Category: Extended family

There and Back Again

Paige and Richard at Zion National Park

 

We went away for the weekend. It was a Hobbit-like journey in its surprises and sudden departure. We came back more wise, weathered, and with treasures, too. I spent time in St George, Utah with the women in my family doing temple work, shopping, sewing, watching episodes of Cranford, eating salads, and enjoying Haagen Dazs. Richard and the kids set off on adventures at Zion National Park.

 

Timothy and Grandpa Ross at Zion
Paige, Timothy, and Daniel on the trail
Lost and Found!

After Richard and the kids returned, the kids, wide-eyed told me that Mark had been separated from the group for a while and was lost. He had a walkie-talkie and listened to instructions to yell so he could be found.

Mark said, “Mom, I was lost on Mount Zion.”

I asked,”And what did you learn from your experience?”

“Stay with the Pack!” he exclaimed.

Richard, never letting Mark out of his hands again.

On our return, we merged into our usual activities without much ado. The only hiccup was having to stay up until midnight so we could register Paige for EFY (Especially For Youth camp at BYU) at the first opportunity. Paige has given up on BYU Ballet Intensives. We have not been very happy with them for the past two years.

Let me explain EFY registration to you: Think early. You’ve got to get on the preregistration list in the fall. They will tell you the earliest time you can register, and it’s always some date in January at midnight. (We didn’t think early enough.) Think often. If you don’t get the location and dates you want, check the website often for cancellations. We didn’t get the date we wanted, but the next morning before seminary we checked the website and seized a new single opening on a better date. Hooray!

It seems that all we do lately is add activities to the calendar. We’re currently booked through August.

Christmas memories

I think we will remember this Christmas for all the company we kept. In the week leading up to Christmas, we stretched ourselves and visited folks, went caroling (I played the fiddle); we threw two birthday parties, and were lucky to see Sarah and Bryan. We finished a puzzle during their visit.

Here we are at Christmas dinner, the kids at the bar and the adults at the table. We had the missionaries join us.

The missionaries were good to play with our boys.

A few snapshots of an unforgettable evening

 


Surrounded by friends, we watched Paige’s dance studio perform The Nutcracker this weekend. I decided that it’s better to watch her when I’m not looking through a camera, so I don’t have many photos, and I have no photos of three of her numbers. I lived the experience instead of trying to preserve it and share it, because ballet is very emotional and best enjoyed live.

 

 

We loved the snowflakes.

Paige closed the first act with this pose and snow falling all around her. The show could have ended there because it was so beautiful.

Richard and Daniel were on the technical crew this year. Daniel manned the spotlight and Richard filmed the performance.

Sarah and Bryan were able to come. It’s nice to have family to cheer you on.

We like to take our guests here

We try to take our guests to the Sonoran Desert Museum when they visit us. It’s gorgeous weather right now, so our outing with Joe was really a lot of fun.

On the drive to the museum, we travel on a rollicky up and down road through a saguaro forest. We raise our arms high in the van and feel our stomachs drop as we dip and turn.

Mark really gets into it.

At the museum, we learn about animals and plants. This was an American Kestrel we saw along the path. A docent patiently explained the life history and habits to each group that passed.

Buddy

The desert museum has an ice cream shop along the trail. Since it was lunch time, we decided to call our ice cream cones “lunch” because that’s what you do when cousins come to town.

Dear world, this is my family who loves me even when my hair looks like this.

Timothy the ham.

Cousins

Cave explorers

Joe and 3 of his kids

Excavation team

What is Richard so anxious about? A charging javelina? A desert tortoise in the path? You never know what you might encounter in the desert.

It was a good day and we were so glad to have family visit us.

Dining Room Conversation

We have some spiders from Utah which have taken up residence on our dining room chandelier. Here’s a little bit of their early morning conversation.

I’m still eavesdropping on the others hanging in the little boys’ bedroom. One is still recovering from being suddenly tangled up in the ceiling fan but I think he’ll pull through.

Our Toy Stories

Yesterday I discovered that Mark has the scene memorized from Toy Story 3 when Andy gives his toys away. That scene always makes me cry.

Richard doesn’t have especially fond memories of toys and he can’t figure out what all the boo-hooing is about.

I loved my toys. My siblings loved their toys. I visit Spring Lake and find Sarah’s dolls stored carefully in the closet. Joe’s basement is full of vintage GI Joe stuff. It was my finest hour when I found some Lego sets that Matt had as a kid at a yard sale and when I called to find out what to buy, he repeated again and again, “Buy them.” Susan’s ponies are carefully stored in boxes and I think Paul’s family owns every toy ever made. I have my Strawberry Shortcake dolls in a special box in my closet. They, having been rescued a few years ago from storage, require a little extra love. I pull them out now and then to comb their hair and sniff them.

I think our connection to our toys is sentimental and practical. Our childhood was a happy time. Our toys and games were a part of that. We saved our money to buy some of our toys so they represented our efforts and our self-control. They were gifts from grandparents and rewards for jobs well done. In effect, they are a record of our childhood.

The dollies pictured above are in Paige’s room. Every now and then I go in to see what she’s sewn for them. Their clothes are mostly handmade. It’s a whimsical escape for a girl who has a heavy school schedule.

 

 

Stunning picture

Thanks, Susan for sharing so many family photos with us. I really loved the ones of Violet and Joe. Looking at this picture makes me want to have my photograph taken more often in the hopes that somebody will remember me as young and not just an oldie.

When was the last time you had your photo taken with your sweetheart?

When was the last time you sat outside together like this?

Sigh. We’re due for some of that.