The Brothers Bennett: Bennett Reunion in Idyllwild

We spent the weekend of April 21-23 in Idyllwild (near Palm Springs) with the Bennett clan... I think the first family reunion ever. It was so much fun to relax and catch up with everyone. We hadn't seen C's cousins Kristi and Andy since our wedding in '02! And it had been even longer since we'd seen Uncle Rick. We stayed in a huge rambling cabin with enough bedrooms for everyone, a pool room, music room, and charming funky decor (like the stuffed-animal moose head on the wall... year-round Christmas wreaths... tons and tons of LPs). Our room had a little alcove perfect for the portable crib, and a little window box perfect for Ronan to crawl into. Best of all, it was super-quiet, which meant the potential was there for successful napping.

We learned the hard way from our previous weekend away that we can't expect the Big R to sleep in a strange place in a strange crib. (Duh.) He'll turn into the Amazing Sleepless Baby, which turns us into scary monsters. So we set up the Pack'n'Play in Ronan's bedroom a couple weeks before Idyllwild and let him roam around it and size it up like a wary li'l lion. Then about 4 days before, we let him (okay, we made him) nap in it once a day. He put up a fuss at first, but gradually it got better till he was sleeping about an hour at a time - whew! The end result? Perfect sleep in Idyllwild! We were absolutely shocked. He also nursed REALLY well, equally shocking for a strange new place. (He's always been a great nurser -- but ONLY at home, in his favorite chair. That of course makes nursing in any other place a really big challenge!) So needless to say, we were thrilled the whole weekend... He easily napped 2.5 hours during the day and crashed for 11 straight hours at night.

In the short weekend, we managed to pack in a Geocaching hike, terrific dinners, yummy breakfasts, lots of pool, and lots of talk with these wonderful people whom we don't see nearly as often as we'd like. We had bright sunshine on Saturday and SNOW on Sunday. Gorgeous!

Back row: Rick, Papa Jack, Brad, Kathie, Kristi, Andy
Front row: C, G, Ronan, Great Grandma B

Our favorite pic of the weekend. Ronan's first snow!

He did this funny thing -- he picked up some paper and pretended to read it while opening and closing his mouth like a fish. I think he was imitating us reading out loud to him! Only he wasn't making any sound. It was hilarious.

Ronan loves pool. He loves swinging the cues and pulling the balls out of the pockets on the table. Here he is keeping grandpa Jack company. (Notice Papa Jack's stylin' Team Ronan tee!)