National Sibling Appreciation Day :)

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Well since it's apparently National Sibling Appreciation Day - and one of our siblings is currently in labor! - I thought I would recap a little about all of our siblings and where they are now. The girls sure are lucky to have all these awesome Aunts and Uncles!! (and more of these great "sister" shots of Francie and Maisie that Em took today coming next)

I'll start with the Heffernan siblings...

Brian's younger brother Mark (by 2 years) and his wife Sarah live right here in Mountain View with their cute girls Clara 3 and Caroline (1 tomorrow!) Mark works at Google as an engineer and Sarah is a scientist with a company based in Davis CA. They met on a rafting trip in Baja and then loved in Davis for 8 years while Mark got his PhD. We get to see them for lots of impromptu all-girl cousin dinners and dates.

Brian's middle sibling/sister Maureen and her husband Doug - I took this picture on Sunday, the day before Maureen's due date with baby number four for the Matthews family! Oma reports Maureen is in labor as we speak - can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl to start the streak of 2012 babies. Maureen and Doug live in Chico CA (just south of Red Bluff) with Ellie 9, Kate 6 and Patrick 3. Doug is a colorectal surgeon in a practice with his Dad in Chico and Maureen raises happy kids, chickens and an orchard of fruit trees. They were in Salt Lake City and then New Jersey while Doug finished residency and fellowships - we are glad they are back in the area for all the family fun.

Brian's youngest sister Kat and her husband Donald (pictures with little Oliver 18 months in the backpack) are expecting number 2 next month. They live in Red Bluff, Donald puts lots of miles on his truck as a cattle rancher originally from Burns, OR and Kat teaches at the local elementary school- used to be Kindergarten and now Special Ed (she's got some great student stories :) They find their way down the Bay Area often to camp out with us so Kat and I can go to Target and hang out. (Kat used to live with Brian when I met him so we got lots of time to spend together early on) We love that they come to visit and we get to see them in Red Bluff so often.

and the other half of Brian's youngest (the twins) is Craig and his wife Andrea. They get two pictures because I love both of these photos of them :) Craig and Andrea live in LA (but we are hoping to sway them up north soon!) and are busy chasing after Isabel 4 and Thomas 2. The lost little Angel Elise last summer but are expecting a new addition to their family in June. Craig is also an engineer and Andrea is a photographer and a great artist. Her blog is andreaheffernanblog.com where you can see lots of her beautiful work.

so between those 5 siblings we have 11 cousins and FOUR more babies on the way in the next five months. Every Christmas we say "NEXT year is going to be crazy with more babies" and somehow manage to top it every year! Just wait til we have 15 teenagers running around :)

Those are the HEFF siblings! Happy Sibling Appreciation Day :)

and on MY side of the family...

James is my younger brother by 18 months and is married to Emily (who I knew before he did!) They met at the University of Arizona and got married last summer in Menlo Park. They just recently moved down to the Bay Area from San Francisco and live on a cute cottage on the same street as my parents! They have been DIY'ing machines decorating and setting up an awesome "closet" for Em (you have to see the pics, it's a whole room my brother handy-manned into a fancy closet!) and making it look cute. They have a blog on newleywed life at www.mrandmrssimo.com

Uncle Jerry - My brother Gerald works for Driscoll strawberries in Watsonville (making his mother very proud :) and is the lone bachelor in our bunch of siblings (no pressure Jer :) He went to Cal Poly SLO and lived in SF for a few years before Santa Clara Business School. He's been at Driscoll since he graduated and is an expert in the "futures" of agriculture. Jerry and Heff share a love of hunting and the outdoors and are planning a few trips out into the wilderness soon. Uncle Jerry is always a big hit with the girls when he swoops in to rile them up, give them some candy and then head home! (if your single you also get two pictures - as long as they have sibling love showered on Jerry :)

and my Baby Sis - Baby Ann (or ABA to the girls) with her husband Pat! They live in Nashville, TN where Pat is from and Ann went to school. They met while Ann was in grad school at Vanderbilt and Pat was in Business School there. His family all live in Nashville so they get to spend time with their four nieces in the south (AnneMarie, Emma, Mia and MaryEva). Ann started her own business called Smart Sprouts which I am very proud of her for and love to "talk shop" about over IM everyday and Pat is in Health Care software. They have a blog too at Ann and Pat: Nashville Newlyweds

