Froggie Comes to Boise

A dozen years ago after Froggie was born her momma asked if Mike would be her Papa.  It is some big shoes to fill but he proudly stepped in to make sure Froggie would know all the stories about her Papa Ric and get as many hugs from Papa Butch as she required - and even a few extra.  Our first meeting Froggie was introduced to Papa Butch, Uncle Matt, Uncle Krieg and me - Uncle Deb.

Our Froggie turns 13 years old in October.  Time slips past and we were feeling the emptiness of our nest so I asked her momma if Froggie had plans for Spring Break.  What luck!  Her week off was the same as Mr. T and she didn't have any sports or appointments.

Sunday of Spring break, Papa and I loaded the car with an overnight bag, powdered donuts and coffee, slipped through the dusky morning to pick up our travel companion Mr. T and headed west.  Mr. T was very excited to have one of his 'cousin friends' come visit for a week and asked if he could come along.  You see, Mr. T has been making their journey between WA/OR/ID for all of his nearly seven years - and he LIKES it!

The journey was uneventful.  We stopped for breakfast with Ronald and ran off some energy at a rest stop later.  We stopped to show Mr. T some of  the big horn sheep herd which grazes along I-84 between milepost 122 and 112.  The weather was beautiful, the sunshine warm.

In Portland, we enjoyed a meal shared with our sister-in-law, her children and their families.  Mr. T and cousin friend Mr. A played as only six year old boys do.  After dinner we all walked through the wooded area to a big grassy field, complete with a long hill perfect for racing up and down or rolling.  We let the dogs loose to keep the kids in motion.

Monday morning we packed up our companions and headed for home.  Froggie helped to entertain Mr. T with games and imaginary play.  It was good to arrive home.

Tuesday Froggie accompanied me on my errands.  Ruger needed his booster shots.  We stopped for lunch and later took Ruger to his final Puppy Training class.  It was our slow 'catch up' day.

Wednesday we headed out for a little girl time with a pedicure.  After lunch Mike joined us for a trip to Birds of Prey where we enjoyed the two bird shows and the tour of the archives.  Froggie is so good about asking questions which makes Papa very happy to provide answers.   We went out for an early dinner and Froggie joined Matt, Brit and Mr. T at his soccer practice.

Even when Papa goes to Birds of Prey as a visitor, he still gets asked to help when they are busy.

Thursday I had to go to work. The weather was threatening to stir up trouble.  The girls, Erin and Brit, were planning to take all of the kids to the zoo when Brit got off work.  I invited Erin, Froggie and Baby C to join me at the hospital for soup bowls for lunch.  The rain was coming down already, but it didn't deter their plans for the zoo.

Lunch with these folks!

Papa and Froggie picked me up after work and we had dinner at Chili's.  (I'm not sure I ever cooked while she was here.)  We grabbed a bag of overnight things and took Froggie to Matt and Brit's for a sleepover.  Papa had an early morning appointment Friday and I was going to be back at work.

Friday the group took lunch to Matt at work and stopped to introduce Froggie to Tate's great-grandparents.  Grandpa Lyons showed her his special rock collection - something for the beach comber in all of us.  Matt & Brit's friends from Washington came over for the weekend.  We all met for pizza and an early celebration for Mr. T's 7th birthday.

Having Froggie visit was the easiest thing we've  done in ages.  She is a special, loving young lady. Her momma worried about her manners but we had to keep assuring momma everything was great. Froggie chatted easily, helped around the house and we loved having her stay with us.  Plus she got to spend time with her extended family, reaffirming the family bonds her momma instills.  We are looking forward to another visit this summer.

Saturday we once again packed up Froggie's things and headed back to Portland.  The weather was cooler and cloudy but we did see the Big Horn Sheep once more.

After a short visit with her momma, we headed for home once more.  To change things up a bit, we crossed the Columbia River into Washington State and followed Highway 14 along the river on the north side.  Despite the cloud cover, the view was very pretty.  Seeing Bridal Veil and Multnomah Falls from across the river was special.  There are several "cute little towns" along the way, providing opportunities for antique shopping or a coffee and pie.  We've already decided we will have a return trip on the north side of the river - and make time to enjoy the adventure along the way.