A Star(dom) is born: Retroblogging the megatrip: part 5

We made it! We pulled in to the farm after dinner time on Friday, June 27th and were ready to stay put for a few days and do some more visiting with family. This was a special visit to see Grandpa and Grandma Karan as this was the first time all three boys would be out west together (last year, Henry visited for a day with Holly while Max and Leo had been out two other times). We'd been talking up the farm for days so everyone was pretty amped up.

One of the biggest pluses about Grandpa and Grandma's farm is that it's the opposite of the minivan in terms of cooped-uppedness. I mean, they have a chicken coop, but . . . never mind. Here is a brief list of some of the fresh air backyard adventures the kids got up to on the farm:

Throwing balls around the yard until the dogs almost passed out

Picking strawberries in Grandma's raised boxes full of ripe berries

Swinging on the swing Grandpa rigged up on a tree in the backyard

Throwing frisbees around the yard until the dogs almost passed out

Picking up eggs, feeding horses and shovelling poop

Hunting for treasure (spare change) with metal detectors

Squirting each other with water until, well, nudity ensued.

Kicking exercise balls around the riding ring until the dogs almost passed out

Stuffing foliage in underwear and running around the yard like fools

Here are some pictures from their gallivanting:

You must be wondering about this picture. The boys were roaring around the yard with branches and leaves, etc. in their underwear and Leo just had to show me how much greenery he had stuffed in his fly. May I make it clear that it is a pack of leaves that he is trying to remove from his fly and not some other junk.

All of that roaring around clearly tuckered the kids out.

The boys got to spend some great time with their grandparents too, of course! Lots of reading, Lego building, porch playtime and trips to the playground. We also nipped across the US border with Grandpa to Colville, WA (a mere 88 km away) for a day trip of shopping (including an awesome thrift shop), burritos and ice cream.

Grandma is a gifted horse trainer and riding instructor, and she has always been very generous in offering the kids opportunities to ride whenever they visit. This time, Max got to learn a bit more about tacking up a horse and got to ride for the first time without someone walking right alongside him. Grandma reports that Max did very well and he certainly enjoyed the experience. While Leo was a bit too groggy post-nap to ride, Henry was totally up for it. Escorted by his grandparents, Henry did a couple of laps of the ring and had a great time. Here are some pictures of the boys on a horse.

Our last full day in Grand Forks also happened to be Canada Day. Which meant that we had some big activities on the slate. Everything got underway with a parade through downtown Grand Forks, ending at the park by the river. It was exceptionally hot that day, with the sweat starting to flow nice and early. Holly's favourite float in the parade was a massive "eat locally" pro-breastfeeding float…we got some pictures with it and some are shared below. After the parade, we all headed to the park for some games, music, snacks and Canada Day white cake. After all of the fun, we swung by Subway for a quick lunch before going back home for some World Cup soccer and some naps.

After the kids got up in the afternoon, Holly and I packed the kids and Grandpa in the van (Grandma was working) and drove down the highway to go take a dip in Christina Lake. Grandpa told us that Christina Lake is an extremely warm lake (Wiki confirms that it is "the warmest tree-lined lake in Western Canada" (so where is the warmest treeless lake in Western Canada?)) due to a vent of some sort in the ground under the lake. Everybody but Grandpa had a swim and we all got into some sand architecture on the shore. The water and the weather were both phenomenal and the only way to close a day like that was to go to the local chip 'n burger shack (Kool Treat Burgers 'n Ice Cream) and get some good eats. We are attaching a not-so-clear photo of the menu. We would like to direct your attention to the first item, the Messinator. Yes, that reads "2 patties between two grilled cheese sandwiches". No, nobody ordered the Messinator.

I'm including some awesome pictures of our happy family that were taken during the visit. The restaurant picture is from a yummy Chinese buffet family dinner where the kids ate incredible portions and enjoyed Jell-o desserts.