Roger Call Reunion

We had the rare opportunity this summer to have all of Danny's siblings in town at the same time. It was time for a Roger Call Reunion! With everyone's busy schedules, we were only able to secure about 24 hours before Uncle Kenny had to head back to Chicago, but we packed that 24 hours full of fun and memories.

We started with a yummy dinner at the school. Danny smoked a brisket for sandwiches, and it turned out amazing! Millie brought her beloved Frito salad, and the rest of our sides came fresh from the garden. With the new kitchen, it was super convenient to cook at the school. :) We enjoyed the delicious food and the fantastic company.

After dinner, everyone got ready for family pictures. Our friend Angela Ellsworth was coming to do a big family picture for Lori and Roger, as well as individual family shots and some fun ones of the grandkids working in the garden with Grandma and Papa. We were a bit rushed doing the pictures as we raced against the sun, but Ange got some really great shots and everyone had a good time.

Before the sun was completely down, those of us that were spending the night at the school got tents set up and air mattresses inflated. It's so awesome to have the property at the school and the room to do all of this in one convenient location!

Once it got dark, and before everyone went to bed, we had our own family fireworks show. The kids loved it! And with us all lined up on the driveway, it was crazy to see just how big our family has gotten in the few short years since we all started our families.

Having ended the day with a bang (literally), we all retired to our tents. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't the most restful of nights. But we're going for memories here...not a good night's rest, right? :) We had some excitement in our tent that morning when Claire lost a tooth! Never a dull moment with these kids. :)

The first thing on the agenda for the day was a service project at Great Grandma Call's. She wanted some help getting her yard whipped into shape, and we figured with all of us together we could get some serious work done in a couple of hours. Everyone pitched in...even the littles!

As you can see, we had quite the summer storm brewing to the west of us. Something just seemed ironic about washing the outside windows of Great Grandma's house right before the rain came. :)

Ever since Danny was a kid, cousins have been assembled on Great Grandma's porch for pictures. And Grandma wanted to make sure we got those pictures again! It is a pretty cool porch for cousin pics. It's crazy how grown up everyone is getting...

...especially the big kids. :)

We got the pictures right in time for the storm to blow in. It was such a delightful summer rain, and all the work was done. So it was a perfect time to play in the rain!!

It was great to work together as a family and serve a woman who we love so much, and to whom we all owe a great deal! I love that my children have such a great relationship with their great grandmothers, and for the memories they are able to make with them. What a treasure!

But that wasn't the only treasure of the day! Uncle Robbie had just gotten home from some time in Hong Kong, and he brought souvenirs back for all the kids. So cool!

Well, we had planned to swim for the rest of the afternoon after our service project at Grandma's, but the rain had cooled things down significantly. We decided to see what the weather would do, and in the meantime enjoyed some lunch inside the school and rested from our labors for a bit. I didn't think it got terribly warm once the sun came out, but that didn't matter to the kids. They had their hearts set on swimming, and so swim they did! It didn't take long before everyone was in their suits and in the pool having fun. Except for Danny, who had to tune into his three hour class for his masters program. Lame! But aside from that, how cool is it that we can eat, camp, swim, and shower all at the same place?!

While we were in Provo for Stadium of Fire, Danny and I came across the water balloon filler thing that the kids had been seeing on TV, and we just HAD to get it! :) We held on to it specifically for the reunion, so once everyone was out of the pool for a break we decided it was time for a water fight. The filler worked really well...but it didn't make very big balloons...which made them harder to burst. Which meant the big boys had to throw them harder at each other. And that left some pretty gnarly welts! Honestly, we should have bought two fillers. The big boys used almost all the balloons, and the little kids were rather disappointed when they were all gone! 

After the water fight, things started to wind down. Between the service project at Great Grandma's, swimming, and the water fight we were all started to get a little tired. So we settled into some treats and games in the school. We cracked open the watermelon, and Papa made pina coladas. The big kids played a game (the name escapes me now), but because the boys were all in their swimming suits I think it looks like they're playing strip poker or something! 

