Are you my cousin?

I grew up in a very large family, 8 kids, pretty spread out in age. I am the fifth child. My parents have 26 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren. I was only six when my first niece was born, and I have younger brothers that are younger than some of their nieces and nephews (so I'm sure it's even more confusing for their kids). That makes for some pretty confusing family ties. My kids spend a lot of time in Utah with the majority of their cousins, and a lot of their cousins children, but they (mostly the two youngest) have a hard time making the distinction between uncle vs. cousin...or cousin vs. 1st cousin once removed. My oldest niece is 34, and my youngest niece is 3, and another great nephew is about to be born any day. So this week-end was another example of my younger kids just being plain confused.



This past week-end, we went down to So. Florida to be with some family. My sister Linda lives in Coral Springs, and her son (my nephew Andrew), flew in from Utah with his new bride for a wedding open house. Another Nephew (Ben) flew in from Maryland with his wife and two little boys (who are around Coopers age). Plus another sister, Brenda (who is Linda's twin), flew in from Utah with her husband and brother in law. So it was a full house, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, first cousins once removed, nephews, great nephews, brother in laws, sister in laws, niece in laws (if that is the right term), etc. but so fun to hang out with family for the week-end. So my little boys may not know exactly which ones are their cousins, but we all had a great time.

My Nephew Andrew and his darling wife Marcy... WE LOVE HER!!!!

The open house went well. Lots of people came, the house looked great, and the food was delicious. Yum.

And the late night games begin...

It was fun to go to church with my two sisters on Sunday. Linda had quite a crew with her.

We had to take a chance to take a "sisters" picture (though we are missing the 4th sister Wendy...sad face about that)

Linda and Brenda are twins, the oldest in the family, and were teenagers before I was even born, but we have always stayed close. As a little girl I remember them painting my nails, and doing my hair, and letting me sit on their boyfriends laps, and thinking they were so beautiful. I remember visiting them at BYU with my family. I remember being a flower girl at both of their weddings, when I was only about five. As their kids came along, I had such joy in being an "aunt" (I was six when my first niece came along). I stayed with Linda quite a few different times over the years to either help when she had a new baby, or just visit. And both of them have brought such joy into my life as an adult. So even though we are in different stages of life...and 14 years apart, we like the same kinds of books, movies, jewelry, food and shopping... we love each others kids, we give advice to each other...and we can still talk non-stop.
I am thankful for my sisters.

My girls and their aunts

Cooper and Nate (my great nephew...Ben's little boy), had the greatest time together. Partners in crime. Cooper calls him "My cousin" (imagine that with a serious lisp), and has no idea that Nate's Dad Ben, is really his cousin. So confusing. Whenever Nate would call my sister Linda "Grandma", Cooper and Carver would say, "That's not Grandma, thats Linda". So hard to grasp.

This is Spencer...my other "great" nephew. C.U.T.E. S.T.U.F.F.

My nephews...Ben and Andrew. Yes...communicating through some sort of online computer game...yet sitting inches apart. GEEKS! And yes, I would say that to their faces (and I think I did). But they are those ridiculously smart and genius type of geeks, and also super well rounded and fun and oh so cute and talented...so it works out well for them. But an aunt has to make fun once in a while. I mean I used to bathe these boys for heavens sakes :)

And knowing my family like I do...I knew that the game "Ninja attack" would be a big hit. Andrew and Ben were cracking us up with their poses and their commentary and how much they got into it. I think Andrew even started doing commentary in Chinese at some point. And he doesn't speak Chinese! Oh that is so like my father. We were all laughing, and everyone really got into the game. But I have to say...those young Lopez children were hard to beat.

Go Brenda!!!!

Can't believe no one fell in the pool!

FUN WEEK-END! I am thankful we got to spend time with so much family.

Disney...but not Disney!

How to get the "Disney" Experience...without going to the Disney parks? Well, John's mom had given us a gift certificate for "anything Disney" for Christmas. With the Florida resident deals that were going on during January, we were able to take the kids to a Disney hotel for a night, and it cost us nothing...and somehow my kids came away with the feeling that we had "been" to Disney (Disney does such a great job with their hotels, that it is an experience just to stay). So THANK YOU BARBARA! We even decided to do this whole get-away on Coopers Birthday. And...by happen chance (or careful planning)...Our good friends the Dowdy's were going to that same place...the same week-end for Stefanie's birthday, so we got to hang out with them. PERFECT!!!! We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside resort. It was amazing and sprawling resort with a great pool, beautiful grounds, and riverboat rides. So beautiful.

