I was going to begin this entry with a comment about having a quiet day, but now that I think about it; that’s only true by comparison and my own perception. Most people probably wouldn’t consider a day that started out with non-stop action from about six o’clock through until bedtime about sixteen hours later particularly quiet or restful.
Our morning started out with nursing the twins; Tai Chi by the river; breakfast; and a race to get ready for, and over to, the church in time for the service. I’ll not-all-that modestly admit that I looked awesome in the new dress that Aunt Leanne helped me to pick out yesterday. I thought that Rowen looked great too, and judging by the smiley-face votes of approval from Uncle Adam and Nick; I’d say that we were definitely four-for-four on our new Sunday outfits selections.
The Emersons had Rowen and I until we went to Sunday School today, and then I went home with them for lunch before we all met up again at my house for a surprise (for the kids) trip to the Ridge River Ranch. Patrick and Scott were going too; and this was the first time that Rowen’s parents were going with us for more than travel support. This was also Ethan and Ehlana’s first trip to the ranch, and they were going to be doing an introduction to horses with Mom and Owen while the rest of us, including Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne, were out on the trail ride.
Patrick and Scott hadn’t done as much riding as Rowen and I, but they didn’t need lessons before our ride either, and we actually had a lot of fun with them today; shocking as that might be to both our friends and theirs. Their temporary transformation might have been because of our guides for the day; though I’m not sure if it was John and Pamela’s seventeen-year old daughter, Christie, or their laid-back, cool, fifteen-year old (going on ‘about-to-be-a-new-driver’) son, Cody. I’m just glad we didn’t have an afternoon like we’d had the night of our last sleepover at Rowen’s.
Ethan and Ehlana had a lot of fun too, though I didn’t get to hear the details of that until our evening question and answer time back at home. We had the teen trail guides today mostly because John and Pamela both wanted to work with my brother and sister. They were both impressed with how well the twins handled their little ranch adventure, which included some up close and personal time with a gentle pony; a long visit through the main stable; a short buggy ride; and a little trick riding demonstration that Christie did for all of us in the riding arena after we got back from our trail ride.
The parents, aunt, and uncle followed up our ranch adventure with a back yard cookout at our house that Grandmas and Grandpas Emerson and Proctor joined us for. Grandpa’s Olde Bakery dessert picks were the group favorites, but I thought that the Emerson’s secret family recipe baked beans were great too; and parents can never go wrong when corn on the cob and jumbo hotdogs are on the dinner menu.
Thanks to Mom’s decision to use our finest disposable dinnerware, the cleanup didn’t really take all that long. We’d gone with an early dinner, and by the time the yard and kitchen were clean; Mom had finished nursing Ethan and Ehlana with help from Aunt Leanne. They were all downstairs in time for a long round of goodbyes, and by shortly before seven; it was just the five of us left; and we went into the office to combine the evening question and answer time with the work that Mom, Dad, and I all wanted to get done before bedtime.
Dad had gotten most of his usual post-trip work done while I was away shopping, and Mom and I mostly just wanted to check email and do a little puttering around on the family business. The one big difference to all of our previous family office times was that Ethan and Ehlana happily played with their iPads too while keeping a flurry of questions coming at us that were mostly about their afternoon at the ranch. I’ve mostly taken my own ability to multi-task like that for granted, but it was amazing to see my diminutive brother and sister doing the same thing.
I helped Mom with the next feeding when Ethan and Ehlana were ready, and then I had a quick shower before getting around to doing this while Mandy and I have our little bedtime cat chat. We didn’t get that slower day that I’d hoped for last night, but I do feel relaxed now, and we had so much fun that I’m okay with that. Most of the guys in my class would say that we’ve got a full week of classes starting in the morning, and I could use that time to rest up from the weekend. A few of them actually try to do that; though not with any noticeable success. Since that’s not really an option, and I have a three o’clock feeding coming up fast; it’s time for a little quality snuggle and sleep time with Mandy – we’ve got a big week ahead of us; and Mom and Dad’s anniversary next weekend is definitely going to be the highlight for our family.