The Family Arrived!

Totally involved and overwhelmed with family, it has been hard impossible to find the time to post on this blog! We started off with a big bang with the enchanting engagement announced in the previous blog.  What a summer we have had so far, every day filled with family events from the beginnings of the converging families from Hawaii and New York and Palo Alto to the full-blown reunion this year with the grand total of 45 It seemed that everything happened at once and there was simply no time to record what was happening.

For our own family history’s sake, I will be condensing the exciting events just enough so that we can look back and remember this incredible year of our Eyrealm summer.

Jonah and Aja arrived first with their adorable tribe. Knowing that a wedding was in the shadows, Aja got out the plethora of wedding dresses stored in our closet and her girls had a hayday trying hers on. Kind of scary actually. It won’t be long! This seven year old will be married almost before we turn around.

One of our NYC families arrived early too and our little ginger snap was delighted to find a stash of dolls that she immediately adopted!

Ana and Camden were soon off to Swim Camp. Ana, of course, had her list of things to do with her. That child was born to organize things!  Sorry blurry. My trusty IPhone sometimes lets me down.

Dad/Rick spoke to a group of trekkers in the wilderness of Wyoming:

And then was off to a crazy three day journey to Germany, July 3-6. Yes, I said Germany. It was a YPO speech on the Island of Silt in the North Sea. He met lots of great people, created an index for our new book on the 28 hour journey each way and hardly had time to get jet lagged before he got home. 

He even took a quick ferry to Denmark! Go look at a map!

In the meantime, we celebrated the 4th of July in Paris….Idaho. Our traditional trek across the lake proved to be fun as always with a chuck wagon breakfast, a fun program in the historic old Tabernacle that my ancestors helped to build and some down time on the lawn.

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After Ana managed to, once again win $10 at the Kids’ Rodeo, we journeyed back to the lake to watch the fabulous fireworks displays all around the lake.

And then we waited for one family at a time to arrive for our official reunion.

When the Pothiers arrived we took a moment to celebrate Grace’s birthday with a fun cake since we missed the party!

When Noah and Kristi arrived in their new ultra Limo, better known as a Mercedes Sprinter, which they had just driven off the show room floor as they left CA,  We knew the party had really started! It looked pretty funny lined up by the Smart Car!

And the fun started! Nice photo bomb Isaac!

The morning before the official reunion started we had a Chuck Wagon Breakfast for 60 at the Pavillion. Rick’s brother Chris had rented a big log cabin down the road and they joined us for a reunion that hasn’t happened for many many years!

As soon as the breakfast was over, I was off with my first Grammie Campers to Star Valley, Wyoming where my mom was born and raised. Noah was kind enough to let us use the Sprinter. The kids were over the mooooon!  That story coming next!