Crandell Family Reunion

So many people. So many places. So many pictures!  Where do I begin?  At the beginning.  Thank you Mom and Dad Crandell for your kindness and love.  I'm so thankful that we got to attend the reunion this year.  It was the experience of a lifetime.

After two weeks in Arizona we flew to New York for a 5 day church history mini tour.  37 Crandell's.  Multiple church history sites.  Pageant.  Food.  Fun.  Laughter.  It couldn't have been better.  I've spent the last several hours sorting through pictures and pondering experiences that I don't want to forget.  I learned some valuable lessons along the way.  Lessons that were completely unexpected but very much needed.

I was able to walk with my family through some very sacred places; from attending the Palmyra Temple to walking through the Sacred Grove.  Before my journey began I imagined these places to be full of the Spirit.  And they were.  But I realized that it isn't necessary to make a pilgrimage to sacred places to be filled.  The Spirit of God is not confined to any particular location; it is in our hearts and can be carried with us always.  We can call on our Heavenly Father at any time and in any place and be heard and receive witness of His divinity and love for us.  I didn't walk into the Sacred Grove and all of a sudden have my testimony strengthened like I anticipated.  But I did listen to my daughter bear her testimony in the Sacred Grove to all the family and feel strengthened.  As I hiked the Hill Cumorah I felt sweaty and exhausted.  There was no angelic witness of my Savior's love.  But as I prayed on the hillside to my Heavenly Father for the safety and quick return of my son I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love and compassion.  Time and again during our 5 day trek I received a witness of the presence of a loving Heavenly Father at the most unexpected times.  I realized that while there are sacred places where divine experiences occurred there can also be sacred moments.  Moments in our lives where the Spirit can manifest truths.  Moments that can stand as tall as any monument and testify over and over that God does live.  I'm so thankful for the unexpected moments of this journey that have strengthened me and taught me humble lessons along the way.

Now as I try to sort through all my thoughts (and pictures) over the next few days I'll try to post of all our experiences of the most amazing Crandell Family Reunion.

Grandma and Grandpa Great

These two are some amazing people.  We stopped to visit with them on our way out of town.  We only spent about 20-30 minutes with them but I learned so much about their love for each other during that time.  They shared a story about the early days of their marriage that I absolutely cherished.  I know my rephrasing it here won't be able to convey the emotion that their words carried but I don't want to forget it.

My Grandfather served in the army during the war.  Just shortly after they were married (about 11 days) he shipped out for training.  Being a military wife I can imagine the pride and the heartache of both of them.  After his training Grandpa was put on a train to head off to his first post.  The train briefly stopped at a town near Grandma.  She and two of her girlfriends went down to the station to see him off.  They described the scene of their fleeting encounter.  Their desperation for one more kiss.  Grandpa's two friends held him by the ankles as he dangled out the train window.  Grandma's two girlfriends raised her up. Amidst cat calls and laughter the two lovebirds shared a tender kiss good-bye.

Now after 67 years of marriage the two look at each other with their eyes still full of love.  Their age prohibits them from dangling from trains but that love has clearly grown with age.  I'm so thankful for their example of endurance.  Marriage isn't normally easy but it is worth all the work it requires.  I love you Grandma and Grandpa Great.

More Arizona Fun!

Jordynn played so hard with the cousins (and riding horses) that she crashed.  In the midst of all are conversation and chaos she laid down and slept.

Chandler.  He doesn't smile at me very often.  But one rare time he did and I actually caught this awesome smile on camera. 

Tristen is such a chunk.  I love to squish him.  What a sweet, good natured baby.  Oh, Tristen I miss you already.

Talk about rocking the boat.  All these kiddos piled on the hammock and then rocked it back and forth trying to see how much they could tip it without all falling out.  Pure awesome cousin time.

Mud Bath

I Love Maizie.  She is always making messes. 

Grandpa watered the lawn.  Maizie found a patch of mud. 

Based on the amount of mud covering her feet I would dare say she enjoyed squishing mud between her toes.

Until Mom made her take a shower with the hose!  Haha.  So funny watching Meg hose her off.  And what do Nana and I do to help?  I take pictures.  Nana holds Tristen.  Together we just laughed!

Guess What?

Hey Kids, Guess what?

Mom has a surprise for you!

Yeah! We Love Surprises!

Wait, these gifts don't make sense...

Shoes? That's lame.

Pacifiers!  I've never used one but they look like fun!

Uh, this diaper doesn't fit me.

I don't even know what this is a picture of?!

Oh come on Kids.  Think about it.  Look at each others gifts.  What do they all have in common?

.....

No idea?

....

Think harder.  What is Jordynn holding? Yes, Trayton it's a picture of a baby.  Good thinking.  No, it's not baby Jesus.  No, its not Adam and Eve's baby.  Yes, the baby is in my tummy.  No the baby in my tummy is not Trayton or Kade or Jordynn or Braelynn. 

....

Come on kiddos, figure it out.

 Wait, Mom.  You have a baby in your tummy?!  A new baby?! So you're pregnant?

Hooray!

Fast Forward Two Months.

What will it be?

Surrounded by family Trayton cut the cake to reveal...

It's PINK!

We are so excited to welcome another little girl to our family.  Due November.

Science Experiment #4

FOSSILS!

Have I mentioned that Nana is a bit of a nerd.  She has a really nice collection of various fossils.  Everything from a dinosaur footprint to mammoth hair and an insect stuck in amber.   

