Visiting people we love.

This week we went to Wawota, Saskatchewan to visit the Branvolds. We had such a relaxed and great time. Grandpa Ron and Grandma Sherrie are so gracious and generous. They love the kids and spend such a great deal of time playing and exploring with them. We enjoy being there so much. Not to mention the property they rent is amazing. Hilly, green, treed, full of animals and tractors... a boys wonderland.

This is Grandpa Ron with Trevor's dog, Jack. We spent a lot of time at Trevor and Cheryl's farm also. The trampoline and the sandbox were a hit and of course the kittens (Solomon named this one Oreo and Jack name a grey stripy one Twister) and cows!

Playing with cousins Brett (5) and Carter (2), That is Legacy -the stud bull in the background, he is huge and handsomely endowed... if you know what I mean. Trevor and Cheryl dispelled the myth that bulls are vicious and we went into that field and could have touched him if we had been brave enough. Trevor showed us he was a really gentle animal. Jack kept my hand tightly in his and we took Trevors word for it. We got quite the schooling on cows this weekend. 

Jack helped feed them, and I helped sort out a few that were getting ready for a voyage to Regina to get impregnated. Trevor breeds full blooded Angus cattle (invitro style) It is quite an interesting process. 

We sampled some beef roast for dinner. We took home half a cow in a freezer strapped into my truck! I am excited for our year supply of meat raised by my brother!

Cheryl took the boys on pony rides with Silver. "High Ho, Silver, Away!" She was such a great teacher. She explained how horses are plains prey animals and about their field of vision and defenses. She taught the boys how to approach Silver and how to talk gently, that horses don't like their faces touched but their necks were okay...

That is Grandma Sherrie playing with the boys on the trampoline. I am not sure what they stopped to watch though, something interesting it seems...

Back to Ron and Sherrie's farm. And more cousins. It rained quite a bit over the time we were there but only as random huge dumps of rain, it didn't hamper our outdoor activities at all... in fact it enhanced it. Leslie and Aaron's kids, Jody (10) and Jordan (12) skipped school on friday to come play in the mud with the boys. They also brought along scads of hand-me-downs YAY! These boys were plenty dirty after playing in the mud. 

We celebrated Ephraim's 4th birthday there and Aunty Trishia tried to fuel a feud with Mike by making Ephraim a Rough Rider's fan... Lucky we aren't too hard core into our football or Mike might have burned that jersey when we got home... Go Rider's go! (we will get Trishia a Bombers jersey for her birthday)

Our visit ended on a sad note. We were making plans to come back in August and pick up a puppy from grandma Sherrie's pomeranian, Chelsea, who was due in July, but the morning we were getting ready to leave, Chelsea gave birth to four 3 week premature pups who had no chance to survive. It was a very sad morning. We were sad to be a part of that tough life lesson, and witness a devastating delivery as Chelsea tried to revive her pups. They gave Chelsea some time with them then moved them into a pretty tin box to bury. I know it is just something that happens sometimes but it was hard not to think we had stressed her out somehow, causing her loss. But the boys were so gentle and loving to her and excited that we may have been able to take one home at the end of the summer. It was heartbreaking.

Plans are in the works to meet Trevor, Cheryl, Ryan, Beth and families for a camping weekend sometime later in the summer. I am excited to spend some more time with them. I really enjoyed getting to know Cheryl better this week and I think camping with them will be really fun!