Didion Family Forever: July 2009

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Family Reunion

It's the Wayne Merrill Reunion again - I remember posting last year's so vividly, I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. The kids are growing, the family is growing, life is great!

Pre-reunion: Mom and Dad took Keeley, Devon & Lincoln to the lake, joined by Tom's family, Derek's family and Ryan. The boat is finally finished and it was time to see if it floats! Indeed it did, and they enjoyed a day at Patagonia lake fishing and getting burnt to a crisp.

Today the entire family congregated in our home town to celebrate the 24th of July. I was saddened by the lack of participation in the parade this year - it was the smallest I've ever seen in my life! Next year I won't be watchin', I'll be in it, that can't happen again!

The parade theme was "No Toil Nor Labor Fear" and I thought the Daley family did a very creative float, "No SOIL nor labor fear" with laundry and gardening - all of their kids were dressed as the cutest pioneers and Ester rode behind on her horse, they deserve a big hand.

This was my other favorite parade entry, Dr. Andy's family sported an authentic covered wagon, I was very impressed. Standing ovation. The LeSueur family all participated as well, I didn't get pictures of theirs, but thumbs up for all these great Mayberry's, they made the parade worthwhile.

Back to the reunion, ... after the parade we all headed back to the homestead. We had planned to let the kids play games at the school grounds but no one was there - we found out we just didn't wait long enough they had fun without us. Anyways we had fun without them, too. The kids all enjoyed being with cousins while we had our annual family business meeting. I used to think this was a dumb idea, my mom's siblings do it and she likes it so she has been getting us to do it. I think this was our 3rd year in a row, and I like it now. We talked about political involvement, savings and family finances, preparedness, and planned ahead for next year's reunion. Then it was picture time. Preserve the moments!

Ryan, Thomas, Erin, Derek, Trevor, Alma, Connie & Wayne

And here are *some* of the cousins, we have 12? I think but it was pretty hard rounding everyone up and keeping them corralled while we snapped pix. Shown L-R: Carter (Trevor's), Madelyn (Derek's), Alayna, Cody, Lincoln, Jackson & McKinley (Trevor's), Keeley holding Vivian (Derek's) and Devon.

We all put in name ideas for Dad's boat - there were tons of great ones, Retirement Plan, Priesthood Office, Sea-Nile, it was very hard to choose, but LUCKY STROKE won by popular vote. Kati has a vinyl business and brought and applied the decal.

This was supposed to be the whole family but somehow one of my kids is missing and one of Kati's kids are missing. This is pretty close though! The more people you get the harder to get everyone together at once, even at a reunion!

We had lunch, as our regular 24th tradition would have it, at the school cafeteria for the community barbecue. Everyone enjoyed their beans except me, they were so awful I couldn't finish them. And the coleslaw made me literally gag. And I don't eat meat so I basically paid $5 for a cold flour tortilla, root beer and ice cream cup I gave away. Not the greatest meal this year but I think everyone else thought it was okay. This year there wasn't a big crowd for the community barbecue. I think they have like 400 lbs of meat leftover, (I think that's what Jan said?)

After lunch we changed into our work clothes and headed to Grandma Lola's. Uncle Larry built a rail fence from the packing shed to Daison's field and we painted it her favorite color, green. It was such a fun time working together on a family project. Silva's family was visiting Grandma this weekend so her kids helped, and Mandy's girls are down visiting so they got in on the action as well. We finished just in time for the afternoon monsoon storm - but we did manage to chow on all-you-can-eat watermelon provided by Grandma.

That face isn't full of freckles, it's speckled enamel paint. I forgot to check him before bed to see if I needed to scrub that, we have early morning church tomorrow! Oops! All the in-law's sort of ditched out on this project! Just kidding, they were home giving babies naps and Robert gets credit for helping even though he came late and left early. Trevor put a shout-out to Kim for representin' the in-laws. He was a great supervisor.

My little fashionista is wearing one of Grandpa Moose's old shirts and caps as she poses with some spray paint the older kids got to spray a screen door as well.

The work party against our finished project! L-R: Tom, Ryan, Dad, Alayna, Mom, Keeley, Derek, Tate, Grandma, Alma, Erin, Cody, McKinley, Trevor, Maya, Marlee, Hailey, Aaron.

