Adventures in Placerville

As members of the Placerville Historical Society, we were asked to help clean the museums for the Memorial Day Weekend festivities coming up soon in town. So on Sunday afternoon, we packed up some sunscreen and water bottles and rode our bikes into Placerville.

For the second weekend in a row, we enjoyed having company at our mountain getaway. Gary's brother Tom, who just recently moved back to Idaho from Arizona, spent the weekend with us and joined us on our bike trip/cleaning task in Placerville. We enjoyed his company, and hope he can visit again soon!
It is very enlightening to be a part of the historical society; we get to learn about the history of the Boise Basin and see all kinds of antiquities from Idaho's past. Pictured below is the inside of the original mercantile in Placerville, now one of the two museums.

Tom helped entertain the boys on the front porch while Gary did a lot of dusting inside.

It was a beautiful, sunny day! Ice cream treats and cowboy boot removal were necessary for staying cool.

Gordon & Grayson perused old-fashioned toys from yesteryear.

Gary swept off the porch of the Magnolia Museum as well; I enjoyed referring to him as Nels Olson from 'Little House on the Prairie,' keeping the mercantile tidy.

My cruiser bike, parked in front of the the Magnolia Museum

The bike ride home lulled Grayson to sleep.

(My next post will explain that giant diaper you may notice peeking out of Grayson's shorts).

Bye Bye, Cribby!

Sunday night was Grayson's 1st night in his "new" big boy bed.

He happily inherited Gordon's toddler bed...and slept straight through the night!

Yay!

Today's nap time was on the challenging side, trying to keep him in bed long enough to fall asleep. But after some chaos, he did sleep for nearly two hours.

Such a big boy -- we are so proud of our little Grayson!

A Lovely Weekend

Here are a few more photos from our weekend with Jen & Tony.

They arrived Friday evening, bearing gifts for Gordon & Grayson.

Thank you so much, Jen & Tony!



The weekend flew by too quickly. Before we knew it, it was time to say good bye for now. We're hoping to see Jen & Tony again soon, hopefully for the 4th of July, if not sooner.

Uncle Doe-Doe gets a big hug from Grayson too!

Tony & Jen Visit!

We enjoyed some extra special guests this past weekend -- Jen and her fiance Tony flew over from Portland; we had a wonderful time with them here!

On Saturday we packed up a picnic lunch and enjoyed the scenic drive to Kirkham Hot Springs.

Unlike the last time we visited, the springs were a popular destination, so it took a bit longer to get into some of the deeper pools -- but soon enough people started clearing out and we had the place nearly to ourselves.

Gordon didn't hesitate to jump right in to the shallow pool.

Grayson took his time getting into the warm water.

Jen and Tony clearly adore each other ~ we are so excited for them and their future together!

It's great to be in this glorious mountain spa!

Here, Gary and Grayson are watching a group of rafters paddling by on the icy cold river, while we soak in the warm spring water.

Gordy loves soaking in hot springs!

Grayson finally "warmed up" to the idea of getting into the water.






Splish-splash! Now he's having a blast!

After a good couple of hours in the pools, we made the hike back out toward the car and enjoyed some snacks -- Gordon & Grayson were eager to sip on their refreshing juice boxes.

I just love this picture of the boys enjoying each other's company!

Heading home, it didn't take long for Gordy to doze off. Here he is, leaning on the shoulder of his new pal. Gordy and Grayson both adore their new buddy Tony!

We're all impressed with Tony! :) After arriving back at the cabins, he treated us to a delicious dinner of grilled steaks & chicken, wonderful spinach salad (garnished with poppy seed dressing, pears, and walnuts), scrumptious seasoned vegetables, and broiled red potatoes. What a fabulous day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to MY MOM...all the other incredible Moms out there!

My wonderful husband and boys surprised me with a personalized musical Hallmark card (it plays "You're Unbelievable," in case you were curious), an awesome pink iPod Nano, and fresh daffodils (3 vases full, and then some--the boys love collecting flowers for me).

Like I always say, "I'm the luckiest lady in the land!"

Gary, Gordy, & Grayson ~ I LOVE YOU!

Thank you so very much for another special Mother's Day!

Grayson is TWO!

THROUGH THE YEARS WITH GRAYSON (ALL 2 OF THEM!)

Brand new baby Grayson ~ May 4th, 2007

Grayson at 6 months old, November 2007

Grayson's 1st Birthday, May 4th, 2008

Grayson at 18 months, November 2008

Almost 2 years old ~ End of April, 2009

What an incredible little boy! Today we celebrate Grayson ~ Happy Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Grayson!

Look who's TWO today!

We celebrated a day early, since Gary was home for the weekend. After Sunday naps, the party began....

Grayson's most emphatic request for his birthday was a tractor cake. Though I'm no expert at cake decorating, I tried my best ...and Grayson loved it!

Last year, Grayson was a little scared of the lit candles, but this year he really enjoyed that part of celebrating. "More fire?" he asked after blowing out the candles himself. (Uh oh).

I found this cute t-shirt last week at Kid-to-Kid (a secondhand kids' clothing store) ~ perfect! You'll be seeing it in Gordy's birthday photos too, as it fits them both.

We bought Grayson his very first "big boy" bike with training wheels, which was very exciting -- though he was just as excited about the much less expensive bubbles and balloons he got. After a rainy weekend, we're looking forward to testing out his new wheels today, after it dries off a little bit outside. (I'll post pictures later).

Gordy has been a very loving big brother, helping Grayson with his bubbles, giving Grayson his balloon when Grayson's popped, and sharing tender birthday hugs with his baby brother.

Happy Birthday, Grayson!

We love you so, so, so much!