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.

#25-Actually Celebrate An Anniversary

Check.

I know.  It's a little early.  But we have to plan these things when we have babysitters!  Since we were going to be in Utah for a while, Danny and I decided it would be a good time to get away together for our 5 year anniversary.  

We started out by getting a couple's massage at Beyond Spa in Layton.  It. Was. Incredible!  This was Danny's first time getting a massage, and I didn't know how he'd react.  But he loved it!  How could you not, right?  We left our 50 minute massages feeling like a hundred bucks, and headed toward Salt Lake for lunch.  When we started planning this trip a month or so ago, we were trying to decide on a really nice place we could eat at.  But we've discovered that we love trying out local restaurants that are featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  So, for lunch we ate at Moochie's Meatballs and More.  This place is popular for their authentic Philly Cheesesteaks and Meatball Sandwiches.  I don't know how authentic the Philly Cheesesteak was, having never been to Phiily.  But I can tell you this much.  It was delicious!  And the Meatball Sandwich?  Holy cow.  Don't even get me started!  Danny and I not only loved lunch, but the fact that we didn't have to worry about the kids while we ate.  :)

After lunch we made our way toward our hotel in Park City.  We reserved a room at the Marriott Mountainside-a King Bed Suite, complete with kitchen, fireplace, and over-sized tub!  After checking into our room, we headed toward the outlet mall.  Danny and I had about 5 years worth of shopping to do, and the money to do it!  We shopped for over 4 hours, and got some awesome deals.  We have never had the chance to just shop for us, without the kids, and we felt like newlyweds again!  Only without me being morning sick.  That was nice.  :)  We ended up leaving with a serious amount of clothes, and 5 pairs of shoes between us!  We had a blast.

We grabbed a quick bite for dinner and headed back to the hotel for some hot-tubbing.  Then we stayed up WAY too late...watching Food Network, of course! ;)  That channel kills our sleep schedule...

The next morning came all too early.  But we missed our kiddos, and were ready to head back to Syracuse.  However, we needed some morning nourishment, and so hit our second DDD location...Ruth's Diner.  These guys are famous for their Mile High Biscuits and Gravy, which is what Danny ordered.  It was delicious, and I don't like biscuits...or gravy!  I got the special, which was some sort of open-faced chicken enchilada omelet, and it was scrumptious.  Rested, relaxed, and stuffed to the brim, we got back to our kids just after lunch time.

We're so grateful to Danny's parents and sisters who took care of our kids for us, so we could have some much needed time together.  This was only the second night since Claire was born that we've been away together, and we had forgotten how much we like to just be together!  I love this amazing man I married.  He's my best friend, and ridiculously good-looking to boot.  How lucky am I?

Happy Early Fifth Anniversary! :)

"Best. Day. Ever!"

With the flood that morning, Memorial Day was already getting off to a different start.  As mentioned, I took the kids up to my Mom's that morning to play while we helped take care of the water situation.  As we walked to my Mom's front door, this is what we saw:

Seriously.  Snow on Memorial Day!  So much for Claire's swim party and barbecue at the school!  Luckily, we're getting pretty good at thinking on our toes, so we came up with some stuff to do inside the school. 

When I asked Claire what she wanted for her birthday party, she quickly and unequivocally answered, "Decorations!".  Since she had already told me she wanted a Rapunzel party, that gave me some direction.  Here's what we came up with...

In case it's not obvious, all that yellow streamer is supposed to be Rapunzel's hair.  I think I could have used A LOT more streamer! :)  But Claire liked it, and that's what matters.  Thanks to the covered patio, we were still able to grill burgers and dogs.  Claire had all her local family there, except David, Camillia, and Ruby.  Poor Ruby was sick.

The Vigil Crew-from left to right: Jenny, Matt, Nick, Jessie, and Devin

Pretty much the only other idea I was able to come up with was "Pin the Braid on the Princess"-a take on "Pin the Tail on the Donkey", obviously.  We're so lucky to have an in-house artist!  Aunt Julie spent her Memorial Day drawing this poster, free-hand, for the party.  Claire was in love with it, and it's now hanging on her wall.

To play the game, we pretty much blindfolded the kids and spun them around.  Then they placed their braid (each one was individualized with a monogram tag made by Aunt Katie!) on the poster and Danny taped it in place...

You'll never believe it, but guess who won?  The Birthday Girl herself!

By the time the kids were done with the game, everyone was hungry and the food was ready.  The kids loved eating at their own table, and the adults enjoyed some time visiting.

Then, at long last, it was time to open presents!  Claire was so patient, and it payed off.  She cleaned up...again!

Claire got her Rapunzel cake, just like she wished for.  We just love making our girl happy!

Claire told us as she went to bed that night that it was the "Best. Day. Ever!"  :)  I can't believe our baby girl is four!  Claire, you're a delight every day of your life!  We can't wait to spend another year watching you grow.  Happy Birthday!  We love you!