Visiting

When we were in Boulder visiting Tabor and Katie, we had a great time.

Like usual, Tabor made me laugh (and laugh).  Katie was kind and generous and after Marianne's family arrived, fed and housed 16 people.  That woman is a saint.  It was wonderful to all be together.  We visited a lot and admired each others' children and I bragged about my knitting and showed everyone the "scarf" that I'm knitting that resembles Iowa because both sides are so crooked.  (As it gets longer, it may start to look like Florida?)

I loved seeing my nieces and nephews.

So did Horace.

Along with Mark's dog, Squire Junior (named after Gavin's real life Pug, Squire), Horace got a careful inspection from Olivia and Ruby.

Then Horace gave Olivia's bear a ride. 

those brown eyes...

All the girls made candy butterflies to decorate cupcakes.

Clarissa, Ruby, Liberty, Emma, Deseret, Olivia and Carolina

It was all the girl cousins except Lili, Savannah and Azure.  We missed them.

No pictures of the boys which is too bad because those nephews are cute.  (No pictures of adults but they're not as cute.)  I did thoroughly enjoy seeing them though.  Brothers and sisters are a good invention.

We said a family prayer together before Marianne and I headed our separate ways with our families.  We then rotated around the room hugging each other.  I cried.  Someday I may run out of tears.  Maybe.

We drove to Salt Lake City and spent the afternoon with my wonderful grandma.  She is such a fantastic woman.  She always makes me feel so very loved.  She appreciates every tiny thing I ever do for her and I feel like it is an insignificant drop in the bucket compared to the many things she's done for me.  I wish I lived closer to her.

That evening, Ammon and Melanee and Cormac and Azure came and we all went to dinner together.  I had never met Azure.  What a darling little doll Dahl she is!  I didn't take any pictures of them either so you'll have to take my word for how cute they are.  (Do other people have nieces and nephews with as much charm as mine?  Because if they do we are all very fortunate.)  I think I forgot about pictures because I started to feel really sick.  I think it was a confluence of heat and dramatic altitude changes and not NEARLY enough sleep and not enough water to drink.  Ammon kept giving me sideways glances and asking, "You OK?"  He is always so very kind to me. 

Then, after I'd sipped several glasses of Sprite, I felt better and resumed admiring Cormac and Azure.  I declared, "She looks like you when you were a baby."  Then to add validity to my claim, I said, "And I was ten when you were born so I remember."

Ammon looked amazed, like he always does when he reflects on my advanced age, and said, "Holy Cow."

He is always so very kind to me except for when he thinks I'm old.

The next morning we went to Nevada.

We spent the day with Olivia and her family. 

I got to meet Omar whose appeal is vast:

Marcos changed costumes and personas often.  Here he is as a pirate:

I said, "Are you the Dread Pirate Marcos?"

He said, "No, I'm a captain of other pirates."  The kid has ambitions.

Enoch and Isaiah and Savannah came for dinner so in a matter of days, I saw every sibling and their spouses and my nieces and nephews except Luke and Jennifer who were sick. 

We were in Nevada long enough for a glorious sunset...

...then we hugged everyone good-bye and hit the road.

It was odd to be there for such a brief time and to be there when my parents' house was sitting empty.

We are now home. 

Alas.

We are all exhausted and happy and brimming with good memories.  And none of us want to leave home again.  Ever.  Except we don't have any milk so we'll probably have to.