Letters from Home

The river near our cabin was raging during our stay. We gave up the idea of tubing and kept a vigilant eye on all of the little people. As the week progressed, the water receded a bit, offering hope for later summer tubing adventures.

Daniel found an area of the river which was still and started plans for a dam so there would be a safe, contained area for little ones.

This picture looks scarier than it was. One cousin joined Daniel in the construction.

Then three more arrived for duty.

Well, you get the picture. This quiet little inlet was the place to be.

Timothy held back from the crowd and watched the river at a different spot.

Many watched from the windows above the river, too.

Grandpa’s vantage point was on the deck he built years ago. I think he likes to be a part of building of any kind and was quietly pleased to see the grandkids at work.

One morning my brother in law set out a bubble machine for the kids. We watched them pop about a half gallon of bubble solution.

Lovely little pixie girl

Rafael would use her as a model if he were still around.

Mark

I love the bubble breaking action

Mark would say this cousin has just become “bubble blind.”

Photos by Daniel

We found this little fawn who had lost its mother near our cabin. Look at that beautiful face and those two inch lashes. Sigh. A lost fawn is a sad thing.

I feel a little lost myself, coming home from such an extended trip. We were loved and our children were able to interact with the greatest grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the world.

We had big adventures. We went rock climbing, boating, water skiing, spent time in several mountain retreats, hiked, rode the Alpine Slide, ate milkshakes, attended a two week ballet camp, read books, watched movies, got sick, recovered, scaled bridges, looked for treasure, drank hot cocoa in the Uintas every morning, competed for candy, discussed books, movies, essential oils, picked wildflowers, ate big meals, played badminton, rode bikes, built a dam, hand-washed dishes for 30 people, went swimming, and more.

The van is covered in mud.

The day after a vacation is something one just endures.

The poppies were in bloom at the cabin. We took about 600 pictures of them which I will faithfully share.

We sat down to watch Richard’s videos of the trip, only to discover that he forgot to turn off the camera as he went down the Alpine slide. He and Mark are yelling and we have a good view of his hand. The camera, still on, followed us through Park City, picking up gems of conversation such as, “That slide was too slow. I didn’t have any fun.” On the ride back to the cabin, the camera picked up a tantrum and my threat, “Pull over, Richard. Let’s see if this man and his dog will let Mark walk with them for a while.”

Sweet. Now my bad parenting can be available on DVD.

I’m also bad at feeding the children vegetables and seeing that they get adequate sleep.

My children endure it well. They can read and play piano, and they show well at church. (Phew!) Although, after weeks and weeks of vacation, I’m not so sure they can play the piano anymore.

This is my family in blue. Why not yellow? We may never know.

We have a cancer survivor, a professional puppet maker, two set designers, a medical student, someone born on a different continent, an engineer, a geologist, a world traveler, a couple of property managers, a ballerina, many pianists, a couple of violinists, two who play the harmonica, many guitar players, a few entrepreneurs, a famous sewing blogger, a healer, a girl with a pixie voice, dog owners, cat owners, a business education administrator, BYU fans and non-BYU fans, pickle lovers and pickle haters. Although the Y chromosome is predominant and I am small and quiet,  I AM the BIG sister.

My parents, siblings, and families met for a family photo.

This half hour was the ONLY time we could get together.

Zip!

Zap!

Snap!