Home Means Nevada

We had a wonderful time in Nevada! The kids keep saying over and over again how much they miss grandma and grandpa. My dad took the boys with him EVERY morning. To this day I am not sure about everything they did while they were with grandpa--I just know they were taught things they couldn't learn anywhere else. I get bits and pieces of information that scares me to death. "Yeah, I cried when grandpa left us with our own four-wheelers. Jordan fell in the ditch, but we helped him out." "Grandpa was going so fast in the truck when we were following him on our four wheelers. He got stuck in the mud and the tires covered us in dirt." "I cried because I was afraid of the cows so grandpa drove me out in the middle of them where they were touching me. We were with about 700 cows. So, I'm not afraid anymore." They laid pipe, fixed fence, laid cement, cut hay, changed water, worked on equipment, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I'm so grateful for my dad for teaching them and giving them the chance to learn from him. Work on the ranch is hard and it's even harder with 3 little bodies following you around every day. Their experience on the ranch was priceless. Thanks Grandpa!

Not pictured, is grandma who took care of us all. Most of all, she took care of Sarah. She fed her, bathed her, and rocked her to sleep every day. I can tell Sarah misses her grandma--but now, Sarah eats lots of yummy veggies because grandma taught her how to devour real food. Thanks grandma, we miss you so much!

I love the western sky. No match for these sunsets anywhere else......

And yes, what would a trip to the ranch be like with out some gun instruction. Here's my brother Jacob teaching the kids how to blow apart old christmas ornaments with a 22. They all hit a few. They had a blast!!!

So glad we stayed safe during this trip. The kids became proficient on four wheelers. It's hard to notice, here, but they came home so dusty from their trips with grandpa. Sometimes I hardly recognized my own kiddos! Dirty and happy. That's pretty much how they spent their days. Sometimes they even cried a little because it was a little hard for them. But they were satisfied by their own work at the end of the day.

Thanks, Uncle Matt and Aunt Brittany for a fun trip to White River. Loved the warm water out there. Sarah and her kids joined us in Nevada and experienced all the ranch stuff, too. Thanks for making the long trip out to see us! You're a brave woman!

This log provided hours of entertainment out on the pond.....

Carter felt like a king when he got to ride with grandpa. He was always the first one out the door in the morning....


Cookout out on the ranch........

We were so happy when our daddy finally joined us our last week in Nevada! My dad saved all the good steaks for him and it was a party every night!

Tawnia and Dani traveled with all their kids (Marti, Emersyn, Londen, and Marley) to come out and see us. Dani got her horse ride and Tawnia got a ride on the new tractor--I'll never forget the Miss America wave! We love you guys! Mom and Dad Kemp also came out from Utah for the occasion. Thanks grandma and grandpa! Here are some of the Kemp Cousins.....

Some of the Carter Cousins......both families are growing fast!

Just before we got on the plane in Las Vegas to fly back to New Hampshire, we went to Aunt Brittany's parents' house. They have a great house and a perfect pool. We went out for some Mexican food and we hung out at the house for about 5 hours before the plane ride. Brittany's mom had packed us treats and activities for the airplane ride and she even gave the kids gold medals for their Olympic swimming while we were there. Thank you!! Now we're just back to our fun lives here in NH. Thank you all for a wonderful vacation!