. Just Imagine the Good Neighbor: Answer To My Prayers

Heavenly Father is so kind and merciful. I have prayed for some time that in the next few years our family would have the blessing of being all together for a few days. In my mind, I thought next year 2014 might be a possibility. But a loving Father saw fit to give me this wonderful opportunity in August of 2013 and I am so grateful for it.

Aaron and Heather so generously offered their home as a base location for our reunion. It turned out to be a wonderful place with lots of room to eat, sleep, and play with several fun activities nearby.
It even had medical services within 5 minutes we which didn't dream we would need. Libbie and Jeff's family were the first to arrive on Thursday. The rest of us trickled in on Friday afternoon. By the time we attended our first event at the water park on Friday evening, Will and his parents were already at the local hospital. While Steve, Heather and I were out gathering vests and inner tubes for use at the pond the next day, Will had a sudden painful abdominal attack. He ended up having surgery to remove his appendix on Friday evening while the rest of us enjoyed the water park and our picnic. We were surely glad they were in Idaho for this medical emergency instead of China.

Tiffany organized and took charge of arts and crafts for the kids. They loved making "creations" one minute and jumping on the tramp, bounce house or playing on the swings the next.

Of course many of the adults were eager to have Heather give them a "footzone." She was exempted from meal preparation so she could squeeze in as many zones as possible. We had several adults and the children 8 and up, help with meal preparation and cleanup. Everyone did a fantastic job and I personally felt that the food was outstanding. Good job all you chefs.

Jeff spearheaded the crepe making with fresh fruit and whipped cream on Saturday morning. Delish!!!

Before the group headed out to the Sand Dunes north of town, Steve and I stopped by the hospital to check on our sweet William. He was doing pretty well and should be leaving there in a few hours. Young folks recover so much quicker from surgery. By the next day, he wanted to jump and play so his parents had to be vigilant to keep his activities appropriate for a speedy and thorough recovery.

We stopped by my Grandmother Annie's house which was near the hospital one last time. It was scheduled for the wrecking ball on Monday.

TThe kids loved the sand dunes. It was great exercise for us adults. Everyone took turns watching June and helping out so she was busy having fun and not missing her Mom, Dad and brother too much.

After lunch, most of the group headed for the local pond and water activities. It was a good way to wash off the sand. I don't have any photos of this activity as I stayed back at the house to make sure some babies got naps and do a little prep work for future meals.

Will arrived from the hospital just as we were ready to head to Bear World. He didn't feel like coming so they stayed behind at the house. Later in the afternoon, he changed his mind, so his family drove out and drove through the wild animal part of the park. By then Will and June were fast asleep in their car seats so they missed the animals.

Our vehicle was the first one behind the feeding truck so we got a front row seat to watching the bears beg for food. It was so fun to watch that most of us took another ride through the animal park before we left for the day.

The kids loved having the option to ride on rides as many times as they wanted and walking through the petting zoo and feeding the fish. It turned out to be a very enjoyable afternoon activity.

Shawn happily barbecued brats, hamburgers and hot dogs. The kids loved roasting marshmallows and making smores. The evening included star gazing, I should say meteor watching, more zoning, stories, giggles, and lullabies for the kids.