Family Reunion - Take 2

July 11th and 12th marked the Winter Family Reunion this year. It was a fun-filled weekend of all kinds of activities.

Of course there was the all necessary meal times.

But we quickly proceed to more important activities like swimming! The water provided all of us of great entertainment: a water slide, diving board, and rope swing. James definitely got the award for best form on the diving board (I'm sorry that I ran out of room to post that picture however).

Ping pong matches - they're getting ready for the Olympics!

And what's a family reunion without a little guitar hero?!

Tina provided the children with fabric paints so that everyone could personalize their shirts.

And then, there were the cute kids that kept us on our toes.

We had a fabulous time, and I think we all look forward to next year!

Summer-time Fun

This summer has been jam packed with fun things; Ella has definitely opened many new doors of entertainment for us.

Here, Ella is playing with two of her best friends, Abby and Savannah Bjorkman, at the beach during the Fourth of July weekend. The weather was just slightly less than perfect this year, but the girls still dug into their fun!

Even Jocey found her little spot of enjoyment.
Who can resist this face?!

Another fun activity that we have enjoyed was a day trip to the Enchanted Forrest. Ella's Aunt Tino was still visiting with us when we made this trip. Christine described this place well when she said that this is probably what Disneyland was like when it first opened.

Here, Ella is checking out the Seven Dwarfs Cottage as Snow White is cleaning up while the dwarfs are at work at the mine. We also visited the mine, Ella described it as, "Scary!" And for a two year old, it was a bit dark and erie, I have to admit.

Ella loves and misses her Tino.

Back in the Saddle Again

I apologize to all you faithful bloggers for my delinquency. But I am proud to say that we are back on line again!

Better Together

For our family vacation this year we teamed up with my sister and her family and rented a home in Bend, Oregon for a week. The landscape was stunning, the weather was perfect, and the memories are priceless. There were so many moments from this vacation that I wanted to share with all of you that I found it easiest to put them all to music.