Our trip up to Oregon went smoothly if not casually. We started off at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3rd and stopped every couple of hours to feed Shalyn and give our bottoms a rest. We, as a whole family, decided to take the middle seat out so that we could fit all our "stuff" in the car without having to bring our trailer. Without the trailer in the picture, we could use all four drivers. That being said, all of us and our "stuff" were literally squeezed into place each time we got in and out! Early in the morning, we stopped at a rest stop for a couple of hours to let all of us sleep. Ladd really didn't get much sleep that night. When we woke up, we drove to another rest stop that put us at more of a breakfast-y time, and ate cinnamon rolls in the cold morning. The rest stop happened to be in "Ladd Valley" and had some remnants of the pioneer age for us to look at and read about. Lena and Alyssa promptly fell down once they got out of the car several times each so we had a strict "do not run!" policy while there. I had forgotten a spatula to aid the dishing out of our cinnamon rolls, so I used my hands. Ladd slept most of that stop, and it was Garrett that took over the driving next. We had been getting calls from various interested Olsen parties starting at 10 p.m. on July 3rd. We had several more calls before we arrived. All of the calls went something like this, "Where are you?! When do you think you might get here?" "We thought you'd be here before this!" It must've been hard to continue their proscribed activities and plan for our abstract arrival. Our trip there seemed very laid back and enjoyable. Perhaps it was because Ladd spent some of his time in the back with the kids. Or, perhaps it was because the children all knew they had chosen to be squished!
We finally arrived at the Forson Ranch somewhere around 3:30 p.m. on July 4th. We were hustled down to agate beach (to the river that runs through their property) via four wheelers so we could join in the festivities. We got there with just a few minutes to spare before we started moving onto the next activity. The kids swam in the river and hunted for "gold" (gold painted rocks!). We cleaned up and went back to the main house to be hosed off prior to jumping into the swimming pool. The adults started the BBQ. Alyssa took to the water like a duck! She kept climbing out, and jumping in regardless of anyone prepared to help her once she popped back up out of the water. One of the times Lena came back after running to the bathroom, she jumped into the water without her life jacket and was quite surprised when she sank to the bottom of the pool. Luckily, Ladd was on top of things. He grabbed her and pulled her out of the water and put a life jacket on her. Quite the natural teaching moment! Lena saw the importance of life jackets for her time of life and skill level! After swimming and eating, we got ready to go see the fireworks "in town." It was quite the procession. We had five cars with all of us squeezed into one of them. Shana seemed to know what was happening, but I don't remember getting very many instructions from her regarding our time watching the fireworks. It turned out that we had to be dropped off, and as such, we grabbed a few things out of the back of the van, but without coordinating between Ladd and I or with our children that all rode in different cars, we were pretty unprepared for that night's activities. I've never been cold during the 4th of July fireworks, but we all were freezing that night. Dad and Mom Olsen and Sherilyn had brought a tarp for warmth. I had my jacket, and Shalyn had some blankets. One of the little girls had a jacket (I think?), and we had some camping chairs. As the sky grew dark, we grew colder. I started feeding Shalyn, and Ladd had Lena and Alyssa sit on his lap to help him stay warm. Presently, Shana came over to see how we were doing. She had her coat on and had laid out some blankets on the ground for the kids to sit down on. She saw we were all freezing, so she had us hover together and share blankets. Even with my jacket, Shalyn snuggled up next to me with her blankets, and a blanket draped over me, I was VERY cold. And, despite the friendly atmosphere, the cold night, the loud and blinding fireworks, I couldn't stop myself from slipping into slumber. I remember drifting off to sleep with the thought that I was supposed to watch the fireworks go through my head and pausing to squint at the next flash of light and booming sounds. Then, I'd think, "it's much too bright!" And send myself succumbing to the pull of my tired eyelids once again. So, for the first time in my life, I slept and froze during the fireworks on July 4th. :) Either we weren't THAT cold, or we were THAT tired!!!! (Ladd had the same experience there as I did!)
