It is all about family...need I say more?

What a fantastical wonderful week!

Esther and her children came this week.

Esther Phil (who is coming later this week) Austin Bingham Soni and Eve.

 Becky came with her children as well.
We had Chris' kids and Melissa and Ben's kids...
We just had fun....

They got to dancing...

Dylan really has some moves...

Eve (Esther's)

Dani (Ben's)

Esther...

Reigan and Jayden (Chris')

Austin (Eshter's) Dylan (Ben's)

Soni girl (Esther's)

Soni and Olivia (Ben's)

Sierra (Chris')

Austin and Dylan dancing...

These little ones are best friends...

Reigan (Chris') Ross (Ben's) Bingham (Esther's)

They just get a long and play so well...
Well maybe when they get tired there have some melt down's.

Grandpa's hair was so long...
I have been so busy in the day and so tired in the evenings...
So he asked Dani and Eve (Esther's) to cut his hair...

They didn't get done...
oh oh!
They had mutual...
Yes I was close by and I did finish the job...
We had hair cutting going...
Eating...
Paint for my project of painting the front door...
Esther's computer...
It is always easy access for..
How to build a wishing well roof...
to
How to make a yellow jacket trap...

 

 computer and Esther's plans for her high school math class this fall...

 Always food...

and a freezer full of ice pops and creamies....

  paint supplies piled so they are out of the way?

 Front door looking a little better...

 Esther calked the space between the cement and porch siding so it won't fill the storage room with water when we wash the porch.

 The back door has a ways to go but will be stunning...

 as well as the pump house door...
I love red this year...

 sidewalk art with our three little darlings...

Austin found an injured Monarch butterfly...

 so the boys built a Bowery  for the the poor crippled butterfly.

 With a stand inside for it for the butterfly to rest on...
 and leaves and rose petals...
For these rough and tough guys it was a very tender moment...

We have yellow jackets coming out of the siding on our back porch...

 Esther made a trap and....
Nope no takers...
We purchased spray....

 Jordan (Becky's) is taking the old screen door frame off...
with yellow jackets all around his head...

 Dani and Eve took on painting the sand box red...

WE NEED MORE PAINT!


THE ULTIMATE ACT OF LOVE...
Stan purchased some bird netting...
He and Becky wrapped it around the patio and front porch...
Does it work...?
OH YA!

 
Jordan has the netting in his had so you can see it...

 Becky and her dad hard at work...
I cheered when the birds would fly up against it and couldn't get it!
Wahooooooo!
No more bird poop on the porch and patio!!!!!
NOW
I can clean them!

Wish I could also find a way to keep the deer out...
I found deer tracks in the front yard one morning...
So I picked the roses that were blooming so they wouldn't eat them...

They were a gift for a wonderful neighbor...
I should have put camomile in it...
It is in bloom right now as well.

I always took time to rest my poor sick knee...
Looks like I may have to do surgery...

Yep that is Elder Maxwell Doxey!

He met us at the Logan Temple Thursday...
Then we had Brunch at Angie's...
We visited for hours..
He is getting married August 15...
He told us of his life after mission.
He has been doing a lot of grazing...
As far as perspective wives are concerned.
He wants to be a dentist.
He couldn't decide when  he was a missionary.
I also called Elder Engermann...
What a guy.
He got his dear John a month before he went home from his mission.
I predicted that...

The boys took an old bike and souped it up...

no tires...
big wheel in the back and small wheel in the front.

 At the end of the week...


Friday....
Before our water party we put puzzles together...

 Sydney and Olivia...
We had a water party at Melissa and Ben's and dutch oven...

Water slide...

 Bingham on the power boxes...

Jordon on their souped up bike...

 This is before Sierra Reigan and Jayden got there...
Dylan and Ross front...
Eve Olivia and Soni
Dani Syd and Bingham
Austin and Jordon are standing up...

 Soni and her watermelon...

 Jordon drinking the juice from the watermelon bowel...

 BRRRRRRR
Soni Olivia Sydney...

 Soni girl....

 Ben and Melissa...
A moment in time...

 Jordon Dylan Austin...

 Austin...

 Olivia...

Becky Esther Eve and Dani

 Becky..

 Grandpa...
 
 Yum....
 j
 Olivia...
 
Left and around...
Soni Ross Melissa Dani Dylan Eve Jordan Sydney Becky...

(That is the only picture of Syd I got!)
They made eclairs over the fire...

cook refrigerator crescent rolls wrapped around a stick...
Put pudding and whipped cream in them...
 
 You have an eclair on a stick.
Soni demonstrating how delicious.

 Ben with the hose at the ready in case any sparks stray...

Grandma and Grandpa doing what we love the most.

 Grandpa with Soni and Grandma with Reigan...

 Ben and Stan...


Ben got a little wet from the kids...
He dumped them in the pool/cow tub...


Great Grandpa Sanford. (Stan's dad) always said...
One boy is a whole boy...
Two boys is a half boy...
Three boys is no boy at all...

 Austin Jordan and Dylan...

 so what is four boys....?
(Bingham is the fourth boy)

I walked back home just before dark..
So I could set the sprinklers...

 The path between Ben's house and our house...

 The grass is so parched.
We are so afraid of a fire this year.

 Approaching our home where there is water again...

The rock path from the trees into our yard...
Tana Hurst help me make it years ago....


Saturday we went to Groveland ID (just north of Pocatello) for a Barrus reunion.
Stan's mom is a Barrus...
Groveland is where Stan was born...
In his Grandmother Zina Barrus' home.

On the way we saw the windmills that are a new addition since our mission.

They are beautiful...

The very large Gazebo where the reunion was held.

 Diana Mary Lynne and Janis.
Mary Lynne is married to Zeldon Stan's cousin also our neighbors.
Janis is also married to a cousin Hunter...
Such a great time to visit.

After the reunion we went to the cemetery...
The children recognized many names they heard and read about at the reunion...

 Winford is Hunter's dad
Lillian is Zeldon's mom
Rosalie is Stan's mom.
Ruel was at the reunion...
The children loved his POW war stories...
The only living siblings are Rosalie Ruel and Neil. 

Then we visited Stan's birthplace...

 The Zina and Melvin Barrus home in Groveland ID

 That back porch didn't have a satellite dish when his grandparents lived there...

 Stan said the two big pines look a lot smaller then when he was a boy....

 He told us of stories when he was a boy visiting his grandparents.

 He caught water skippers in this little irrigation ditch...

The apple orchard that used to be bigger and had more trees...

From there we went to Pocatello and visited Steve and Natalie...
We have never seen the repossessed home they purchased and remodeled. 

 Princess Claire...

 Queen Natalie...
(Who announced a new little one in January)

 Stan and Steve...

 Steve doing a trick with Claire...

She goes up and over his head and onto her feet!

What a beautiful week...

Without family our life would be so shallow.  


The greatest secret of life is...
 that we find exactly what we're looking for.
 In spite of what happens to us,
ultimately we decide whether our lives are
 good or bad,
ugly or beautiful.

In Moroni 7 and 8 as well in several other places in the Book of Mormon...
That which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; 

wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, 

and 

to love God, 

and

 to serve him, 

is inspired of God.