HEAP REUNION 2011

I'm pretty sure that the Heap Reunion is the highlight of the year for my kids.  I know it was for me when I was growing up and I'm so happy that my kids love it as much as I do.  judging from the turn out of cousins every year I think it was the best week of the year for all of us and we all want our kids to have the same memories as we do.  

This year it really hit me how important things like family reunions and family traditions are.  Here we have 4 or so generations of kids and adults, 1st cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins.... and they are all getting to know each other and are building bonds that are unbreakable.  For most of these kids this is the only time that they see each other all year but they feel like they know all about each other and have so much fun talking about the fun things they did in years past.  I know that my cousins and I still do this & it is such an important part of my life.  

I think that if I could only go home 1 week out of every year I would choose the Heap Reunion week.  

SOOOO much effort goes into making the reunion a success.  I realize more every year just how hard it is for the mom's & dad's to get everything together to go.  I am so very very thankful to my parents for all the hard work and effort that they put in every year.  It's not always easy to go camping with little kids, in fact it's not easy at all but we do it because it's important.  Our parents did it cause they knew how important it was for us to build the family ties.  At the end of the week when I am exhausted from ZERO sleep and the kids are so so dirty and on a sugar high for weeks and everything we own smells like campfire smoke, I say that I am not doing it again.  But those family ties are strong and they start tugging at my heart and I can't not go.   We may all go home exhausted and dirty but we also go home with our hearts full and memories made and so thankful for the family legacy that we have and are able to carry on.  It's hard but it's so very worth it.  

If you don't have family reunions or family traditions I say start some.  

I like to think that all our ancestors who have passed are smiling down on us and LOVE to see us all so happy together.  It's worth the effort. 

Balloons

Most every morning we wake up to a sight like this. 
It never gets old.
Yesterday we were woken up to what sounded like a balloon landing on our roof!  It actually landed in the street in front of our house but it's so loud!
Colby went out to watch and the people let him get in the basket and help them put it away. 
For some reason I didn't get any pictures. 

Summer is starting to wrap up around here.  It makes me sad.  I can truly say that I am not ready for my older boys to go back to school.  They are old enough now that I have been really enjoying their company not to mention that they are also fabulous help to me with their younger siblings.  But come next Thursday off to school they will go and I will have to entertain Hayden & Clara all by myself.


The kids LOVE to have "SALES" and we usually kick off the summer with a couple of them a week.  Colby is the mastermind behind them and does most of the prep and running of the sale.  I noticed this year though that the sales are getting more complex including more things not just Kool-Aid anymore!  Their sales keep them busy for hours and sometimes they actually make a little money.

Miss Clara is part monkey.  She will attempt to climb anything & everything and absolutely NO FEAR!  This behavior of hers ensures that I never get a moments rest when she is awake. 

Sprinklers and trampolines.  Best combo of the summer even since I was a kid.

"The Ditch" @ grandma's house is priceless.  It has provided hours of fun.  I really wish I could buy one for my house.  This picture was earlier in July and now this past week the kids discovered that the ditch is almost dry! (there is road construction up the street that I'm sure messed with the water) They were working as hard as they could to save all of the crawdads.  I think they felt like they were successful and that the crawdads would survive another day.  They didn't care that their clothes may not come clean!

Baby Sister LOVES shoes!  Even if they are her brothers stinky rubber boots!  Is it just a girl thing to love shoes?

The last Sale of the season.  Bayli and Maison made 1000000 signs to hand out around the neighborhood and then stood on the corner waving a sign and yelling out "Snowcones! Come to our Sale!"  I think this sale may have been the highlight of the girls trip to Utah. 

Hayden & Jaden

Hayden & Jaden make quite a pair.  If anything could cause me to move to California it would be so that Hayden could play with Jaden everyday! 

Jaden was 4 in June and Hayden will be 4 in December.  Notice the size difference?!  What can I say.....Hayden is just a tank!  A dirty tank at that.  Look at that face and those hands!

Had to have a password to get up the stairs! 

Notice the swords sticking in the pants on both of them!  I think they said they were Ninja Turtles. 

