We had a mellow-by-Heffernan-standards Thanksgiving in Red Bluff this week with Oma, Opa, Nana, Pops, Maureen, Doug and their 4 kids and Brian and I and our 4. It was the smallest kids table we've ever had :) We went up early Tuesday and spent all day Wednesday driving up even farther North to check out some ranches and wide open country.

Gramparey came by Monday night to say goodbye (they are in Nashville waiting for ABA's baby- due tomorrow!) and brought the girls snow globes that plug into a USB port from Walgreens. Gotta love that Grampa!

heading up Tuesday - stop at Granzella's for sandwiches and ice cream

dogpile on Dad while he's trying to work

Tiny Tess in Oma Specs

and a 5:40AM wakeup call Wednesday to drive up North!! Kids were troopers. I was grumpy for a few minutes but I got over it :)

Star PJs in Sprinty before Sunrise

Got our map! (and who are we kidding... a GPS too :)

this kid was cracking me up the whole drive - showing off her "funny faces"

Arrival! using their legs to get some energy out

barn jumpers checking out the hay stacks

and piled 9 of us in a pickup to check out the trails - sardines!

cold water trough with a thin sheet of ice on top - girls were fascinated

and I was cold!

girlies in a field

they declared this their new favorite spot to run. I agree

Tess was mad because the girls put a piece of ice in her hood- stinkers!

stop at Dolly's Diner for burgers and beers. Etna Brewery Co beers!

back to Oma's for NAPS

and waiting for cousins to arrive!

salt dough ornaments with the kids (Aunt Kat usually brings a fun craft so I had to try and step it up - she's way better!)

Tess has become a Daddy's girl overnight. She wants to no one else!

hanging out with cousin Molly

and this JJ never stops entertaining us, even when she doesn't mean to! Crazy hair and static is an awesome combo

waiting around watching the bird on the BBQ

Kids table

and sweet Ellie bathed all of the kids after dinner!!! what a treat

heading home on Friday - quick stop at the Nut Tree but avoided the throngs of traffic heading into the outlets, Black Friday sounds awful.

and home to unpack the car and find four cute neighbor girls sneaking through the fence - that's a lot of girls between 2 houses!! Happy to be home again!