On Friday, we packed up to go to the beach. We found the parking lot full, so most of our stuff got carried down by the kids or others who were able to help. Ladd thought a van was going to leave, and stubbornly sat there waiting for a full half an hour before they left. We tried to fit where they had been, but couldn't get there for fear of getting stuck in the sand. Finally, Ladd parked up the hill and we walked down with the rest of our stuff. We had a very enjoyable day at the beach. We tiptoed in the water, searched through the tide pools, built humongous sand castles, and climbed the nearby sand mountain. We ate, counted kids, and talked with one another. We got back very late.
One of the drawbacks of Shana's family, Sherilyn's family, and our family all sharing the same three bedroom two bathroom home was the lack of bathroom options. It seemed there was always a line to go to the bathroom and a rush to see who could jump in the shower first. So, it was a test in futility to get all the youth and adults ready for an early morning temple trip the next morning. Most of the adults thought I should go as well and leave all the little kiddos in the capable hands of Amanda, James and Brigham (all 11 year olds) with Kristen and Dane to help out, but it didn't seem to make sense to me. Besides, I was nursing Shalyn, and she would not wait 8 hours between feedings. So, I chose to stay behind and watch the little ones (all 14 of them) by myself. Sherilyn had prepped Amanda so she could watch Max by having her sleep in the same room as him and making sure his diapers were handy. I had seen everyone off around 5 a.m., and tiptoed back to my bed, hoping the little ones would all sleep for awhile longer. Max started howling just an hour or so later, and since Amanda didn't seem to be aware of him, I hurried into their room and grabbed him, laying him down by me on my bed. That seemed to do the trick and he went right back to sleep, tossing and turning as a little one will. I didn't get much sleep after that. Eventually, my three youngest woke up as well as Max and we went out to see who else was up. I found Brigham and Hope and Levi playing cards. As the other children wandered in on their own time, the older ones joined the card game leaving me to keep the smaller children from getting lost, making a mess, and bothering Shalyn. Somehow, we made it through breakfast. Kristen seemed extra tired (I don't blame her -- she was sleeping on the couch and we all came into her "room" when we got up -- much earlier than when she would've chosen for herself!). Dane involved himself in a computer game and ignored us as much as possible. Amanda dragged herself out of bed last of everyone and didn't seem to notice Max that much. Between Alyssa, Max, and Shalyn, I changed quite a few diapers. We tried having people go outside after breakfast, but it didn't seem very safe for the littlest ones, and harder for me to keep track of everyone -- especially when I was nursing Shalyn. So, we tried to put on a movie, but finding a satisfactory choice for both older and younger children was challenging. Finally, I aimed for the younger children, and was able to keep most of them entertained while I cleaned up breakfast, followed Max, and got a snack ready for everyone. James, Amanda, and Brigham seemed frustrated with my attempts to get them to help follow Max around or help keep the peace. It just wasn't the fun thing to do! When the first couple of cars finally came back from their temple trip, I explained I hadn't known what to do for lunch and the kids were all hungry. Then, I retreated to feed Shalyn and take a much needed (and deserved?) nap. After some downtime (while some of the ladies went shopping), we gathered everything up and travelled to their quarry amphitheater for an outdoor program celebrating mom and dad Olsen's 50th wedding anniversary. Each family took their turn acting out some of the stories of when they met or had during their life together. Shana's family acted out how they went to a devotional at BYU together and how dad Olsen would tape each of their double dates and then listen to what the girls had to say about the guys when the guys went to get their food. Trisha'a family acted out how they fit the whole family into their little Datsun. Sherilyn's family acted out how their unborn children guided mom and dad into meeting. (Miles held up a sign saying "Little Angel" and then insisted he was LADD! :) Our family acted out how dad Olsen turned mom Olsen down during a dance competition (he was one of the judges). We also acted out how they "lined up" during picture taking. After the skits, we ate cake and ice cream. The cake was a beautiful cake with the Salt Lake Temple spires on it with the words 50th Wedding Anniversary written across it. We cleaned up and hauled everything back and tried to get baths and showers done to prepare for church the next day.