It was getting close to the time when Uncle Kenny and his family would have to leave to get him ready to head back to Chicago, which would mark the official end of the reunion. With the few minutes we had left, the kids unanimously decided on pony rides. Papa was happy to oblige!

And with that, the reunion came to an end. And just in time, since the littles were dropping like flies... :)

What a wonderful, crazy, hectic, fantastic 24 hours! It's definitely getting harder to get everyone's schedules to match up, but the effort is well worth the memories. We're grateful for all the work that Grandma and Papa did to make this happen, and we're so grateful for our eternal family. I am particularly grateful for the relationships my children are cultivating with their great grandmothers, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. That's something I didn't have much of, if any of, during my childhood, and I can see how much it means to my children already. Family really is everything!

Ogden Overlook Trail

We are really determined to make hiking a family activity that we all love. We thoroughly enjoyed our Antelope Island hike...but that was way back in March! We haven't had the chance to get back on the trail. But luckily for us we had an open Saturday and Megan and Alyssa wanted to come visit that same weekend! That was all the motivation we needed. Danny pulled out the map and found us a trail...

We decided on the Ogden Overlook Trail up by Snowbird Ski Resort. The weather was perfect, and it gave Danny and I the chance to try out the new Camelbaks we had recently required. We enjoyed walking through the aspen groves as we made our way to the overlook. The kids handled the trail great! And when we finally got to the top, the view was worth every step.

(We had to do "Megan's Mountain Pose") :)

After enjoying the view, we started heading back down the mountain. We stopped at a nice shady spot with some decent seating to have lunch.

Lunch never tastes better than it does on the trail. :) And everyone, even Maese, appreciated the chance to sit and relax for a moment. But, we couldn't sit forever! Before too long, we were back down the trail in earnest. 

We stopped for a bit at this cool sign to take some pictures. The sign provided a perfect way to photograph our hike! And the wildflowers were just beautiful.

And then back down the mountain we went. :) This was Maese's first trip with his hiking backpack, too! It worked great, as long as we kept it balanced for him. At first, he wasn't such a fan. But he got used to it, and it was awesome having him pack his own food and water. Maese is a great hiker, and LOVES his chance to play with us outside!

In all, the trail was about 5.6 miles. And somewhere around Mile 4, Johnny started complaining. His feet hurt, his legs hurt...he couldn't possibly take one more step! But he managed...barely. :) All the way to Mile 5.59 when he plopped himself down in front of an aspen tree and refused to budge. He didn't care that he was literally inches from the trailhead. Johnny is nothing if not completely obstinate sometimes! :)

Megan and Alyssa were the perfect cheerleaders, and made a victory bridge for us to go under as we each reached the trailhead. Well, except for John. :)

What a beautiful way to spend a summer afternoon! And I've decided I really, really love hiking! I never used to. We didn't hike really at all when I was growing up. And by the time I was in Young Women's and hiking at camp, I was so self conscious of the physical demands. I was always one of the last ones, and I was usually sucking wind just to stay close to the group. I was hesitant when Danny started taking us hiking last summer, but I realize that I truly do love it. And it's the perfect activity for us as a family. I can't wait to see what other trails we conquer before the season is through!

To My Claire, On Your Birthday...

Happy Birthday, Beautiful Girl!!  I can hardly believe it.  You're eight years old!  Honestly, it hardly seems possible.  Your Dad and I used to look ahead to our future and say, "In x amount of years, Claire will be getting baptized!"  It was always years away.  Somehow, those years passed so much faster than we thought possible.