This seemed like a fitting "all sibling" pic from Beth's wedding since the Carter kids were in it and we grew up neighbors fighting just about as much as siblings! Happy Sibling Appreciation Day to you guys too :)

and thanks to my parents for giving me my siblings! (I would have made a horrible only child :) My mom spent hours and hours on the playroom floor with us growing up, coming up with fun games and competitions and fostering a love for each other to look out for our siblings and to be friends more than we fought. And my Dad spent hours and hours building forts, driving us on road trips and photographing our childhood. He has always been a hard worker spending lots of time at the office to this day - but when he's not at the office there's no golf or hobbies to occupy his time - it's family! Thanks for setting the example Jannie and Grampa :)

Tuesday Pizza Night

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Last night we were sitting around at home in the rain after the girls woke up from naps wondering what to do with ourselves and Heff suggested going out for pizza - at Mountain Mikes after Jannie's suggestion they have a great arcade for kids! We called Brian's brother Mark who was home with his girls waiting for Sarah to get home from work in Davis so we all packed up our rain coats and hit up Mountain Mikes for 50% off pizzas Tuesday :)  We sat while we gave out these:

Maisie Moo hit the "jackpot" on one of the games and got all these tickets. Little snaggletooth was pretty happy about this.

And thanks to a few other fortuitous coins they ended up with 612 tickets - enough to EACH get the light up princess necklace at 200 points instead of the one they were working up to share. Thank goodness :)  I love the poses here... especially Clara.

Home for PJ's - Maisie says "why these are not fitting me?"  18 month sleepers don't work on an almost 3 year old so much. (my dot system of labeling sizes for the girls failed on these :)

But JJ was pretty proud of herself stealing BOTH necklaces while the girls were getting books and putting them on.  What a fun impromptu Tuesday night!

 

Turning 34

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Thursday I had a great day on my 34th birthday! The girls brought me breakfast in bed, Heff stuck around to work the morning with me at a breakfast table at Bumble over laptops, the girls came down at 11am with Em for a special Andy Z concert at PLAY, Christin (her birthday too!) and Cat came to Bumble with the makings of a fun birthday lunch out on the patio at Bumble, we had Glamour magazine come do a photo shoot of a local "tech celeb" at Bumble and then we packed up the car and the kids to drive up to Red Bluff for a long easter weekend - and capped it off with family birthday dinner at Rubio's at the Nut Tree half way stop.

All around a great day - I couldn't have asked for a better birthday with my family doing a bit of the usual and a little extra fun. But I feel like everyday is my birthday thanks to my sweet husband and crazy little girls, I know I am very lucky to have them and all this fun in my life!

My present from Francie - love the assortment including a comb, baby shampoo, Ariel egg wrappers, candy and an orange. She worked very hard on decorating the box with Em all day!

Girls in dresses on one of the cool new playmats at PLAY (picked all the dresses themselves - Maisie pulled this Lily out and goes "Gaga- this still fit you?" No Maisie it's too small "Yessssssss." And so it begins...

"OH!" Jannie's not sure about all this love

Rocking out with ANDY Z!

Janie's trick lately - when she doesn't like something that much she plugs her ears

Pretty birthday flowers from my friend Cat!

Strutting their stuff back to Bumble with girlfriends

Cheers! Sunny lunch with girlfriends on the patio

Sharing our cupcakes with MaisieMoo

And Janie, post cupcake just chugging

JJ helping pose to check the lighting for the...

GLAMOUR magazine photo shoot!

my little buddies at Bumble Sebastian, Matthew and Dash serenaded me with "Happy Birthday to You" - they were so sweet!

Heff got me my favorite road trip snacks...

and then immediately after I took that picture some guy sideswiped us! Way to start the trip - but no big deal, always could be worse. Francie was fascinated "Is that guy going to JAIL now?!"