As I mentioned, we finished painting and cleaning up just before the sky turned grey, the wind & dust blew, accompanied by flashes of lightning, belches of thunder, and a hearty rain poured down. Dad had promised the grandkids a swim and he wasn't going to back out on it. We waited for the lighting to stop and then Dad, Trevor, Tom and all the grandkids jumped in. It was a blast until Carter swallowed too much water, spewed chunks in the pool, and it cleared real quickly!!!

Oh darn, that's the end of my pictures. We finished off the evening with a barbecue dinner together, with kielbasas and wienies, all kinds of chips, bean salad, almond punch and magic cookie bars. We had a great day together - thanks Alma and Ryan for planning a fun time. Love you all!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Ambitious

Her smile says it all! Keeley is so happy she got a violin all by herself. This amazing, ambitious girl has been begging for violin lessons, but I've said no, no, no, she already takes piano lessons and she is starting school band this year. No, no, no violin.

BUT, a few weeks ago Keeley decided if she used her own money she could do whatever she wanted with it - including get a violin - despite her mom's resistance. She did a little research on the internet to find out how much she needed to earn and found a few options. She decided that renting was the way to go.

So she sent out an email and secured a few babysitting gigs and earned what she needed to rent herself a violin. This wonderful young lady wouldn't let me stand in her way again! She got the violin and has been playing it non-stop for 2 days, trying to teach herself. I guess if she's going to pay for the instrument the least I can do is get her some lessons! I admit, I can't wait to see her excel in something new. Yes, yes, yes, violin!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Geocaching

I'm not a scenic-route kind of girl so this first picture might take you by surprise. First of the fact that I was way out here and secondly, that I took a picture of it! My mediocre photography skills didn't quite capture the feeling I had when I stood and looked at that lovely winding road, the mountains, the sky, the desert around us - it was serene. This is where we went geocaching last weekend.

The official Geocaching website defines geocaching as "a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment." (Cache in, Trash out -- we didn't take bags but we will next time). We were introduced to the idea by Robert's sister and her husband, they do this frequently. Then I found out it was a hobby of one of my achievement day girls' dad's, so I thought it was time to check it out.

We entered our coordinates in the GPS, loaded all six of us in the Ranger, and headed off to our unknown destination. As always, Alayna fell right asleep, she didn't even make it a mile. So when we had to hike I stayed behind with her and Robert took the kids and the GPS to find the treasure. That tiny white spot in the middle of the picture (above) is them, I zoomed out to show the terrain, then I zoomed in to watch the fun (below).

Some of the treasures we traded from the containers were: a silver & turquoise necklace (Keeley), a sticky fly trap (Devon), and a bouncy ball (Cody). Keeley was in charge of the "treasures" we left in exchange, she carried a pouch with her containing our deposits. As I've cleaned the house this week, I've started a geocaching pile where I can put little, fun things to leave next time.

We found two different caches this time.

Robert stepped on either a cactus spine or mesquite thorn that went all the way through his tennis shoe into his foot. I'm so glad it was him and not Keeley in her flimsy flip flops. We learned to wear different clothes in the future! No shorts and flip flops.

It was a fun little adventure, we are looking forward to doing it again!! Keeley agrees - she's not mad here, I just caught her between silly faces.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

4th of July

We entered the parade this year - Keeley & Devon were great helpers in decorating and dispersing goodies. We threw 250 tealights, 100 lotion samples and 2 bags of saltwater taffy, and we still ran out of everything before the end of the parade. We were also pumping an All-American Party Music CD. I love music in parades and it was fun to see people on the sides dancing and singing along to our music.

I love my banners, I made them myself (with the help of mom's grommet expertise and Sarah's vinyl lettering). Darn it, they're all puckery. I didn't bring enough zip ties to hold them on straight. The back is the Gold Canyon logo with my website and the sides say "Keep America Burning Bright". Keeley & Devon helped me decorate and thank you Robert, for hauling us there.

Why can't these guys look at the camera at the same time?

Gosh they're cute. And good sports too, all wearing their RW&B and patiently smiling while mom snaps away. Hope you all have great celebrations this Independence Day. I'm off to grill.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

MiniVacation

Robert made some plans this week and provided an awesome mini-vacation for our family. I didn't lug the camera around so I'm sorry that there are no pictures.