Jaden fell down the outside stairs leading to my basement.  They are concrete.  I guess it could have been worse.  This happened on the 4th of July and Jaden was embarrased about going to the nieghborhood bar-b-que.  He said that people were going to look at him funny.  I said to him, "don't worry Jaden people with just think that you are tough and brave."  and Hayden pipes up and says, " no they won't mom, they will say, What happened to your face?"

Thanks Hayden.  That's just what Jaden wants to hear! 

What little boy doesn't wish to be as tough as Rambo anyway. 

We are on our way to AZ this weekend.  Jaden will be there @ Gma's house waiting and thinking up new mischief for him and & Hayden.  After catching them throwing bowling ball sized rocks in one of my window wells, abt 15 of them, they will have to be pretty creative to come up with something to outdo themselves!  

July Visitors

July started off GREAT!  First my parents came to town, then a few days later my brother Kent & his wife Lisa & their 4 kids came from Cali.  We really only get to see my brother's family once a year so having them come was super great.  Our kids are all so close in age that they have a blast when they are together.  Below is a weeks worth of pictures in random order! 

On top of Memorial Hill in Midway.  Our 3rd Great Grandfather's name is on one of the plaques for fighting in the Indian Wars in the late 1800's.  It was fun to show the kids and tell them about their grandfather Charles Henry Love.

The crew ready to watch fireworks!

So I have this raccoon on my front porch and Kendall loved it.  She would pick it up and shush it and rock it like it was a baby.  She is so cute!

Maison striking a pose! 

Even cousin Sam was up here from Phoenix for the weekend. 

On the 4th of July we went up to Cascade Springs.  It's a gorgeous drive up to a gorgeous place.  It's a nice easy hike and is fun for all ages.

In this family you don't get to ride in strollers you just get to push them.  Go Clara.

June Visitors

One of the reasons we LOVE summer time so much is because we can always count on visits from family & friends.  This summer did not disappoint.  The end of June we had the Zieler's come stay for a week while the teenage boys went to BYU football camp.  We really really love having them come and are glad that the boys have a few years of football camp left to go so we can plan on them for at least a few more summers.  

Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn

Miss JJ is so great!  I loved having her around to help with Hayden & Clara. 

Poor Jake had surgery on his knee about a week before coming up here, so he wasn't able to attend football camp.  I think he liked playing with Clara & Hayden and sitting on my couch more than football camp and BYU dances with cute girls anyway....!!

Fishing is always on the list of things to do when the Zieler's come to town.

I hope Kristi & Jim don't mind that I put this picture on here.  I think it's great & only wish their whole family was in it, then it would be perfect!

I think Dylan wants to move to Utah now.  Where else can you ride in a wagon when your 16 years old!! 

Colt didn't get to stay with us for an extra week this summer.  He is 17 now and has to many manly responsibilities I guess.  We just can't wait until he comes to college @ BYU then we can see him all the time.  **hint hint Colt.  You need to come to BYU.  Dylan you too.

A little of this a little of that

In the Summer time @ our house structure goes out the window.
I am not the type of person who likes to have a plan for every minute of the day.   I LOVE the summer days when we really have nothing on our schedule.  Sure there are days when we plan an activity but for the most part we just like to let the day play out as it may.  That's what Summer is for anyway.....
We do spend lots of time outside which we all love.  My kids and I all have a really good farmer tan to prove it!  HAHA!

Clara will follow her brothers around all day long and copy everything they do.  They are pretty good about letting her tag along.  She is also pretty fond of the camera and is not shy to say "cheese" and give me a big smile! 

For some reason my kids love to build a dam for the water that runs down the street to the storm drain, keeps them busy for quite awhile. 

I do make sure that my kids get in their daily chores in the summer and even Clara is old enough to help out this year!! 

Hayden finds a need for a bandaid at least once a day......usually more than once.  In this picture he needed a bandaid after he looked in the mirror and saw how dirty his face was.  He said he needed to cover it up cause he didn't want to wash it!  Oh man, having a 3 year old around is the best.

Wasatch Mtn. State Park is one of the most gorgeous places in our little valley.  We always make sure to get in a few evening fishing trips. 

When I get another minute I'll have to blog all about the 2.5 weeks of family that we had staying at our house.  It was GREAT & we miss them all now that they are gone.  It's just to bad that I seem to only blog about once a month now.  Sorry family who came to visit....you may never get your face on my blog.  I know you'll all be devastated.  Still love you though:)