Family Reunion

All events are different this year with Addie being gone.I got a few pictures of the reunion this was one highlight. We found out Merle had in fact broken his arm a few hours before we left for the reunion. The kid activity this year was this train. They rode for hours. 

Aliza helped in the kitchen. Aunts, cousins, etc fed the masses again and again. Aliza called the large group to order more than once. Her strong voice and commanding presence makes her a force not to disrespect. Many marveled at her ability to bring order to the chaos. 

Our family served the meals we provided. Cousin Chance played with baby Jake. 

His dad Uncle Ben helped. I so appreciate the help from my in-laws. Jake did well with this family for an hour. 

Of course when you get that many people together you should take a picture. It is rare to all gather at the same time. One sibling was missing but she will be photo shopped in. 

As a mom wondering if my kids will every all choose to gather this was a precious picture. I have great admiration for the talents of each of these people. They have challenged and encouraged me and my family year after year. 

Jake was so tired after the long days. He travels pretty well. Again trying to take care of his needs and all the other niceties of a culture very void of babies is real.  

Greg wanted to go to a funeral in Utah he is a devoted friend and called his mission companion John South to ask  if we could quickly visit. We were greeted with a steak dinner and a smore roast after. The kids had a great time. It was nice to stretch out and gather ourselves. 

Greg's uncle Rex had asked the question what can we learn from the holy feasts of the Jewish people? One thing we can learn is making a bigger effort to talk of Christ more often and include Him in our gathering. This evening we shared food, friendship, and scripture study. This was a beautiful experience. I learned that when we pray to Jesus He prays for us. The more we pray to Him the more He prays for us. That is powerful. 

True friendship is beautiful and comforting. 

When we got home Jake played with some stacked batteries and broke his pinky finger. It's still swollen almost two weeks later. But nothing can be done so he deals with it and we try to be patient with his added crying. Each day is better. 

We are working to be more intentiontal and faithful. A podcast with Lilli Anderson suggested that motherhood isn't the leftover job for the weakest part of the human family. But rather a charge to attach her children to herself but more importantly to God and Jesus. To give children experiences with the spirit, prayer, and God's presence in their life. We are trying that in a number of ways. We aren't fancy. We are blessed and life is good right now.