Anoka Elder's Quorum Summer Activity

I have to admit, I tried to talk Benjy and his counselors out of planning this Lake Activity two days after we got home from vacation. I had an idea that somehow it may end up including me in last minute items to be picked up? The day of the activity, Benjy worked in the morning, we ran to Owatonna to get Charlee and drop off Kaydree, only to get home to head up to Lake George. It was crazy....However......

it was completely worth it! Look at all the fun times that were had by all, inlcuding the wives and children!

Yes, that is Tyler and Travis next to one another, almost holding hands? ... with all their Marine, Army....yada, yada that goes back and forth! John was just the innocent bystander that didn't care: he just wanted to have FUN!

And....they did. But where did Travis go?

He was the Elder behind the boat! Audrey drove for awhile so that all three could tube together...but then Travis took over again!

The other Elders were playing Bocce Ball and

ladder ball.

They also had to harass others with water.

Even a famiy pet got to come and have fun.

Even a High Priest and his family decided to crash our party.

It turned out to be a beautiful night. The early rains cleared just about everyone else out, so we had plenty of space to ourselves.
I was sitting in the empty chair, so I can say it was nice and relaxing being an Elder's wife at this activity. They so kindly brought us chairs to sit in while "we watched the kids"... and the... "Elders played!" ;-)
We had great foodand plenty of it!
It's nice to be able to visit with people you don't always get to see on Sundays when they serve in other Auxiliaries.

Of course the little ones enjoyed the sand.

It is always fun to be able to come together as a Ward Family and enjoy one another!

Wrapping Up our Vacation to Texas...

On our last night after our awesome Bar-b-Que we went back to have cake and ice cream with the kiddos. They bought Benjy a cake with what they called "wrestling shoes" on it, which happen to be ballet slippers! Karsyn was excited to inherit his ballet slippers.

We had such a great time that we hated to leave. I kept asking Benjy if there was anyway he could get out of work for a couple of more days...but of course....someone has to work, right?

I just loved seeing the kids crashed out in the mornings. They played hard and they slept well!

I have to say though, once we got in the car and started driving we couldn't wait to get back home and out of the car!

Some of you have been asking about the comment section. It is turned off in order to help me be more productive. I would find myself checking comments throughout the day, then I would check facebook and email and before I knew it...a lot of time had passed. Right now I have some projects that I need to finish and a little one here without her sister to entertain her, so she needs extra, "Mom Attention." I have a couple more things to blog and then I will be taking a little break in order to slurp our blog into a blurb book.

Benjy's Birthday Bar-B-Q at Rudy's.

After a long day at the Waterpark we were treated to an Adult Birthday dinner. Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!It was a little bittersweet just because it was our last night in San Antonio. :-(

Benjy really wanted "Real Texas Barbecue." So when we walked into Rudy's it reminded him of the places he had seen on the food travel channel. They serve it in baskets and you eat on Waxpaper.
I think we all loved our food. In fact I think some of them went back the next day for lunch? I had a beef brisket....oh... it was the best meat I have ever had! We had loaded baked potatoes, yummy!
Of course Benjy was very carnivorous and loved every ounce of his meal! The only problem??? I am now craving something that I can't have!

San Antonio Temple, New Braunsfel Ward and Mission Buddy..

At just about every Villarreal Family Reunion we attend a temple session. There is always something special about attending the temple together as a family. The temple grounds were still beautiful even with the severe drought San Antonio was experiencing. It is always nice when Keave and Malia offer to watch the girls so that we can have this sacred experience together. It always increases our love and devotion for Heavenly Father, Our Savior and for one another. When you have an eternal perspective of being together forever you want to do all that you can to strengthen those relationships while you are still on this earth.
We also attended the New Braunsfel Ward and it never ceases to amaze me that no matter how far we have traveled, we are welcomed as friends and family and not as strangers. Kaydree and Karsyn loved Primary and it was very humbling to have a member of their Primary Presidency pull me aside to tell me how much they appreciated that our girls participated and that they were very sweet and reverent. At least we know they can be that way when it counts.... ;-)
Don't they look so sweet? They had just gotten done fighting with me over doing their hair, but like I say, "We are grateful that they pull it together when it counts." ;-)
We then had the opportunity to visit one of Benjy's Missionary Friends, Adam Hansen and his wife Megan. They invited us over for dinner. It was soooo good. They made chicken fajitas with homemade guacamole and salsa along with freshly made tortillas. We feel like we know someone famous because Adam was on Deal or No Deal, which we love to watch!
This is their little puppy, Harley. She is so cute. I am sure Charlee would have had a blast with her....she is ALL puppy still. We wanted to pack her up and take her home!

