Ida, Alden, and Wilder traveled from the Pacific Northwest rainforest….

….to visit Grandma and Grandpa in the Sonoran Desert!

Alden admiring the model cars that Grandpa built….

Ida and Grandma working on their projects….

Alden and Wilder building model airplanes with Grandpa….

Wilder amazed at the height and beauty of Grandma’s prickly pear cactus….

Wilder offered to help Grandma prune her cactus….and he did a fabulous job!

Swimming, swimming, and more swimming…..every single day.  And did our grandchildren love the water—they’re just like three fish in the water!

Every cowboy needs a hearty breakfast before riding hard out in the desert!

Our wrangler, Tom, who picked Grandpa off the ground when Grandpa’s saddle slipped off his horse.  Luckily Grandpa’s a tough old cowboy who climbed back up on his horse—with some bruises to his body and his pride.  Since we didn’t get to see a rattlesnake, Grandpa’s fall provided the most excitement we had out on the range!

The Three Amigos and Two Amigas!

Walking to breakfast at the Leisure World Rendezvous Cafe….

 

Fun times at our mountain cabin in Pine with Uncle Owen, Aunt Mila, Hannah, Vernon, Robert, and Gideon….

Lots of loving for Grandma and Grandpa from Robert!

Robert looks like he’s pretending to be a baby, but this is actually his tiger impression!

Wilder gave his little cousins with horsey rides….

And a very Happy Birthday to our dear grandchildren—Ida, Alden, and Wilder!!!

 (We never get to be with them on their actual REAL birthday.)

All this fun, laughter, and love was only our first three days with Ida, Alden, and Wilder.  We still have three more days together before they have to go home.  And we have planned about five days worth of fun and things that we want to do together during these three days—maybe we just won’t send them home….

In the mountains…..10 of us together!

The morning that we left for our high desert mountain town of Pine, we all went for our traditional breakfast at the Leisure World Rendezvous Cafe.  We have enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Cafe EVERY single time that Soren and Sebastian have stayed with us at Nuestra Casa.

Then we headed to the cabin for two days.  We had so much family fun….all 10 of us playing, talking, hiking, and laughing together!

Hike and picnic on the Mogollon Rim….

We were all tired, but had so much fun together!

It was so hard to say goodbye to Soren and Sebastian when they had to leave for home.  It was particularly difficult to see them go this time, as Soren is graduating from High School next month, and it may be the last time we have these two “boys” here together during their school breaks.

Grandpa and I are crying both in sadness…and gratitude that we have so many beautiful memories of our days with these dear grandsons.