Summer's Fun

Utah Trip Part I: Lochhead Family Reunion

The first of the two weeks we spend in Utah were at the  Lochhead family reunion with my parents, their 6 children +  spouses, and all 18 grand kids. I'm so glad we had such a happy time together, especially since it was the last time we will all be together for 3 long years.   

The week ended by sending my mom and dad off to our Church's Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah where they would spend the next 5 days preparing for their new full-time calling to preside over the missionary and ecclesiastical efforts in the Ukraine, Donetsk Mission.

I love these two so much! I'm amazed how, in just 6 weeks, they managed to move home from Russia, prepare to sell their house of 24 years, make the financial-medical-spiritual-logistical preparations for their 3 years abroad (no coming home this time), AND spend quality individual time with each of their children's families.  They must have had lots of help from above. 

At the MTC, my dad was set apart by Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. It was such a privilege to meet him! Elder David Evans of the Seventy set my mom apart and gave her such a tender blessing. I'll remember this experience for a long while I think. 

I sort of fell apart...even though it was just a warm-up farewell as we would get to see them the next week before taking them to the airport. 

Two of my sisters and their husbands had to race to the MTC after running much of the night for Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay.  Die hard.

The beginning of our reunion was much less tearful and really quite happy. Highlights of the week include:

Esther discovered her great love of hot dogs.

My brother hosted all of us for a birthday BBQ for my niece Lily.  I love the similarity in my sister's facial expressions and hand gestures. And we wonder why we have strong-willed kids??

 Love that in both these pictures my dad is stepping back and taking in all the family togetherness. Maybe he is trying to store up 3 years in one go. 

 [I kind of love my little blonde niece in the foreground]

Love these two little cousins just 2 weeks apart. Apparently, whenever someone refers to Esther, Harriet interjects with a "No! My Esther." Love this girl.

It was so great to see all the kids playing together instead of in sequestered age groups. 

Ice cream good-by party at the barn

 My amazing, almost 95 year-old grandma and Sam (almost 5 months)

 My beautiful Mom and Sam

One of the most memorable parts of the reunion was the family meeting we had one evening. The grand kids had prepared some missionary songs, grandma and grandpa talked about why they were choosing to go on this mission, they shared their testimonies, and the sons and sons-in-law gave them Priesthood blessings.   

We all felt the Spirit of God as we united our faith for my parents. There was a tangible increase in the love we felt as a family both for my parents and for each other. I'm sure these are just the first of many such moments Heavenly Father will be sending our way as my parents set out for Ukraine. It's been a good reminder for me to see that even when God asks us to do something hard, the blessings always exceed the sacrifice. Here's to missionary work!

 Cousin love. 

 Emil is going to be quite the ladies' man

During some intense monkey's on the ground, my niece chipped her newly grown (adult) front tooth. Not good.  But she was a great sport about it all.

 The oldest grand-daughters - can't believe what little ladies they are!

 What is a family reunion without a water fight? 

 The inflatable slide we mistakenly believed to be a water slide.  The kids were flying down that thing! There were some major crash landings at the bottom, one particularly memorable when my brother-in-law holding his 2 year old hit the barrier at the bottom and then proceeded to sail right over it.   I guess it wasn't the safest, so we called the company and discovered they had mistakenly given us the 22' dry slide in stead of the 18' wet slide. Ignorance was slippery bliss.

Love this picture of the on-lookers of our "water" slide craziness. 

My brother's family planned an awesome day camp for the kiddos based on the Percy Jackson books about Greek mythology geared for kids. Here they are showing off their newly forged swords. 

Esther used her sword more as a battle ax

She LOVED getting her finger and toe nails (aka "piggy nails") pained with Aphrodite

The day culminated in a rousing/lethal game of capture the flag, a hot dog roast, and s'mores.

Thanks for a great week!

Sam: 4 Months

My mom has spent the last 3 years living in Moscow, Russia where she became friends with another foreigner from Scotland.  The sweet woman learned that mom had a grand baby on the way and she took the time to hand knit this gorgeous baby blanket, sweater, booties (not pictured) and hat.  I wish the pictures could do them justice because the detail and quality is exquisite.  As a novice knitter myself, I am completely in awe of this woman's ability and the fact that she would put so much effort (and expense) on behalf of someone she would probably never meet. When I learn of people like Sandra, as she is called, I feel like an absolute slug.  Someday I hope to be as generous and selfless (and skilled) as my new Scottish friend. 

I ask you, how can that face not melt a momma's heart?  This little man is pure love. 

Some Esther-isms and the Zoo

The other day at the park we saw an older man playing a steel drum.  He sort of looked like this: 

...but a little less well kempt. Esther ran towards him, yelling "I want to go say hi to Jesus!"

I sat holding Sam, not quite sure whether to panic for her safety or laugh at how her little mind must have worked that one out. So I laughed and then had to explain that this man was not Jesus and that we should probably go visit the ducks instead.

 We had a first!  Esther held still long enough for me to double French braid her hair.  I think she looks like altogether too cute and much too grown up.   

  

Esther isn't jut looking grown-up....she is thinking she's grown up. Here is what grown-up Esther likes to do:

-She decides what to wear and there have been some fun concoctions. (Think plaid pleated skirt over jeans paired with a green polo under a pink floral blouse and rain boots.) I have mostly given in to this new development. On the few occasions when I intervene, like when Chris and I wrestled her into her Easter dress, it isn't pleasant.  Although, I do put my foot down when she asks to where her "swimmie" (swim suit) to bed.

-Esther can count to ten...although the number seven sneaks in a few extra times

-Help set the table by arranging the silverware and filling the cups with water.

-Take care of baby Sam: She's quick to alert me when she here's some passing gas that Sam needs a new diaper ("Sam, change you diaper").   She likes to tell me that he's crying "Mom, Sam cry!" to which I respond by asking her to help him be happy. (Such as smiling at him, rocking his chair, giving him a toy, etc.)  Later, when he was crying again, Esther knew just what to do.  She ran over to him and in her loudest voice, shouted "HAPPY!!"  Almost, sweetheart. Almost.

-She reads (ie. jabbers with intermittent key words) her favorite (insert: memorized) books which include: Go, Dogs. Go!, Bernstein Bears: Trouble with Money, and any number of the Beatrix Potter books, aka Bunny Rabbit. 

-She's attempting to toilet train herself and I think it's time I tried to help out.

In March, we met up with Angela one of my oldest childhood friends at the Zoo. She has two beautiful kids and is expecting her third. It was fun and a bit eerie to realize that our daughters are almost exactly the age we were when we first met.  How time flies. :)

  Seattle weather may be chilly, but it makes for fun zoo trips. The animals were quite active and we loved seeing them move around so much.  We especially loved the baby lion cub, baby wolf, and the Lemurs who got into a noisy fight at the Zoo.