Temple Weekend

Camille and Natalie have been busy doing family history. So when Natalie knew that she would be home for a few procedures in Salt Lake, she called all the family to see if some could come to help do work at the temple. This became a wonderful weekend for all who came. We were at the temple early Saturday morning and experienced great blessings there. After coming back home, we busily gathered the little kids together for a fun breakfast.

It is always a party when so many are able to come home to share memories with us. We had all the kids eat outside on our patio. They were good to wait for us to fix breakfast.

Morgan, Boston, Nixon, Trey, and Caden are enjoying the hot-tub in the early morning sunshine while all of the adults are visiting and cleaning up.

You know after getting so hot it the hot-tub, nothing is better than a nice jump on the trampoline. Can't believe how it lasted through all of you kids and now it is on the second generation. Everyone can jump so high and takes turns doing flips.

Mike was able to take us out on the boat. We had such a great crew of little boys. The water was quite choppy, but then settled down to be a great afternoon. Boston and Morgan were getting pretty brave on the tubes.

Mak and Nixon had fun in the basement. As Mike drove us to find a dock, we bounced around in the basement hitting our heads several times. Natalie didn't come boating with us. Tinisha called from Pocatello and said that she was leaving to visit with Natalie. Everyone wanted to visit with her before she went to Salt Lake. Ciara had been sick, so Camilles girls couldn't come to play. That broke our hearts because everyone enjoys playing together.

This is my favorite picture of the weekend. Emmett, Boston, Morgan, Nixon, Mak and Caden all sitting on the dock. Mike and I had gone back to the boat dock to see if Trey and Troy were ready to come on the boat. But Trey was still sleeping. I am so thankful for life jackets. The boys played together so well. They had not seen each other for a long time.

We all love Grandpa's fast boat. We have had it so long, but it looks brand new. Hope we all have sunscreen and life jackets on.

Boston and Caden took turns floating out from the dock and then paddle back in. They loved waiting for boats to drive by and get really high waves.

I really can't remember who was first on the razor, but we had fun going around the yard in Mike's new toy. Thanks for sharing it with us. We have fun hills and valleys to ride the razor on. Mak and Emmett always enjoy a good razor ride. Wish we were up at the cabin on the trails.

David drove taking Michelle and I. We jumped on the back and about burned our rears off. Melissa and Natalie squeeze in for a picture. We are all playing games outside. We are so thankful that the day was so pretty.

Melissa, Natalie and Nixon take a turn going on the trails.

I don't think Melissa would let anyone else drive, so she is now taking Troy and Trey for a ride. Trey loves the slide, so that keeps Troy busy watching so that he won't fall.

Mike took Gage for a ride. Cannon and Carter are on a campout, so we are glad that Gage and Caden can play. The boys had so much fun with Gage. He entertained all the boys, just like Carter and Cannon do.

Mak is wanting to get in with Morgan and Grandpa. I don't remember if he was successful or not.

David put Emmett on the bars and he just smiled because he was taller than all the boys.

Mak and Nixon are going to love riding together. I took some great movies of the razor going around the yard. Don't know if I will be able to get them on the blog. They may be too long.

Cannon, Carter, Tom, and Tinisha joined around the fire for smores. You know that Grandpa shared a few scarey stories for the younger kids. The evening was so peaceful. There is nothing like a fire and smores before bedtime. I love these evenings.

This is just fun hanging out with everyone. Tinisha promised she would come again to visit. She gets so busy in Pocatello working and going to school. Thanks for taking time to smell the roses with some of the Kennedy family.

You can see the tents in the background. We pitched three tents. David brought his and camped out for two nights with Whitney and the boys. Melissa and Troy slept with Trey in one tent. Gage started sleeping out with Melissa's boys and Caden. But then they began getting scared and all ran in the house. We then had to get all the bedding and mattresses back in the house and settle everyone down. That required a movie. They had great memories talking and laughing even if it wasn't outside. No place is better than a good campout at home.

Melissa's boys were so glad to be able to see Cannon and Carter and Gage. They are like big brothers to them.

Natalie gets all private attention from Cannon, Carter and Gage. They were so glad to be able to play with her. She entertained them on the beach after their Mexican cruise. Wow, that sounds funny. Thanks for planning a great party, Natalie.

I think David had just put more diesel on the fire. We constantly watch and make sure the kids are safe and not too close to the fire. We are so glad so many of our family could come home. We had a wonderful weekend.

Nan and Grandma Robison at the Cabin.

Natalie and my mom joined us at the cabin for a few days between procedures for Natalie in Provo. We loved going to the cabin to ride the razor and just relax. We were able to spend two nights.

Here we are enjoying the sunshine. We were close enough to the Lodge that we could slip over and get a mug. It was fun having Mom and Natalie at the cabin with us. We took turns taking the razor on the trails.

Natalie and Mike are heading out for a ride. It is a beautiful day. We had been up late at night watching movies and just relaxing. Life is good.

