last reunion post

To finish off my coverage of our time in Colorado, I wanted to share two videos from the talent sharing night and a few shots from a visit to some of Todd's relatives.


Here's the funny story about this clapping video: since everybody was sharing a talent, somebody got the idea that Anndra and Kate could clap for the group. Unfortunately, my little girl got a big case of stage fright when she was suddenly plopped onto the floor in front of the entire assembly. I think it didn't really help that everyone got quite loud all at once (trying to encourage both babies with cheers like, "Come on, clap! You can do it!"). She got scared and the only talent she shared was a great big cry.

But a few minutes later when she was calm again and sitting on my brother's lap, she started doing this:



It's like she's saying, "See! I can do it. Now nobody cares? Ok."


The next video is of Parker's talent. I'm so proud of him for working on developing this skill. I have to confess that any mistakes you may hear are mine, not his. If I were better at following him, we wouldn't have gotten off on our timing.




We took a very short side-trip to Pueblo, CO where many of Todd's extended family on his dad's side were gathering for his grandpa's funeral.

Anndra meeting this great-grandma for the first time:




We found out that one of Todd's cousins named his baby boy Lincoln (he didn't know about our Lincoln). So we got a pic of the TWO Lincolns:



And, yes, they have the same last name as well - too funny!

water fun at the reunion

Cute cousin moment

At the dinosaur museum in Colorado:





It's funny how you don't realize how far your kid has come until you see him do something like this next to a smaller child (I think Bethany is 8 months younger).

But I also love how kids at these ages will jump just for the joy of jumping... (no matter how far away the thing is that they are reaching for - and even if they don't really get off the ground). Maybe grown-ups should be more like that sometimes? Doing things for the joy of it instead of to reach a goal or accomplish something... hmm.

Throughout the reunion, I would try to imagine the grandkids as teenagers at future reunions... wondering who will get along best with which cousins, what kinds of things they'll have in common then, etc. Will they think it's lame if we show videos like this one of them as babies? Who knows.

More Happiness in Colorado

Ok, since none of my pictures shows everyone that was there, I'm posting this video because it shows the whole family (except Todd, who was taking it, and maybe a baby or two who were sleeping), so you can get a feel for the group that was there.





It was wonderful to get re-acquainted with my newest niece, Addie:




Here she is again with Kate and Anndra in matching dresses - thanks Jess!




As the next three pics show, Lincoln became pretty good pals with Maren:






And we may make a camper out of Parker yet... he LOVED being outdoors:






Finally, just a few more cute family pics:







Why do I love pictures of babies sticking out their tongues? ...I don't know.

Family Reunion in Colorado

We had a WONDERFUL time with my family at our reunion, which we do every 3 years... we spend a full week with just my parents, their kids, and their grandkids - 28 people this time (14 adults and 14 kids).



We stayed in a large cabin at a Rocky Mountain Camp near Pikes Peak. Unfortunately, NONE of my pictures come even a little bit close to showing how amazingly beautiful it was up there. But here are a few highlights.

Here we are lining up so that teams could be chosen for a kickball game in the field:



We also did some fun relay races for the little kids - like pass the cotton ball on a spoon:



There was a really big pond for kayaking - which was a favorite pastime among the big kids and I'll probably end up doing a whole post about that later:



We went on several adventures away from the camp as well, including Guys/Girls Night Out (movie and dessert), a drive up to Pikes Peak (which I will post about once I get pics from my sibs), and an outing to the local dinosaur museum:




Of course, there was indoor entertainment too.

Here is my sister-in-law explaining the rules for a treasure hunt, which the kids loved:



We had a talent sharing night for FHE. Here is my brother doing a magic trick... making ping-pong balls disappear:



We also did crafts - great for all ages:



But mostly we played lots and lots of games and ate lots and lots of yummy FOOD:



And since I can't finish with a picture of me stuffing my face, here's a better ending shot - me, my mom, and my baby:

Another set of cousin pics

Once again, here is a pic of my boys with my sister's two oldest girls - this time in the pool:



And our baby girls (K is just 2 months younger than Anndra):



I have to take a little minute and say how wonderful it has been to spend so much time with Jessie. She is the best hostess... it is hard to put into words, but I just feel so taken-care-of at her house. Even when we come to her area for other activities/visits, we go to her house for eating and naps. I can tell my kids feel at-home with her family. I'm also glad she's not afraid to put me to work (definitely a Lindorf tradition). I had a blast canning apricots with her the other day. She is so fun and easy-going that it doesn't even feel like work (which is a talent I'm endeavoring to develop with my kids, but it comes to Jessie so naturally). Love you, Sis!

Zoo, Aquarium, Children's Museum, and more...

Here we are at the airport - ready for our big summer vacation to begin. I wish I had taken a picture at the end of the day for a before-and-after (happy/excited vs. cranky/exhausted). It would have made for an interesting comparison.




The next day, Grandma took us to the zoo. The boys loved all the animals, but especially a monkey that put on a 'concert' as it swung from tree to tree (sorry, no picture). We couldn't believe that such a loud human-like voice could come from such a little creature.

Here is Parker trying to jump in with the penguins (with Lincoln right behind him, as always):





Anndra just enjoyed being pushed around in the stroller and watching the boys get excited about everything they saw:



But after a morning of sprinting from one exhibit to another, standing in the HOT sun to watch an elephant show, and jumping up on and down from fences to catch a peek of the shy animals... it was great to finish off the day with a nice, shady carousel ride:






The next day Grandma took us to the aquarium! Not as many animals, but much cooler since it was indoors. One of the best parts was the chance to pet sting-rays (Lincoln kept wanting to try, but would get too scared right at the last second and pull his hand away).

The boys were amazed by all the underwater sights - octopus, anaconda, sharks, sea turtle, lots and lots of fish, and more penguins.



Anndra mostly just chewed on the map:




We took a couple of days off to rest and visit family... and then we ventured to the children's museum, where the big hit was the helicopter on the roof:



Lincoln's second favorite thing was the vacuum tube that would suck plastic balls up and zoom them around the room until they fell into a collection bin. He ran back and forth a hundred times from the bin to the tube and back again.



This is the face Parker made when he heard there was a climbing wall:



He did so well on it even though he had flip-flops on:



Lincoln also enjoyed playing 'Farmer' and taking Mommy for a ride in the truck:




We visited many friends and family, but most of our time has been spent with my sister and her kids. Here are the four older cousins:



And the babies: