Daniel's Homecoming

In February, we had the great opportunity to travel to California for Jeff's cousin, Daniel Forman's missionary homecoming. Daniel just recently returned from a 2-year mission to the Ivory Coast in Africa. It was a long trip, 12-hours both ways, but so worth it. It was so wonderful to be able to bask in the spirit of a valiant, newly returned missionary. Daniel is such an amazing young man. We loved being able to share in all his experiences through videos, pictures, stories, and of course his powerful talk on Sunday. He is exactly the type of young man we would love to see our sons become someday.

Even though the drive was long, we were able to take a beautiful, scenic route which made the drive a lot of fun. It makes the hours go by much more quickly when you have nice things to look at along the way. Mount Shasta was one of our favorites!

On the trip down, we decided to break up the drive into two parts and actually spent the night in a hotel. The boys thought it was pretty cool. Especially since they were able to enjoy a big yummy breakfast of waffles, fruit and orange juice. I thought this picture of the three boys was pretty funny- they did well sharing the big bed, and it sure beats our normal practice of driving all night, or sleeping in the car.

We arrived at Dean & Linda's house about 4:30 on Friday afternoon. It was such a sweet moment to see Daniel again and more of our amazing cousins. Grandma Forman also arrived about an hour after we did. It was so wonderful to have her there- she was still recovering from a pretty intense surgery. She's the same grandma we all know and love- nothing keeps her down! She is an amazing lady, a great example of faith and service, and a wonderful matriarch of the family.

Joseph, Daniel, Tony Sam

Dean and Linda were so kind and accommodating, putting everyone up in their beautiful home. They have an amazing set up- a gorgeous home on 18 acres, complete with pool, pool house, tennis courts, and a 'park' for the kids. The sunsets were absolutely amazing. We felt like we were vacationing at a plush resort with the added bonus of having loved ones there as well! (photos courtesy of Amanda)

Friday night, Uncle Dean decided to put on the jukebox for everyone to enjoy. Emily thought it was the coolest thing ever and spent most of the time hanging out at the jukebox showing off her awesome dance moves. She loves music and loves to dance. It was pretty cute!
Growing up, I always felt like I had been blessed with the most amazing family- my immediate family and extended family on both parent's sides. I'm not sure how I lucked out, but somehow I was able to marry into a family that is just as loving, dedicated, amazing and inspiring. I really feel like I'm surrounded by spiritual giants and examples on all sides and I'm so grateful. I love this family like my own, and feel so grateful to be included as part of the family.

Some of the girls:

EmiLee, Gina & David, Tami, Grandma Forman, Lisa, Linda, Sarah & Hope

Lisa's youngest, Travis and Jacob became instant best friends during the trip. The two were pretty much inseparable all weekend. They have very similar personalities- sweet, kind boys and they had so much fun together. I only wish we lived closer so they could spend more time together.

Aunt Lisa, Grandma, and TaraLynn. I just can't say enough how much I love these sweet women. They are everything I hope to become someday.

On Saturday morning, the girls were able to go on a quick run together- it's always so fun to be able to go with others, then everyone enjoyed a huge, gourmet breakfast.

Later on that morning, we broke out the tennis racquets and took advantage of the tennis court, appropriately named "The Champ" court after Grandpa Forman. There were games going on all day long. It was fun to play, and fun to sit on the side-lines watching and talking with everyone.
After too many weeks of December, January, and February, that beautiful, warm California sun was heaven! It was near 70 on Saturday- definitely a treat for us cold-dwellers.

These benches definitely got some good use!

Christian, Tony Sam, Scott & Jeff- these boys have skills!

While the adults took turns playing tennis, the kids had plenty of fun things to keep them busy as well. The trampoline had non-stop visitors, and the sandbox and swings provided plenty of entertainment as well.

By the end of the day, the kids were all pretty tuckered out. It got cooler when the sun went down and Matthew wanted to sit with Grandma Stevens under the blanket. It didn't take too long before he was out- I think he slept for over an hour. He sure loves his grandma!

Emily had lots of fun friends as well- these cute girls made sure that Emily had constant entertainment while she enjoyed her dinner in the high chair.

On Saturday night, we had a nice family devotional. We were able to watch Daniel's videos, see pictures, and listen to stories. There were testimonies by Daniel, Grandma, Linda, Grandma Stevens and a few others. The evening ended perfectly with everyone singing songs. I love having everyone gathered together in the family room.
Of course, it wouldn't be a true family gathering without some good laughs as well. This was one of my favorite moments- and I just happened to have the camera handy. It still makes me laugh to think of Dean's deep laugh. I'll leave out the details of the incident, but everyone was dying with laughter.
Church was at 9am, so we had an early morning getting everyone up and ready. We were ready to go at 8:30 so we could get a good seat for sacrament meeting. It was such a beautiful meeting- Daniel's talk was wonderful, he shared a message both humble and powerful.

My niece Lora was so cute and wanted to watch and help me get Emily ready for church. I'm sure these two cute little girls will have lots of fun together.

We tried to get a quick family picture while everyone was dressed up. As always, you end up with a few funny ones before you can get one decent shot.

Fortunately we did end up with one that turned out with most kids looking, and mostly smiling.

After a fabulous lunch, and the chance to meet and visit with friends and family of the Formans, it was time to finish packing up our bags and say goodbye to everyone. We ended up doing the entire 12-hour drive in one stretch and arrived home at 4:30am Monday morning. Again, it was so worth it!

Our kids weren't too eager to leave either. They had a blast playing at the Forman's place with all of their cousins. Jacob told me that for his birthday next year, he wants to come back to the Forman's home. One of their favorite activities was looking for and trying to catch lizards. Caleb and Matthew were determined to take one home with them.

It's always sad to say goodbyes, but we're so grateful for the wonderful weekend we were able to be a part of. On our drive home, Jeff and I spoke of how inspiring and uplifting the entire weekend was. We left with our spirits lifted and testimonies strengthened, with an even stronger desire to follow examples of wonderful parents and grandparents. It is such a blessing to be part of this wonderful family.