2012 Housley Family Reunion

Well it was family reunion time again.  Every year at Scott's grandparents house we have the Housley family reunion. We stopped into Grani & Bop's house on the way to Poky the night before.  As we were getting there we had talked to Rachel about staying out of the fish pond.  She proceeded to tell us "I will try really hard to stay out of the fish pond."  I of course laughed at that.  She did pretty good.  Bop watches her like a hawk when she's around because she loves to sit and play in the water of the fish pond.

 This is her trying to stay out of the fish pond.  Feet and shoes went in a few times and of course that got the blocks wet so she was pretty soaked by the time she was done. Grani loves seeing her get in the pond but we try to keep her out as much as possible.  Well we spent the night in Poky and then got up and headed to American Falls. We ended up doing family pictures first.  I wanted to get ours out of the way so I could put Rachel in her swim suit and not have to worry about keeping her out of the water. 

Family Picture

Rachel all by herself.  She did really good this time with the pictures and was pretty cooperative for her.

 (All of Rachel's Cousins) Left to Right:

Lexi, Byrson, Hallee, Karlee, Kylee, Colby, Rachel, Aubree

 Picture with Rachel's Great Grandparents.  We call them Grani & Bop.

 Picture with Rachel's Grandparents.  She calls them Grandpa Pooh and Grandma Tracy.

After pictures it was then time to play some games.  They did an egg game where they had to carry these wooden eggs on wooden spoons down and back. 

 Not quite sure who won this game but I know Rachel wasn't about to give Grani back her spoon.  She kept it and played in the water with it all day long.

Then came the gunny sack races.  Yes even the adult kids got involved with this one.

  Jamie and Amber showed the kids how it was done.

Kylee and Colby starting off.

 Wayne and Scott took a turn and it was hilarious.  Scott started off by bouncing into Wayne and falling.  Just before the finish line though......

 Wayne bumped into Scott and sent him tumbling almost into the tomato plants.  If I had known they were going to be so funny I would have video taped it.  We were all laughing so hard we were crying.

Scott and Wayne helping the little ones have a fun race.

Everyone got medals for competing in the gunny sack races.

FINALLY it was time for some water fun.  Rachel was so excited to be in her swim suit and was in it most of the day.  They played in:

 the pool, 

 the pond, and the sprinklers.

We did get her to eat a little bit but she was right back to the fish pond where some how during lunch she slipped in and scrapped up her leg really bad.  She tells us Karlee pushed her in but we aren't for sure how she ended up in the pond just that she did.  I of course heard her crying and couldn't see her so I didn't know where she was at in the pond.  I got up really quickly to go see and Scott's mom reminded me that I shouldn't be running.  So I turned to Scott who was still eating his taco and yelled "Scott get your daughter."  He told me later his first thought was I hear her crying so her air way is open.  Always the health professional first.  It took us awhile to get her cleaned up but she was ready to get back and play after we cuddled.  Scott's Grani always does so many activities for the kids.  This year they got to buy things at a store.  They were each given some money to buy items.

 Rachel started by counting her money.

 She bought this purse and she didn't want anything else.  Scott talked her into buying another bag full of oriental trading things.  She then turned to Scott and said I don't want to buy anything else I want to keep my money.  I turned to Grani and told her what Rachel said and she just laughed and said, "Well then let her keep her money."  I think we are teaching her well.

She got a new cowboy hat and her new bag and she was done shopping.

After the store we then did the fish pond.  Yep more toys....

 Rachel's a little to small to reach the fishing pole over the sheet so daddy had to help her.

 Some cool glasses that she got.

Two of the three bags she got from the fishing pond.  After the fishing pond its then on to the pinata.

 Hello Mr. Sun, How are you today?  Yes you will get cracked and whacked by the kids.

 Rachel got a couple good hits on the pinata.

  

Oh yeah the candy that was inside for me.

 

Oh yes there is still more.  Grani sends them on a scavenger hunt to find the rest of the candy that wouldn't fit in the pinata.  The kids love all the attention that they get.

