Cook Reunion

This year Wes's family chose to have their reunion in the Reno area. We scouted out spots and decided on Davis Creek Campground in Washoe Valley. We haven't really been camping as a family since Liam was about 2 and we had a few consistent camping disasters. Since that time I haven't been brave enough to go, but I braved it this time. Now, being 7 months pregnant at that time, I did have a condition that we had to have an air mattress. My loving husband drove the mattress to a power source, then tied it to the top of our van and drove it back. I'm spoiled!! One of the fun things we did at the reunion was head up tie dying reunion t-shirts. We had a great time. Overall, we had a blast and Liam had the most fun I think. Here are some random pictures from our campout/reunion:

Liam is SIX!

Liam had a fabulous birthday this year! Wes's family reunion was scheduled to begin on his birthday, so we decided that we'd celebrate it at the campground that we stayed at in Washoe Valley this year. We had Nana and Papa, GG and Grandpa-Great, Titi, Uncle Shaawn, Izzy and Peyton, and Larry come join us as well as all the reunion participants. Liam was certain he wanted an angry birds cake this year. Titi and I had a lot of fun putting it together and he was thrilled with how it came out! We had a nice little BBQ and then a pinata. Everyone had a blast. Liam was very spoiled with fun Thomas stuff and he loved all of his gifts. Grandma also got Addy a little doll and made her a blanket to match her quilt. She and Izzy both were smitten! Happy Birthday to my sweet 6-year-old! Love you so much!

Cousins

Seven Years

Wes and I celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary at the beginning of July. We actually celebrated in June when we took a much overdue vacation just the two of us to Las Vegas. My parents graciously watched our children and we flew to Vegas and did whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. It was so much fun to be just the two of us for a few days. Of course we missed our kids like crazy, but it was great to reconnect and just have fun! We really only took a very few photos and they were on our phones, which I have yet to upload, but I wanted to get our annual temple photo up on the blog before I got any more behind. I'm really so, so thankful to be married to my Wessy. As difficult as this pregnancy has been, he's really stepped up to the plate and done everything he could to help me out. I'm just truly thankful and feel so blessed that we have the marriage we do. Happy 7 years, Schatz!

Fourth of July cuties

We had a very low-key fourth. We went to the fountains at Legends, BBQ'd some ribs and just relaxed. Unfortunately we missed the fireworks because it was too windy and we couldn't stay up until 11pm since I had to work the next day. However, all in all it was a great day. How could it be anything but great with these cute kids?

Grandpa-Great Turned 80!

In mid-June our favorite Grandpa-great turned 80 years old! We thought that 80 years definitely called for a nice celebration. In February my mom and I sent out many letters asking for everyone to send in their favorite memories of Grandpa. We compiled them all into a scrapbook for him. Needless to say, he was very surprised and it was definitely worth the work to put it together. It turned out great and so special. His one request was to have lobster for his 80th birthday. Shaawn ordered fresh lobster and cooked it for us. It was quite the sight- all these fresh lobsters cooking. They were delicious and everyone enjoyed them. Heather made Grandpa-Great his birthday cake. We made sure that he had 80 candles. It took a few people to get them all lit, but we succeeded, and grandpa had a little help blowing them out. It was a great celebration and we are so thankful for our Grandpa-Great and all he does for us. So many of the memories people had of him were of him helping people move and doing things for other people. He's very generous with his time and we love him so much. Happy Birthday, Grandpa- Great!

Relay For Life

At the end of June, we participated for the first time in Relay for Life on the St. Mary's team. My friend Stacy, from work, and I had been making tons of badge clips out of recycled medicine vial caps to raise money for our team.  The fundraiser became HUGE and we ended up selling about $1700 worth of $5 badge clips.  It was pretty amazing and awesome to see so many people sporting our clips while also giving money to the fight against cancer. We also set up a little booth at the relay and Wes made us a cute sign. Liam and Avery were our little models of the clips. Liam did AWESOME. He pretty much ran 5 miles. It was a HOT day, too, but he was very enthusiastic and had such a blast. Wes and Addy came a little later in the day and we all had fun walking together. This is definitely something we'd like to participate in every year!