My Grandma and Grandpa Tanner celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. We were so excited to be able to go out for the celebration that the family planned for them. Traveling can be tricky because we're so far away, but the celebration was back-to-back with both of our family reunions so it worked out perfectly! We left on Wednesday night after Jeff was done with work, drove straight through the night, 17+ hours, and arrived in Provo on Thursday afternoon where we enjoyed hanging out with Tom & Kristie, and Lacey. I've lost track of how many long drives we've done and this was just the start of the driving over the next couple weeks. The drive was a little rough on Emily, but the other kids did great.
Friday morning we met up with our extended family at a church house. It was so fun to see everyone again, it's been so long, and everyone has grown up but the feelings are still the same. I've sure missed everyone.
Aunt Jolynn had the fun idea of throwing rice when Grandma and Grandpa arrived, just to bring back memories of their special day, 50 years ago. Emily was excited with the rice bags- she was all ready on those stairs!
It was fun when Grandma and Grandpa arrived. They were a little behind schedule because of a funny mix-up with medication, but the party surely wasn't going to start without the guests of honor. The rice was fun, even if Grandpa had to pick rice out of his hair for a while.
It was fun for Emily and Lilah to see each other again and get to play together while we waited.
We had a small family talent show/program for Grandma and Grandpa. There were some funny numbers, neat tricks, and traditional old family songs. Dad and Jolynn did a great rendition of the great-loved "Lilac Tree" song.
Cole wowed us with his awesome back flip skills.
The Green girls had a really cool version of "Horsey Horsey." They came up with some really fun verses about Grandma and Grandpa. It was definitely one of my favorite numbers. I sure miss these girls. We used to have a blast when we were younger- having sleeovers in their big shared bedroom, playing outside, searching for golf balls, playing at the ranch, etc. I could go on and on. They are all such beautiful, wonderful, thoughtful women and I'm so glad to be related.
After the program, we went back to Carolee and Kory's beautiful home for lunch and more time together as a family. Sher, Jolynn, and Carolee and many others I presume- put together a beautiful memory quilt with pictures, and also a memory book. We all contributed stories and memories we had of Grandma and Grandpa. They had so many friends and family members who love them so much. We then got to watch some fun movies and slide shows of their lives. It was such a special and even a little emotional time. Grandma and Grandpa are such remarkable people and have accomplished so much in their lives. I'm so grateful for them.
Carolee and Kory Coleman, the awesome hosts.
I think I've found the newest, greatest toy for keeping a baby occupied- a pail filled with ice water and pop. Emily thought it was so fun to play in the water and throw the ice. It was hard to keep her out of it... that is until they opened the pool!
I didn't get everyone- and not everyone in the family was able to make it- (just from our family- Tom and Lacey both had work) but I did manage to get a few shots of different family members. Our family is so awesome. I only wish we all lived closer and had the chance to get together more often.
I don't think Emily has ever really had the chance to enjoy a fun, outdoor pool. As soon as the cover was off, it was all we could do to keep her out of the water! She ended up in the water in her clothes before I could even get the swimsuit out of the bag. If there was ever a perfect description of a 'water baby', Emily would be it. She LOVED it! She would walk off into the deep water, completely dunking herself and would just laugh. Fortunately she did learn to hold her breath and not swallow the water. It was also a good thing Carolee had some good floaties because she put them to good use! Everyone thought she was hilarious, she had no fear of the water. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not...
Carolee and Kory's home was absolutely beautiful and in the most amazing location. You can sit in their yard and have a beautiful view of the Salt Lake Valley. It was awesome.
Jacob, Caleb, and Matthew had a blast in the pool as well. After the last session of swimming lessons that ended right before the trip, Jacob can now swim by himself, and Caleb does pretty well too- although he still prefers to have some sort of flotation device. I lost track of how many times they went off the diving board and slide.
Matthew enjoys the water, but he doesn't necessarily like to be submerged in it. This little boat was perfect! He called it his pirate ship and spent most of the afternoon floating around the pool in it. I thought it was pretty cute.
One of Emily's many trips down the slide. I don't know if you can find a better definition of happiness than the look on her face. Jeff was pretty good about keeping her from getting dunked, but even when she went under the water, she came up all smiles. She couldn't get enough.
We did manage to coax Emily out of the water for a little popsicle break, and a taste of chocolate cake, but we couldn't keep her out of the pool for long.
Emily and Lilah
The basketball stand definitely didn't go unnoticed. The first game consisted of the men trying to jump off the diving board, catch the ball and make a basket before going into the water. I thought for sure someone was going to end up with stitches from hitting the wall. Fortunately they switched up the game and decided to just play basketball. It was pretty intense. I don't know who had more fun- the guys playing, or the rest of us watching and enjoying the entertainment.
It was pretty late in the evening by the time everyone finished with the fun. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but we had to head our separate ways. Our Tanner family headed back down to Provo together to start the first day of our official Tanner Family Reunion, and other family members headed their own separate ways. I'm so glad we were able to be a part of Grandma and Grandpa's anniversary. We sure love them and are so grateful for the lives they've lived, the examples they've set, and the wonderful family they've raised. We love you Grandma and Grandpa!
Sunday was a pretty laid back day for the second day of the family reunion. We did have church at 9am that was a little rough after our late night Saturday, but we made it in time and survived. After church we enjoyed a yummy lunch together and just hanging around.
Mom and Dad just returned from a trip to Nauvoo, IL with Grandma and Grandpa Tanner and the Greens and brought back some fun little things for everyone. My mom found these adorable little bonnets for the girls. I couldn't get enough!
Emily and Lilah looked so adorable. It almost made me wish we lived in a time where they really would have to wear them...almost.
Of course, the bonnets only lasted about 5 minutes before both girls were pulling madly trying to get the strange contraptions off, but we did manage to snap a few pictures before they succeeded.
The boys on the other hand, were more than happy to pose for pictures with their fun new toy. They got a brass covered wagon that was also a pencil sharpener. I love how Matthew couldn't even take his eyes off his wagon for one picture.
Mom and Dad brought a bunch of old family movies to watch. It was fun to just sit around watching and laughing at the old movies. They always seem to bring the most embarrassing ones... Oh well, I guess I'm glad everyone could have some good laughs at my expense...
Later on that afternoon, we decided to try and attempt some family pictures since we were all together for the first time in a long time and probably for a long time. While we were getting things set up, the girls entertained themselves with a bucket full of rollie-pollies that Matthew had caught. I was fine as long as Emily didn't try to eat them or feed them to Lilah. I did have to stop her from both actions a couple times.
Family pictures get harder as the group gets bigger, but I think we ended up with some decent ones. Mom wanted everyone in red, white, and blue to go along with the 4th of July. It was a fun color combo. The main family picture was at the top of the post, and we had some fun others as well.
Our family was last to go, and you know how kids are if you try to take pictures for more than 5 minutes. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much. But when expectations are low, you're usually just happy to have everyone in the picture. :)