Road warriors - JJ glued to the screen to watch her first DVD in the car (Wild Alaskan Animals)

Rubio's road stop birthday dinner!

and I forgot to blog (or take any pictures but this slightly blurry one Heff took) my birthday dinner at Sundance Wednesday night with my family and a few friends -

Feels pretty good to be 34 - thanks for all the birthday love!

Farm School and A Busy Day

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Francie was back to preschool today after a 2 week "Spring Break" (partly because we missed a Tuesday and then they had 1.5 weeks off!), Jannie picked her up for a lunch and See's candy shopping date and THEN she came home just in time to head off to "farm school" at Hidden Villa.  She chose her outfit herself today - down to the rabbit ears she wore the entire time at the farm. Way to fit in France.

Mountain Mike's pizza date with Jannie. When Jannie said she only had 4 quarters for the machines Francie said "it's ok Jannie, they have a money machine." (I'm not worried though because coming home tonight I had a parking ticket on my car for being there ALL day and she was terrified if I had to pay the $54 ticket we wouldn't "have enough money to eat tomorrow")

While Francie was at school Emmy brought Maisie and Janie downtown and they hit some secret town easter egg hunt with perfect timing! Plastic eggs with candy hidden all over town! (I think b/c it got pretty much rained out Saturday?) Wow Maisie. Also dressed herself and did her own hair. Not sure what this face is, little nymph!

JJ happy in the stroller with an easter cookie

and then they met me at PLAY to play :)

This was Maisie when we walked home at 2:30 for naps. She woke up a little too early this morning and got some good couch time in with Dad while he worked from home at 6am.

after naps Heff and I walked the little girls downtown to meet Francie's carpool for dinner at Bumble after farm school- M and J both in backpacks! 

and these were from yesterday but they were at the park with Emmy in full princess regalia. 

but didn't stop them from jumping in the creek!

Light sticks at Jannie's Sunday - we meant to do a plastic easter egg hunt with these inside them at night but after we "activated" every one of them we forgot to do the hunt! next time :)

No Foolin

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That was no April Fools joke :) Janie is really gonna be a big sister! And she doesn't even seem as mad about it as we made her look. Emmy took the pictures and put the "Baby Heff #4" announcement together - she's so good! I am 17 weeks along and feeling good - a little different than the other three (less migraines but a little morning sickness) so maybe that means it's a boy but I always think boy and, well, I'm always wrong. We are just thankful to be expecting another little character to add to our brood and figure it can't get much crazier than it already is :) Thanks for all the well wishes!

Easter egg dyeing at Jannie and Grampa's Sunday night

Tye-dye for egg dye

love the new pose for photos girls

These were the outfits BEFORE egg dying (thanks Suzi-me-downs) for Palm Sunday mass at Nativity. JJ not having any of it

and some insta-action from the past few days - light table play at PLAY

New staff in the girl's eyes = new blood who don't know all their tricks yet :)

Maisie pretty darn excited about Taco Tuesday

Jannie and Francie coincidentally in yellow - all around!

Her own trip to the shopping center with Jannie - she was "asking" to see the easter bunny! Jannie spoils her :)

Back to PLAY with new kickers!

Art class Thursday with metallics on fabric - lots of textures!

and Francie asked if she could fix dinner one night. I would never say no to that! This was the "picnic" they had on the counter. no complaints!

after a few days of rain (finally) the sun came out. Francie was outside for awhile with the plant/pot her cousins Maggie and Aly made her for Christmas. I asked her what she was doing "Just watching my plant grow mom."

and a trip to good old Valley Fair with Emmy and Linda last week too - we love some CPK and cheesy mall shopping. And I love these stinkers!

Cousins Get-together

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A few Sundays ago we had a cousins gathering at Bumble with my mom's extended side of her family. A few people were visiting from out of town so we all got together to visit and play with all the new babies! It was fun to see everyone and a nice sunny afternoon on the patio at Bumble.

