Family Happenings

Wow, what a full two weeks I have had filled with family, enjoying every second of it. A couple of weeks ago my family got together at my uncle's ranch in Idaho for a family reunion. It's not very often that my family gets to all be together like that, so it was a real treat to hang with my sisters and parents, and watch all the little nieces and nephews interact and play together. We packed everything we could in our time together including fishing, horseback riding, trekking, swimming, four wheeling, pinata-ing, treasure hunting (put on by Grandpa for his grandboys, but the boys might argue that the junk yard hid some pretty great treasures as well.), and the list goes on. It took me quite awhile to go through my pictures and pick out my favorite ones to post, but I was finally able to narrow it down to these...

If you have not yet noticed, may I please draw your attention to Elsie's ability to stuff as much candy in her hands as possible. I'd say she's pretty well mastered it.

This was the first time Abram was able to ride the horse all by himself. I think he could have ridden it most of the day, despite the fact that the horse was about three times taller than him.

Elsie loved the horses as well. She would giggle so hard when she rode one with her dad, and even harder when she would watch them gallop around.

A highlight for Peter was the fishing. I don't think a day went by without him asking if somebody would fish with him. Once caught, he would pick those wriggling fish up and grip them as if there were no tomorrow, despite the fact that he is at the perfect height to be slapped in the face (see above).

Seth was one boy ready for adventure. With his pillowcase full of a slingshot, bow and arrow, walking stick, a "Dangerous Book for Boys", compass, etc., he was set for anything that might come his way.

I couldn't help but throw this last one in. After the reunion I went home with Lanita for a little while. This was one outing we took with the little boys. Can you tell Chase was a little more than happy?

Happy Independence Day

And what a great holiday it is. What a wonderful time to celebrate this country. I too often take it all for granted, but how grateful I am for the endless freedoms we take advantage of without even thinking about them (at least I do). How grateful I am to our founding fathers that sacrificed more than we know to make our country into what it is. How grateful I am for our Constitution and government that sets boundaries to keep our country free. How grateful I am to the many soldiers who are fighting across the world to sustain and preserve this beautiful, blessed country. How grateful I am for the United States of America. My heart goes out to you. God bless America!

Transition to next topic: In light of a Fourth of July tradition my sisters' and I started several years ago, I post a picture. Every year we make a Fourth of July "fire engine red" cake, meaning we dye the batter bright red, and then proceed to decorate the baked cake with red, white, and blue frosting. This year, it is just me and my Dad this holiday, so the tradition was left up to me, probably the least artistic of all the siblings. Having said that, here is my feeble attempts at cake decorating...the finished product:

Pretty comical huh? I purposely didn't show you the drooping frosting on the sides.