Day Three

Friday, June 25th, 2010

- Driving tour of Ft. Collins

- Window shopping in downtown Ft. Collins
- Amazing cookie store - they sell only cookies!
- Bald Eagles at the birds of prey reserve
- Music in the fountain park
- Scrap metal art museum (Note to self: Learn how to weld.)
- Nature walks through the woods
- More Smash Burger

My niece, Cecily, walking her pet dog "Puddles". 

Isn't Bethany the cutest?? Chelsea's got a baby bump, too, ya know. No, you can't see it yet. But it's there.

This shot would have worked if that kid in the green shorts didn't interrupt our water stream. Even still, I like it. 

Take two. Funny how Chelsea is the furthest away from the water but the only one worried about getting wet. 

Daisy and Finny (Fiona Joy)

Another reason today has been a great day!

Day Two

Thursday, June 24th, 2010:

Chris's birthday was on the 22nd (he's 30!) but it's never too late for cupcakes and candles.

Today we rolled around with the kids having tickle fights, doodling in the Wonder Pets coloring books, watching Phineus and Ferb, and eating Katie's yummy banana muffins. It only took a few hours for me to relax and stop looking for things to clean (Katie keeps a very nice house, darn it).

Asher. When he was in Arizona visiting this spring he wouldn't even look at me. Now he is calling me (and all us Aunties) "Mommy" and throwing himself on me for snuggles. I have been accepted into his world and it is a really fun place. I want another boy so bad.

I talked to London last night and she told me "It's time to come home now Mom, ok." And Porter asked for me to just send him a picture of me and Daisy to daddy's phone because he just needed to see us. I think tonight we need to have a video chat and they will feel better. Olen says they go full speed on the fun until bedtime and then feel a little sad for me and Daisy. Today Olen only scheduled out a half-day of work and then he's taking them fishing and tomorrow is packed with cousins and birthday parties. I doubt they will even think of me.

Chelsea got here safe and sound at midnight last night. We sat around last night for a couple hours talking about what's going on in each of our States, discussing how we think our husbands are doing without us, and wishing Darcy was here with us. I guess that gives us a reason to plan another trip though.

Chris took today off work to show us around this beautiful state of Colorado. I think I've heard a couple of parks, bald eagles and elk are on the agenda. Olen, eat your heart out. Just kidding Love. Ask anyone, I keep saying how much I wish you were here with me because I know you would just love it. Don't worry, you know I'll take lots of pictures. Give my honies some big squeezes and smooches from me.

Day One

I am writing from the living room of my brother's house in Fort Collins, Colorado.

He and his wife, Katie, have just had their fourth child and I with three of my sisters have come to give kisses and hugs to our beautiful new niece Fiona Joy Peach Richards. 

Olen is home with Porter and London and Daisy tagged along with me because she wanted to meet her new friend. And because Chelsea requested I bring her so she can give her a squeeze.

I will have to catch up on the blog posts floating in my brain when I get home on Monday, I got too busy before I left. For the past week, I have been organizing the house, the laundry, and the pantry so that Olen and the big kids will have a very low-stress and high-fun five days.

I laid out clothes for Sunday and taught Olen the easiest way to do London's hair. Heaven help him. And I've set up cards to come in the mail to Porter and London for each day I'm gone. I still boarded the plane feeling like I forgot something. I promised Olen daily updates of our adventures in Colorado. You're welcome to join him for the recaps.

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Day 1

First of all, I love my brother's Mac. Don't tell my PC. 

Daisy was such an angel on the 1.5 hour flight to Denver. She slept a little and played a little. Mostly she just held still and stared wide-eyed at me not knowing what to think of the whole thing. 

I left 100-something degrees in Arizona for Colorado's greenness and 80-something weather. It feels like Heaven and the air is so clean it smells like laundry soap. 

Chris took us to their favorite hamburger joint, SmashBurger, and back to their house in Fort Collins. We stayed up late talking and loving on their new baby. Daisy wanted to play with her little friend, but Fiona wasn't having so much fun getting her eyes scratched so maybe later. Like in two years.

The plan was to meet Chelsea, who is flying from Virginia, in Denver but her flight was canceled and rescheduled for today. The new plan was to pick Chelsea up from Denver today on her new flight, but as of now she's stuck in Minnesota without any flights out to Denver. Now the new-new plan is to raise some hell with her airline and get Chelsea here by bus or train or automobile. If you deny sisters who only have five days to spend with a brother and a sister on a trip that has been planned for months you can bet the gloves are coming off.

UPDATE: Chelsea comes in tonight from Milwaukee. We couldn't get Chles here any sooner but Katie Mae called and sweet-talked the airline people into giving Chelsea free stuff and it will be okay.

Summer Style Schedule

I hate hearing, "I'm so boooorrreeed".

So at the end of the school year, I created a Summer Style Schedule. It was designed to keep every hour of the day occupied with some kind of activity or at least prepare me with suggestions when the boredom bug bites (now how much did that alliteration rock, c’mon).

Every day is mapped out the same (scriptures, breakfast, housekeeping tasks, etc.) until the afternoon when the day just seems to drag along the slowest and we need to call in the special forces of entertainment.

Each day has a theme called Daily Specials:

Monday: Nana’s House because we meet Katie Mae there for Porter’s piano lessons and we swim and play until everyone is good and tired.

Tuesday: Science Day is designed to perform or make something scientific-y that I have prepared or Porter has chosen.

Wednesday: Kitchen Creation Day where Porter and London choose something from one of my recipe books and we make it. Last week the kids made their own bread people; today we’re scheduled to make pretzels (could get interesting).