Four babies - Chase, Ryder, Abby and Janie

With the cousins but whoever was taking the picture was a little off : ) Kristie and Chase, Lori and Ryder, Michael and Abby and Mary with J

a little better ;)

Jannie and Janie with Aunt JoAnn, Lori, Ryder and the Heiser boys

John Arnerich and John Simo

Girls under the umbrella

Francie and Katelynn in the Playroom

Hope to do this again soon cousins!

Walking Shoes

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Janie is officially a walker. She started about 2 weeks ago right around 13 months but was hesitant to take more than a few steps here and there or still preferred crawling. Her little feet turn in a little bit so Dr Cisco said some good strong "straight-laced" shoes would help her. Jannie wanted to take her for her first pair of shoes like she took Francie and Maisie so Thursday Jannie went off with Janie to go shoe shopping. They came home with these on her feet and she hasn't stopped walking since! Emmy took these pictures on Friday...

Shiny new shoes ready to hit the pavement



Go, Janie, Go!

Morning Emmy Fun

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A few more pics from a typical morning for the girls with Emmy! Linda came down yesterday and they walked the girls downtown, to the park and then home for naps jumping on the bed :) We are so lucky these girls get to spend their mornings with EMMY!

*the girls choose their outfits of course - Francie re-purposed a 12 month Juicy romper as a cardigan, please ignore the snaps :)

Strolling downtown

Glamour girl

Shopping

Sisters (Emmy said - uh maybe i should brush the back of their hair more :)

HOME - JJ getting tired but trying to hang with the big girls

Binky and boooks before bed

Big girl time

Machado Ranch Round Up!

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Friday afternoon we packed up the Suburban and made our way down to San Luis Obispo for the Machado Ranch Round Up! Gary and my brother Jerry are best friends from High School and Jerry has been going to the annual Round Up on their family ranch for 15 years. We proudly serve Machado grass-few beef at Bumble for our burgers too so were excited to join in on the fun this year.

We spent the night at the Quality Suites in SLO and got up early to find the cowboys and cattle. The girls were pumped to "wrestle some calves" but took awhile to warm up when they saw the action in action. Patty is an awesome hostess and made us feel right at home all day enjoying the round up and a huge spread of food. We drove back Saturday night tired and looking like we'd been around cows all day!

Fun to be back in Jerr's college town too- burgers and beers at Firestone Grill Friday night

We found the Machado clan - Francie and Gary in a pinky swear (was supposed to be longhorn hands that Francie turned into pinky swears)

Quality Suites family overnight - always fun!!

Francie insisted on packing her own suitcase and hauling it herself. Contents: 3 stuffed animals and an American girl catalogue. Good thing I packed for her anyway! Horsey PJs for a horsey weekend

Early morning elevator ride to the Continental Breakfast buffet

landed at the ranch

Ready to do this.

The girls found Uncle Zoom-Zoom! (they call Jerry this because he pushed them so fast on swings/trikes)

found the calves - Maisie picked the "biggest mean one to wrestle" (the big black one)and named him Spider since that is a "weally mean name"

Checking out the babies

My stinkers

Janie LOVES dogs until the turn their head close enough to lick her face

This one cooperated

Zoom Zoom and dirty-face-baby

Francie found a good-luck-ladybug to share with Maisie until it hit the high road

Francie still searching for Ladybug, Maisie just chillin, JJ trying to convince someone to pick her up

Meeting Gary's horse Scout

Jnaie smirkin on Scout!

Heff and Ken Machado getting ready to Round Um Up!

Jerry, Gary, Mary (yes I know) and... Mary, Mary, and Mary ;)

at least we can throw a Heff in there- family shot with a Coors Light!

Time to get er done

I was pretty impressed with my brother Jerry's mugging skills!

Audience form the VIP box seats :)

Francie worked up the courage to get in the mix (these girls were all talk all morning) - you can spot the pink spec

Can you see her in there kneeling on that calf?!

Don't worry her Dad's got a grip on her for quick removal if he needs too

Pretty proud of herself!

We were pretty proud too France :)

Janie too busy eating patty's homemade Blueberry scones and being one-shoeless

Godfather trying to talk Maisie into giving it on a try (she claimed she was waiting for Spider)

High School buddies

Goofing around... the love :)

Patty the den mom making the rounds to make sure everyone is well fed and happy!

