Oregon--Jefferson Adventures

This past August we made the journey northward to visit friends and family in Oregon and everywhere in between. Each time we make this trip, the kids become more and more travel-friendly. Delaney is in the sweet spot of road tripping--she's content with copious amounts of fruit snacks and unlimited Ipad time. Jude, on the other hand, isn't quite there yet. But, like I said, each trip seems to get a little bit better.  

While in Jefferson, we did many farm-y things. We picked strawberries, attended a tractor show, canned pickles, and rode in Uncle Jimmy's "really, super-big" tractor. I'm grateful that these Californian kiddos will be well-rounded and in touch with their country roots.

We can't pass up a visit with the Lances when we travel through Redding. It's so fun to see these kiddos develop friendships with one another even though they live so far apart.

And we can't forget about Auntie Kobbs! We got to eat bagels together at the legendary Bagel Deli in Redding. Any time we get to spend with Laura is priceless.

Once we made it to Jefferson, Delaney got put to work with Grammie picking strawberries. And she's also dressing herself these days, can you tell?

Jude enjoyed the fruits of their labor! 

Delaney always helps Grandpa with the chores around the house. Feeding the sheep is one of her most important responsibilities. 

Here we are with the family at The Great Oregon Steam Up. It's an annual tractor show and proved to be more fun than I remembered from years past.  

Delaney and Grandpa in line for the hobby trains. These two are quite the pair!

Jude, pumping water. He could have stayed here all morning. 

I'm not sure what's happening here--is she giving the tractor a hug? 

Fair-skinned Jude needed something to protect him from the sun, so Grammie bought him a John Deere hat. Perfect for this good ol' boy. 

Back in Jefferson, feeding the sheep again. This time Yoppie got to help.

Best friend Beka (and Yoppie's mama), Steve, and I decided on a whim to can some pickles. It was quite an adventure. We didn't really know what we were doing, but we had the internet to guide us.

Fortunately, our long-time family friends Mary and Joanne came to our rescue. Alison, Beka, Joanne, and I all grew up with one another. Mary was our 4-H leader in our days of yore, and Mary is sort of a canning expert. We gladly handed the reigns over to her and the pickles turned out fabulous! 

We also had dinner at Uncle Jimmy's place and had fun looking at his farming equipment.

Uncle Redneck and Delaney went around the field for a bit, and I tried not to fret too much about my daughter's safety.  

Of course we had to include Jude in on the fun as well.