July

Another highlight of our summer, was the Henke family reunion we had at Pine Lake. We spent Wednesday through Sunday at the beginning of July camping with my whole family (minus my missionary brother, Matt-whom we missed). As you can tell, the 4-wheelers were a big hit as usual, and it was a rare moment when we didn't have at least 2 or 3 husbands absent from the main camp--off exploring some new trail or finding a spectacular mountain view.

The guys were generous enough to give all the girls a turn on one of our last days there. So we packed up Grandma, all of her daughters, and all the granddaughters (minus baby Kailey), and spent the morning driving up the mountainside to Powell Point.

It was fun to have some time mommy-daughter time with Miriam, since we pretty much don't see her except for mealtime and bedtime when the cousins get together. The weather turned rainy and it got very cold the higher we climbed up the mountain. Noboday had thought to bring jackets (it was July) on our ride, and it was freezing! I ended up putting Miriam behind me snuggled into my shirt as best she could, and she impressed me with what a trooper she was inspite of the cold.

Grandma did have a blanket she was sitting on, so when we finally reached the top, we all huddled together to try and get warm for a few minutes.

I am so very blessed to have such a fantastic mom and wonderful sisters! It's not very often we get a picture with all of us together like this. Left to right: Me, Lynae, Rachel, Diane, Mom, Sarah, Mary. As a side note, I must have a great family to be able to enjoy camping for that long seven months pregnant.

Some other fun highlight from our trip:

Diane & Mike had canvas backpacks for all the kids to decorate and use for our family nature scavenger hunt. They did a great job hosting/planning the whole reunion.

Muscle testing, body talk, and matrix energetics--which are frequently a part of things when we get together.

Watching the kids explore and play together so well.

Getting very very dirty!

Swinging and singing and laughing in the hammock at the Thompson's campsite.

One of the traditions I love in my family is that we hold an extended family home evening every other month. This year our turn to give the lesson coincided with our reunion. It was fun to have all three of our kids help us give our lesson about the "bee"attitudes that Jesus taught us to live by.

The whole clan attending Family Home Evening.

And what would a Henke family gathering be without the girl cousins instigating a performance of some kind? In this case, it was a skit about some of the great nature finds they made.

Also in July...

We celebrated seven years of married life! They have been sweet and challenging, and filled with sacrifice, and growth, and love! I couldn't imagine life with anyone besides Blair. He is my best friend and my perfect fit! I am so happy Heavenly Father helped us find each other, and helps enrich our lives together. The picture I have of us on our special weekend did not turn out. So I opted to post one of the kids with Grandma and Grandpa Henke as a tribute and a thank you for taking the kids for two days so that Blair and I could come home and enjoy a quiet house and a some inexpensive alone time. I know it wasn't easy....so THANKS Mom and Dad! Our two days together were pretty much perfect!