Reunion - The Shenanigans, Part 3

After sweating through the parade and when the sun was high in the desert sky, we decided it was the optimal time to head out for a sibling bike ride.

I am not a bike rider in my regular life. I mean, I know how to ride a bike, but I reserve that skill for leisure pedals along a paved trail at the park. Unlike the majority of my sibs, I don't own spandex, weird shoes, or a borderline unhealthy obsession for racking up enough frequent-rider miles that I've earned a free trip to China.

But there I was, donning spandex and feeling wobbly on an expensive road bike that made my bum ache instantly.

There were about 400 of us overtaking our small town on bicycles, where the residents are neither bike-rider friendly or interested in the environment. (Lots of exhaust in my face from big 'ol trucks.)

We had one flat tire (way to go, Pat) and a few scary moments as our swarm weaved along country roads. I was white-knuckling it the entire time. Though I had fun, I also felt incredibly vulnerable and slightly terrified of crashing.

I was relieved when the ride was completed and I could change into civilian clothes and do something more reasonable.

Like get ice cream at the dairy.

At nightfall, we headed out to watch the fireworks. Some of us went to the biggest show west of the Mississippi, and some of us went to the small town show with fewer spectators. Even though the big show was going to be epic because it's the final performance, I opted for the small town show. I didn't feel brave enough to battle the crowds with my 3-year-old. But Sissy hitched a ride with cousins and experienced the big boy. 

We had a pleasant evening eating licorice and popcorn, and my brother-in-law joined us and brought pretzels. I ate a million of them.

What a beautiful day it was and what a blessing to be able to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our great nation with the people I love most.

Happy 4th of July!

Reunion - The Shenanigans, Part 2

There is an unwritten rule that if you are anywhere near Southeastern Idaho in the summertime, you simply must take your bones to Lava Hot Springs and bask in the glory of the Olympic Swimming Complex. You eat my sissy's famous sam-iches, you soak up the sun, the kids all scatter to the pools and waterslides, you eat some more - it's glorious in every way. This time we even had the option to rent a private cabana! It was perfect.

The day was so perfect that I didn't even mind when my brother pushed me to the pool and THREW ME IN. I'm like a cat - Booney don't like water. No one came to my rescue so I was delighted when he did it to one of my sissy's too. He was gunning for our mama but she was saved because she was holding the babies. Lucky.

Lava truly is the best.

My nephew was brave and jumped off the high dive platform for the first time in his life. It's 10 meters high. In case you don't know the metric system, that's 33 feet! I jumped once many centuries ago. Once was enough. We all gathered around and watched him fall into the water, then erupted into cheers like a load of loud-mouthed Viking warriors. Cuz that's what we are.

It was a beautiful trip to Lava. And then the next day was the 4th of July! I love the 4th of July in Southeastern Idaho. 

We began our festivities by gathering early in the morning for the Rexburg parade and it quickly went sideways. Let's just say that we were late, there was a mistake and the meeting spot was incorrect, our group was separated, tempers flared and tension was high. But we made it!

My brother was angry that he had to walk a mile to find us and wouldn't indulge me in a selfie. And his blood sugar was low. Don't mess with the diabetic!

Soon the tension fizzled and we enjoyed the morning. The parade was hot but delightful. This kids had a good time running into the road for candy and I had a good time cheering for the floats like a crazed Viking warrior. 

I love me a good parade. We didn't stay for the entirety because it's about 10 hours long. And we had a sibling bike ride to attend to. 

I'll tell you all about that one later. 

Reunion - The Shenanigans, Part 1

Within a couple of days, the small town where I grew up was teeming with my siblings, their spouses, their children, their children's spouses, and their children's children. What a crew! Oh, and my parents were there, of course. They are the ones to blame for all of these gremlins and the accompanying noise and chaos. I think the neighbors were both excited and horrified to see all of us together again. 

You never know what will happen when the Vikings unite!

So what did happen? 

A little of this, a little of that, a lot of loud talking, and mountains of food. And we had so many cars lining the street it looked like we owned the whole town. Maybe we do.

Just what a reunion should be. I'll show you a few things. 

There was a slip-n-slide and water balloon fight. 

There was backyard excitement like badminton and swinging on the rusty old swing set. (Tetanus shots recommended)

 

There was cousin time galore. This was my favorite part. 

My brother's little girl, who is a year old than Baby, kept calling her "my sister." Adorable!

There were car rides in my parent's fanciest hot rods.

And an electrical adventure just had to break out for the ADHD project people. (No animals were harmed in the wiring of this light.) But those who were teetering on the ladders had their bums poked and slapped by passers-by. There were also inappropriate jokes about the screwdriver my brother was holding between his legs. Naturally.

We also spent a lot of our energy fussing at the kids to, "Close the door! You're letting all the cold air out!" It's true. They were.

So there's a peek for ya. Next time, I'll tell you all about our trip to Lava. You don't want to miss it!

Reunion - The Arrival

How do you organize a happy but chaotic weekend for 9 siblings and their families at Mom and Dad's house?

Months and months of texting and indecisiveness. That's how.

Initially, only 7 of the siblings committed to attend, but then, my brother pulled a fast one and showed up as a surprise.

Huzzah!

Sadly, that left only one of my sissies who didn't make it. I wish she could have been there. But next year for sure!

