Category: Extended family

San Bernardino was the beginning and the end of our long vacation. We stayed with Mom and Dad (President and Sister S.) over the first weekend and again on our way home. Sister S. commented that the kids seemed just as happy at the end of the trip as the beginning. No wonder. They spent 2 weeks being loved by parents of the grand and great-grand variety.

We met a charming balloon artist at the Rainforest Cafe. Mark loves his new bunny, Chatter.

We loved the handcart rides. So did the neighbor kids who hopped in to join us.

Darling, yes?

Timothy tried out the little pool.

Nice one, Daniel!

And of course, little brother joined in the fun. Meanwhile, Paige was upstairs sketching and making a beaded bracelet.

We love you all the way to the moon!

And thank you for the doughnut tip: Tailor Maid doughnuts are superb. Thanks for the nice visit.

We are so amazed at all you do. We think you are doing A Great Work.

Richard comes home from work most evenings and looks immediately out the back window and makes a comment about the state of our crape myrtle tree.

This little tree has weeks when the blossoms wane and it looks more like a spent dandelion that has lost its fuzz. That little trunk and my thumb share the same diameter. But despite its small size,  this tree can blossom like there’s a party going on. And for some reason, Richard follows the ebb and flow of our tree with great interest.

I think it has a lot to do with the investment of time he puts into our back yard. After checking the tree each evening, he takes a walk out to the tomato plants, surveys the strawberry patch, adjusts sprinklers, and takes an inventory of  his kingdom.

Are you ready for my simile or metaphor? Faithful readers, surely you were expecting it.

And so it goes. Some weeks our family seems to be in sync with our moods and schedules and we’re in full bloom. Other weeks, we are stretched to the limit by our outside commitments and we feel like spent dandelions.

We’ve had a spent dandelion week. Even trying to pace ourselves, the stress of life has crept in a little and I am ready for a weekend break.  We look forward to a week of full-bloom soon… despite missing out on a Stewart reunion at the Weber.

As a warm-up for July 4th the next day, Paul and Care invited us to Tank Wars at their house. After dinner, Paul shared his fireworks and we doctored up some tanks so they had some real power. Here, the competitors assembled for the carnage…

They proudly displayed their arsenals.

Paige and I even prepared some Barbie Carnage Tanks.

It was dearly entertaining to watch the reactions of the kids…

This was Mark’s first experience with fireworks. He was mesmerized.

It was loud, but most of the kids watched from the edge of the curb, which is as close as we would let them sit.

Cutie Solomon was amazed.

Ruby and Paige were less impressed, but found some things to chat about.

Isaac confessed, “I like smoke!” as he chased it down the street.

Ammon was just happy to be there.

Charlotte blew patriotic bubbles since she was too young to make a tank.

Tank Wars Day 1 was a fiery success. Tank Wars Day 2 took place at the Round House with even more competitors with a larger army of tanks. Installing that hornet rocket on my Big Mama Tank was definitely against my better judgment a great idea!

We drove 14 hours to attend Provo’s July 4th parade with cousins and family. You can’t beat a really good parade. Mom always loved the parade more than the kids. I’m finally getting it and I’m pretty sure I loved it more this year than I ever did before. Why?

…Because the parade gave Daniel a chance to climb a tree;

I got to sit with my siblings and their families at the old TPM homestead on University Avenue, in a place so traditional that even Mayor Billings searched the crowd, mouthing the word, “Sanchez” to his daughters trying to find us from the convertible in which he sat for the parade.

We saw a tank in action. Now when do you ever get to see a tank rumbling down the road?

There was the standing ovation for the LDS Missionary float. I lifted Mark on my shoulders and he caught the excitement and waved to the missionaries with all his might.

Our nephew, Henry was in a band in the parade. So was his sister, Katie.

Why do I love a parade more than ever? Well, it’s all about beautiful things; it celebrates youth, honors old age, and makes me feel patriotic and reminds me of my childhood. That’s something to get excited about.

Yesterday, Sarah and Bryan had a Sahuarita experience. We took them sight-seeing at the lake.

We showed them “our” pond where a water lily was in bloom for the occasion.

Daniel and Mark showed off the tortoises.

And Mark enjoyed some freedom.

In the evening after a meal of fajitas and watermelon, we embarked on adventures in entertainment. Audience admission was a slot to perform in our talent show. Richard played piano, Paige danced (on film), Daniel played piano, Timothy produced, directed, and acted in a Potato Head Puppet Show, Sarah sang an awesome solo, and I played the guitar and as we all sang together.

Bryan gifted us with his debut harmonica performance. Nicely done, man!

Mark’s talent was all about dance, running, and a basketball. He then got us all moving to one of his favorite songs, I Like To Move It…

And then we were all on our feet, dancing despite the storm outside…

And suddenly my hair defied gravity and for this and many other reasons, I call the day a success.

Thanks for giving us a reason to celebrate, you two.