Our Day at Schlitterbahn Waterpark

The whole group with the exception of the pregnant lady... wanted to hit the waterpark. I pleaded with them to go anyway, because the idea of being outside in 106 degree heat and 80% humidity didn't sound like a good idea when the only thing my doctor kept stressing was, "DO NOT GET DEHYDRATED IN TEXAS." After a call to the waterpark to find out that they had observer discounted passes and that someone could leave to bring me back to the timeshare and still get back in... I decided to go. I was glad that I did. I was able to hang out in the kiddy pool and float around in the lazy river. As long as I stayed wet, I was comfortable. It actually turned out to be a relaxing and very fun day, so I am glad they talked me into it.

Karsyn had a blast while Kaydree hit the big rides.

She swam the entire day

except for when she was eating.

Kaydree of course hated to take a break even to eat.

Kaydree and Malia floating down the river on a crocodile.

Benjy enjoyed it as much as the girls.
Even Grandpa and Grandma went on the rides and had a lot of fun! We were all tired after a long fun day in the sun.

We Had Never Been....

to San Antonio or a Family Reunion this LARGE before... It was absolutely breath taking to see that many people all come together all because of the Love between two people...

Benjy's Great Grandparents: Lucia Soza and Eusebio Rodriguez married January 27, 1907. They had 12 children. One of their Daughters, Eloisa Rodriguez Villarreal was Jerry's Mother, Benjy's Grandmother. About 500 Rodriguez decendants. Each of the 12 Childrens families wore coordinating shirts. When we walked in, it gave me chills and it felt so neat to be apart of this event. There was so much excitement in the air.

Each of the descendants of 12 children put together a board that represented their branch of the family. It was fun to see all of the pictures.

Nani put together the one for the Villarreal family and it was amazing. She did such a great job it was very professional looking and it really had people approaching her and asking her questions about Family History.

The families were also asked to make a centerpiece that represented their family. I guess we had apples and cherries to represent the state of Washington...but it didn't quite get put together.

Here was the winning centerpiece. They were fun to look at.

One of Jerry's 1st counins sang some songs for us. You couldn't help but feel apart of the family even if you were a member only by marrying into it. That is the beauty of marriage.
This is their last living daughter of the 12 children. Anita, was a superstar that night. All the families were taking pictures with her.
Grandpa Jerry, Benjy's dad was asked to read off the names during a bell ringing that honored those that have passed on.

Although we were excited for this year's reunion with the Villarreal Family down in Texas with Benjy's Parents and some of his siblings...it was neat to be able to attend the Rodriguez family reunion, as well!

San Antonio Chinese Tea Gardens

Benjy's parents went here a year ago and loved it. We thought it was beautiful but due to their recent drought, which must have ended while we were there, I guess there weren't as many flowers.

This was our third outing of the day and it was between 3-4 in the afternoon and it was HOT! There were a lot of stairs and after walking all morning, I took this picture, walked to the top to overlook the gardens before they began walking them. I took one look and handed the camera over to Benjy and said, "I'll be waiting in the air conditioned car."
My last picture before entrusting Benjy, knowing full well that he hates taking pictures, so I didn't know what we would get.
He did a great job! He was a pretty good sport about it too! I guess it really is the camera and not the operator. Here I thought I had talent....nope...just a great camera. Thanks Mom and Dad, I love my Christmas Present!

Look at the zoom he put on this turtle.