Here's everything you need to know about our 1st annual reunion with 8 siblings and their families at my parent's house:

It was loud and chaotic

My parent's house is too small for all of us

The weekend flew by

It was loud and chaotic

I loved it

Allow me to share some highlights from the loud and chaotic weekend. Prepare yourself for all the photos...

Westward ho! We woke up early to head to the airport. It was well before dawn. It was dark outside and I should have been asleep and drooling on my pillow. I don't actually drool. (Very often) 

It wasn't all bad being at the airport in the middle of the night. Baby had free reign of the escalators.

Guess how many times I rode up and down and up and down the escalators with baby while we waited to board our plane. Before dawn. When I could've been home drooling...I mean...sleeping (We rode lots and lots and lots of times)

But after many hours, we made it! My stomach jolted in excitement when we emerged from the airport and saw the magnificent mountains. It felt good to be under the western sky.

So what is the first thing you should do when you land on Utah soil?

Eat at Maddox Ranch House, of course!

And then konk out before you even cross the border into the homeland. (It had been a long journey)

Hooray for Idaho!

While we waited for other peeps to arrive, Mykey and Baby played a rousing game of frisbee in the front yard. 

Until the sprinklers erupted. Baby loved it. Mykey, not so much. (Give the guy a break. He's old)

Soon enough, my Sissy arrived with her two new grandbabies in tow. Now the party can really get started.

Everyone else would gather in the following days. I was so excited to see my sibs that I felt like a puppy waiting for a treat. 

I could just tell that this was gonna be GREAT.

Let the festivities begin!

Pop

We went incredibly simple for Father's Day this year. How simple, you might ask?

Well...

I-didn't-even-purchase-my-husband-a-Father's-Day-gift kind of simple.

Listen. Everything he wants is expensive and adds more cables and doo-dads and electronic clutter to my house. I never really know what to get the old boy. Plus, he told me not to buy him anything. I took that to heart.

But - 

I made him a card and wrote nice things inside.

I made him a delightful diabetic friendly pudding for a treat. 

I whooped him again and again at Dr. Mario. (I guess that was more of a gift for me)

Regardless, it turned out to be a lovely and wonderfully simple day. 

We sure love and adore the pop in our family.

Happy Father's Day to Mykey!

Pearly Whites

Notice anything different about Sissy?

No more braces! Look at them beautiful teefs.

The orthodontist gave Sissy a cup full of candy to celebrate exposing her natural teeth after 2 whole years.

And what did Booney give her to celebrate?

Corn on the cob! 

Sissy spent the entirety of the evening running her tongue across her teeth and exclaiming, "They feel so smooth and weird!"

Hmmm. Smooth and weird. 

Sounds like my husband.

Baby Babbles

As we celebrated Baby's 3rd birthday, I reflected on our lives pre-Baby and our lives post-Baby.

What a miraculous blessing she has been to our family. Both of my daughters are miracles and I am incredibly grateful for the joy they bring to me. (Most days)

At 3-years-old, here are some common phrases that Baby says, and traits that she possesses. They delight my soul.

She will run wild and twirl in circles like an untied balloon full of air that has been released. Or she'll roll around on the couch or her bed, squealing with happiness. When I ask what she's doing, she responds, "I'm messing around." She'll also tell me randomly to, "Stop messing around, Mama." 

She loves to be chased. LOVES it. A person can get mighty sweaty chasing that girl around and around the house. 

She doesn't like her hands to be dirty. If they are, she will keep her hands clenched in a fist until they can be washed. (Sorry, Baby. I have a thing about dirty hands also.)

When Baby is upset, she throws things. Far. And with impressive force. She's broken quite a few toys and what-nots when she pitches. Is softball in her future? Perhaps. 

A few of her favorite lines are:

If I pick something up, regardless of its size, she'll say, "You're so strong!" 

When we drop Sissy off at swim practice, she yells after her, "Bye, Sissy! Have a good swim!"

She likes to reiterate daily, "You're big, I'm small."

We have a toilet paper stand in the bathroom that my parents sent us. If it's run out of toilet paper, she says, "He's naked. He needs some clothes." Then she carefully stacks the rolls onto his body.

She calls Michael several different names - Pop, Papa, Daddy. His favorite is Papa. My favorite is when she calls out, "Michael!"  

We still use a baby monitor because she won't come out of her room on her own when she wakes up. I've told her multiple times to just open the door but she patiently waits for us instead. One day during her nap, I heard her voice over the monitor say, "Mama, come in. Do you read me?" I was laughing and didn't respond and she said, "Hmm. She didn't answer."

She locks every door in the house ALL DAY LONG. If I'm heading to the bathroom, she'll run ahead of me, slam the door in my face and lock it. We'll get the mail and she'll lock me outside. Michael will come out of his office for a brief snack break and she runs in the office and locks him out. At any given moment in our house, at least one door will be locked. Thankfully we can easily unlock the door with a butter knife. I may just start carrying a butter knife in a holster on my hip. 

Baby loves to serve others and is genuinely kind. She spontaneously gives me kisses. She always says that she's giving me 2 kisses and then kisses my cheek many more than that. She calls me honey. If I tell her that I love her, she responds, "I love you more, honey." I don't even know where she learned it. 

She is tidy and loves to sing and read. She wants to say the prayer every night at bedtime. I smile as she says the sweetest prayers. I imagine God is doing the same.

She is my buddy and I love her. 

Thank you for being mine, Baby.