But the coolest part was when she pulled out pans of dried mud.  Nana took a bunch of little fossils and buried them in a pan full of mud.  Then she gave Trayton, Kade, and Jordynn some tools to dig through their pan and discover fossils.  The kids even had a paper with a grid on it that they documented what fossils they found and where they found them.  It was all very scientific.  And the kids are now obsessed with fossils.  After their science project they roamed the hill around Nana's house looking for fossils.  Kade found a really big piece of petrified wood.  And Nana lovingly looked at every rock the kids brought to her (and they brought a LOT).  Surprisingly out of the bags of rocks they brought to Nana they actually had found two little fossils.  The boys were so excited.  Science is cool.

Fourth of July Weekend

One of our favorite traditions is Heber, Arizona's Fourth of July Celebrations.  We start the day off with Jonathan's 10K run.  With very little training he took second place.  Good job babe.

Along with the early morning race is the firing of the anvil.  Typically they shoot the anvil about 10-15 feet in the air.  But they set it off a couple times as high as they possibly can.  That anvil flew probably 80 feet into the air.  Crazy high.  And very loud.  My kids were all sleeping in a camp trailer about 100 yards from this location and they completely slept through it.

Dad and Uncle Kent also bought some fireworks and lit them off Friday night.  The kids thought it was pretty awesome.

We took advantage of Uncle Leon's talents and Jordynn had her first haircut.  Completely unrelated to the fourth of July but very exciting for Mom.  We had Leon trim maybe 4-5 inches off so her hair is still long but finally evened out.  Thanks Leon.

I didn't get any pictures of the fireworks but they were pretty awesome.  We love being able to spend the weekend with the Crandell Family and celebrate the history of our country.

Cousins

We have really loved getting to know some of our cousins.  Braelynn munching on carrots with Ashton and Kimberlyn.

Maizie looking oh so cool.

Braelynn hanging out on the tractor with Addyson and Camden.

Rigdon, Addyson, and Camden.

Poor Rigdon came to ride the horses with his cousins and has terrible allergies to horses.  He was miserable but LOVED the horses.

Experiment #3

Brought to you by Aunt Meg.

Diet coke and Mentos.  I wish I could see Kade's face here.  He dropped the mento into the diet coke and started walking away.  He didn't know what would happen.  When the soda started to explode he had a look of excitement and awe that was just priceless.

 

Trayton was a expectant of what was happening but just as excited to drop the mentos into the soda.  So cool.  But it makes me wonder.  What does diet coke and mentos do to our bodies?  Hmmm.

Science Time

My mom is a nerd.  A big oh science nerd.  Just ask her.  She'll be the first to admit it.  She always has awesome experiments to do with the kids.  Experiment #1 Ghost Blood.

You take sodium hydroxide (a clear liquid) and golden rod paper.  You combine the two and get ghost blood.

Nana even had protective eyeware for all the kids to wear.

So styling.

I love the look on everyone's faces.  So intense.

Hailey made an awesome smiley face with her pipette of ghost blood.

You take the sodium hydroxide (aka ghost blood) and drip it onto the golden rod paper.  Magically the ghost blood turns red.  So cool.

Experiment #2 Ice Melt

Two identical looking black blocks.  However, one is plastic and one is aluminum.  The plastic block feels warm and the aluminum block feels cold.  When you place an ice cube on each block surprisingly the ice on the colder aluminum block melts faster.  Nana explained that the colder aluminum block melts the ice faster due to the fact that it feels colder because it absorbs the heat of your hand making you think it feels colder.  Ergo, the ice melts faster because it is absorbing the heat of the aluminum at a faster rate then the plastic.  (I may have to edit this post after Nana reviews my explanations!)

Horses

One of the joys of visiting Arizona is riding horses at Nana's house.  I love it.  Kids love it.  Nana loves it.

This year Nana made the boys work for ride time.  Here is Trayton learning to saddle his own horse.

I think Kade ate more carrots then the horses.  Every time I turned around he had a carrot in his hand (and mouth).

Trayton LOVED riding on his own.  Nana even felt confident enough in his ability to let him canter on his own.  That boy was in heaven.

Jordynn thinks her pink boots make her a real cowgirl.

Kent gave kids pony rides.  Here he is with his daughter Kimberlyn.

Kade doesn't have as much confidence as Trayton, but what he lacks in confidence he makes up for with guts.  Even if he doesn't have a clue how to react on top of the horse he doesn't want off that horse.

Aunt Charlene and Braelynn. 

Mom and Jordynn.

I like to look for rainbows

I like to look for rainbows

whenever there is rain

and ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain

I want to be the best I can

and live with God again.

--LDS Children's Hymnbook

 

Trayton, I am so pleased with your choice to be baptized.  Your desire to be clean and pure is inspiring.  I love you with all my heart.  It is an honor to be your mother.  Trayton, you are going to make mistakes.  Sin is a part of earthly trials.  But I promise you that as you apply the atonement in your life and strive to be worthy of the blessings you received on your baptism day you will always have the Spirit with you.  You will continue to be a noble example to your siblings and friends.  I love when you share your testimony with me.  It is pure and simple yet so profound.  I want you to know that I too have a testimony of the truthfulness of this church.  I don't know all things, but I do know that our Savior lives and loves us.  He atoned and died for our sins.  He was resurrected three days later; sealing the promise he made to us in the preexistence.  Our brother, Jesus Christ, made it possible for us to repent from our sins and return to our Heavenly home.  Christ insured that we can be an Eternal Family and every night when I say my prayers I thank Him for the opportunity I have to be your mother forever.  I love you with all my heart.  Love, Mom