The Richard/Wray/Dugan Clan Takes Benezette By Storm

After being away for a few days enjoying the simpler life, I feel refreshed and re-energized. Maybe it's the family traditions of spending quiet, lazy days at Poe Valley that makes me appreciate the beauty and serenity that we've found the past two years in Benezette. Maybe it's just the privilege to be with my parents and my sister, brother-in-law, and love of my life niece for a few days that I enjoy. Maybe it's all of it! There was so much good and so little bad to report from the past few days at Winslow Meadow Lodge. Let's see if I can walk through some of the pictures and sum this all up.

If you ask Joshua what he liked the best about our trip this year, he'll tell you that he liked digging in the dirt and being able to play with his squirt gun. He also shared that he really liked it when Daddy squirted Aunt Libby over and over with the squirt gun because he "liked to see her jump". Not sure if Libby echoes his sentiment, but a few good giggles were had by all parties.

There was lots and lots of snuggling time with Nana and Pap and Aunt Libby for little Miss Lauren. She finally seems to be warming up to the rest of the family, which is good on a number of levels. First of all, I'm glad that she's beginning to realize how cool they all are and how much they love her. Second of all, it's good for my arms to be able to share the burden of holding her. During the past couple of days, there were even a few occasions where I had the privilege of going to the bathroom and taking a shower without having her either screaming her brains out or sitting right beside me.

We spent a good deal of time on the deck with the kids and had a number of activities planned to keep them busy. You see, what we adults love most about Benezette is that there is literally NOTHING to do. You have no choice but to relax. There's no option of going anywhere--- not out to eat, to shop, to wander the town. Once you get there, your odometer on your vehicle is not likely to move one tenth of a mile until you pack up to go home. It's wonderful for adults who are used to the go-go-go that is our normal daily lives. But when you're little, that's the makings of pure disaster. After experiencing a little of what could happen under those circumstances last year, we planned ahead and packed many things that could keep Joshua and Brooke busy and interested. The pool was a huge hit and we spent a good number of hours out there splashing around.

One afternoon we had a "picnic" on the deck. The kids appreciated the change of scenery from eating inside.

Lauren looked as cute as could be in her little pink swimsuit and sun hat. With the 17 thousand layers of SPF 100+ that I put on her pale self, we even managed to leave there without sunburn on either of the kids.

The pool wasn't big, but it was big enough to get wet in, and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. Next year, we'll definitely either need a second baby pool or a larger one. But this did the trick this time!

I lost count of the number of hours that were spent blowing bubbles in the driveway! That big green jug of bubble stuff was all but gone after Brooke and Josh had their fun with it. $10 well spent if you ask me! We are now the proud owners of about 237 bubble wands of every shape, size and variety. So if you're wishing for a bubble fest of your very own, please let me know. I'll be glad to share!

We let the kids paint one afternoon and had the entire deck railing covered with their masterpieces at one point. Joshua can paint for hours on end, and Benezette proved no different than normal. It was Brooke's maiden voyage with paints, but she really seemed to have a good time.

Lauren used the last few days to really perfect her moving around capabilities. She was into everything.....literally. She loved to explore the lodge and found all sorts of trouble to get into. She's walking effectively behind things, and is starting to show signs of letting go of one thing to move to another. She's cruising without effort. We introduced some solid foods to her from our plates this weekend and she really seems to be enjoying that. Cheerios are a big hit, along with pieces of baked potato, peaches and little bites of graham crackers. Is it me or is she growing up just a little bit too fast? (I don't think I mentioned it since I've been sadly behind in my blogging lately, but we have a tooth on the bottom now. She's really working on a second one and I expect it to pop through any day now.)

Looking at the kids this week was almost unbelievable. Last year, Brooke was Lauren's age. Now she's walking and talking and hamming it up all the time. I just couldn't get enough of her, honestly. If Lib would have let me bring her home with me, I would have done it in an instant. She's got to be the sweetest little girl ever! But to think that Lauren will be doing those same things next year, making us fall in love with her even more, I just couldn't believe it. Joshua was such a little man this year---- playing hard, loving the dirt, quietly watching the elk graze in the yard, letting his imagination run wild without anything to hold him back. I was so proud of how he behaved and the way he dealt with the serenity of the lodge. Minus a few little typical 3 year old issues (like reminding him to share, be nice to Brooke, be patient, eat his dinner), things really went pretty well. Whatever amount of energy went into worrying about the kids in the weeks leading up to our trip could have been spent on something else.

Of course, as all good vacations go, we ate way too much. My dad's grill (really more of a smoker) is the stuff of legends...and he certainly did not disappoint on this trip! Our new favorite was a grilled ham and cheese sandwich on his grill that knocked our socks off. Actually, I believe we ate them every day for lunch! He also made biscuits for our breakfast sandwiches on the grill that were to die for. Add to that the hot sausage sandwiches, steaks and halibut fillets that he cooked for us and trust me when I tell you that no one went hungry. While Dad held down the grill responsibilities, Mom certainly had enough other goodies to flash us back to camping days past. We all loved her whoopie pies (as always). Joshua and Brooke especially seemed to love them. Josh has been asking for another of Nana's "whippie pies" ever since we got home. Mom must have worked so hard to think of everything because there was really nothing that we needed that we didn't have at the lodge. It's just like my mom to have everything organized and planned out...and she works so hard to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch. I want to be just like her when I grow up, honestly.

I can't thank Mom and Dad enough for inviting us to be a part of their vacation, and for the opportunity to make memories like this with our "big" family. We're so blessed to have each other, and times like this just make it so blatantly apparent.

Mom and Dad remain in Benezette for a few quieter days without the hullaballoo that we brought to the party. Something tells me that they're having a great time!