Ordination/Pioneer Day

Thank goodness Jen's church isn't until 1 p.m.!  I did not sleep the majority of the night.  I woke up with a sore throat, sore nasal passages, and a very sore body.  I could barely move.  What was wrong with me?
I somehow made it upstairs and we had some breakfast.  Then, we got ready for church and headed out.  It was so hard to believe that our little Cristobal was finally 12 and receiving the priesthood.  Where has the time gone?  I remember when that barely 5 pound little boy was born!

After classes were over, we went to wait in the foyer and the greatest thing happened.  Our ENTIRE family was there!  I was so happy!  I wasn't quite sure what had happened to bring this about, but it was so wonderful that all I could do is just look at everyone and smile.  Somewhere in the last two weeks, something had happened that had helped build a bridge between years of conflict.  It's not to say that everything was likely perfect, but it was so nice to see everyone interact, see everyone talk, and to see all the kiddos play together. 

We had a lovely little buffet lunch and sat around and visited all afternoon and into the evening.  It was fun watching the kids interact with Uncle Melon Man and the "rat" he'd brought along with us...

Aunt Katherine, Uncle Gary, and Karl.  Karl always cracks everyone up.  He's so full of spirit and tries so hard to be just like everyone else.

 Bishop and Stephanie Floyd...the Davis' best friends - always there to support them.

 Shannon and Colton

 Jonah opening his birthday presents

 Julie and Tanner

 Aunt Katherine, Jennifer, Angie, and Kurt all visiting.  Somehow, I almost always catch Angie in a picture with her eyes closed!

 Uncle Melon Man and his rat...

 A cute picture of Kurt and Angie!

 Little Miss Holly.  I swear...this sweet thing just does not like me...she never will smile for me!

 Dylan, Jonah, and Tanner...cute cousin boys having a great time!

 Then, of course, Jodi and Kevin were there too!

 And when I told them the first picture was kind of funky, this is what I got instead!

 See, she smiles for her dad, but not for me directly!

 Kevin - you're so funny....you pick that nose!

 Another Julie picture.

Once it started getting dark, the fireworks started popping up all over the valley again. So, we all headed out to the front yard and began lining up to watch our own little fireworks display. While I didn't get the best pictures of the action, I captured the general idea!

I wasn't feeling very well still, so I headed inside after a bit and went to bed.  I certainly wanted to try to head off getting really sick, if possible.  What a good day this was!