Claire Bear, you are an absolute joy.  You were born my angel baby, never really fussing or causing a ruckus.  You were always such a smiley girl.  And you now what?  You're still that same angel baby.  You hardly ever get in trouble!  In fact, I can't remember the last time you were sent to your room for anything.  I'm usually on your case to focus and move faster, but never because you've been naughty. Not many mothers can say that!  You always wake up with a smile, ready to greet the day.  You bring light and happiness every where you go.  In fact, I was recently talking to a mother of a girl in your grade.  Her daughter has spoken of you often but the mother didn't know you.  So she asked another girl in their carpool who is in your class to tell her about you.  That little girl said that you were the nicest girl in the whole 2nd grade!  You have a gift for loving others and being a very good friend.  That gift will continue to bless you and those you come into contact with for the rest of your life.

You are maturing so much, and you're so smart!  Your reading and math skills have really taken off in the last few months, and your Dad and I still marvel to hear you read from The Book of Mormon.  You love to read, and your favorite book to read right now is your EverAfter High Year Book.  I can tell you're not the little girl you used to be, as you finally seem to be leaving your "Hello Kitty" obsession behind.  Don't get me wrong, you still love your "Hello Kitty" stuff...it's just not quite as crazy as it used to be. :)  You continue to be so talented in all things artistic.  You still love to draw, and make lists for anything and everything.  But you've recently started to show your talent and interest for music and theater.  You've participated in "Singers Company" with Sophie over the last  few months and I got to see your performance for the first time a few days ago.  You were incredible! And you seemed to just come to life.  Your Dad and I want to put you into activities that cultivate those talents.

You have such a strong faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You just seem to understand it, and you trust your Heavenly Father implicitly.  I marveled at your maturity when we told you that Luke wasn't going to survive his cancer.  I watched you as you came into our bedroom right after he had passed away, and I watched you hold your brother's body and give him kisses and tell him you'd see him soon.  You never wept.  Not once.  Not then, not during the funeral, and as far as I know you haven't wept since.  I worried about that for a while.  But as I watched you prepare for baptism, and as that gave us more and more opportunities to talk about the gospel and the Plan of Salvation, I realized I had no reason to worry.  It wasn't stress or shock that kept you from crying.  It was understanding.  It was trust.  I am at awe of that, and honestly I envy it.  You are such a great example to me, Claire.  You are so reverent during your church meetings, you sing the hymns (without prompting from your Dad or me), and you soak up and retain gospel knowledge in a way that is beyond your years.  You truly are a chosen daughter of God, Claire.  I know that you have been preserved to come to earth now when the whole world would desperately need your light.  Your Dad and I know, beyond any doubt, that you came to us first for a reason.  We both rely on your strength and your steadfastness.  Thank you for being you!!

In so many ways you are so different from me, Sweetheart.  It used to terrify me and make me worry that we wouldn't be friends.  But as you've gotten older, I'm noticing more and more the similarities between us.  We both love order and organization.  We both love food, and have many of the same tastes.  You love to sing to the radio, just like me.  And the things that are different between us don't frighten me anymore, because those are all the things about you that I admire most.  I hope I can be the kind of mother that you want to be friends with.  Because I couldn't want for a better friend than you.

I love you so terribly deeply, Claire.  I'm bad at showing it a lot of the time.  I worry too much about the housework and my list of to-dos.  And I haven't quite figured out how to change that, despite my desire to.  I've always been better at writing my feelings than showing them.  So as you read this birthday letter, I hope you can feel how much I love you.  My sweet baby girl...you made me a mother for the first time.  You and your Dad literally made all my dreams come true inside of a year.  I remember holding you for the first time and being taken aback by how beautiful you were.  I'm still taken aback by how beautiful you are!!  And sometimes, in those rare times that you feel cuddly and curl up under my arm I can look down and see those eyelashes and that cute nose and be transported back to that brief time that it was just me and you.  That was a special time that you and I shared.  And it was unique to us.

Happy Birthday, Claire Bear!  Your Dad and I are so proud of the girl you are, and the young woman you are becoming!  Stay close to your Savior, and you will continue to become the great woman I know you are destined to be.

Love,

Mom