Pretty Much Playing

It seems like lately I am so weak about writing. Maybe because its summer, maybe not I don't know. However, it is not because I am not doing stuff. I was talking to my Grandpa tonight and he asked me what I was up to. I replied, "Playing mostly." He said, "Well you do have like the two perfect playmates." You know what he is so right. I do have the perfect playmates and what makes it even better is that those two are getting better and better at playing with each other too. Like this afternoon they actually stayed outside and played in the water while I made dinner. It was great.I love playing with my kids and this week has been no exception.

This past weekend we had Aunt Kitt and her roommate Tabitha come visit. It was kind of interesting having another person who wasn't family around, but it was fun. Also, I did get a chance to really chat with Kitt when Tabitha went to bed around 9:30 and Kitt and I stayed up until midnight. I love having sister chats. I don't know if my sisters love them as much as I do, but man I love them. I honestly don't know what I would do if I couldn't talk to my family. Anyway, Saturday we played a lot. Gaupo, Kitt, and Tabitha took the girls over to the baseball field parking lot to ride bikes while I made bread. When the bread finished cooking, we quickly changed and headed to Sunset Pool. We found out the slides  didn't open for like another hour, but we had fun anyway. Kylee is quite the shallow water fish. She loves swimming and diving, and retrieving her shark. Tia loves monkey climbing, jumping in, and begging to go on slides and off the diving board. She couldn't do those last two because you have to be able to swim independently, but boy did she want to. We did stay long enough that the slides opened and Kitt and Tabitha had a great time on those, and because there were plenty of adults to help me watch my kids I got to enjoy the slides and diving boards too. It is so nice not be solely responsible all the time. I honestly don't know how single mothers do it. After swimming we went home and had lunch and naps. During naps we went shopping for some things Tabitha and Kitt needed and then we came back and talked till the girls woke up. Played a tiny bit and then had to send them home. It was such a short weekend. It was way too short and so it was really hard to say good-bye, but boy howdy was it a good time.

Yesterday I took my girls to Union Reservoir for the first time. I was suppose to get there at 10, but man after running, having breakfast, packing a lunch and getting together 'beach' supplies it was like 10:15 or so. I was late, but we got there and we did have the Stewarts waiting for us, but they were good sports about it. Anyway, Kylee got right to work swimming around and playing. Tia was a little bit more hesitant about the muddy water, but eventually warmed up to it and had a good time too. We had some other friends come as the day wore on and it was so great to be there. Our friends had some cool water toys like a giant alligator the girls could ride. They both really liked that. Kylee got to try a puddle jumper for the first time and thought it was so cool that she could float so easily. Tia loved a life jacket she tried out. Those two are so funny, but I guess its good they get to try those things out. I haven't ever let Kylee have anything like that for fear she would never swim without it, and consequently haven't had it around for Tia. Lucky for me I only have two kids and one of them is cautious, so no water safety gear works most of the time. It was a wonderful warm day and we had a great time playing in the sand and water. The girls love the picnic lunch and sharing foods with our friends. It really was fun to do things with people. I mean sometimes it is nice to do things by yourself, but sometimes it really is nice to have other people there too. After playing there until about 1:30 my girls were done, so we came home and had baths and they took naps. Boy they were so tired they didn't even last the 5 minute drive home. I felt bad having to wake them up, but that sand and water needed to come off before they climbed into bed.

Today was yet another great day. We usually have speech therapy on Thursday, but today it was cancelled, so we had nothing going on. Knowing this, when we were on our run yesterday and passed a really fun park, I told the girls we could run there tomorrow and have breakfast and play. So, today that is what we did. I packed us some milk, muffins, and cottage cheese and we headed out. Don't worry the milk and cottage cheese was with ice. Anyway, we ran to the park and got out and had breakfast. They thought it was pretty fun, except that I chose the one 'cold' morning this summer to do it. However, we ate some and then played hide in the tunnel from the wind and snacked on breakfast till the food was gone and played and played.

Here is the three of us eating.

Kylee and Tia enjoying muffins and milk.

