The Fam (And some very past due pictures)

My heart has a lot of gratitude for my family lately.

My siblings and I can't plan a family reunion without practically cussing each other out.  We all shared the same childhood but have different memories of it.  We don't all think alike or vote alike.  We all look different too and have our own parenting techniques.  

But, we love each other, and you better believe that if I needed it, I would have 5 siblings standing up for me (with a mom there worrying too and dad probably ready to wrestle someone to the ground.)     

Just the other day we were hanging out at Katie's house dying laughing over several topics, including the fact that we have one sister who is teaching her kids to stand up and declare, "I will not be BAMBOOZLED!" when schools try to run idiotic fundraisers.   

Another was the conversation that it's all about function over form.  Give us the darkest carpet you can cause we don't want to see the purple kool-aid stains (During our childhood, our brother once threw up purple kool-aid from laughing so hard during an attempt at a proper Family Home Evening.  One thing my mom didn't have to worry about was staining because the carpet was already dark brown.  You could hide a tootsie roll in the carpet and never know.) 

As the years go on and we aren't the same family, living under one roof, of course there have been big changes.  I've watched my siblings endure things (and continue to endure things) that are just plain hard and make you cry.  We don't have the carefree days of our childhood anymore, but we are working to give that to our children.  

And I think that's why I've been feeling a lot of gratitude lately.  Cause I look at all the ways my siblings could have become bitter or angry at life, and they still find ways to make me laugh until I cry.  My brother still brings a ball to the park to throw around with the kids and continues the tradition of proving that he is the strongest in the family, Katie still works hard everyday to cement herself in favorite aunt status with my children, Karyn and I ponder over the ways we are too much like our dad, Kari's brain survived twins and childbirth and she is my go-to for smart things that I can't seem to physically comprehend (like legal tax stuff) and Kristen rules the world from Safford... we aren't all perfect, but I'm very blessed to have my siblings be a big part of my life and the lives of my kiddos.
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Mom, remember asking for these pictures a year and a half ago?

Papa Fest Family Reunion, June 2010 - We went to a resort in the valley, stayed the night and played in the pool, played shuffle board, played games, ate some food, tried to tame the screaming children.  And we attempted family pictures.

This is not a very good set up for a family picture, we are missing two brother-in-laws (and now a few kids), we are fresh out of the pool, but we tried.  The rest of the pictures in the series are comical.  Mallory does a little dance, Kent gets sad and mad about something and finds a hole behind some cousins to hide in, Leta and Annie start to slip away, aunts try to help with angry kids, moms get mad and then the whole bunch goes to pot.

Family pictures are generally not a moment of sunshine and roses.

My oldest sister Kristen and her kids.  (MIA brother-in-law - out coaching football)

My one and only brother and his girls (they just had a boy in December)

My next sister Kari and her boys (she is the one that married Ryan's cousin and also has twins)

Katie is the next sibling who somehow snuck away from an individual shot.  I think her boys were peeling off their shirts and scattering before we could catch them.  

Then Karyn and her kiddos (she added another boy and is about to have a girl).  MIA brother-in-law who was probably out knocking doors and running a very successful campaign. 

And then there is me.  I remember this picture very well.  I was tired (obviously).  I had been out in the sun all day long and Leta and Annie weren't handling being at a hotel.  They were cranky pies.  And so were Lucy and Elsa after a long day.  Everyone was crying (but me) and I just wanted a quick picture anyways.  Ryan refused to get in the picture with a bunch of crying girls, I was ticked, and click - this is what you get.  Happy Family. (At least I can look back and laugh at this picture, though at the time I just wanted to pinch my husband.)

     

Then we celebrated Lucy and Elsa's 4th birthday (so my 28th, and Leta and Annie's 1st) and all was well again.  Awe, such a happy ending.