Reunion Weekend

I'm going to have to take this in small segments as the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of family reunions. First, on Thursday my own family began arriving at a beautiful "Reunion House" we rented for the weekend that sits right below the Tetons. Every family had their own room and each family had been assigned one meal. I had spent all day Wednesday shopping and delivered the groceries to the house amist a fantastic lightning storm late Wed evening. All but Kelly's family arrived Thursday and Kelly's family arrived Friday morning after he had worked and hadn't slept in about 36 hours. He was his happy self though and we had pictures taken from 11:00 to 1:00. Each family got their own pictures and we had about a million full family pictures taken. Everyone was a good sport. Not one complaint from any grandkids. I was impressed. I think they are all going to grow up to be models. Friday afternoon was spent at Darby Girls Camp which sports a long slide which only my family could turn into a competition.
Sat. most of the adults rose early, braved the cold, rainy weather, and left to hike up Table Rock (a 12 mile hike up the Tetons). Jess and I got the grandkids fed and went to my house where I had a bounce house rented for the day. It was so cold, the kids played inside most of the day so I felt the bouce house was a waste of time and money. Due to a pouring rain, we left home and went into my new school and the kids had fun drawing on the chalkboard, playing golf in the hall, and racing up and down the log hall. That evening the hikers returned to the house totally exhausted. Kelly and Becca have to be given the "Brave" award as they hiked with little Boston on Becca's back. They only turned back because of the rain and fear that Boston was cold. Wow! Tommy has to be given the award for being the fastest up the hill. He was dressed for the occasion though as all the others were in shorts not knowing they were going to encounter snow. The group stopped on the way down and built a fire to warm up before finishing the hike. What an accomplishment for them all. It will be a hike they will never forget. They need to attempt again when the weather is not so nasty so they can enjoy the beautiful scenery.
In spite of Saturday's events, the whole family showed up early for church and we had the grandchildren practice my mother's song "We're a Family Forever." Jess had been practicing with them throughout the day on Saturday and I have to say they stole the show. My whole family spoke in Church, even the grandchildren. I was so proud of them. That will probably be the last time I will have them all together speaking for a meeting except my funeral and then I won't be there to enjoy it. I had so many compliments on the meeting it was well worth all the nagging I had received from my children. Again, as usual they were all good sports and made me so proud. We all spoke on how God helps us in our life. Thanks to all my daughters and daughter-in-laws for practicing with your children.
Sunday afternoon was a relaxing one - especially for me. The men played a lot of horseshoes and the kids kept busy with legos, etc. Sunday evening my sister-in-law and her son Eric arrived from Boston and New York.
I need to close for now. Next entry will be the departure of my children and my adventures with Evie and Eric.
I ran onto this article in my hometown newspaper on how to nurture self esteem in children that I would like to share with any of the young mothers (mainly my neices) that might read my blog. I will just give one hint at a time, but I felt the advice given is invaluable. I notice that my students that have the highest self esteem are the most successful in school. So bear with me as I pass on a little advice for young families.
The one step I felt most important is: Teach good decision-making skills: We all make decisions every day, but kids don't often realize that's what they are doing. When you see your child in a situation where they need to make a decision, help them clarify the problem and the choices they can make. Discuss the possible solutions and the consequences of each. When your child chooses a course of action, respect his decision. If your child is unhappy with the results, you can discuss how he or she may have done things differently. (Watch for more hints) Later!