Folsom

I'm finally getting to writing about our last trip of the summer: Folsom, CA to visit my brother, his wife, and their adorable twin girls.

This is Aubry:This is Courtney:It was a super fast trip. We left on a Friday and came back on the following Monday. Greg didn't go with us due to work. Max and I almost didn't go because I had hurt my back blow drying my hair (glamorous, I know) a few days before. But, as I stated before, I have the hardest time saying no when I know Max would love it, so we loaded into the car with my parents, and away we went. The 9 hour drive there was painful for me, and the not so beautiful scenery did not do much to ease the pain! But it was, of course, still worth it.

We went to the Folsom Zoo. The zoo was not exactly impressive. In fact, I think the Boise Zoo actually has more to offer. But the kids didn't seem to notice. They were too busy being cute!

(Courtney is on the left, Aubry the right, and Max is at the bottom.)

The best part of the zoo for Max was, of course, the train! It's a tiny train, but it is an actual steam engine.Max also loved swimming in Josh & Marissa's neighborhood pool. And he loved hanging out with the girls. He loved their car and train and would usually hoard both. Thank goodness the girls are so good at sharing! They were so sweet to share all of their toys with Max.We stayed in a motel and Max's port-a-crib was right next to my bed. He did amazingly well going to sleep, except for our last night. He got all tucked in, and next thing I know, I can hear him kissing each of his stuffed animals, telling each he loves them (as in, "I love you, big Elmo...I love you, Cookie Monster," etc.) and then he is heard to declare "Sooo cute!" Of course, we're all giggling by this point, and it takes a little bit to get him settled. But he wasn't finished yet! He pulls out the stuffed Spongebob and Patrick and puts on a puppet show of sorts on my bed. As I try to tell him to lay back down with a straight face, he just sort of lowers himself down slowly, like a stupid human elevator gag. It was so unexpected and completely hilarious! He's such a silly 2-year-old!

The girls were so fun! We couldn't get a picture of Aubry in her hat because she was constantly going and going, but Courtney at least paused long enough for this picture.The drive home took us a little longer because of a few stops. One of the stops was here at this strange place. It's right off the freeway and every time we drive by, we wonder what the deal is. So this time we stopped. It's called Thunder Mountain Monument. It was built in the late 60's to 70's by a man who changed his name to Thunder Mountain. He had a beef with the white man and the government and decided to build a monument to the Native Americans using the only medium he could afford: white man's refuse. He did it as a nod to the fact that the Native Americans used everything. Nevertheless, using garbage is an odd way to build a monument. Anyway, the place is now a State Historical Site, and has a very odd and deserted feel, but I'm glad that we solved the mystery of what this place is!