Our little poser!
My happy girl. Kaydree had a blast the entire trip!

They did come back a little wet, which I am sure felt great!

Auntie Valeria splashed around with them. Right after they got back in the car, we had torrential down pours. The temperature dropped almost 30 degrees, it was wonderful!

Casa Rio on the San Antonio River Walk

We ate at the Casa Rio on the San Antonio River Walk for lunch. The food was amazing. I had Chicken Enchiladas smothered in Green Chile. Their chips and salsa were fantastic!

The girls thought it was so cool to eat under the bridge and watch the boats go by.
That is a large group!
By this point it was 2PM and we were all starving!

We even had the special treat of a Mariachi Band entertaining us while we ate. Kaydree was blushing a little.

To say that the River Walk is beautiful just doesn't seem like a vivid enough description. Of course looking back I wish I could have taken it all in a little better but being hot, hungry, tired and pregnant at this point....I was just sooooo happy to be sitting down drinking water and enjoying the other people walking by.

It was easy enough to walk around because it was a week day, we hear it gets extremely crowded on the weekend but either way...you wouldn't want to miss the sights, sounds and FOOD on the San Antonio River Walk...

The Alamo

I don't mind taking the pictures...especially being pregnant! It was my pleasure not having to be in them! We had a long day on Friday but so worth it. We started out at the Alamo, then we went to the River walk, the Chinese Sunken Gardens and then to the First Night of the Family Reunion.

It is absolutely beautiful down there. It was hot and tropical feeling.The vegetation was breathtaking.
Mike, Nani, Keave, Malia, Siosi, Asai and cute little Kai.

Tony, Valeria, Aaron and Diego

We were warned about Scorpians so Nani bought a sucker with a scorpian in the middle of it.

The girls on one of the cannons.

The boys.

Kaydree and Karsyn loved the cactus behind them, so they posed for a picture.

The girls were into the history of the Alamo after Grandpa had given them some background.

The Villarreal Family Reunion 2009

We have been looking forward to this trip for almost a year. I was a little worried about traveling at this point in the pregnancy...(being tired, hormones, the heat...headaches...preterm labor....etc.) but it all went GREAT! It was an amazing trip all around.

The girls just love their time with Grandpa. You can see that Grandma french braided their hair. Kaydree's first request!

The girls didn't waste anytime making up for lost time with their cousins. It's been two years since we have seen them. Asai and Diego are a year older than Kaydree and Aaron and Siosi are the same age as Karsyn. They got a lot of hanging out with the boys..time and they had a blast!
Kaydree and Karsyn had their own personal teenagers which is what they considered Keave and Malia. Within the first hour they had their toes and fingers painted and hair done! I can't tell you how sweet it was to sit back and watch how much my girls just latched onto them and how patient and kind they were. They were natural caretakers for the girls and played with them the entire time. How will I ever compete?
I think the girls got their nails done almost everyday!

They had so much fun!
Karsyn with all of her imagination had them playing school, house and who knows what, but you can bet it centered around her being pampered!

The first morning the guys cooked breakfast. It was so good! Benjy and his brother, Mike.

Benjy got his playing with the boys time in too! Tony had us all laughing. Kaydree told us that she will miss how much "fun" it is to be around Uncle Tony!

It makes me sad to look at these pictures because the time went by way too fast.

I am excited however to blog the rest of our trip.

Super Soccer Saturday

Who would have thought that soccer would be the sport of choice for Kaydree and Karsyn? We thought the girls would be little gymnasts and take after their mom, however they have really enjoyed the sport of soccer. Kaydree has tried tennis and gymnastics and didn't really care for them and both girls have done dance, too. Kaydree and Karsyn are thinking they may want to try gymnastics together, so we shall see?

Saturday was their last day of soccer for the spring season and they each had 3 games. We really appreciated the support from friends that came to watch the girls in their games this season. The Welkers, The Seamans, Audrey and Teresa: Thank you: you have no idea how excited the girls get when they have fans, other than mom and dad. In fact the girls got up so excited Saturday morning, not because it was Super Soccer Saturday, but due to the fact that Teresa and Scott were coming.

