"You know I like my chicken fried
Cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up
Well I've seen the sunrise
See the love in my woman's eyes
Feel the touch of a precious child
And know a mother's love" -Zak Brown Band, 'Chicken Fried'
I am a California born and raised woman who married a Midwest born and raised man with three Oregon born boys. We spend majority of our time on the west coast. We do not get to visit the land of my husband's often enough, only every two years (Ugh, flying is SO expensive!). Everytime we go, we are all sad about leaving. The day after we got home, Micah said that he wishes he could bring grandma and grandpa, the farm and all the animals to Oregon, by us. Noah just kept repeating, "I don't want to leave". I think we need to make than one trip every two years.
First thing we did was go to Cracker Barrel. I hear we are getting the first west coast Cracker Barrel here in the Pacific Northwest! Tualatin, Oregon to be exact. After our *must-have* Cracker Barrel dinner, we arrived at the farm and went to meet the new calf. Side note, the other *must-have* for me is 'Steak N' Shake' (although I always screw up and call it 'Shake N' Bake'). Why? Well, only because we do not have one in the PNW.
While meeting the calf, the red barn reminded me of the photo I took of Noah by the barn 2 years ago. I needed to get a new shot by the barn and he obliged. When I got home, I had a good laugh that he had the same hair. He is very attached to this hairstyle.
There is so much for the boys to do when we visit but for me, there is really is only one things that I am driven to do. And that is to document. Not surprise, eh? I just want to take photos of it all. I took over 550 photos while we were there.
There was a lot of baseball practice happening the week we were there as well as ninja training for the youngest Staley boys. They enjoyed doing ninja moves. The weather was perfect, not to hot and not too cool. And the only way that there was proof that I was there was a couple lame selfies.
'The Girls'. The girls are Tilly and Pearl. The two very well loved dogs that love their Rino rides. Each morning Micah asked to 'take the girls on their Rino rides".
Our boys THRIVE when they are visiting grandma and grandpa's home. Other than being with family, it is my favorite place about being there. They are with nature exploring, using their imaginations, loving on the animals, and what I love THE MOST is they spend their time with each other! Don't get me wrong, I love that we have neighborhood friends at home for the boys to play with but our eldest son would rather play with his friends than his brothers. At the farm, he has no neighborhood friends to play with and he actually plays with his brothers....imaginative play...like a kid!! My heart was full!
Only a few of the kitties.
Trying to get a good shot of a Cardinal is a challenge. They are so much more skittish than the other birds that were around.
Four-wheeler rides and the boys playing one of Felix's favorite games, cops and robbers. Although, usually Felix says he is Rex Furry. Here Micah is arresting him.
Barn Sparrows and a black bird.
And the cows. They were protective of the new additions.
More of Tilly (the brown dog) and Pearl (the black and white dog). The first two are them coming back from their evening adventure.
The farm.
Bros.
Down-time.
Noah's first Major League Baseball game! Cardinals vs Cubs. It was a big night for Noah AND his daddy.
Meanwhile, these 2 continued their shenanigans.
Fishing time! Micah has always been pretty lucky and this day his luck was in full force. He kept catching fish after fish (it may have been the same one).
This hill of dirt provided HOURS and HOURS of entertainment for Noah and Micah. They had some sort or project going on. But before the project, they were throwing mounds of dirt at the tree. Boys! My camera got very dirty but it was worth the shot.
Below are also some images of the boys with grandma and grandpa. The first one perfectly shows the stage Noah is in. He was 'fixing his hair' as he often does. After I took the shot he said, "wait!! I was fixing my hair. We need to redo it.". I wanted to keep this shot purely because he was fixing his 'Justin Beiber' hair.
The next shot shows a side of Micah's personality, pretending to fart on Grandma. Grandma is unaware. Grandma and Grandpa take such great care of us when were are there. Cookouts, special food for the boys, cleaning up after us, giving up their bed, playing with the boys. Such a treat for us! I finally got to meet Dan's nephew, Robbie and his fiancé . I did get a photo of them but I will not post it. Kicking myself for not taking a family shot with them! We all had such a special time and I am so happy we were able to make it back to the Midwest. I do not miss the ticks though!
