal: About 50 miles north of San Diego is the sleepy little town of Fallbrook, which just so happens to be where Rob and I got married 15 years ago. We thought it would be fun for the girls to see it for themselves.

To the left of the girls, in the far background, is the pond and gazebo where we officially tied the knot.

Our reception was held inside this adjoining mansion.

The girls were very intrigued and wanted to see pictures of the actual day, so for fun, I’ll share a few here too. Oh, memories!

This has always been one of my favorite photos. My parents are on the left; Rob’s are on the right. I absolutely love this picture! Sadly, Rob’s Dad passed away two years later.

These leggy ladies, from left to right, are Rob’s sister Wendi (now in Kentucky), Bridget (now in Arizona), Jennifer (now in Texas), and my sister Kristi (still in, or actually, returned to California).

Not to be outdone, but sporting slightly hairier legs, are my baby brother Adam (who was truly a baby at only 15!) and Rob’s longtime friend Pat, whom we recently got to see.

I will forever love my friend Elizabeth for capturing this shot of all our surviving grandparents at the time. Those are my Dad’s parents on the left, my Mom’s mother in the middle of the three ladies, and Rob’s maternal grandma (Great Grandma Lili) on the right. My two grandmas have since passed away, but I’m so thankful our girls have gotten the chance to know my Grandpa and Rob’s Grandma on this RV journey.

Dairyland, USA

Jill's Journal: How cute are these guys? I mean, seriously. Baby cows – any baby farm animals, really – are just so stinkin’ adorable.

My parents live far from Hemet these days, but they had some business to take care of in Hemet a few days ago and combined it with a visit to their grandkids. We had a super day, capped by a “field trip” to a dairy farm. Hemet has a rich dairy culture. I grew up around it – so much so that I never knew dairies smelled until this return trip after being away -- and I knew the girls needed an introduction. My Dad sells bull semen to dairies all over Central and Southern California (how’s that for a conversation piece at a cocktail party?) and was kind enough to bring us to Scott Brothers Dairy just outside of Hemet in neighboring San Jacinto. Scott Bros. has been in San Jacinto since the 1970s and milks over 1,000 head of Holsteins daily.

First Grandpa showed the girls a milk barn. Look at Erika’s face…she is fascinated and amazed and enthralled! She desperately wants to learn how to milk a cow.

Then it was off to the calving pen. We just missed a birth. This little one was still wet and the mama hadn’t passed the placenta yet.

Another newborn calf. So cute.

Erika especially adored the calves. Add calves to the long, long list of animals she’d like to have one day. It starts with horses, of course, and runs the gamut from pigs to quail and just about everything in between.

There were plenty to pick from!

No, they’re not bound for veal. This is how calves on dairies are raised.

Victoria latched on to a friendly little calf. Allegedly, I used to let the calves suck on my long braids when I was a child. Victoria offered up her fingers instead. Much wiser. With her blonde hair, she could easily pass for one of the plethora of Dutch dairy kids in the area.

Madelyn found a friend too. She usually prefers smaller animals, but this calf was right up her alley. She doesn’t share her sisters’ extreme love of horses and big dogs, but give her a cat or a little dog and she’s found bliss.

Feeding time!

How these girls loved their moments on a dairy. Thanks so much to my Dad and to the very kind Brad Scott for hosting us.

P.S. Drink milk!

Medieval Times

Jill's Journal: If there’s one part of their history studies the girls have enjoyed almost as much as Ancient Egypt, it’s the Middle Ages. We really delved in deeply in second grade history this year, complete with several books in our literature classes to back it up, and skimmed over it pretty nicely in kindergarten as well. Of course, the great thing about homeschooling is that when one child in the family learns it, the others also absorb quite a bit without even meaning to. And so, with visions of knights and castles dancing in the girls’ heads, I knew just the perfect place for us to visit…

…Medieval Times! To our delight, the five other members of our immediate family on my side drove the many hours to join us. We so love getting the whole family together anyway and then Grandpa and Beppy made it even more special by being kind enough to treat us all. There’s eight or nine Medieval Times in North America, including this one in Buena Park, California, and it is so fun to indulge and get lost in another time. If you’ve never been to Medieval Times, it goes something like this... You come to a feast at the castle as a guest of the king. You’re treated to a three-course Medieval-era meal, which of course means no utensils. You eat with your hands, drink your soup, and are served by serfs and wenches. While eating you enjoy Medieval-era entertainment, including some spectacular horsemanship and falconry. Finally, a tournament ensues, with knights jousting and fighting to the “death” with lances, swords, alabaradas, bolas, and all the other deadly weapons of the time. Each section of the castle has its own knight to cheer for and he plays to the crowd, tossing out flowers to selected ladies and choosing one to be his “queen of the tournament.” Beppy got a flower, as did Erika and Madelyn. Poor little Victoria was feeling mighty left out until our knight chose her to be his special lady and gifted her with a keepsake banner. The entire experience is such a grand time. Sure, maybe it’s a little goofy, but that’s part of the fun. I knew Erika would love it – and oh, she LOVED it and is wishing time travel were possible – but Madelyn surprised us all by proclaiming repeatedly it was even better than Disneyland. She wants to go again for her birthday. All our girls can’t wait for another chance to visit.

Have I mentioned the horses? Andalusians, Friesians, Lipizzans, and more. These stunning, beautiful equines are the true stars of the show. Is it any wonder we all loved it?

Of course, pictures and a description don’t do the experience justice and my camera didn’t appreciate the lighting so the snapshots are all a little blurry. No matter; I think the girls will look back at these photos and the joy they felt at the time will all come rushing back to them.