Janie had these guys laughing at her funny faces (loves to stick her tongue out)

More roping (to tag, brand, de-worm and castrate the bulls- all in a minute or two!)

JJ's turn in the pit with UJ

she was drooling on this rusty grandstand pipe and listening to her voice echo down it. Just getting her iron supplement!

the cute girls of the Machado boys (fiance, girlfriend and wife)

Annie, Gary and Jerry - Annie puts up w a lot from these two hooligans!

Sisters in the sun (it was pouring rain at home Saturday but luckily sunny and 65 in SLO!)

love the scowl Jannie

Janie in the mix

Binky babes with Jer and Heff... all good until...

Michael has to bring a cow ball in the picture!

yep. they went there.

Francie already knows enough to be grossed out ("Mom they cut those balls out so there won't be too many babies. And the meat tastes better without them.") check and check.

and the branding begins (the first batch of cows was to be sold so no brand)

This could be your next Bumble Burger Beef!

J and I almost ready for lunch

and/or naps :)

Gary made sure the "Lordy, Lordy Heff is 40" coozies made an appearance

Lizard looking

Maisie finally ready to give it a shot "I spray the blue stuff on da cows PWIVATES" (antiseptic)

she clung to Jerry for dear life but we'll give it to her

Future roper

The Ranch Manager has three kids almost exactly the same age as ours - Francie and Samantha here were fast friends sneaking 7-Ups all day

Photographer Maisie at the lens with a good sport uncle subject

The Newlyweds

Watermelon reward after a hard days work

Dinner's ON! Patty had a HUGE spread of appetizers waiting and THEN a huge BBQ dinner!

Very proud of themselves for solving the "how to we use Maisie's belt to make a throne when it's too short to tie?" Coors Lights!

What a fun day in the sun on Machado Brothers Ranch - we'll be back next year!

Clara's Third Birthday

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Sunday afternoon Mark and Sarah threw Clara's 3rd birthday bash at PLAY! She was so cute and excited, especially about the dinosaur cake she picked out from Costco herself :) Maureen and Kat drove down with the kids from Red Bluff (7+ and 8+ months pregnant!) so we had 9 of the cousins together. They all hung out at our house for awhile after the party then headed back up north! But Uncle Donald stayed overnight to go ship cattle in Hollister the next day so he crashed our date night Sunday when Emmy and Linda came to watch the stinkers. Happy Birthday Clara Marie!

Just Some Pics

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Francie and Maisie fell asleep last night snuggled together sideways on Francie's bed. Big days = tired girls! (They had an Emmy morning and a Jannie afternoon :) We've been busy with more of the usual this week - always fun with these three stinkers!

Walking from our Bumble breakfast with Dad to play at PLAY today they found a dead pigeon (actually two of them) Francie deduced they died from old age. Maisie thinks "I fink maybe her fell?" And Francie is very into all black outfits including the purse (with her money saved to buy a cat - yeah right) lately

Fun with colors in the PLAY classroom

Uncle Craig stayed with us Tuesday night! We had dinner at Bumble with Uncle Mark, Clara and cousin Kevin too. Uncle craziness :)

more playtime at PLAY (just got the AC working in the building - kids were stripping down to undershirts or no shirts earlier this week!) 

Music class with Steve of Orange Sherbet Music for Children - he is sooo good!

more music with Steve

and a good one to end a post with - Heff sent me this while driving up to Red Bluff with the girls. Binky share or bink steal?!

 

Mount Shasta to Ski

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Brian has been bitten by the ski bug with the girls! This weekend he really wanted to take them up to Mount Shasta near Red Bluff and I had a busy day getting PLAY ready Sunday so he packed up all three Saturday afternoon and drove up the Red Bluff! Oma and Kat watched Janie all day Sunday while Francie and Maisie hit the slopes with their Dad.