Day 1: The drive was long and painful for me, managing 4 naughty kids while trying to keep at least one hand on the wheel. Our destination: the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix. The kids fought and argued the whole way and if I was the planner it would have been OFF! Robert had to be in the valley for meetings so we met him up there. We got to the beautiful resort and hauled all our stuff up 5 flights of stairs. Thankfully, Keeley scouted out the elevator so that was the ONLY time we had to step it up. We were all hot and sweaty, even though I knew Phx gets to 112 I don't go there often enough to remember what that feeeeeeeels like. It is so dang hot. Right off the bat, we all slipped into our suits and went for a swim in the "regular" pool. This was a treat for the kids, they love swimming with Dad. Afterwards, we went for a little drive to find dinner. As we approached a Golden Corral, Keeley requested it - and as if she had asked the genie in a lamp, Robert pulled right in (he normally denies this request). After we got our bellies full, we climbed back into the suburban for a mystery drive: Robert had a plan that he was keeping under wraps. Soon, he pulled up to a bowling alley - something I always suggest we do as a family but have never succeeded in making happen. We entered to find my brothers Trev & Tom and their families ready to play! This was such a fun surprise, and so thoughtful of Robert. I love my bros, and no trip to the valley is complete without spending time with them. The (10) kids got one lane and the adults got another and we played for 2 hrs. It was a workout and lots of fun. Any of you can bowl with me any time you want, you will always beat me but I'm a really good sport. My score on the first game was like 70. I'm a horrible bowler but it's always fun! After that, we ran into a Wal-Mart to grab some snacks for our room then headed back to the hotel and hit the sheets at about midnight.

Day 2: This beautiful picture is only part of the awesome Oasis water park for the resort guests. We enjoyed a fun, huge wave pool, "Wildcat Springs" (sprinklers), a kiddie pool, floating on tubes down the "Zuni River", brave little Devon went down all 3 water slides (shown) and Keeley did the curly one. The sidewalks are so HOT! We slipped off our flip flops at the main place and thought we could walk between attractions, boy were we wrong! Robert had to buy himself a pair because it was so intolerably scorching. We spent 3 or 4 hours in the morning and then ate lunch at the water park. It was the most expensive hot dogs, hamburgers and nachos we've ever eaten! After re-applying sunscreen, it was back in the water. Alayna got pretty tired so I took her up to the room (I admit I was a bit worn out, myself) and the other kids played in the water for another hour or two. We all came up in to the room and turned on the TV while Mom & Dad "tried" to take a nap. After about a dozen interruptions I gave up on that idea. Somehow the kids talked me into putting my suit back on and taking them back to the Oasis. Okay, here we go again! We spent another 2 hrs in the wave pool, on the river, slides and kiddie pool. Then back up to the room where Daddy was nice and rested. We wanted to spend some time enjoying the suite, so we ordered pizza and hung out, and watched America's Got Talent. Daddy had some work to do on his laptop so he turned on a show in the living room and worked while the kids and I went back down to the "regular" pool for a night swim. Unfortunately but expectantly, it was full of teenagers. We only stayed 20 or 30 minutes and went back to the room. While Daddy continued working, the kids & I went into the bedroom where I read them an entire Junie B. Jones book while they laid on the fluffy beds and pillows. Somehow Cody is the ONLY one who fell asleep through that. I hoped my effort would have been more fruitful. Day 3: We slept in again (the best part of the whole trip for me! I heart room-darkening drapes.) We got up, got dressed, gathered our belongings and packed everything up. The kids fought over who got to push the buttons on the elevator for every trip up and down the whole time - till the very last time when Alayna finally got her chance. We dropped Daddy's truck off at the dealer to get a tune-up and we all drove up the road to Amazing Jake's. This is a 90,000 sq ft indoor fun park with a delicious buffet of pizzas, pastas, salads, and unlimited desserts. It has an indoor go-kart track and bumper cars, along with laser tag. Cody's favorite was video games (they have over 150 different ones to choose from). There was a Frog Hopper ride, a carousel (Alayna loved and rode 3 times), the Rio Grand train, a glowing black-light bowling alley (Robert and the big kids tried to improve their scores from the other night - Devon loves it but Keeley whooped him!) Keeley, Alayna, Cody & I played 18-holes of "sea-side" miniature golf. For the tea-cups ride, Cody didn't dare to get on but Alayna jumped right in with Keeley. They started spinning and then Alayna's head and eyes started reeling. It was sort of funny for a moment, and then as it worsened, I felt very sad for her, it looked so uncomfortable and painful. The operator noticed and paused the ride to remove her. They got going again, and my buff-tough-rough and rowdy Devon was spinning his wheel so fast, the teacup was going wildly one way, the merry-go-round it was mounted on was going the other and soon I saw Devon stop turning his wheel, his face was white as a ghost and his head was bobbing around in circles, I thought "oh no!" Devon has a very low tolerance of rides, I couldn't believe he even tried this. Lucky for him the ride ended and he was able to walk off all in one piece and didn't blow any chunks. Then Keeley talked him into riding the mini-coaster after that and he held his own much better on that one. Bigger circles. 3 hours later we dropped Dad back off at the dealer to pick up his truck and we got back on the interstate to come home at last.

