Meanwhile, back at the Ranch...

Last weekend the kids and I trecked down to the family ranch in Laredo to visit my family and take a break. Oh yeah...and get out of the way so daddy could get the flooring replaced. (Does it seem like I'm procrastinating on telling the whole foundation leak saga? That's because I am.)

Anyway, the flooring was the last stage of 2 1/2 months worth of repairs, and I couldn't visualize the kids and me staying upstairs for days on end, unable to use the stove or crawl around downstairs without being in grave danger of getting concrete-burn on the knees. So we migrated south.

This is the best time of year to visit the Ranch, since the weather can be absolutely lovely. And with kids that want to be outside all day, a place like Laredo isn't exactly charming in the dead of summer.

So recumbent bicycles were ridden, trampolines were napped on (didn't you know that's what they're for?), and catfish were fed. And fed. And fed. I now know of a place where you can catch some extremely fat catfish. In fact, you can probably just use your hands, since they're too obese to swim away quickly.

Here are a few pictures of this latest trip, where you can tell that I have plenty of evidence that my children are abused by their grandparents. So sad. No spoiling whatsoever.

Baby Garfield "nesting" on the trampoline

Emma visiting with Bailey and Luna, some of her dog friends in Laredo

Grandfather happily taking both grandkids for a ride to the lake...and plotting about a bike trailer for when baby sister arrives