4th of July Parade and Park

When we are in Othello it is awesome that my kids can just disappear to some cousin's house to hang out or have a sleep over. Karsyn went to hang out at Becky and Ken's so we hadn't really seen her for most of the night and the next day until she showed up for the parade. Aunt Becky and Renae met us to run the 5k, so Uncle Ken got the privilege of combing through Karsyn's infamous rat's nest in the morning. He did a great job, I knew that she wasn't left to fend for herself because her hair would have never looked so pretty. We were a disjointed group at the parade. Benjy and some of the others were home with the little, little ones.
Those of us that did go, had a great time. Everyone kept saying, it's just a small parade, but I thought it was pretty impressive!

It was a gorgeous day and I love taking the time on the 4th to honor those who have made it possible and continue to make it possible for us to have the freedom and protection that we have living in the U.S. of A......

Afterward we went to the park to enjoy some fantastic food!

4th of July Fun Run in Othello

Sunday night we decided to run the 5k which was at 7:00 AM the next day. Although it was fun to get a group together, we waited until the last minute, so we missed out on t-shirts. Bummer. Of course, Kaydree beat me, again...

She is making a habit of doing this.
Here we are after the run! It was a lot of fun. I am so proud of my companions and sister-in-laws and nieces. None of them had run a 5k before and they did a fantastic job!
Kaydree got 1st place for her age division and Maya got second! What a team.

A Very Special Evening.

Frans, Jack and Patty Yorgensen came over on Sunday night for a very special Family Home Evening/Fireside type meeting.
Jack was very good friends with Grandpa Villarreal and was the one who introduced him to the church. His Father, Frans, also helped support Grandpa on his mission to Peru.
They shared with us some stories about their teenage years and what it was like watching Grandpa come into the church. It was so neat to see all of these children and Grandchildren who now enjoy having the gospel in their lives because of one decision that was made many years ago.

The children were captivated.

I have to admit that while I was sitting there, the hairs on my arms stood up and I was teary eyed just thinking, "I am sitting here and my children are here today because someone shared the gospel with Grandpa over 45 years ago." It is amazing to think how one decision to change and to continue on that path will effect many, many generations to come.

We all enjoyed the stories and giggled however it would have been very difficult not to have felt a spirit of love and thanksgiving in the room that night.

After awhile the children, of course, got a little restless and so they went outside to play so that the Yorgensens could address the adults as couples.

There was such great counsel given on the things that we need to be doing in order to keep our marriages strong; such as having that pillow talk at night, always making the time for date night, getting away as a couple over night without the children, continuing to pray together just the two of you, attending the temple together, being aware of situations that might compromise the trust between the two of you, and making sure that we always keep one another as our BEST friend, along with having a Christ centered marriage.

Sabbath Day in Washington.

It is always a neat experience to have all of the Villarreal Children and their families together in Church on Sunday, when we are there. It is a very large group and all of the grandchildren look so much alike.

We all were suppose to take family pictures after church back at the homes that we were staying at, so I only have our family picture along with Mike, Nani and their children.
These pictures were taken on the beautiful and for Kyce, the very enticing pond, in their back yard.
We all gathered together that evening for a very special Family Home Evening/fireside experience.
Malia, Renae and Matt
Maya, Kaydree and Autumn

An Afternoon of Rest...

After playing at the reunion for hours on Saturday the kids were exhausted. Benjy, Kyce and I woke up from our nap to find this....the kids crashed out watching TV.

That evening everyone came over to Mike and Nani's, where we were staying,
to enjoy what is inside this building...It isn't a green house,
it's a pool. I think our kids sprouted fins after swimming so much when we were there.

Laurel, Cade and Grandma Kaydree going off the diving board. Even Karsyn was doing this by the end of the trip.

Grandpa and Mike sat out on the back deck just chillin'. It was a beautiful, fun filled day!

and getting together again, was a great way to end it.

Giant Slip ~N~ Slide

For Your Viewing Pleasure... if you are a little Sadistic. Karsyn gets taken out...

The day after we arrived we went to the Villarreal Family Reunion with Benjy's Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We use to do this at a lake and when the girls heard it was at a park they were a little bummed until they saw the Giant Slip and Slide! They had a blast...

Grandpa Villarreal's Sibling Reunion.

The kids had a great time on the Giant Slip and Slide and the food was Amazing...

Renae
Grandma

Aunties: Becky and Laurel Maya, Kyce and Kaydree
Kaydree and Autumn
Kyce got knocked down so we moved him to the end of the slide. He even got his chance to go down a couple of times, he was cruising and loved love it!