Mom and Dad Olsen, Kristen, and Jamie and Trisha with their three youngest children left for home early that morning. The rest of us got ready to go to church. It turned into a frantic rush just to get ready in time for the half hour drive for church. Sherilyn took her girls down to the bunkhouse to use the shower there and free up the shower at Shana and Guy's house. She left Miles and Max behind with instructions for Miles to get dressed. They just played. It was Miles' birthday. When Ladd and I and Shana and Guy and our children were all dressed and ready to go, I asked Shana what we were going to do with Miles and Max. Sherilyn wasn't back, and I didn't think Miles would watch Max enough to keep him safe. And, they weren't dressed for church. I'd asked Miles where his clothes were and he'd told me they were in the car that Sherilyn had with her. Shana took a look at Miles and Max and you could see her brain working overtime. She said, "We'll just find them a different shirt at least" as she headed back into her bedroom to look for something. Suddenly, Miles piped up, "Oh! I just remembered where my clothes are!" He charged back into his room to find them just as Sherilyn drove up. We took that as a sign we were free to go to church. During the testimony meeting, I was nursing Shalyn and I heard Shana (or Sherilyn?) bear their testimony about going to the temple and what a neat experience it was to be surrounded by family at the temple. My first thought was one of confusion. We hadn't gone to the temple! And then I realized that my memories wouldn't ever be of going to the temple because I had babysat instead. It was a sad realization for me. I don't regret babysitting, but I didn't get to be at the temple with all of our family. We celebrated Miles' birthday with a chaser and a birthday cake Sherilyn and Shana made from scratch after church was over.
On Monday, Sherilyn and her children left for home. We were all lounging around after breakfast and Shana realized that Brigham had invited some people over for a swimming birthday party for him and Dane and hadn't told Shana what time they were supposed to be arriving! Everyone jumped into hyperdrive and pulled a birthday party together in the spur of the moment! They swam in the pool and ate hot dogs and celebrated with brownies and ice cream. Savannah, Cecilia and I spent time reading books during that time so we weren't very social or helpful. Later, Shana and I talked while she cleaned her bathroom. After dinner, for FHE, Ladd did a spiritual thought and we watched "The Great and Powerful Oz."
Tuesday, we packed up as fast as we could (which took far too long!!) and headed for Washington to see Darren and Accalia and family. It seemed to take us forever to get there. We finally reached the ferry at Bremerton. What a fun experience that was to enter Seattle that way!! The kids had a blast looking for all the jelly fish in the water and taking in all the sights. After the ferry, we eventually got to Darren and Accalia's house. Darren gave us a tour of their house. Accalia got home from the store and Darren rushed off to a missionary discussion. After dinner, we got everyone settled and talked for awhile before scripture study. Ladd had crashed by then. So, I made sure everyone had a place to lay their head that they were happy with. There was plenty of room for us to choose. The next morning, after yummy chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs, we packed up and headed for Snoqualmie Falls. We spent a couple of hours there with Darren and Accalia and their cute family. Our children seemed to enjoy running around together. Ladd and some of the kids perused the visitor's center and I was forbidden to look in the bag that held the treasures from their purchases. We hugged and said our goodbyes to Darren and Accalia and their family sometime in the afternoon, and headed on our way. Our trip back to Utah was similar to our trip out to Oregon. We stopped briefly at a rest stop North of Ogden in the wee hours of the morning. We pulled into the gas station at Smith's around 9 a.m. We were all so very tired. Ladd pleaded with all of us to take just five minutes to help clean out the car before we rested. A couple of hours later, we finished pulling the last bit of stuff out of the van. We were back!!!
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