This is a picture of the Buffalo River as it empties into Box Canyon. We walked across a walkway to see the fish ladder there. So much fun having Mom there. Mike and Natalie rode the razor and Mom and I followed in the truck. Mike, the truck corners like it is on rails.

There were so many places to stand for pictures. Mom told us that we used to swim in this area of the Buffalo River with Brett Rocks family. It sure has changed since then. I remembered, but it was so dark in my memories. Probably later in the evening.

We loved taking turns getting pictures with Mom. You should see how many pictures we took.

It is our turn to take the razor out. I asked Mom if she felt good enough. Well she laughed the whole way and said how good it was to go on trails. We even went through water in the roads. She was a super good sport. We really had a good time and didn't get lost. You know we had a mug before we left. Sure are enjoying our days at the cabin.

.
Natalie and Mike left for a ride on the razor. They called us and had met Fish and Game officers at the Lodge. They were going to put 20,000 fish at McKray Bridge and Buttermilk Landing. Mom and I jumped in the truck, filled our mugs, and followed the truck to unload the fish. They started at Buttermilk, so we called Mike to tell them they would be unloading the first group at Buttermilk. It didn't take Mike and Natalie long to meet us. They must have driven full speed on the razor. What an amazing sight to see. We watched the fish coming out of the tubes of the truck, and the seagulls were trying to get some of the slower ones.

Mom and I drove to the cabin. We walked inside and looked at everything. There are memories in everything we see. Yes, we shed a few tears. It was great for us to talk about the great man that dad was. We talked about his ambition and how hard he had always worked. We sure do love him and all that he meant to all of us. It is hard to even write this without crying. We love you Dad and Mom.

We are enjoying watching movies in the evening. We have popcorn to eat, a spoon of warm caramel, and a nice warm blanket. Mom and I slept through a few movies. I love sitting there with the Christmas lights on the tree just being together.

Mom was all cleaned up with her white pants on. Mike and Natalie brought the razor back after a long ride. I didn't think we would have time for a ride, but Mom was ready to go. We crossed the river and followed the Old Chick Creek road. We drove until there was too big of a puddle to cross. We turned around and rode back. Mom, you were fun to take to the cabin. Thanks for coming with us. Natalie and I went back home, packed and drove to Salt Lake arriving at 1:00 AM at Melissa's.

Here's a re-cap movie trailer:

Michael and Andrea's Family in Virginia

Mike and I met Natalie at the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. We stayed there over night and drove to Blacksburg. Andrea had invited us to surprise Michael on his 40th birthday. We followed her to his office. We walked into the office and started to sing to Michael. He looked at us as if we looked a little familiar and then recognized us. It was so great to see him. Andrea invited us last January when we saw her in Arizona. It had been so hard to keep it a secret from Michael. Mike just about told him of our trip the week before.

Raquel was taking a Karate class, so we were able to watch her. We loved watching her do flips, leaps, and obstacle courses.

Raquel and Natalie were very busy decorating. Andrea had planned a surprise party for Michael
and had invited their neighbors and friends. It was great meeting them. Andrea had a wonderful dinner planned with great salads and desserts. Mike helped on the grill.

Raquel and Natalya helped blow up the balloons and put up the streamers. It was a beautiful hot, sunny day. They girls made everything look so festive.

Steve had fixed a few things on Michael's Mustang. He is so good to share his talent on Michael's classic car.

We were able to see Marcus blessed, while both sides of the family were together. Margaret and Steve left that morning traveling to the beach. It was fun seeing them. Andrea was so good to host everyone.

Oh, you kids are so cute. Thank you for letting us come to play with you. Raquel loved our shiny make-up. We put sparkles on her eyes a few times a day. She would tell us that the sparkles were off, and needed more on. She had beautiful sparkly eyes everyday. We told her that she looked beautiful even without the sparkles.

A cute picture of Mike and Raquel...with her sparkles on.

Natalya was happy putting lip-gloss on and playing dress up with different 'fancy' shoes. She enjoyed picking flowers. She was always picking flowers off the bean and pea plants. They had such pretty flowers in the front yard, and Natalya wanted to keep them thinned out by picking them.

What a darling family. Marcus is just a little bundle to hold. He scoots all over the floor and gets in all of the toys. At the end of the week, he was crawling better and getting into the videos. We just loved playing with him. Andrea, thanks for planning such a fun party for all of us to enjoy.

Michael and Andrea live in the most beautiful area. Shade trees are covering the yards and roads. Mike and I loved being outside with the kids. Yes, Natalie and Andrea were walking and visiting behind us. Michael was working. We kept him up late at night, and then he had to get up early to get to work. Friday morning he went to guard for the weekend. We sure did miss him.

Look up kids so we can see you in the camera. This is the life.

We had lunch at a downtown cafe and had delicious wraps. This is just a cute picture with Andrea and Natalya. She has such a cute personality.