John rescuing Coopers run-away balloons. Amazing story deserving of it's own post...so check out the following post for the whole story.

Me, Stefanie, and Chris...waiting for our riverboat. We decided to take a boat over to downtown Disney that first night. The boat ride itself is so beautiful and peaceful, and then we had so much fun at Down town Disney.

Mason Dowdy just happens to be one of Kinsey's best friends and favorite boys...so she pretty much lucks out when we do things with the Dowdy's. These two always have a good time messing around and teasing each other, and the rest of the kids kind of just blend as well. Though...Stefanie should have just had one more baby so that Coop could have a friend. What were you thinking Stef?

Once we got to Downtown Disney, we hit the shops, played with Legos at the Lego store, walked around, and even stopped off at the "Disney Dance party"...which all of the Lopez's participated in...but NOT all of the Dowdy's (we won't mention names Mason). The kids had a great time doing their favorite line dances, and it was fun to watch them. Carver and Caleb sure have some moves.

Aww....food!!

We even had cake and presents for Cooper in our hotel room. Cooper kept saying..."I yike (like) my birthday". "I'm free (three) now". Or..."I yike this hotel", or "I yike this boat", or "mom...i have bun (fun) today". He was so cute all day, and I really think he loved his birthday.

After we got back from downtown Disney, we all went out to the pool and the kids swam until 12:30 a.m. Gotta love Disney for leaving their pools open. It was a little too chilly for us adults, but the kids said the water was warm, and they got the entire gigantic pool to themselves. I loved watching them all have so much fun together...and seeing my three year old having the time of his life until the wee hours of the morning. Good memories for sure.

Saturday morning we got up and let the kids swim for as long as they wanted. The Dowdy's headed off to the parks, but our kids swam for about three or four hours. It seemed cold to me (probably mid to high sixties, I am a thin blooded Floridian now), but all the northerners
and all the kids just went and went and went. I think Carver went down the water slide about 200 times (or so it seemed). I'm so glad they all had fun...and I'm so glad I got to sit and read my book. What a great week-end.

Above and Beyond (the amazing balloon rescue)

Okay, I just have to record this story. I was a doubter...but John was a believer...and he made our little Coop's day. So...we had just checked into a Disney hotel on Cooper's birthday, and we were walking to our bungalow...and it was a bit of a walk through the beautiful grounds of the Port Orleans riverside resort. Kennedy had hooked Cooper's birthday balloons to her suitcase and was pulling it behind her. We were almost to our room, coming down off a little bridge, when Kennedy's suitcase fell over, and while she was putting it upright...the balloons came unhooked, and floated up and AWAY! The lodged in some very high trees. I think we all made the sound "ohhhhhh noooooo" because we knew how much Coopy loved those balloons. We just started walking forward, trying to distract Cooper, thinking there was no more to be done...but all of a sudden, here comes John, looking all determined and heading for the balloons. They were far too high for any sort of "high jump", so i didn't know what he had in that head of his. Then I see him rumaging through the brush for a stick. He finds a stick...a long one...but no where near long enough to touch the balloons. But then I realize he had something else in mind. He starts throwing the stick like a spear toward the balloons. First try...no where near the balloons. They are too high. Second try...same thing. By now we kind of have a small crowd around us all watching the "amazing balloon rescue...attempt". Well, finally John spears the ribbons of the balloons, and the balloons start to be pulled down. But the "spear" breaks free and the balloons float up higher. So John continues. Soon the "spear" gets stuck up in the tree as well. Balloons and spear dangling from this huge tree. But does John give up? No. He finds another smaller stick and throws at the bigger stick...to dislodge it. Again... I had no faith in this action, and when the second stick also gets stuck in the tree...I surely though this was over. But no. John finds another stick, knocks down the original stick (wow), and starts to throw it like a spear toward to ribbons of the balloons. After a few tries...HE DOES IT. THE STICK GETS TANGLED IN THE RIBBONS, AND THE WEIGHT OF THE STICK CARRIES THE BALLOONS RIGHT DOWN INTO JOHN'S HANDS. John is met with an astounded look on my face, and applause from his children and small crowd. I even hear a man next to me say, " Wow...impressive...I was betting against him". He hands the balloons off to Cooper and Cooper is beaming. This whole thing probably only took him about 3 or four minutes...but so worth it. And to think that Coopers uncaring mother was going to leave those balloons stranded in that lonely old tree. John was the hero of the day!

