***Warning - Long post with LOTS of pictures***
As mentioned before in my previous post, we spent Easter weekend in Rigby, Idaho doing a work day for Travis's Grandma Beazer. Being in her late 80's we all try to get together once a year to help her with her huge yard.
Jacque with her daughter Riley. It was very cold in the morning. Just the day before it had snowed.
To begin with the "boys" thought they needed extra help on the tractor to clear out the burn pit. They left us once again (the woman) to pick up all the pine cones in the yard and trim the front tree. (This is a running joke with us)
Here is April climbing in the crab apple tree trimming
Uncle Marking helping out
Rose at the ready.
Jacque and April posing for me. While April and Mark were in the tree, Jacque, Rose and Me were picking up the falling branches. Rose tried getting in the tree and helping trim, but fell (bruised her behind) and left it to April and Mark. I am sure that if I had gotten in the tree I would have done worse!
One of the great attactions for kiddos (and adults) is the train that Grandpa Beazer and his Dad put together years before. Now Uncle Syd keeps it running and gives the rides. He brought it out first thing in the morning so the kids could play on it.
While trimming the crab apple tree, we were getting lots more branches than we expected so we had John and Derek bring by the trailer so we could load them on there.
I don't know why Derek was doing this, but I made him do it again so I could get a picture of it...maybe he was trying to ride with "no hands"
Here is Brittney, Kimball and Riley waiting patiently in the cart hoping that a ride would come soon.
Her is Rose and Derek pulling a big week out of Grandma Beazer's thornless rasberry plants. Jacque was trying to get the same picture as me.
John with a fun toy....time for some fun
April, Patrick and his wife Kristin talking in the back...taking a short break
Here is Brandon, he was so cute. When we first went outside he said he wanted to be with Dad so that he could do "Man's work". He was so sweet and went off and helped them for the morning.
Brandon and his cousin Sierra. They are such good friends
Rose and Jacque waiting for the action to start....
The audience...poised....what is happening???
We are watching the cutting down of a tree!! This little are has a swing set and slide. The trees have grown way too close and so it was time to cut one down.
Timb......
eeeerrrrr!
The boys (Travis, Grandpa Walker, Derek and John) quickly pounce on the tree with their toys chain saws.
John and Grandpa Walker making quick work of it.
Travis never used one before so Derek is showing him how. Derek was the one that got to actually cut the tree down, so he was more than willing to let Travis have a go.
Travis got the hang of it quickly.
It was a BIG tree
Look at these strong boys men!
Here they are all three of them. It took maybe 10 minutes to cut the tree up and all of us girls to haul the branches and logs off once it was down.
Grandpa Walker cutting the log tree into different size logs.
Uncle Syd during this time was taking all the kids on a little tractor ride around the yard. He is always so good with them! He is so patient with them and loves to give them rides, whether on the train or the tractor.
After the tree was done, Rose came up with the idea to use some of the logs, cut them thin and use them for pot holders. Just having something from Grandma Beazer's house is a great sentimental treasure for all of us. So Derek was a good sport and started cutting all of us some large pot holders. Then either Jacque or Rose came up with the idea to use a branch and cut thin slices to use for coasters, so Derek kept cutting until all the women were satisfied! (Good man!)
Here is Brandon watching Patrick change the oil in the train, hoping that the train ride was soon coming.
But it was then time for a lunch break. The kids came in and played a little and ate.
Sierra jumping on a small tramp
Then after lunch it was time for a quick train ride! Man were my boys excited!
Nathan on the Beazer Shortline!
There is a tunnel that we go through next to the shop, it is a tradition to scream in it, so there are some cow bells to ring too. They are also great to call "All aboard!"
Nathan and Mommy...he was stuck to me like glue...even though it was a "tight" fit.
Kimball so excited!! They have ridden the train many times before, but its always exciting when you get to ride it again, for both kids and adults
Everyone hopping on board!
Here is the back of the train as we were making a turn. Jacque, John, Rose, Brittney and Aunt Ruth Ann
One train ride lasts about 5 minutes so there is always several runs made. So here is Grandma Walker with Kimball
Daddy with Kimball and Brandon
Derek and Rose
Tyler and Brittney and Brandon and Sierra (Tyler and Brandon are cousins)
Off we go....
Trains rides done for now, Brandon and Sierra get on the pully cart and start going around the track. This is also another favorite toy of the kids.
Now we all start raking up the pine needles under the trees so that they can get a lawn mower in there during the summer. It felt as if this hadn't been done in years! We had the wheel barrels going non stop, loading and unloading. We raked so much that I got 2 different blisters on my hands, one on each hand. Jacque also got blisters.
After the raking was done we moved on to the ditch that would bring the irrigation during the summer. It was too wet to burn the weeds and leaves so we had to rake them up into piles that they could burn easily later. The neighbor that was right next to us (and that allows us to use part of their back yard for our train tracks) had this awesome little merry-go-round. The kids would sit opposite from each other and two would pull and the other two would push. This would make it turn, and the faster you did it, the faster you would go. I really really want one of these guys and wishes my little brother could make her one!
Brandon, Carson, Brittney and Kimball had fun playing on it.
Nathan was missing so I took off to go find him and found him inside taking a nap. I glad to find him sleeping because he was tired!
At the end of the ditch area we cleared out a bunch of birch tree starts and then took the torch to some wild rose bushes.
Here is Riley smiling for me!
Here's Trav...taking someone to the house...but who is it?
There he is!! Kimball!
Kimball was going to the house because he really needed one of these!!!
Shortly after most of the yard work that could be done was done, so Derek was kind enough to take some of the kids that wanted to on a little mowing tractor ride. Nathan was really scared and had Derek drop him off shortly after.
But before dinner it was time for the last train rides of the day. We don't drive the train on Sunday so it was everyone's last chance to ride.
Kimball and I ere trying to scare Daddy in front of us...did it work?
Off we go!
Kimball and Daddy!
Mommy and NayNay after a long day's work. By now it was getting colder again.
Carson, Rose. Brittney and Derek
Travis and John were able to fix the bike that ran along the tracks. Here is Trace and Brandon riding it behind us on the tracks.
Then after dinner and when it was dark, it was time to start our fire. Our little fire pit is full of pine needles and cones. We were sure it was just going to make a quick blaze, but there was so much that it burned for hours!! We had someone call the fire station from the highway, they had thought that a tree had caught on fire. We had the fire Marshall out and everything, but after seeing we had it well under control he called the fire trucks off and left.
Travis and his two little sisters, Rose and April
Patrick making funny eyes at me
Nathan all ready to start roasting marshemellows
Sierra is ready too!
Brittney with her favorite Aunt and Uncle, Rose and Derek.
Then the fire created such a great background that we had families stand in front so we could grab some pictures. Here is Aunt Denise and her 3 boys, Brandon, Tyler and Trace.
Grandma and Grandpa Walker
All of us standing back and watching the fire.
Then our little bunch! We had a great time there! We look forward to it each year. Even though there is a lot of hard labor involved we still love it!
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