Picnic up the Canyon with Marlo and Alice

Marlo came to visit Alice in Salt Lake.  Alice arranged to have a picnic up Provo Canyon for all of us to hang out with them and Canyon View Park.  We all brought pot luck lunch and had a great time. It was very windy, but we managed to play on!

We started with a wild game of volleyball.  At times it looked like a Special Ed. volleyball game.  Here is Scott, Marlo, and me.

Annette, Byerly, and Ashley

Jojo just really wanted to join me and Shayla on the volleyball action. 

Joel, Net, and Byerly

Marlo and Gordon in a battle at the net.  Lynn, Scott, and Alice lending support!

Jojo and I decided to go play on the playground for a while.

Gordon's killer serve.

I think Kelly used Alice's face as the net on this great shot.

Tee hee . . . . Shayla's best pose!

Allie Baba and Marlo

Kelly, Mollie, Sylvia, Lynn, and Rachael

Shayla, Lexie, Gordon, Jojo, Gabriel, and Cory (just freshly out of surgery)  They couldn't stay too long because Cory needed to get back to his bed.  I was glad they could come for a little while.

Gabriel enjoying some watermelon

There were 6 of us siblings there at the picnic.  We missed Murlene and Mel!

Then we got a shot of us siblings and our spouses.  Very fun times!

Cute Dakota, Lizzie, and Kailey

Darling Cory Rose

Marlo, Alice, and Mitchell

Deskin, Ahsley, Renae, and Jamie

Cheryl and Marley

After the picnic Logan and Rachael came over to play for a little while.  I just had to get a picture of Gabe and Logan together.  I had to shoot quick because these two little boys don't sit still for very long. 

Rachel, Gabe, and Nate left to go back to Arizona this morning after Rachel and Gabe being here with us for 3 weeks.  They made it home safely leaving our house at about 5:30 a.m.

Back-to-School Family Home Evening

Every year in August on the Sunday before school starts Gordon and I host a back-to-school family home evening for the fam.  We always enjoy it and we hope that everyone in the fam enjoys it also.  I loved this year again.

Before we got started Rachel was helping Renae Skype Amanda and Paulie in Texas so they could "join" us.  Here is Angie, Bella, B.J., Anders, Kailey, Dakota, Gabe's head, Ivy, Jessica, Annette, Renae, and Rachel.

Our three darling daughters, our two fabulous son-in-laws, and our two adorable baby dolls!

How many people can you cram in the Billings living room?  We have 8 little people chairs for the little kids.  It was a fun sight.  The boy in the pink chair ducking is Tyson's nephew Mason Hathaway that came with Chelsea and Tyson.  They were taking him home from Oak City to Ogden so he joined us.

 

Gordon gave a really good lesson including these cool puppets.  It was about being an eagle and not a duck.  I think the kids really liked it.  Gordon also laser engraved some signs for everyone that had to do with the lesson.

After the lesson we had our talent show.  We had Sammy play his violin.  Lily showed us her cartwheels (outside in the rain).  Byerly showed us his sweet paper airplane design.  Gabraylie, Ellary, Zoey, and Kailey sang for us.  Lizzie showed us a DVD of her dance performance.  Lexie showed her VanGuard show. 

Rachael made brownies all by herself.  She shared her talent with everyone.

We had our traditional fashion show where the kids (that wanted to) modeled their new school clothes.  We handed out everyone's back-to-school bags full of school supplies, then we had banana splits, cake, and brownies for dessert.  What a fun evening.  We also had a mini celebration of Ellary's birthday.  Her birthday was the day before. 

Lexie's Welcome Home BBQ

Lexie got home from her summer long tour of competitions with Santa Clara VanGuard on August 15th.  We had a little impromptu welcome home BBQ for her to welcome her home.

I bought this cute whale pool for the little kids.  Logan, Jojo, and Gabriel had a blast until they got too cold.

Lexie (with her black hair), Rachel Allen, Kelly and Mollie long.

"WoGee" and Amanda Long

My Jojo, Shayla, and Cory.  (Notice my new curtains that I made for the back deck . . . I love them!)

Lizzie, Emma, Renae, and Karl.  It was yummy food, I must say!

Lexie saying something profound, with Rachel pondering upon it.

We are glad to have Lexie home and safe after her summer living in a bus and on gym floors.

Visitors and Cousins BBQ

Rachel, Emma, and Baby Gabriel came to stay with us for 3 weeks starting on Saturday, August 7th.  Emma flew from Madrid, Spain to Phoenix to drive up here with Rachel and Gabe.  Rachel is helping Emma get situated here at BYU for school in a few weeks.  Gabe really does smile and giggle a lot, just not for pictures.

He is so cute!

Goldings hosted a really fun BBQ at their house for all the out-of-town cousins to get together on August

12th.  Amanda, Rachel, Emma, and Chelsea were all here.  Kelly and Mollie couldn't come because they had a wedding. 

What a cute picture of Lizzie and Afton.

We had 6 of the 10 babies born (in the span of a year or so) to cousins together at this picnic.  Jamie/Cora, Amanda/Paul, Chelsea/Afton, Amanda/Logan, Rachel/Gabriel, Shayla/Jocelyn.  So fun to have that many together at the same time.  (The other 4 babies were Preston Hutchins, Kenya Brown, Anders Neilsen, Elsa Neilsen)  What a fun bunch of cousins and babies!

The babies loved having their turn on the trampoline.  Amanda is in position to make sure Gabe doesn't launch himself off the tramp.

Jojo in mid flight,

Renae was helping Afton "jump" on the tramp.  (It looked more like a "stand" on the tramp.)

The teenage population of the party . . . . . Lizzie Golding and Dakota Green

Grandpa Joel with Cora Green.  Jessica and Jamie.

Grandma Nae and Pauly-Wog.  (We miss him terribly since they went back to Texas.)

Dakota had Afton laughing so hard while he was pushing her in the swing. It was so cute.

Joel, Kailey Green, Annette, and Scott Neilsen hanging out.

Renae, Jamie, and Jessica chillin'

Cory took 4 of the babies on a wagon ride.  It was so cute.  Here is Jojo, Gabe, and Logan.

Jojo, Gabe, Afton, and Logan.  Such cutie pies!

Rachael giving Afton a little swing.  How cute are they?!?!?

Afton loves bugs.  She found a potato bug and loved to have it crawl all over her hand.

We were so excited to see Lisa and Cory Brown and their 3 boys Riley, Blake, and Colton.  We haven't seen them for a few years. 

The next evening Goldings came over.  This is the only picture I got.  Lizzie had walked over from the Scera Pool so her hair was in a towel and Afton couldn't really understand what was going on with Lizzies head!

Fun times!!