Eventually Kylee had to go to the bathroom, and when we came out our friends were at the park. We didn't know they were going to be there it just happened so of course we just had to stay longer and play. We did and about the time the kids were winding down from that the people running free lunch said we could color. So, the kids went and colored with markers and decorated with stickers. Then the book-cycle came. The book-cycle is a bicycle that the library has that they take around to different places. So, today it was at the park we were at because they do free lunch there. My kids were all about the books and then of course the free lunch. Then they played some more and I talked to a few more of the mom's that were there. It really was a great morning, but I really was ready to home when we finally got here. Kylee was so tuckered out she slept until almost 4:00. Because she slept good and Tia was playing the Ipad, (I know giving a device to babysit, but sometimes you just gotta) I got to have a really good talk with mom. I love that she isn't working. She probably is like I don't know why you think that you don't call me all the time and I know I don't I just like knowing I can. Plus, today it was great. Anyway, after Kylee work up I sprayed out the little pool and let the girls swim in there until dinner. It was really nice to have such a low key day. I kind of feel like it has been awhile since we have just done whatever, so it was really nice.

Playing with toys in the little pool.

I love being a stay-at-home-mom. True sometimes I wish I could hand my kids off, but most times we have a great time and I wouldn't trade the moments, play, and fun that we have together for all the career satisfaction in the world. I love my kids and I am so blessed to their mom. Us girls are so blessed to have a dad who works and provides so we can play together. I feel so blessed to be able to do this because it is hard to make it work, but have be blessed to be able to and I am so glad. Growing up I always thought I wanted to work part-time, but now I love being just a mom. And true I have worked off and on and I am going to start watching two kids here in a couple of weeks, but I have been able to stay home and that means a lot to me. I feel so blessed to be a mom, have a great husband and the two best playmates--Kylee and Tia.

Swimming, Biking, and the Park

Swimming, biking, and the park are pretty much what our life has consisted of since returning from vacation. I mean it is true we do other things like grocery shopping, cleaning, sleeping, and stuff like that, but our adventures have mostly revolved around the pool, bikes, and the park.

The park is a pretty cool place for us. Before we left for vacation I bought some shovels and buckets at the dollar store and that made the park just that much more fun. The girls love trying to build castles, fill buckets, bury their feet and hands, and just dig holes. Tia loves to feel the sand on her feet. As the summer wears on she wears her shoes less and less. I am pretty sure if I didn't make her wear them to places she would never where them. For some reason she just really loves feeling stuff with her feet. Anyway, the girls of course love the slides and swings too, but sand toys is kind of a new thing for us. Also our Relief Society is doing park days, and to be honest they haven't been too successful , but at least one person comes almost every time and so its great for me and whoever else comes. My girls totally love the concept of friends at the park.

Swimming is another great thing. I love the pool and I am so lucky because my girls love it to. Kylee has turned into a real shallow water fish. I would say fish, but she wont go into the deep end and by deep end I mean like the 2ft 8in deep end. She dives, and floats and jumps and does all kind of great water things in about 1 to 1.5 feet water, but if we go farther she becomes sacred. I don't get it really, but you know at least she is in the water, going under, kicking and trying to move her arms as if swimming, and floating. We will work on water depth during swim lessons. Tia loves the water as usual to, but I think she loves the freedom of getting out and walking around without her mom and every lifegaurd wondering if she is going to jump into the next pool. I love the pool because it is just so freeing. I love swimming, floating, diving after rings, and when I get the chance the slides and diving boards. It is so great. There is just something about the water and me. I think that we just kind of go together. I say to people that I am pretty sure that God made outdoor water and especially pool just for me. Seriously it is awesome. I really can't thank my mom enough for teaching me how to swim.

The craziest new adventure is biking. About a week and half ago, I convinced Kylee to take the training wheels off her bike. Oh man, the first day was awful. She had a melt down, didn't want me to let her go, and wanted her training wheels back on. However, the few time I could get away with letting her go and she would pedal and not just slam on the brakes she could do it. So, being who I am I told Gaupo who was ready to put them back on to give me two weeks and if it didn't get significantly better I would put them back on. So, we have worked on it diligently since then. We had a neighbor tell us he taught his cousins how on the grass hill across from our house. So, I decided to give it a try. Once again not thinking as a cautious person, I just took Kylee to the top of the hill well that terrified her to (of course). However, that same day our neighbor came out and very nicely hinted that we should start closer to the bottom. Well, that was the trick. I only took it up to were Kylee said and we worked on it. Yes there were still tears and frustrations, but it was getting better. Oh man, my legs have been sore from climbing that hill a ton of times, but we are getting. She is still really not ready to trust herself going down the driveway and turning, but here are some videos of what we can do, and a reality check video of our not so successful attempts.

