Hair Cut!

After having the same hair cut for years, Silas asked to have a shorter hair cut. So here he is

Yolo County Fair

We went to our local county fair and had such a good time. There were cows, pigs, chickens, sheep and goats to see. Ice cream was licked and rides were ridden. I checked out the quilting and baked goods winners and decided that I should enter my chocolate chip cookies in next year's Fair. Wouldn't it be fun to say, "Yes, my cookies are prize winners!"

The kids had fun on the rides. Chris and I went on a couple of rides with them too.

The kids loved the pony ride. It was Zeke and Keilah's first time on a real pony.

New Kittens

To the great excitement of the kids, we got two new kittens. They're both female and about 4 months old. The tan one is named "Nahla" and the muted calico is named "Sheba". Nahla is shy and Sheba is outgoing, and they are so much fun to have around!

Rauch Reunion Fun Photos

Here is a sampling of our reunion activities.

The kids had fun with their cousins. Keilah and Lily hit it off.

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was fun for all.

Keilah got her first ever solo carnival ride.

The men tested their skills in the pinewood derby race. Our family's car got 3rd place (out of 6)!

Chris and Silas went to the gun range with a big group to fire many weapons.

Rauch Family Reunion

That's 20 people in this photo, and we all stayed at Paradise Ranch for 4 wonderful days of family bonding. With families coming from Singapore, Utah (soon to be Arizona), New Mexico, and southern California, who knows when we'll ALL be together again. We had so much fun! I'll post highlights from specific activies later.

Hiking in Auburn

Another local spot can be found north in Auburn. What a beautiful place!! We'll definitely be coming back to the Auburn State Recreation Area! This hike was in the American River Confluence Area, and we even found a geocache.

Lake Berryessa

As is our custom, we try to check out local amenities wherever we happen to be living at the time. So we took a long drive out to Lake Berryessa, which is a popular place to go boating. The lake was formed when a dam was built, and the surroundings were fairly bleak. We probably would have had a lot more fun with a boat, but the kids did go swimming and it was a fun family day.