Monday, after the 4th of July, most people had work off so we decided to take advantage of the time. Mom, Lacey and I took Emily to the mall to get some pictures taken in her blessing dress. I had wanted to do it sooner, but I didn't want her to wear it before her blessing day. And because we waited to bless her until we could bless her with Lilah and with family around, she was 3.5 months old already. It was a good thing she's a little thing and could still fit into the dress. Of course we arrive early, and of course by the time the photographers are ready, you've waited 45 minutes and your baby isn't really smiling anymore, but we got a decent picture- and since there was really only one picture that I liked, I was able to use the cheap $8 coupon for the entire package. I was reminded though, why I don't enjoy taking kids in for pictures..JPG)
While we were gone, Jeff and my dad took the boys over to Uncle Kenny and Aunt Mari's house. They have an amazing place and the boys spent the afternoon riding horses, jumping on the tramp, picking raspberries, fishing, and riding in the paddle boats. I think they were ready to ditch us and stay with Kenny and Mari forever! They're so sweet to let us come over and we love spending time with them. Mom dropped my off at their house afterwards, and then Jeff and I loaded up the kids and went over to his parents house for dinner..JPG)
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Both of the girls were given sweet blessings. I am glad that others were taking notes though, because I only heard about the first 20 seconds of Emily's blessing before Caleb and Matthew decided to start a party. I spent most of the blessing wrestling with them, pulling them over the bench, and trying to get them to be quiet. For some reason, mom's 'beware glare' doesn't work as well when they're on the bench in front of you. I was a little embarrassed, but at least it was during my baby's blessing rather than someone else's. Those first 20 seconds were very special though, and I'm glad that I have some notes as to what the rest of the blessing said. * :) Such is the life of a mother of three boys.
After the meeting we tried to get some pictures with everyone. I really felt bad we didn't get everyone who had been at the blessing. Some people took off early, others loaded up kids, and others were just patiently helping in the background. I feel guilty about being so spacey, I really wasn't thinking clearly. Can I blame it on a big crowd and two hungry babies? We didn't even get a whole group shot, or a big family shot with our kids. Our boys pretty much took off after we forced them into one family picture. More than anything, I just hope everyone knew how much we appreciated them coming and supporting.
I think everyone was happy to head back up to the house afterwards. We had a yummy lunch and were able to sit back and actually visit with each other. Once again, I wasn't as good at taking pictures, I didn't pull it out until close to the end, so I missed people; but we enjoyed spending time together and that's what really counts. I love watching the kids run around- they really have a good time together. As I looked around at everyone who was there, I couldn't help but feel such a feeling of love towards and gratitude for the blessing of having such a wonderful family. I don't know how I managed to be so lucky to have such amazing family members on all sides, but I hope everyone knows how much we love and appreciate them.
Saturday, July 3rd, was day 3 of the reunion. After our previous two days that were filled with activities, we were all ready to have day to kick back at home. Plus we needed to finish some things before Sunday, the 4th of July, when we would be having family and friends over. We spent most of Saturday morning working together in the yard.
I remember when I was younger, yard work wasn't exactly my first choice of activity. Like most kids, I think we tried to find a way out of it and probably did our share of complaining about it. It's funny how things change as you get older though. Now I absolutely love working with my family in the yard, and I understand why my parents used to tell us that someday we would love being able to work together as a family. They were right, and I'll probably be doing the exact same thing to my kids- hopefully they'll realize it while they're still little. It's also amazing to see how quickly all the jobs of my parent's 1.3 acre yard can be completed with 8 adults and a few kids. I've decided that someday when we have a big yard, it would be nice to live close to family so we can all do each others' yards together. I love being able to work side-by-side and see everything come together. Of course there's always time for fun amongst the jobs. Cole and Tom were having contests of who could balance a rake on their chin the longest.
After we finished the yard work, we put out a blanket and sat out on the lawn. I love being able to just sit and talk together while we watch the kids run around. We spent the rest of the day just doing various things, making food in preparation for Sunday and enjoying each other. A few of us snuck in a nap as well. Caleb went running around with the camera and took some pictures of people. Emily and Lilah played together on a blanket.
Saturday night, we did a campfire and roasted marshmallows. Funny enough, we didn't have big marshmallows (I'm pretty sure my kids are responsible for that- they know where grandma stashes them) all we had left were the small ones, but we roasted them anyways and they turned out pretty good. And when else can you say you ate 40+ roasted marshmallows at one time? You had to roast about 8 at a time. :) 
On Friday, July 2nd, day 2 of the Tanner reunion, our main activity was ice blocking. For those not familiar with the activity, it involves taking a big ice block with a towel, to the top of a giant hill and sliding down the hill on the ice block. Simplot Hill is the best place around for ice blocking. It doesn't look like much from the pictures, but it's pretty much the Everest for the area.
It was hilarious to watch everyone go down the hill. There were some impressive races, and even more impressive wipe-outs. Fortunately we came away without any injuries, minus damaged pride. I love the combination of personalities and sense of humor of the group, it sure makes for an entertaining afternoon. I know there were lots of jokes and one-liners going around, I wish I could remember the details better. I was so impressed with our boys, they were all over that hill! I don't know how many times they went up and down. 
One of the final activities was a race up to the top of the hill. Again, I know it doesn't look like much, but my goal was just to make it to the top of the hill without stopping to walk. Cole won the race with flying colors- that boy needs to go out for cross country. I think we all needed about a 10 minute breather, then we raced down to the bottom. It's pretty funny to watch the videos my dad took. 
We finished about 3pm and then headed home. We ran some errands and everyone got ready- another one of my favorite things- getting ready with my sisters. It's fun hanging out in the bathroom getting ready together and brings back fun memories of high school times. 
That night, the adults with Emily & Lilah, went out for dinner together at Cheesecake Factory. It was my 2nd time there and Jeff's 1st time. It was fun to sit down together and enjoy a yummy dinner. I think the last time we went out to eat together was 6 years ago when Jacob was about 6 months old, so it was fun to do it again. Mom and Dad Stevens were sweet enough to watch our boys for a couple hours while we went, and they had a blast fishing while we were gone. We stopped back to pick them up at 9pm. Then we got them to bed and spent the evening visiting, playing games and having fun. 