My baby turns 3.

Cooper, my baby, turned three years old today. Since I know he is my "last", it is expecially hard to have him grow up...but so much fun at the same time. He brings us all so much joy as we watch him learn and grow. I wanted to post these shots I took this morning of his "birthday shoot", and then when I get a chance, I will write more about this boy of mine. We are off to celebrate his birthday right now. LOVE YOU COOPER BABY!

17 Again!

Have you ever had the desire to be 17 again, maybe just for a few days? The thought enters my head once in a while when I think of things like dances, flirting, the excitement of getting ready for a date, catching the eye of the cutest boy in the room, endless phone calls or conversations with friends and cute boys (What in the world did we do without texting? We had to resort to actual human interaction. Go figure), going to football games, picking out the perfect outfit to wear to a dance...hoping to be noticed by the cute boys (well, I still like picking out the perfect outfit, just not as much to choose from), eating anything I wanted, feeling like my life was just beginning, and the feeling of holding hands for the first time, or a first kiss. Whew...sounds pretty fun and exciting...huh. But then...I remember the other side of things... the heartbreak I felt when the boy of my dreams didn't exactly feel the same way as I did, or the insecurities I felt about myself that sometimes stopped me from talking to certain boys, or even certain girls. The endless girl drama that seemed to follow particular friends, or feeling like I didn't know what I was going to do with my future, or what i was going to do with my hair, or wondering if I would be the only girl that wouldn't get asked to dance, or the feeling of a Friday night without a date, or feeling like no one understood my problems. Once I remember that side of the coin, I realize that as much fun as it was to be young (and I did have fun)...I am okay having "been there, done that".

But this past week-end I did get the second best thing to being young. I got to hang out with "the young". I got to chaperon a youth retreat for the 16 and 17 year old kids from our church. It was a stake event, so the girls were excited to get to know the boys from the other wards (that's what's it's all about when you are that age. New boys). We went to a youth camp that the church owns here, and it was kind of a camping sort of thing, though we did have bunk houses. The weather (which at this time of year can be a little cold), was perfect and the kids had a great time. I especially loved being with the girls from my ward (Savannah, Savannah, Sara, Sara, Christina and Brittany). Kinsey was not able to come because she is not quite 16 yet, and so this was an opportunity for me to be a "leader", and not a "leader/friends mom". The girls opened up to me and we had so much fun talking, laughing...and searching for cute boys. I made them each pick a boy they wanted to get to know, and I pretty much tried to find opportunities for them to do that the rest of the time. (I had to force some more than others). You would think this would be a piece of cake...but all that "human interaction" was so hard for this texting generation. The girls gave out "camp names" at the end of the two days, and my name was "17 Again".

Good food, lots of games, campfire, speakers, service project...fun retreat

Our ward taught the other kids "Ninja attack", and it was quite a hit.

See, all you have to do is hand a boy a rake...and he will be glad to work along side a cute girl.

And a little "showing off" never hurt the cause of "boy meet girl" either

Family photos

As a photographer, I did so many family shoots this year, all the while thinking about where I wanted our family photo shoot to be, or thinking about what poses we would do, or thinking about what we might wear. I guess I forgot a few things in that daydream. Number one...if we are doing family pictures, then I have to be in the pictures, and not behind the camera where I am comfortable. Number two...Someone else would have to be behind the camera...but who?

Well, we worked it all out. My amazing friend, Rachel Mann, stepped in for me. Rachel has assisted me on occasion with photo shoots and she does such a great job. She really has a good eye and was able to capture us looking natural and happy... even in between all the complaining and eye rolling that was going on with my children. Family picture day never really brings out the most loving feelings from them. Considering I also took this opportunity to take individual pictures of the kids (I will post those soon), this long day turned out okay. Rachel was even good enough to stay at this location with me and help me with another photo shoot I had that day. Thanks Rachel!!!



I just love this picture below. Carver truly looks like he is board to tears...so tired of doing this...and wondering when all the "kissy" business is going to end. Sadly for him, this was towards the beginning of the shoot. He was a pretty good sport though.

My two beautiful girls

And I love the shoe pic. Sometimes a cute pair of shoes and a great pair of jeans can make a girl have the best day ever. Am I right?

Seems weird posting pictures of myself, but hey, it is not often that I am in front of the camera.

Lopez family "captured" on film (well on a memory card at least). Sigh of relief...until next year that is :)