three against one: Oregon

This past weekend we took a short trip to La Grande, Oregon to visit Dan's brother and his family. A few years ago they moved from Utah to a small little town on a bunch of property. They bought cows and chickens and joke about being "country bumpkins". Lucky for us (not so much for them), the trip is only 3 hours away and a beautiful drive . We had so much fun, we are already planning our next visit.

While we were there, Camden and Jace were taught the 5 important rules of guns. After they understood and could recite all the rules, Uncle Bud helped them shoot for the very first time. They started with a BB gun, and then a 22.

I'm not much of a gun person, but the way Bud addressed what we were doing calmed my nerves. He told me kids are curious and guns are no exception to that curiosity. So introducing kids(or adults) to guns safely, eases the curiosity and instills the appropriate amount of fear.

Let's see if I can remember the 5 rules:

1. Never put your finger on the trigger unless you are ready to shoot.

2. Never point your gun at anything other than a target.

3. Everyone must be behind the line of fire.

4. Be aware of your back drop.

5. The gun is ALWAYS loaded to destroy.

Bud was positive the kids would enjoy shooting the "smaller" guns. He said once they saw and heard Dan and I shoot the big guns, they would be too scared to shoot anything bigger. I wasn't really convinced. I thought Jace would never be too scared. But sure enough after I shot the AR 15 even Jace was apprehensive.

After we finished shooting, we hopped on the four wheeler's and took a trip up the mountain to see their cabin. It is a work in progress but gonna be such a treat for their family to enjoy. The property it sits on is beyond beautiful! It is close enough to home but it feels like you are so removed, what an escape.

We attempted to race boats in the pond, and watched the dog enjoy the freezing cold water. Then we just hung out, enjoyed a snack and a soda before we headed back to go fishing in their Grandma Marie's pond.

My kids were in heaven being with their cousins for so long. Brixtin and Brian were such good sports to constantly entertain them.

There were several rounds of badminton, some serious rounds of Monopoly Deal, lots of yummy food, the perfect company, and the most beautiful views.

While on my morning run I so much enjoyed the scenery. I had to stop several times to take pictures.

The weather was perfect and you could see green farmland for miles.

I was loving all of the adorable barns, wishing my kids would sit still for 5 minutes so I could prop them up for a picture. But obviously they were too busy having fun so I didn't make them agree to a photo shoot.