The adults we do a silent auction.  This year the bids were actually out on a card and you could tell what someone else bid.  We ended up with Scott's great grandmother's owl cookie jar, his Grani's cookie cutters, his Grani's painting, a can opener his mother crocheted, the movie Pocahontas I & II, and an apron his mother made.  The money is used for next years reunion so it's always fun to see what everyone brings and what we get to bid on.

 

Wendy's Odd Encounter

So we were on our way to stay the night in Pocatello so that we wouldn't have to get up early to go to Scott's family reunion.  We stopped in Jerome for some dinner at Wendy's.  Scott had said he didn't want to go there but drove up to that restaurant anyways.  Rachel had a complete come apart when we took her out of the car to get something to eat.  We had to take time to get her calmed down.  The only thing that would calm her down was if I would cuddle with her.  So we had headed back into the restaurant and I had turned to Scott to tell him what I wanted for dinner and Rachel had walked across the restaurant to play at this rock structure.  I was heading over to get her when I heard this lady say, "Hey I know that little girl!"  I was startled and was trying to get Rachel to where we were sittting when the lady asked me if I had adopted her.  I said yes a little apprehensively but that started us into a long conversation about Rachel.  She was actually the friend of the family who took Rachel out of the foster home and couldn't get the confirmation that Rachel was supposed to be in their home.  I am so grateful that she was able to do what was the hardest thing she could have ever done by bring Rachel back.  This lady had spent time in Stan & Linda's home and at her friends house with her daughter playing with Rachel.  This lady also told me that her friend had been criticized horribly about it.  She said including herself she couldn't believe her friend had given Rachel back.  She had been so worried about what had happened to Rachel and how she was dealing with it.  I told her we love Rachel and she's had the best that she could possibly have.  I let her know that we know Rachel is ours and is supposed to be in our family. It was a relief for this woman to know that Rachel was in good hands and thriving so well.  A totally weird encounter for us to where I was pretty wigged out about it.  I talked with several family members and we came to the conclusion that the lady must have needed to see her to put her heart and mind at ease.  Hopefully that's the case and there aren't any more of these odd encounters.

Susan's Surgery

So after having years and years of discomfort and no good news coming from the fertility Dr. I decided it was time to finally have a hysterectomy.  We found a time that would work with everyone schedule and I scheduled it.  I would have it on July 31st and would spend the night at the Hospital with my parents at home with Rachel.  The surgery went well and I couldn't get out of the hospital quick enough.  I thought it would be good to spend the night but I don't think I slept hardly at all.  We were released and home by 9:00 the next day.  I took it easy and had to remind Rachel several times why she couldn't lay on me.  She did pretty good though.  I was very grateful for my parents coming and helping me and then was grateful for Jamie taking her for a few days.  I had started to feel so good after about day 3 that if I had kept Rachel with me I would have totally overdone things.  I felt awesome on day 3 and the only reason I could tell I had surgery was because if I hit the incision it hurt.

**Side Note**So all went well and I'm on the mend and after my 2 week post op the Dr. is happy with my progress and is letting me play volleyball a week earlier than originally suggested.

July Accomplishments

1.  Rachel learned about boys having different parts than girls.
2.  Her new sayings for the month:   "Are you serious?",  "Holy Biscuits, Holy Cow, Holy Buckets", "Let's make a deal."  "Can the Dr. fix you so you can cuddle with me?"(This was after I hurt my rib and my surgery.  She was so worried about me being hurt and really wanted me fixed so I could hold her again).  "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to my mom(or anyone else that's around that answers instead of the person she was talking too)
3.  She has started to say "I can't" whenever she doesn't want to do something that she knows how to do.
4.  Starting to be able to recognized numbers
5.  Knows where each of her great grandparents, grandparents and aunt and uncles live.
6.  Imitates how to kill a giant.  She likes to take anything she can find and pretend it's her sling shot and will hit the TV with it at the exact same time that David swings the sling shot.  This is from watching her Living Scriptures Video David and Goliath.
7.  Gets out of the tub by herself.