Raquel and Natalya both have swim lessons. Even Marcus loves swimming. We have been anxious to watch the girls. Raquel has been on the swim team and has done so well. It was so neat to watch them. Michael got off work early to be at the pool with us.

Raquel swimming laps. She is so good- a very talented swimmer:

Natalya playing in the water:

Marcus loved the water:

Michael is reading coupons the girls had written for his birthday. They each had drawn pictures of what the coupon is worth. Best gifts ever.

Mike telling Raquel a bed-time story. His famous 'going down the bath tub drain' story to a magical land with cotton-candy clouds. Classic.

Michael was at guard from Friday to Sunday night. Andrea took us to the Mill in the Smokey Mountains. What beauty everywhere. We loved learning the history. We could visualize the civil war around every corner.

This mill is a high photographed location. Doesn't it look like a postcard or fake backdrop? This is so fun to be with the kids and reading the history of the first settlers in this area.

We watched a lady spin the yarn to make a throw cover like this. We forgot the stroller, so we took turns holding Marcus.

The girls loved being with Natalie. She played with them just like a big sister would. These were special days for all of us.

You know we took turns taking pictures, because I need them for my blog............

Kids were so good to keep posing for us. Raquel had a birthday party after we get through with our tour. The girls always look so cute in their dresses. Wish you could see the sparkles on their eyes.

Natalie and Raquel looking so cute together. Raquel shared her bed with Natalie. They talked and laughed all night. In the mornings, Raquel would wait for Natalie to wake up. Natalie would look over and Raquel would say...Hi. Such a cute girl.

We stopped at an overlook. Guess that is why they call them the Blue Ridge mountains. This is a great place to be with someone you love, huh Mike.

It is a beautiful evening, just for a great walk. It was fun being together and talking as we went. Mike found a frog crossing the road and Raquel dared to touch it.

Natalie took a picture of Raquel pointing at a firefly. We loved watching them fly around. They were coming out for the evening.

Michael took Monday off. We all woke up early and drove a few miles from their home. There is a beautiful pond that has a great walking path. The girls put on their pretty pink dresses. It was a nice, warm day. The girls fed the ducks.

We stopped to take pictures along the way.

Natalya is taking a fast drink out of the bag on Michaels back. They sure do love him. You are a great Dad, Michael. I miss your family as I am writing this. Wish you didn't live so far away. But after seeing where you live, I can certainly see why you are there. You have a great job, and a beautiful home. You and Andrea have great friends and you are so happy there. We just miss you and your family.

This is just a pretty bridge that we needed our picture by. We took several hundred pictures of our trip. It was so hard to choose just a few for this posting.

We love taking turns getting our pictures together. We are having such a good trip. We know that we are leaving tomorrow. It is always hard to leave and know that it may be quite a long time before we can see each other again. Andrea, thanks for putting such a great party together for us. You are a wonderful wife and mother. Thanks for taking care of Michael. He is so happy.

We went to Chinese for lunch. Natalie and Natalya are practicing the art of using Chinese sticks.

Natalie and Mike are showing the greenery going to Michaels home. Those trees are so healthy. Beauty everywhere you look.

We are enjoying the shade watching Raquel. She is out in the heat. It really was a really hot and humid week...even for there.

Natalya loves to pick flowers off from any green stem. This shows how maticulous she is in getting the flower off.

Raquel takes horse riding lessons. She takes the bridle and rides around the arena. Natalya waited very patiently for a quick ride also. We really enjoyed watching the kids do so many things. We were so glad Michael was able to take the day off.

A picture of us around the swimming pool watching everyone cool off. They fill the pool with hot water coming from a hose of an outside sink. So they have it really nice. They have flowers on the deck with a picnic table and grill. It is huge.

We are watching the little kids swim. This is Michaels back deck, overlooking a dense backyard. I walked down one day to watch the kids jump. I felt like I had stepped out into a rain forest. We were able to experience a rain/thunder/lightning storm. The rain came down so hard. Fun to watch. So beautiful and green.

We took a picture of Michael's current sign out front of his office. Just wanted everyone to see it.

This is Michael's new building they will be moving into. This is the back entrance. They are just finishing the landscaping and driveway. Pretty neat to see his name on the front. So proud of all you have done Michael.

I wanted to get a picture of Michael and Andrea's home. His red truck is in the driveway. The Cadillac is on the right of the picture. Hard to capture how beautiful it is. Thanks for the wonderful trip. Hard to say Good-bye to all of you. We are anxious to see you soon. We drove back to Charlotte, and Natalie was dropped off to get her airline ticket, and Mike and I checked in also. We met at our gate and visited until it was time to say Good-bye. See you in eight days Natalie when you fly to Idaho Falls for your procedures in Utah. We love our family and so proud of all of you. You are our life. Thanks for all the great memories. Thanks for taking care of our grandchildren. We truly are blessed.