Call Family Reunion-2011

Can you believe we're old enough to start having reunions with our immediate family members?  It's crazy, but true.  We were fortunate that while we were in Utah, Robbie and Kris would also be there to bless Andrea.  So, Grandma and Papa declared it Reunion Time!

While the reunion didn't officially start until the weekend, we spent some quality time together before that. The girls quite enjoyed going to school with Grandma during the mornings.  Johnny was feeling a little left out, though.  So when he got the chance, he wanted to prove to Grandma that he was old enough to do his sounds, too!

Sorry, Son.  You're still not quite old enough yet! :)

On Wednesday night, we were lucky enough to get to go to Aunt Julie's dance recital.  Claire couldn't have been more excited!  All Claire wants in this whole wide world is to be a ballet dancer.  And to see her Aunt Julie not only do ballet, but jazz and tap too, was almost more than she could take!  She sat for over an hour, completely focused, as we watched each dance class perform.

She loved watching the girls her age, but really enjoyed Aunt Julie's performances.  I think we may have a dancer in the works!

We started the actual reunion on Friday afternoon, once Danny and I were back from Park City.  Because let's be honest, the party can't start until we're there! ;)  Grandma and Papa, and all the endowed sons and wives, were able to go do a session at the Bountiful Temple together.  Well, I guess not all of us.  Kenny and Susie weren't able to make it because Susie wasn't feeling well.  We sure missed them.  But it was cool to have nearly all of us in the temple together!  Friday night, we ate dinner together at Grandma and Papa's, and then enjoyed an evening of watching old home movies of the boys when they were little.  We spent the rest of the night in gut-busting laughter!  It was so awesome to watch Danny when he was little, and see how little has changed!  :)  He was adorable!  It's no wonder our kids are so cute.

We all spent the night together at Grandma and Papa's that night, and then packed up the kiddos and headed to the zoo on Saturday morning.  And it there that we really realized how much we've grown!  It was an exhausting undertaking to try to stay together as a group and keep track of all the kiddos.  But it was a blast, as those outing usually are.  Here's a look into the fun:

The kids were so excited!  They were enjoying themselves WAY before we even saw the first animal!

They had what they called "Zoorassic Park" at the zoo this time, and all scattered around were these animatronic dinosaurs.  At first the kids were kind of scared, but once we explained that they were just robot dinosaurs, they kind of relaxed.

"Uhhh...Dad?  Did you notice the big meat-eating dinosaur RIGHT NEXT TO US?!"

"Oh, never mind.  It's a ROBOT dinosaur!  It's cool, we're okay, Dad."

One of our first animal stops was at the elephants.  Gotta love elephants!  Before you reach the actual elephant habitat, there's a cool elephant statue, covered in African art, that plays songs and squirts water through it's truck.  Can someone say "photo-op"? :)

We even got to see the new baby elephant.  She only weighed 212 lbs at birth... :)

I've mentioned in a previous post about our Las Vegas trip that Claire really loves the maps and brochures you get at the entrance.  I hadn't realized that she has learned to actually read the maps!  She was able to show us exactly where we were...

After Claire consulted the map, we headed to where the tigers live. 

I didn't get a picture of the tigers, but they apparently have a new habitat, and they like it!  While a couple were sleeping, a big one walked right past us and decided to go get a drink of water.  The pond has a water view beneath a tunnel that the kids can watch the tigers drink or swim.  Well, while this one was drinking, it must have caught a glimpse of Sophie, who was pressed up against the glass for a better look.  She must have  looked appetizing, because this Big Cat wouldn't take its eyes off of her!  Even after we walked away, this kitty kept stalking its prey...

Or maybe he just wanted a drink of David's cool blue water bottle.  Who can really know? :)

Before we left the cats, we found another photo-op.  Here are the offspring:

And the offspring's offspring!  Well, mostly.  Johnny and Andrea didn't make it in this time.

Ahhh...too cute!  After this, our kids started to get tired, so everyone found a ride while we looked for a place to have lunch.

Not only did Sophie find a ride, but some ostriches too!  What a bonus!

Wow!  If you put a Sophie on top of a Daddy, you get a Mega-Person!  :)  They're almost as tall as these guys...

Hee, hee.  :)  Anyway, we were able to find a covered picnic area with tables, so we hunkered down for some lunch.  Everyone was in need of rest and re-fueling.

What we did next was the coolest part of the whole day!  A few times a day, there is a free bird show.  The only trick is getting there early enough to get a seat.  Julie and Katie are fast eaters, so they headed over to save seats for everyone.  I'm so glad they did!

After the bird show, we lost some of our group.  David, Camillia and Ruby headed back for Ruby's naptime, and Kenny, Susie, and their boys headed back to.  Susie still wasn't feeling so well.  With only half of us left, we decided to see a few more animals.  The girls were just having too much fun!

We actually saw the camels and apes twice.  The first time we did, we didn't have Papa with us.  And apparently, he REALLY wanted to see the camels and the apes!  So we swung back and saw them again.  We love our Papa!

Silly Uncle Robbie! :)  On our way out of the zoo, we caught one more photo-op.  We never tire of a good picture!

What a day!  It really was so fun, and the weather (for once) was beautiful!  It was nice to get the kids outside, and just plain wear them out.

On Saturday evening, we got together for a cookout at the school.  Aunt Katie had a piano recital, so Grandma, Papa, Aunt Julie, and Aunt Katie left dinner pretty early.  And Susie still wasn't feeling well, so while they did stop by, they only stayed for a few minutes.  So by this time, the family reunion was winding down.  But there was one more event!

Andrea Marie was blessed the next morning during Grandma and Papa's Sacrament Meeting.  Robbie, of course, did a wonderful job blessing his daughter, and she looked absolutely amazing...in a dress that Kris made herself!  But did I get a picture?  No.  I'm a dork.  After the blessing, we headed home for a nice luncheon with Kris' family before they headed back to LA.  

But before we left the church, I managed to get this awesome three generation shot:

What handsome men!  And all Rogers, in one way or another. :)

We had so much fun with our family, and we can't say enough how much our kids love their cousins.  It's so fun for me to see how they play together, and I hope their relationships continue as they grow.  Danny and I will be sure to provide them every opportunity to stay close to not only their cousins, but their uncles and aunts and grandparents, too.  It's family that matters, after all.