Thursday: Field Trip Day I originally thought we would go to a park or museum or movie but last week we just went back to Nana’s house to swim and this week we’re going to play with cousins at Aunt Colleen’s house in Queen Creek while mommy gets her hair done by Jessica.

Friday: Craft Day which we skipped last week but this week we’ll be making Father’s Day cards.

Some days the activities don’t last very long or things come up and they get shifted around but I’ve tried to make sure that even if we don’t do the morning routine according to plan we still squeeze in the Daily Special. So far it really has helped to keep “I’m so bored” at bay.

Last week for Science Day we recreated an outdoor oven that was made at Porter’s Cub Scout Day Camp. It was made with a cardboard box covered in aluminum foil, a wire hanger rack running through the middle, and sitting over a bed of hot coals. At the Day Camp, I looked it over pretty closely and thought it seemed easy enough to make on our own so we gave it a shot. Two rolls of heavy aluminum foil and eleven wire hangers later our oven was done. I haven’t lit coals in a long time so I was a little rusty. When they didn’t just light by tossing a match on top of them I remembered they probably needed a little lighter fluid. I looked and couldn’t find any. In the spirit of Science Day, I thought of other flammable liquids I had thought and came back to the patio with hair spray and nail polish remover. You can already tell where this is going, can’t you? I doused those briquettes with everything I got and while I was still pouring Porter tossed on the match. The flames went up six feet in a big WOOSH! and Port jumped back just in time and my arm hair got a little singed but we had a healthy fire going. While the coals got ready we made our cookie dough and then put it in the oven. It took about 20 minutes to bake. I think I could have used more coals to speed up the bake time, but we all know it was a good thing I kept the fire small.

Here’s how it went.

This pose was Porter's idea, but London started melting on Daisy and that made her mad.

This same night Olen lit more briquettes (with the lighter fluid on the top shelf in the storage room, wouldn't ya know) and he baked fish fillets in our oven for fish tacos and Porter made more cookies. Why is it that when there's fire involved men always volunteer to cook? Oh well. Dinner and dessert were great and no oven or stove was ever turned on.

Dear Chelsea,

Remember that day you called and I talked to you for over an hour while I planted flower seeds in my front yard and your cheek kept hanging up on me?

Look. They are all grown up now. Beautiful and all grown up.

Reynolds Reunion 2010

School ended on May 20th and the summer celebration started.
We attended Andrew's high school graduation and then stayed up till 5 am packing to leave for the Reynolds' Family Reunion the next day.

Now get comfy and put a movie on for the kids. This is going to take a while.

My sister-in-law, Arlissa, was the only Reynolds who wasn't at the Reunion and I dedicate this post to her.

This year Haskel scouted out the perfect spot away from all other Memorial weekend campers and traffic. The weather was picture perfect. No snow. No rain. Not too much sun. Not too much wind. Perfect.

We each take turns making a meal for everyone, this way we only end up cooking once. Our assignment was dinner and Olen said only I would bring my Kitchen Aid camping. I tend to do everything I can to forget I'm actually camping and that's how I have a good time. And when The Mamma is having a good time, everyone is having a good time. Right? Right.

Uncle Brawner brought up their dirt bikes. Porter took to them like a natural, he even figured out on his own how to shift gears to make it go faster. (Darn it.) He looked so cute in the huge helmet and tiny bike making the turns like a pro. Want to guess what he wants for his birthday?

Most nights I gave my kids baby wipe baths. Some nights there just weren't enough baby wipes for the job. That's why for the past three years we've been renting camp trailers. You just can't put a price tag on a warm shower.

Clar and Kristen with Hunter and Nena

Haskel and Val's family (with Madison and Renae in the back)

Cara and Houston with Stratford

 Brawner and Melissa and Heather

Anna, Wyatt, and Holly

Sweet Daisy Lou

My father-in-law, Billy Ray, tells one of his famous stories.

Shane (an adopted member of the Reynolds family) and Arlyce and Billy Ray enjoy a laugh around the campfire.

There's always a lot of campfire sitting and talking and laughing.

I organized a couple of games (from the request of my mother-in-law) and a talent show. Porter shared his talent for folding phenomenal paper airplanes. We had a lot of paper for fire-starting after this.

London's birthday was really the week before the campout, but she's been talking about having her pinata party since last year's birthday so we couldn't stop now.

On Sundays we go on a long drive in the afternoon. Thanks to the rain Arizona has seen this past year there were green fields and full creeks that gave us plenty to see.

The craw dad hunters.

The land lovers.

Daisy wasn't quite crawling yet so she could play on a blanket as long as someone was around to make sure she didn't roll off and start eating pine needles and dirt. She's tricky and loved those pine needles.

Some afternoons got hot and lazy so we hung out in our trailer. Olen passes out otter pops to the cousins just before I pass out for a nap. We made daily trips to the tiny town nearby (Greer) and visited their local Redbox. It was awesome.

Porter found this lizard, Spike was his name, and it clung to Porter's shirt for a whole morning until I made him let it go. I'm not so used to having such a fair-skinned baby like Daisy and she got a little sun on her pink head. I will have to remember sunscreen with her.

London cleared the area of wildflowers. Every time I thought she got them all she would return with another handful. When I washed the laundry once we were home I pulled out flowers, pinecones, and rocks from all her pockets.

Just getting in one more ride before we packed it up for home. I didn't have any interest in going for a ride, but London made sure Olen never rode alone.

The whole wild bunch of us Reynolds.

I tell you every year; you're all invited next time. I hope you come. I promise amazing food, some pretty big fish stories, great people, a few belly laughs, and maybe some new friends. See you there.