1st Annual Wilcox Family Reunion

Allen comes from a really big family (9 kids). Almost all of them are married with kids, so we decided to start having our own family reunions. This year we went up to Loman, Idaho, and went camping. Everyone was there, except Danny, who had National Guard for two weeks. But we did get to see Danny after the reunion when he blessed his new baby girl, Abigail. (We got a couple of family pics, but Hayden is hiding behind me).

I swear my kids were the dirtiest. Hayden had a runny nose and kept wiping it with his dirty hands, leaving a permanent dirty smear all the way up to his forehead. LOL I didn't get a lot of pictures, but here are a few. (Torrin was on the move too much to get any good shots of him. The only one I got of him was him throwing a tantrum in the tent).

Hayden and Braedon (6 months apart)

Our own little version of "Potter Puppet Pals".

Sorry, didn't get any good pictures. I made some puppets for it.

This kid LOVES water.

Hayden had absolutely NO fear for his swimming lessons over the past two weeks. I put him in the "preschool" class, but I was worried that it might be too low of a level for him (the website said ages 2 and up). I was worried he would be with a bunch of 2-year-olds, but his class was all boys his age. I can't believe how outgoing Hayden is. He definitely didn't get that from his mom. He loved to show the teachers all his "tricks" and was constantly chattering. I rarely heard any of the other kids speak. (Maybe my son is just loud. LOL). Anyway, he did great and will be ready for Level 1 next summer.

Before I post pics of swimming lessons, I thought I'd share this picture. At our Wilcox Family Reunion early this month, we went to some hot springs in Idaho. Hayden was climbing up a rock and jumping off into the hot springs (he's such a Wilcox), and he slipped and hit his face. It left him with a nice little shiner. This pictures makes me laugh b/c he looks like a hockey player.

Hayden's Super Mario Party

Hayden turns 4 on Saturday! (Can you believe it? I can't). Since we had family in town over the weekend we decided to celebrate then. I made him a Mario cake. It was my first experience with fondant, so I was nervous about choosing such a difficult design, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. After about 10 hours of work, I had a hard time cutting into it; but it was definitely worth it. I love this little boy to pieces.

Can you tell he likes video games? He got a train set too, but this was the gift he was most excited about. It came from Grandma & Grandpa Wilcox, uncle Curtis & Brandon.

I'm already brainstorming for Torrin's cake in October. Any suggestions?

Still to Come

Camping, Wilcox Family Reunion, Hayden's Swimming Lessons & 4th Birthday.

Spider Meadow Backpacking Trip

In mid-July I drove the boys up to Boise to stay with my sister-in-law, Kari, and her family for a few days. I flew from Boise to Seattle where I went backpacking with 2 of my sisters (Stephanie & Darci), my dad, and 2 brothers-in-law (Jay & Shawn). We went to a place in the Cascades called Spider Meadow. It was about a 5 1/2 mile hike to the meadow, then we hiked another mile and set up camp. The next morning we headed up to Spider Gap for the day. It was a difficult (all uphill) hike to the Gap, but it was beautiful. During our 3 days/2 night trip we hiked a total of about 20 miles. It was so much fun and I hope I can do it again someday. (Sorry, the pictures are all out of order. I don't have time/energy to move them around).

Williams Family Reunion

Ok, so obviously I haven't blogged in a loooooooooong time. This is my attempt at catching up. This summer has been a very busy one for us. I'll start back in June with the Williams family reunion. Every other year my dad's family (my aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) gets together for a reunion. This year it was in Utah (Bear Lake), so I was able to take the boys and spend a few days with my family. It was nice to catch up with cousins and see our kids all play together. Here are a few pictures (that Stephanie took).

The All-Boys Club

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but I just wanted to get out some thoughts on a subject that has been on my mind lately. So, sorry in advance for the vent.

I am in an All-Boys Club. I have 2 sons and I love it. When I see a mom with 2, 3, or 4 boys I feel an immediate bond with that woman--even if I have never met her before. I feel like I am part of an exclusive club that I have been chosen by Heavenly Father to be a part of. And I am grateful to Him for that.

When I was pregnant with Torrin (my 2nd son), a woman asked me if we were going to try again for a girl. I know peoples' comments aren't meant to be hurtful, but they make me wonder if people think my boys aren't "enough," or like we got it wrong the first couple times. Do-over. Scratch that. Try again. I mean, Torrin wasn't even BORN yet, and already I'm supposed to skip on to the next one?

Please don't get me wrong. I would love a daughter if Heavenly Father chose to send me one. But I would in NO way feel like my life was incomplete without one. I see me in that mom with 4 boys, and I wouldn't be surprised if I was chosen to be an all-boy mama for good. So, when someone tells me that I "need" a girl, or asks if we're going to "try" for a girl, I can't help but feel sad. The world's definition of the "ideal" family seems to be mom, dad, boy, girl. And while I have no idea what is in store for our little family (more boys, girls, or even any more kids for that matter), I feel like whatever we are blessed with will be "complete"--whether that means 2 boys, or 4 boys, or even 2 boys and a girl.

I know many of you moms with all girls feel the same way about your girls. That's the way it should be, and I admire you for that. Be proud of your All-Girls Club. And for the moms/dads with both genders, you are blessed as well. I think most people just assume that because you have all boys/girls you would be disappointed with another of the same gender. That's not always the case. So please, when you see the mom with 4 boys in the supermarket, don't feel sorry for her. She loves her boys and would do anything for them. And when you see a mom with her 3 little girls, know that they will grow to be her best friends.