We didn't travel far, we didn't stay long but we had all the experiences and fun of a "real" vacation. It was just right for me and the kids absolutely loved it. Robert really spoiled all of us from beginning to end, it was a very fun, memorable time! And the ride home was much better than the ride up there - Alayna slept almost the whole way, the big kids played video games and watched the portable DVD player and I enjoyed some P & Q.

Dialog

I have been getting such a kick out of my kids' conversations, I decided to start taking notes. I missed some good ones in the suburban this week but today I had a notebook and pen handy when they started. I couldn't write fast enough to get it all in, but here's the general idea:
D: What do you want to be when you grow up?
K: A beautician.
D: I'm going to be a rock star.
K: Well you have to get a contract first.
D:Well when you live in a cardboard box in a park I'm going to laugh in my mansion.
(I'm with Keeley - practical not fantasy, but is a rock star really fantasy? If he keeps thinking this way maybe he really will make it big some day. I was never a dreamer.)
K: Excuse me, I make $30/month babysitting and you only make $5 for every lawn you mow.
D: Well I'm going to drive a Corvette and you'll drive a battery operated Barbie Jeep that only goes 3 mph.
K: Well a family won't fit in a Corvette.
D: Maybe I'm only going to have a family of four. Dad, how much does a Corvette cost?
R: About $60,000.
D: I'm going to need a pretty big piggy bank.
K: Try a checking account!
D: Not! You're not supposed to buy things with credit cards or you'll never pay them off!
(I find it humorous that Devon associates a checking acct with credit card purchases)

Preparations

This is just a random miscellaneous post. Our day-to-day life this summer is a little different than last summer and probably different than next summer will be so for the sake of remembering, I thought I'd post it.

Robert's been working out of town and we like to do things for him while he's gone to show him we were thinking of him when he comes home. Every time he's coming home we do a few things for him. Some of the things we did in preparation for his most recent return were: 1. Keeley mowed the front lawn (Robert loves a nice yard and everything we get done before he gets home cuts down on what he has to do once he gets here. This was a no-pay, voluntary job from Keeley, from the heart). 2. I spent 90 mins. s-c-r-u-b-b-i-n-g our bath tub. (Robert loves a clean house and this was the dirtiest-looking place in the house). I wanted so badly to make the tub look like new but I absolutely cannot figure out how to get the black out of the textured bottom of the tub. To enhance the shiny beauty, I put up a new rod, shower curtain and rings. It was long hard work, I hope he notices! 3. Last time he was down Robert bought all the kids something from the candy store. He got himself a blue whistle pop and Alayna sucked on it then broke it. He was so sad. So I went back to the candy store to get more and they were gone. I happened to be in Tucson and found some so I bought a whole bag full to leave on his pillow. 4. This last one was the most fun. Robert has a little refrigerator out in his shop and every time he comes home he buys a couple of 12-packs of sodas and stocks it up. Then, when he works outside or in his shop he has a cold drink handy. The kids like to "help" in the shop and sneak them while he's gone, so it's always empty again before he gets back. This time we bought two 12-packs and a case of waters at the grocery store. When I put them in the fridge, it still looked a little empty. I went to the gas station and picked up $20 of several different juices he likes, and that filled it up the rest of the way. Alayna and I wrote him a little love note and taped it inside the fridge. They're just "little" things but they are fun ways we can say our I-Love-You's to our hard-workin' dad.