Here is Heff's iPhone video of "I like to go fast" Maisie and cautious working-on-her-turns Francie

apres ski

and while the big girls were on the mountain JJ got to go on a run with Aunt Kat and Oliver in Kat's new double BOB - just breaking it in before their new baby comes in May!

back at Oma's - Ellie, Kate and Patrick came to hang out - the girls couldn't be much happier. (Ellie, Kate and Patrick are waiting for a new brother or sister to arrive in a few weeks too - it's baby crazy for Heffernan siblings!)

and Oma was giving special Sherman rides to Maisie

ski bums - I think they're going back!

Opening This Week - PLAY!

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We are about ready to open PLAY! Very excited but lots of work this weekend and will be more scrambling this week... but I love the new business days!

Friday night Bumble was so crowded we moved our "party" down to PLAY for a family dinner in the courtyard while the kids tore up the playspace

This was my solution for hauling "to go" dinner from Bumble two blocks away in the rain. Good work BOB :)

the big kids holding court over the poor third child babies - no way they were getting in

There is a really neat skylit courtyard attached to PLAY for events, eating and working on laptops (or try the VIP Members Lounge for working relaxing on site - pictures coming!) Here is the courtyard all set up for a private event we did this morning

the cake table (and member lounge behind the turquoise door :)

The butterfly birthday girl today - she was so cute and this mom was soo organized! made for a fun/easy first event

and some recent photos of the playspace.... view from the front check in

Light table and light "flowers" kids can control with a spectrum remote

exploration tables and climbing structure

Janie (not camera shy like her sisters that day) on the science tube table with light tables behind her -

check out the animal prints that show x-ray structure when placed on light - pretty cool

the Book Nook

Building blocks and view of the classroom (and there's Janie again - little Where's Waldo of this post :)

Classroom entrance and our official "audience seats" in the foreground for puppet and talent show productions

This is where I was instructed to sit and ready a book "to keep the baby from squirming and interrupting our show." thanks big sisters

Friends (and anyone local reading this blog or PLAY blog!) can come check it out this weekend - just say "you saw it on the blog" for a free guest pass to try it out for yourself :) see you there! We even have a Grandparent social Fridays 9am-11am - Jannie better bring all her cute grandma friends! SCHEDULE HERE

More Wyoming

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I got a little off track posting the rest of the pictures from our fun trip to Jackson, WY. Seems fitting though since we are still talking about this trip and our new little ski bums almost everyday! Here is part two from the snow...

my big girls (Janie looks huge in a snowsuit) waiting to board the sleigh ride

Skeptic J (looking blond in the sun!)

Our view - just look past the bums :)

Maisie wouldn't take her new pink helmet off

Dad, Mom and JJ

Arriving at our picnic spot in the woods (still got a helmet, safety first)

Janie goes right for the snacks

Maisie didn't want to leave the horses she named "Shermum and Shermum" (after Oma's white horse Sherman)

Francie building a fort in the snow

and once Janie saw there was a fort to tear down - she was full steam ahead!

Francie let her "help" (in cute new hats from JanKnit she made in 24 hours after she heard we were snow bound!)

and the fun stops there (some injustice and they are both crying of course!)

Gotta build a snowman - sporting a Jannie hat too

and a binky to boot

Big girl Maisie moo in her "she'll grow into them" snow clothes

Maisie Loved skis. HATED snow shoes :)

I still love the little stinker - heading home for much needed naps!

and after naps back to the ski slopes in the sun! It snowed the first day and a half so we had fresh snow and warm sunshine the second two days. Perfect for the skiers and pretty nice for Janie and I to hang out and watch

"Moose here mom?!"

Here they come (hot pink helmets helped spot them)

Heff finally gave up his proud spot at the bottom of the hill watching his big girls and rented skis. He got 1 run in by himself and then caught up with the girls to ski with them - pretty happy dad!

Maisie making her way in like a big girl

Quick pic of all five of us (no kids looking of course) before they loaded up again

Away they go - Maisie carrying poles for her Dad

Big smiles from Francie

Going up in the Gondola for lunch after the last run of the trip

Janie was such a trooper in the backpack with me most of the day

Top of the mountain - elevation 10,000 + feet

a final (somewhat failed) attempt at a family photo before we left - Janie is on my back and you can't even see her

Cowgirls leaving Jackson Hole for home

WHAT FUN!