When the Family gets together

We just got back from the Nelson Family Reunion (my grandma's family) in AZ and had a great time! We are definitely glad to be back though. We did come home to a freezer that had been open for the 4 days we were gone and that was not as much fun. Aside from having to throw out a few things it wasn't too bad.

On the way down we were so lucky to have my 2 cute nieces riding with us. They live in NY and we relish every moment we have with them. Kate was being silly with this blanket and Sophia was having the time of her life with Jane in the back.We decided to stop in Four Corners on the way down because none of us had ever been there. It was a little crowded but pretty fun. Here's Doug and the girls waiting in line.
A view of the 4 corners.I had plans for some awesome pictures of me straddling all 4 states or Mabel sitting in all 4 states simultaneously but there seriously was a huge line and since our group was a tad bit on the big side, I felt bad hogging more time. Maybe next time. Oh wait, since it was literally the middle of nowhere and took forever to get there, I'm not sure there will be a next time. The reunion was overall pretty fun. My grandma (my dad's mom) was one of 13 children! No multiples and they were all from the same parents. She said her mom didn't even have any stillbirths or anything. She said that she had 12 (6 girls and 6 boys) and then 5 years later their youngest brother came along and messed everything up. Of the 13 there are 10 living (my grandma is number 6 and is 86 years old - talk about good genes!). There were 8 of them at the reunion and that was pretty neat.


I thought this sign was pretty cute showing all the kids. It pretty much sums up their sense of humor. My dad's family seriously knows how to tell them. We were all laughing the whole time!Right before we got there Mabel fell asleep. I didn't think she'd go for sleeping in the stroller but apparently she didn't mind! So someone I'm related to that was there is a world champion tree climber. Apparently he is a certified arborist or something like that. I had no idea such a thing existed. He's going to Australia next week to compete in the world championships of tree climbing. It was seriously a whole new world to me. Anyway, one of the days we were there he did a demonstration. Here he's getting set up and explaining everything to us.Here he is about halfway up.And here he is at the top. Afterwards he let people take turns going up. I was not brave enough to be one of those people.Here's Mabel with my cutest Grandma Rilla. I love both of these girls so much! Here's Sophia doing the water balloon race. And me and Mabes (she kept getting mistaken for a boy in this short. If only she could keep her bows in!)
Here's 2 of my awesome nephews with Mabel. They are so good to her and she loves them back! Here's my sweet niece with Mabel. I seriously never worried where she was the whole time. She was pretty content with whoever had her. Here's my awesome good looking nephew Bruce. These are my grandma's parents who the reunion was held for. The theme was "Blame it on Hyrum and Chloe!". This is my dad's cutest cousin Rachel. She remembered me from reunions when I was a little kid. Apparently she kept asking my mom if I was coming. She said she remembered making mud pies with me and throwing them at each other. What a memory! She's awesome and so cute. One of the days my mom was handing out these silly suckers.
The kids had a blast with them! Here's all of my grandma's descendants that were there. We were missing one of my aunts families (she had 7 kids) and 4 of my siblings weren't there so it could have been much bigger! My grandma is in the middle holding Mabel. What a crowd! My grandma has something like 28 grandchildren and 48 great grandchildren. Crazy! Here's my dad with his mom and siblings. I told you his family is hilarious and crazy! 4 generations. I know this isn't the best picture of Mabel but her face was so gross and dirty that we had to settle for a profile shot. Here's my grandma with her siblings that were there. We did lots of fun activities including the classic parachute game. The first night we were there they had a talent show. Doug had the camera and was with some child somewhere but I didn't get any pictures. One of my nieces played the piano and another one played "Meet the Elements" by They Might Be Giants" about the Periodic Table. It was awesome. Also, 4 of my teenage nieces and nephews sang "Imagine" by the Beatles and that annoying "Friday" song by Rebecca Black that became so popular for being so bad. My niece played the guitar and it was seriously awesome. They are so talented!
The next night my grandma and all her siblings shared memories of their parents. It was pretty cute. Some beautiful women also sang a beautiful song about their Grandmother's garden.
Also, my mom had been given some quilt tops that were pieced by my great grandma. My mom divided them up and made them into wall hangings/lap quilts/table runners. It was pretty cool.My dad and his siblings were in charge of planning the reunion this year and they put so much work into it! They seriously did so much. On the last night my dad thanked everyone for everything they did. He also thanked his aunts and uncles for the influence they had in his life. He then went on to talk about how no one had more of an influence in his life than his mother. It was really sweet to hear him say "There is no one in this world who has had a greater influence in my life then my mother". One more cute thing about my dad. He has written my grandma a handwritten letter once a week since his mission. He still does it every week and she still looks forward to receiving it. I asked her if was still sending them and she said "Every week. How many mothers can say that they get a handwritten note from their son every week?". Pretty cool. Way to go dad and thanks for the fun reunion!