Kylee Trying.

Kylee success on the driveway.

How Tia rides a bike.

The two of them going down the hill.

Livin' the Life in Swanlake

Like I said we left Grandpa-Great's around 4:00 and headed down to Swanlake. Grandma was as excited as ever for us to get there and came out to meet us. After much hugging, it was time for dinner. However, I didn't know dinner was going to be that early, so my kids weren't hungry because we had FatBoys before we left Grandpa-Great's, so they played for a bit instead. Laterish we went in for dinner and then played some more and then got the girls to bed. That night we were all kind of tired and just hung around so no games, but it was good to just relax a bit.

Fatboy eating at Grandpa-Greats.

The following days were filled with great country life. I loved that the outdoors was right there. It was so nice to have a trampoline, a swing set, cows, and four-wheelers all right there. Breakfast was usually close to 7:30 and then we literally play till it was time to get lunch together. The girls loved being outside. Tuesday was really quite warm like almost hot, but we still jumped and swung and looked at the cows. Tia was/is fascinated by cows she loved watching them, touching them, watching them be milked, watching them eat, everything. She loved it all. Usually in the afternoons we let the kids go swimming. Melanie bought a little kiddie pool and we aired it up and got water in it on Tuesday, so they could swim. Kylee, Blaine and Tia all had a great time. It was really fun to watch those three kids together. Blaine usually wanted to do whatever Kylee was doing and the girls loved playing with his toys. Blaine had a cool electric four-wheeler and I think everyday the girls discovered that the kids rode it until they killed the battery. Blaine also had a new bike that the girls broke in for him. Plus there was a sandbox, so really we were like on our own personal peace of heaven.

Tia on Blaine's Four-wheeler.

Gaupo and the girls jumping.

Yeah, so the mornings were spent with playing, looking at cows, and four-wheeler rides. Then we would have lunch. Then nap time. A couple of days I took naps too, because I was just too tired and really needed to be nice, so we got a little power nap in there. Then when they got up we would do more playing until dinner and then it was usually one more activity like we played one night, went to the pond twice, a four-wheeler ride, or something and then bed. I am super surprised my kids didn't just crash as soon as they hit their beds, but they didn't. However, they did for the most part stay upstairs and eventually fall asleep.

Tia with smore's face.

Kylee loving her somore.

After finishing her smore Tia wasn't done and tried to down a whole chocolate bar.

After they were in bed were some of my favorite time. Melanie and Grandma are always up for playing games and so that is what we did after the kids were in bed. We introduce the crowd to Castle Panic and Five Crowns. We played mostly those two games at night, but it was sure fun. It is nice to be able to do an activity together in peace. Don't get me wrong I love my kids and their cousins, but I also love the time I have to be a big kid too.

It was way fun to be so close to family. It was fun to be able to watch Blaine and James when Melanie went to work. The kids had a blast playing together and just being kids. I think did four-wheeler rides up to the pond with the three kids like at least 3 times. I mainly had Blaine, Kylee, and Tia while Grandma took care of James. And you know, I use to think that 3 kids was kind of a lot and a little crazy which it sometimes is, but for some reason it felt really comfortable this time. I miss Derek a lot and sometimes feel the gap that is left here, and being around those two wonderful boys made me wish I had mine, but it was still so much fun to be their aunt. I also think that three kids feel comfortable because that is what I feel like I have. Anyway, it was a little crazy that day with four kids and still needing to get meals ready and stuff like that, but it was so great. I am so glad we got to have that time.