We met Teresa when she was a Junior in High School. I was pregnant with Karsyn and Kaydree just adored Teresa. We worked with her for a year and a half at the gym and she occasionally babysat for us, before she went off to college in Wisconsin. She also left for a semester to study in Australia. The day before she left she joined us at Build a Bear for a very sad, farewell. She is now back in the cities graduated and looking for a job. We have had the opportunity to hang out with her again. As Benjy says, "Kristen acts like her over protective big sister!" The other day Kaydree had a friend over and Teresa was coming over and Kaydree's friend asked, "Who is coming?" Kaydree responded with, "THE COOLEST TEENAGER EVER!" I had to remind her that Teresa is now 22, soon to be 23 and no longer the teenager that use to babysit for us! Crazy how time flies!

Karsyn had the most amazing coach. Joe coached both girls last year and asked me to assistant coach Karsyn's team this year. I agreed, before I knew I was pregnant. He has told us that he would love to coach Kaydree in the fall so he will be coaching with Benjy!

At the beginning of the season, Karsyn, was definitely in soccer for the social aspect. She use to stand twirling her pig tails and try to talk to everyone, other team included. The last couple of weeks though, Karsyn has really taken off in soccer. One parent told me in the bathroom, Karsyn just runs around smiling so much, that her smile is just so contagious.

Kaydree's team scored 8 goals total on Saturday, 5 of which Kaydree scored.

Another coach described her as a lightening fast...WORK HORSE.

There is no doubt that Kaydree and Karsyn are the smallest ones on their teams, but they make up for it and hold their own. Sometimes I have to remind Kaydree not to throw her elbows around and to try not to get so pushy out there. As much as it will be nice to get a break for a month or so...it was really neat watching both girls this year. I love to watch them smiling and having so much fun with their friends.

Family Reunion Over the 4th

Grandma had a rough weekend, but she always had someone by her side and I think she really enjoyed seeing all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren together!
Courtney is going to be mad at me for posting this, but I think it is a beautiful picture!
Karsyn and Belle trying to fix Grandpa's fence.

Why is it that we all circle around the fire?

A beautiful day on the lake!
Sam kept the little ones busy in the water!

Grandma got a lot of cruises back and forth to the dock, with four boats and two pontoons we still had to make a couple of trips to get all 62 of us out there. One boat caught on fire and there was lots of smoke and Kaydree was ready to jump off before it blew up and one broken propeller on another, other than that...we had a blast!

The sand is always a hit.Auntie Karen and Belle.

Playing dominoes with Grandma.

62 people, 6 boats, 4 campers and 4 tents and one crazy kitten that Hazen kept trying to rescue.
In the background is the puddle that kept the kids entertained all weekend.
Love those early morning pictures.
After all the on and off again rain showers, we were all checking for wet rumps..

We had lots of laughs and made a lot of memories.

It was a little crazy to be in sweatshirts and coats over the 4th.It was fun taking pictures of the guy who is usually behind the camera, Tim.

Tim and Jill looking so happy together, they had their wedding out at my parents house 5 years ago, I think? I wonder if there was a romantic feeling between the two of them?

After a great weekend Grandma had to be checked into the hospital for her back pain. I am so grateful for the time she got to spend with everyone on Saturday. It makes me realize how precious our time together as a family, really is....I am so glad that I didn't have to miss this time together. Each of us are who we are because we belong to this family it will always be part of who we are and I realize what a blessing that is.

Has it Really been....

10 YEARS?

While we were dating, Benjy lived in Washington and I was teaching in Las Vegas. We spent a lot of time emailing, writing and on the phone. (We use to fall asleep talking because he worked the grave yard shift packing potatoes in order to save up to buy an engagement ring.)That seems like so long ago and yet the time has flown by.
Our Engagement picture. It was some of Emily's first official pictures. These pictures were taken at her parent's house.

