4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

One last game of bingo with Uncle Michael and Tyler, and we said a fond farewell to Black Butte.  Graham had a great time on this trip playing with his older cousins and uncles.

After a stop at the Enchanted Forest (more sliding, less mining this time around), we made our biennial trip to Baker and Spice to jog our sense memories with the tarts served at our wedding.  Fingers crossed they stay on the menu forever.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

Today, we explored Smith Rock State Park.  It was beautiful and no one was bitten by a rattlesnake, huzzah!  Back at the (Black Butte) Ranch, we took family pictures.  Thanks for a great trip, Grammy!

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

We started off this morning with a treasure hunt, following a map left by Lily and Jacob, to find pictures drawn by G&C's besties while they vacationed at BBR in July.  In the afternoon, we went on a family hike.  Graham's favorite part was talking Uncle Michael and Uncle John into some swings.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

Thank you, Grammy and Granny Annie, for babysitting while Will and I spent the morning investigating how the drought is impacting Oregon's waterways.  Looks like the river is holding up OK.

After the boys woke up from their naps, we headed for calmer waters, where the boys practiced jumping in the water and swimming.  They love their water wings and are both getting the hang of paddling & kicking.

Graham and Connor snuggled up with Daddy and Granddad for their first (but likely not last) viewing of "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope."  Graham was nervous about a few scenes but overall both boys enjoyed the show.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

Graham and Connor absolutely love Black Butte's pools.  They stay in the water as long as we'll let them, and then have complete meltdowns when they suddenly notice that they're freezing.  Both boys have been pretending to be sharks--you can see Graham Shark in the top picture.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

Graham and Connor spotted the horse corrals while we were biking around the ranch and immediately asked if they could go for a ride.  These were definitely not ponies, but neither boy seemed at all nervous.  Graham has been on a horse or pony a few times before, but this was Connor's first time at the rodeo.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

Daddy is in Oregon!  After almost a week away, we were all thrilled to see Will pull up to Grammy's house this morning.  We packed up and then headed off to meet the rest of the family at Black Butte.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

We spent a relaxing day in hammocks and swings, and hammock swings.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

Blueberry picking!  Connor ate most of the fruits of his labor, but Graham was very interested in accumulating and assessing how many blueberries he'd picked.  Abby and Graham are getting along very well.  I'm not sure Abby exactly likes spending time with Graham, but he really likes her and she is being very patient with him.  Connor is still a little scared of Abby but is coming around.

Grammy is very good at making milkshakes and story time.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 4 months.

Blackberry picking!  Graham is pretty good at picking his own berries.  Connor enthusiastically spots ripe ones but fizzles out on picking long before he's done eating.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 3 months.

Jetlag almost kept us away from the Enchanted Forest, but everyone rallied and had a great time.  Connor loved the seven dwarfs house and the old woman in the shoe slide.  Graham was scared of the dwarfs mine the first time through but then fell in love with it and insisted on showing it to everyone over and over.  Everyone was scared of the witch slide.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 3 months.

And we're off!  First 2-on-1 flight with the ratio going the wrong way (child:parent...).  But the visit will be worth it!

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 3 months.

Popsicles for everyone!  The boys loved having some more playtime with C2 this evening.

4 years, 6 months/2 years, 3 months.

Guess we should leave Brooklyn more often...we ventured out of our home borough to meet friends at Central Park today and had a great time exploring the park.  The boys spent about an hour on the slide.