It was also super fun to go to Bear Lake. I LOVE that lake. It has the best sand. The water is a little cold, but hey once you get use to it it's not bad. Anyway, I had been looking forward to this trip to the lake for awhile, so when Gaupo woke up sick I was super worried we would go, but he toughed it out. He threw-up once on the way there and once on the way back. I honestly don't know if he did at the lake or not, but he was a trooper. He mainly just sat in a chair and sipped Powerade, but because he made that sacrifice the girls and I were able to go and enjoy. The girls loved the sand. Our Anderson cousins brought lots of sand toys, so there was lots of fun for all the kids. They enjoyed building together and also playing separate. The Anderson's also brought a raft. I took two bunches of kids out in that. It was pretty fun. Kylee ended up really liking it whereas Tia was a little uneasy about it the whole time. Anyway, going out in the boat allowed me to also get in the water a bit more that just playing in the sand on the shore. It felt so good to get in the water and swim. I know it sounds so weird to say this, but water especially outdoor water whether it be pool or lake or whatever is one thing I am sure Heavenly Father had me in mind when he created the earth. I love it and when I am in it I totally feel like it is a gift. Anyway, I swam a bit, built a tiny bathtub and showed my girls, Blaine, and Arlen how to take a bath while using sand for soap. My three favorite moments at the lake were being sand monsters with Kylee while Arlen was saving everyone by squirting them off and so I would take him and set him in the lake or squirt him back. He thought it was the funniest thing. The next one was the 3 minute Frisbee pass around we had in the lake before we went home. I mean water plus Frisbee, you can't get much better. Then I loved helping Kylee and Tia with castle building and going out with the kids in the boat. The lake trip was different than any of my previous trips there, but it was really good and just confirmed to me there is no right way to have fun and do things. As long as you are together you make it work and it can be really fun.

Saturday was also a kind of stand out day for me because it was really the only day where we had a couple of hours with just us there. Melanie had taken her kids to their other grandparents and the Anderson's left about 10:30 (which was kind of a bummer because the kids didn't get to see each other much.) So, that left us like 2.5 hours with just us there and that was fun. I don't know why it was different maybe I am selfish and so it was nice not to have to share Grandma. Maybe it just felt a little less busy. I don't know, but it was kind of nice. Trust me I would take cousins and choas, but because that wasn't an option it was nice to have some just down time. It was great to chat, to jump on the tramp and to just be right there. It was nice.

One other moment that needs to be mentioned is Sunday we went down to Logan and saw Grandma Hammond and the other Hammond clan member. They had a little bit of a cookout and chatting it was so great. It was fun to have everyone gathered right there together. I love chatting with Gaupo's aunts and cousins. They are all really nice and it just feel good to be around them. It was good to see Grandma Hammond and visit with her. It was like the perfect end to Sunday afternoon. Also, our car was full because we took Grandma plus Scott and Aubrey with us.

Josh, Gaupo, Scott, Aubrey's arm, Emma, Jennifer, and Dallen all chatting.

Our vacation in most ways seemed way to short, but I was still grateful to get home and be able to put my stuff where it belonged and have everyone in their own beds. However, it was so great to be with family. I loved it. I love the Swanlake/Virginia area.It is so peaceful and homey. I love being right there by family. I love living in the quiet country. I really loved our vacation. At times it was crazy, and hard, but it was totally worth it. Nothing can replace the memories, the relationships, the fun, and the love. It was so great. I loved it and wouldn't trade it for anything. Sorry for the lack of pictures--I forgot my camera.

Allen Brady Reunion 2016

So coming back from an extended vacation leads itself to many wonderful things, but one definite side effect for me is that I have little ambition to do much. Most times I just want to keep pretending I am on vacation even though I am home. However, it is time I write about our wonderful Idaho vacation.

It all started on Wednesday night after the girls went to bed. I drove by myself to Denver to pick up Kitt. It was a pretty uneventful drive except that at one point where there was a whole bunch of metal flashing/tubing type stuff in the road and I swerved to miss it and went into the neighboring lane of traffic. Luckily the guy that was in that lane was paying attention and nothing happened, but boy was I scared. Anyway, I met Kitt at the airport where she was parking her car for the weekend, so it would be there when she got home on Sunday. Then we talked the whole way home. It was so fun to hear all of her stories and to give her my opinions about stuff. Sisters are great and sometimes you just need those talks with each other. You know the ones where you talk about boys, life, silly insecurities, and other things like that. It was so great and we got to do it for a good solid hour. When we got home, I got out my sewing machine so Kitt could fix a pair of shorts she got and then I finished packing and called it a night.