Last night the girls went on a sleep over to our friends' house. Little does Shantel know, but she gave us an early 10 Year Anniversary Gift. Tomorrow will be our 10 year Wedding Anniversary. We originally thought we would take a trip just the two of us, but then found out that our big family reunion was scheduled, plus with the 4th of July being my Mom's Birthday, we love to be with her to celebrate it. So sometime in August we will be hitting a resort, just the two of us for a weekend away. I have to admit, being pregnant kind of puts a damper on the fun festivities we might partake of but that is okay, we have had plenty of great times in the last 10 years so we don't feel that we are lacking. Besides the way we look at it.... having another little one on the way is the best 10 year Anniversary gift we could give one another!
It amazes me how much you can continue to fall in love with someone over and over again. Benjy and I love to watch 50 First Dates as our fall back Romantic Comedy. It is definitely Benjy's sense of humor that makes my world continue to spin. I consider myself to be a serious person and in any situation or in time of need, I can always count on him to keep me smiling, even when I don't feel like it! In so many ways we are so similar with our competitive natures.... We both love a healthy competition and being "former" Athletes we thrive on those situations...it truly unites a spark between us that keeps our relationship "feisty" as he puts it. Tennis and Racquetball are great date nights for us and for Benjy's sake, I will add.... playing dice, too. I celebrate these 10 years not just because we are still married but because I am married to my better half, my soul mate, my best friend.
We were sealed in the Seattle Temple for Time and Eternity. Words can not describe the peace and reassurance I feel just knowing that we are not together only until, Death Do us Part....but that we have entered into an Eternal Covenant.
Just knowing that I have been with my Eternal Companion for just 10 short years leaves me so grateful for the time we have had, the time we treasure now and the time we will have for the Eternities to come....

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say....

then don't say anything at all.
That is how I am feeling these days. Benjy said to me this morning, "You haven't been blogging lately." I asked him what he meant because I blogged twice this week, already. His response was, "ehhhh." Which means, not really. I have been posting pictures and events but not really writing my thoughts and feelings down. There is a reason for that.
My mother always told me....if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all....
I am feeling that way physically, mentally and emotionally right now. I have to preface this right now.....I love being pregnant, it is worth every little sacrifice that is made during this time and for the eternities to come, however...it has been rough lately.
With that said, My senses being: smell, hearing, taste and touch are over the top right now. I am a little crabby about loud sounds that make my head feel like it is going to pop, having a headache for the last 5 days straight is not helping. I am functioning, meeting with friends, cleaning (barely), cooking (barely), going to play dates, letting the girls have sleepovers, taking them to the pool, I taught a lesson in Relief Society, brought two dishes to Linger Longer and have been doing those daily tasks, but it takes every ounce of energy I have just to get it all done.
It makes me feel like I am just not myself. These hormones have been throwing me into a self pity, whining, forcing myself to function kind of mood. I feel horrible for my "trying to be supportive husband", who I am sure has his own frustrations and exceptionally understanding daughters that find things to occupy themselves when I am laying on the couch moaning!
Good news is that after talking to some of my in the same situation (pregnant friends) I am completely normal and that in the scope of time...this is but a small moment in time!

VBS is it like EFY....Only for Children?

Karsyn's preschool, which we loved, had a Vacation Bible School last week for four days. I signed both of the girls up after talking to some of the Moms who had their children in it last year. I heard so many positive things about the crafts, activities and lessons, that I thought it would be a fun summer activity.
Kaydree was not happy with me. Karsyn knew that some of her friends were going and it was at her school, so she was ecstatic.

This was the first morning when I dropped them off. This is Kaydree's look of, "I am nervous, I am not sure about this Mom..." Karsyn is always in it for the social aspect and just takes it all in. I can't say enough positive things about this experience that the girls had. Kaydree said after the first day, "That was awesome, I had so much fun!" The teenage counselors were so friendly and fun. Kaydree and Karsyn were sad to see it end and can't wait to go back next year.

This was the camp theme song. Kaydree is the little short one getting into it, you see in the second row in. It kind of remided me of what an EFY (Especially For Youth) only an EFC (Especially for Children) would be like. Hey, there is an idea?