Family Reunion

It was a tough decision, but in the end we decided it was more important to go the Harris Family Reunion than it was to go to my 10 year high school reunion.  Sorry classmates.  You were trumped by a giant slide, delicious food, 4 nights of blessed adult conversation and card games.  It was close, and truthfully I am still a little sad, but I console myself in the fact that I'll see you all next 4th of July.

The reunion was held at West Piney, a girls camp up in Idaho (lucky girls).  Days were spent in a variety of games played in the vast open field, playing in the creek, long naps, late nights, and meaningless lounging.  That's not entirely true.  There was plenty of time spent preventing the children from being maimed on the slide, drowning in the creek, getting eaten by bears, and other such life threatening scenarios.  We managed a harrowing rescue of a shoe that took a ride down the river, never lost a child for more than a few minutes, and still managed time for family photos, frisbee golf, and general merriment.  Merriment due in large part to the giant slide.  Observe.


  

This is a 4 story drop.  No really, count the flights of stairs.  The friction resulting from said drop requires one to sit on a burlap bag to prevent burning ones bottom (poor bags), and the healthy climb back to the top results in tightening ones bottom.  There should be no attempt to slow ones self down without fear of losing a finger or toppling off the edge of the slide altogether, and even though there is a giant sign right next to the slide prohibiting such behavior, it is super awesome after dark.  (I disobeyed a rule)



The field of dreams (baseball diamond) caused many grown men (Lance included - of course) to act like boys and play endless hours of baseball, each trying to out throw, out hit, or out run the other.  As this was not the actual magical field that brought dead men back to life, this behavior resulted in more than one sore back and lots and lots of ibuprofen.

Here is Alex, in one of her more pleasant moments, demonstrating the use of the swings as well as the wide open field behind her.  She was, during this time, in the middle of what ended up being about a 3 week period in which she became a monster.  A very cute monster, but still very much a monster.  A perfect time to have ones parenting skills on display, and a very effective way to leave a lasting impression on extended family.  I am sorry for all those who had to witness Alex lying on the floor and wailing, but I am happy to re-assure you that this phase passed shortly thereafter and the next time you see her you will see her true colors as a sweet little angel.  However, by this time Nora will probably just be entering the monster phase, so I'll apologize for her as well in a few years.  (future sigh)

Lodging arrangements

The giant house with the giant rooms along with the giant slide, giant swings, and giant field all surrounded by giant trees ended up being the perfect place to host our giant family.  Thank you.  We felt right at home.  See you in two years!

The Royal Wedding

Yes, I Tivoed it. I must admit that a small part of me gets caught up in the wistful romance and wants to revel in lavish fairytale, where the beautiful princess gets to dress up in a fancy gown and marry a handsome prince. It's pretty. Come on. However, I am not so insane to wake up at 3 a.m. in order to do my reveling. Thanks to Tivo, Alex and I watched it the following morning at a much more reasonable hour. She didn't really seem interested, and I assumed that it hadn't affected her too much until a little bit later I peeked into her room and found this . . .

Yes, she was holding her own little mini ball, for those not fortunate enough to have received an invitation to the real thing, by herself in her room. All of the A list princess celebrities were there, dressed in their finest and having a wonderful time. I was issued an invitation once my presence was known, and was allowed to participate despite my less than regal (pajamas) attire. It was the best party I have been to in some time, and I was happy to note that my delight with wistful romance can also be understood on a three year old level.

In addition to the Royal Wedded bliss, my brother had some bliss of his own. I mean he got married too. We checked with Westminster Abbey but they were booked, so we settled for Las Vegas. It took some effort, but we eventually found some fun things to do while in Vegas. First up, girls night out to The Lion King. (don't worry - lest you imagine that we were selfish - the boys got to go golfing at a fancy golf course earlier - but they didn't take any pictures and this is my post haha!)

So, The Lion King. Stupendous! That sums it up nicely. I still smile just thinking about it. They wouldn't allow pictures during the performance, so you only get to see the before and after, but I will be contacting them come October to see about borrowing a hyena costume.

I made the mistake of being thirsty in the middle of the desert and was forced to pay $4 for a glass of sprite. In their defense they did put it in a plastic cup complete with matching plastic lid. Well at least the black straw was fancy.

Restrooms

and my beloved sister. It was a good night.

The next day, my brother got married to a lovely girl. We were all pretty happy about that. Just look.

Everyone looking very pretty and clean at the beginning of the day.

A slightly more disheveled Alex stealing goldfish from my sisters purse at the reception.

The reception

The cake

The food I was lucky enough to get to eat

The chair I sat in

The reception was beautiful, but it was starting to get late for the little ones. I was contemplating leaving early to go put my Alex to bed when they turned the music on. I have never seen a little girl so happy. She came to rock that club, she could have gone all night, she truly lit it up like it was dynamite. All of our practicing in the living room sure paid off. We didn't get her in bed until after 11 p.m. but she didn't seem to care. It was a good day.

We had one more day to fill, so we went to the aquarium. It was a particularly terrifying exhibit where many of the main attractions could kill you. Observe.

Pirhanna

Jellyfish

I don't know exactly, but something that crazy has got to be poisonous.

And sharks

This one had a big nose

This one had big teeth

And this one is a terrible picture, but resembles something you would see in a nightmare right before you died.

There was also some down time and pool time, no sharks, where the kids could relax.

It was a great trip.

Baby Blessing

Here is Nora's big day. Since our lives seem to revolve entirely around her, we decided to have a party on her behalf so that everyone else's lives could revolve around her as well. At least for one day. She really does need more attention. Being adored by 3 individuals is simply not enough.

The blessing was beautiful as was the baby and the daddy who gave the wonderful blessing. And yes, I did as is custom bear my testimony afterward. I know, cliche, but in the end I decided that it is not just a tradition, but serves (at least for me) as much needed incentive for me to actually do it. Unlike most people, I am afraid of public speaking. I don't like doing it. My heart gets racing fast enough to serve as my cardiovascular workout, my hands seem to move independent from my body in awkward sometimes manic gestures, and I have not learned the art to crying gracefully (I can't eat spaghetti with any dignity either - impossible). So, needless to say, I don't do it often enough, and if it takes having a baby to get me on the stand then so be it! I realize that eventually I will have to come up with another reason, but I am grateful for the extra help the baby blessing expectation provides.

Also, thank you to my family who pitched in to provide a delicious luncheon. I love you all.

Now for pictures.

The End (vigor - ha)