Friday started off normal. We got up and had scriptures and prayers and went out to send Kitt and Gaupo off to work and then the normalcy ended. As Kitt was getting on her bike, she was like "What happened to your tire?" Gaupo and I both look and it is completely flat. So, we talk about what to do and eventually decided that Gaupo should go into work late instead of me taking care of this. So, he got the tire all changed while I found the info we need for the tires and then he took the tire in while I went on a run. On the run, I got to see some neighbors that I had been hoping to run into, so I stopped and talked to them for a bit and finished my run. When I got home the tire had been repaired and Kitt and Gaupo were gone to work. Apparently Big O was not busy, so they got it repaired quickly. Turns out we had four staples and a nail in our tire. I am so grateful I was able to get home the night before and that it went flat before we left.

Gaupo locking up Kitt's and His bike at work. I don't have many pictures of Gaupo so I had to post this one.

 Anyway, the rest of the morning was filled with packing things in the car, rearranging carseats, and OT/Speech. It was a super fun OT/Speech day because we did some dance partying to stop go music and moved out bodies in silly ways. It was fun to watch Tia light up as we did the dances and it was fun to watch her try to copy everyone. After speech I finished packing the car. Then we got lunch as Kitt and Gaupo were getting home. After lunch was finished we headed out and let our vacation officially begin.

Kitt, Tia, and Kylee. Tia was so proud to sit in the back of the car.

The drive wasn't too bad and Kitt was a trooper reading to the girls and helping shuffle things back and forth to them. We stopped for dinner in Rock Springs. We joked about going to Golden Coral, but didn't. However, it turns out we were all completely famished and it might have been about the same price. Okay, not really, but we spent kind of a crazy amount at Wendy's trying to get everyone full. After dinner is was back on the road again for about 1.5 hours-ish. We got to our hotel around 8:30 I think maybe later. It took us a bit to check-in because we couldn't find there front desk person. However, we finally got her and got checked in. The girls wanted to go feel the water, so we gave Gaupo a much needed break and took the girls to the pool to put their feet in. Well we spent awhile doing this because they went between the hot tub and the pool. They put their feet and hands in. They screamed a lot which was very satisfying to them because the pool room echoed like crazy. Tia's way of testing water is a little terrifying because she just leans right over the edge and sticks her little hand in. She could tip over so easy. AUGH!

Kylee with her feet in the hot tub.

 Anyway, after awhile we headed back up to our room and got ready for bed. This was a trick because Tia was so wound up she didn't want to go to bed. Finally after trying to hold her and her fighting it we put her back in bed and ignored her and she feel asleep. Thank goodness. It is a super good thing our Aunt Kitt is a trooper because staying with us is not always rosy.

Friday morning we got up. Us adults actually beat the kids up and we read scriptures and things and then rested some more. Then we went and had breakfast. This hotel's breakfast is one of the main reasons we stay at this hotel, it was so good. Sausage, eggs, bagels, waffles, muffins, hashbrowns, etc. It was so good. After filling up there, Kitt and I took the girls swimming while Gaupo repacked the car. The girls said the pool was too cold, but we got them to spider walk and bob a little anyway. Kitt and I had a handstand contest and then we all went and enjoyed the hot tub. After that we hit the showers and then hit the road. We decided to decorate Derek's grave on the way up to reunion that way it would in theory be decorated the whole time we were visiting.

We drove with the windows down to Brady's and Tia loved being in the back in all this wind.

Then after that we arrived at Brady's Plant Ranch where we were meeting for lunch as people gathered for reunion. Now those burgers were GOOD! It was fun to eat with everyone, see the greenhouses, take the girls to see the ducks, talk, and see everyone. After spending a little while there we headed up to Grandpa-Great's house and pitched out tent. Our tent is huge and it took a little bit of doing, but we got it up and the air mattresses aired up. Guapo and Papa mainly did the tent setup because I was watching the girls.

Here are all the tents. We are that rectangle one at the back.

I was also going though the stuff that my Grandpa had put out for his Grandkids to go through and take what they wanted. I got my Aunt Shara's Lite Bright, and some earrings. Later after everyone had a chance I got a couple necklaces, some fabric, a spittoon from mexico, and my Gradma's Jewelry holder.

Here is some of the stuff on the couch.

After everyone was mostly setup we started playing some outdoor games. We played a rousing came of Eenie-I-Over. Kylee was not a fan of me dragging her around the house, but nor was she a fan of being without me. So, this was not Kylee's favorite game, but Tia loved it--Running with lots of commotion what could be better. We played that until we had a collision that ended in a nose bleed. We took a break for a bit. Then we played red light/green light for a bit. Then we just enjoyed for a bit. Then it was time for the party to move again this time down to the church.

At the church, Grandpa got one of his notorious fires going and we roast hotdogs, and polish sausages for dinner. Then we had somores for dessert. It was super windy and food was often flying places. I mean it was kind of dangerous because  unless your plate was heavy the wind would just flip it over sending your food flying. However, we all survived and then got it all cleaned up and went inside.

I don't know if this is the wiener roast, but it is where we had every meal.

Inside we had a family history moment. Aunt Gaylnn told us some stories about our Great Grandparents. It was interesting to learning that Grandpa Hansen learned to smoke at age 9, but was able to quit after getting sealed in the temple. I didn't realize that my Oma was already in America when she divorced Hans Tanner and went to California. I also didn't know that she had major complications after giving birth to my Grandma. Kylee thought it was interesting that Grandpa's mom broke her hip falling down the stairs in the cellar. That poor lady sounded like she had quite the bout with pain in her life. For some reason I am blanking on the stories about my Great-Grandpa, but I know he has some good ones like the camping one with the lizards in the sleeping bag, or how he use to cook the best mutton, or how my mom loved to hear his stories. After the family history, we stood in a circle around my grandpa and sang a few Hymns for him. We sang Praise to the Man, I Need Thee Every Hour, Count Your Many Blessings, and a couple others.

Grandpa sitting in the middle of us holding baby Clara.

Then it was party time. My Uncle John and cousin Jacob had birthdays that day, so we had a birthday party. We threw cheeto's at people whose heads were covered with shaving cream. Then we shook ping-pong balls out of a Kleenex box while it was strapped to our booty. Then we tried to get a vanilla wafer from our forehead to our mouth with no hands, and then finally ended with birthday cake and ice cream.

Kylee was on a different team than me or Gaupo, but she was with Aunt Gaylynn and she  stayed with her team the whole time. What a champ.

Me shakin' it.

The Cheeto heads.

A few other great shakin' it moments.

After that party it was time to get the girls and Gaupo to bed. Gaupo was kind enough to stay with them in the tent while I went to play night games. It is so weird to be one of the big kids, and to have so many little guys. We played kick-the-can, and Ollie-Ollie-Oxen-Free. Kick the can was funny because you couldn't hide and wait to be found you had to just hug a corner of the house and wait a little bit otherwise you would never get to do anything because some littler kid would run and kick the can while the person went looking. It was so crazy, but really very fun. At 11:00 my mom came out and told us we had to be done. So, we played one round of  No Bears Out Tonight and then got ready for bed. After visiting some more and then getting ready for bed, I ended up climbing into bed a little after midnight. I slept terrible in the tent just so you know, but luckily I am the only one in my tent that did.

Saturday dawned early, but luckily not as early as a it could of. When the girls got up I took them into Grandpa-Great's house and we played with the other awake children until about 7:45 or maybe 7:30 when our dad came in and we all went back out to the tent to get ready. We were a little late getting to the church for breakfast, but luckily the crew on breakfast was late too. When breakfast was served we had delicious eggs, sausage, and tortillas that could be combined to make a great breakfast burrito. My kids were also big fans of the cold cereal. After breakfast was done and cleaned up we had a talent show. Our family is so talented we had gymnasts, piano solos and duets, singing, Lego building, quilts, drums, cup playing, and all sorts of great stuff. Kylee did a great job singing Praise to the Man and Tia just couldn't get enough of the microphone and so she sang I Am a Child of God. I accompanied Kitt and Jack singing The Miracle.

Tia on the Mic singing I Am a Child of God.

Kylee singing Praise to the Man.

After the talent show we played a wonderful game of kickball. It was a game with all ages and it really was quite fun. I enjoyed playing and so did the girls for awhile, but the eventually settled for watching baby Ross and wandering around. I have to admit some of my more competitive cousins were able to get my goat, but luckily it wasn't till the end, so I was able to enjoy the game although I am kind of embarrassed I let my temper flare up like that. After kickball it was time for the game I invented-ish. It was Wits and Wagers Brady Family Edition. I had done some surveys previously to gather all the data that I needed for it and then made questions for everybody to answer. People said they enjoyed it and it did go well, so I will call it a success. I will definitely say it would have been better with real white boards and magnets, but that is so just a technicality, and I really do think it was fun. I know it was fun for me to watch people try to logically guess the answers. After that game it was lunch time.

Kylee just couldn't hack it any longer. She crashed out during Wits and Wagers.

We had BBQ, watermelon, and cookies. When that was all cleaned up we had a pinata and played volleyball. Then we played speed until it was time to get cleaned up. I am sure we were suppose to clean up quickly, and it did, but we also lingered longer and talked around some.

Here we are lined up from Oldest to youngest. This line is for wits and wagers, but this is usually how it started for dividing up teams for any activity.

Finally we parted ways and my family (Oma, Papa, Kitt, Jack, Kara, Seth, Ross, Gaupo, Kylee, Tia, and Me) all headed up to Grandpa-Great's house. We said goodbye to the few cousins that were there and then we were all alone. Which is not always a bad thing. We took our tent down and moved inside and then we just visited. We had a few cousins come up and visit some more and Oma popped out some delicious Casco bars.

Colton, Tucker, Kylee, Trevor, Mathew, and Papa eating Casco bars.

Oma gave the girls these skirts once everyone had left. They are so cute and fun!

Oh, it was just wonderful to visit and enjoy that beautiful Idaho late afternoon. That night we had pizza for dinner and more ice cream. We got baths and showers. We went though the Wits and Wagers questions we didn't get to and we visited. I so wish family lived closer it is so fun to get together and visit and the time we have to do that is so little it seems like.

That was the end of the official Allen Brady Reunion, although it didn't truly end there. On Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast.

The girls 'helped' Oma practice the piano while I got ready for church.

Then we had to say good-bye to Kara, Seth and Ross. That was sad. Then we went to church. Going to Church in Virginia is awesome. I know so many people and really does feel kind of like going home. It is so good to go and see all those people. After church we went home and cooked the rolls and then like 1:45 headed to my Aunt Karen and Uncle Johns for lunch. We had lunch with the part of their family that was left and us. I think it total it was like 20-ish people still. It was pretty fun to be all together. Also it led to more visiting and playing. However, all too soon that ended too because we had to get Kitt, Oma, and Papa on the road. After they left we just enjoyed talking and being outside with Grandpa. It was so great to not be the first one to leave, but it was also hard because soon enough I would be, and part of being at Grandpa's is being with family. However, it was a great Sunday night and we went to bed at a decent time I think. Monday was a day filled with trying to get Grandpa's house put back together. We changed the beds, took the stuff that needed to go to DI upstairs and out to the car. We talked and played. Tia looked at the cows like 50million times. Jack and I visited for a bit, but around 12:00 he had to leave too. Then it really was just my little bunch and Grandpa. We had a simple lunch of sandwiches and ice cream. Then we put the girls down for naps. During naps I got to visit with Grandpa for awhile until we were joined by Kylee. Then Grandpa went to take a bit of a nap, so Kylee and I climbed the apple tree, layed in the grass, and just hung around each other until we were joined by Gaupo and Tia. Then Gaupo helped Grandpa get his DVD player working, had some more ice cream and then it was time to say goodbye. It was hard to leave Grandpa, but we were pretty excited for our Swanlake adventure too.

Love this beautiful place and the people that fill this home with love.