Fershtut Family Reunion Day 1

My brother came to visit from New Mexico so we had a Fershtut family reunion. The first day we went to the Aquarium. It was so AMAZING! I think it is better than the Zoo and would recommend it!

This is the sharkcat fish. It was so beautiful and sleek. I could have watched it for hours.
This was a Stingray that the children could actually reach in and touch. There were three of them swimming around. I touched one, but the girls arms were too short and that were to slow too.

Tsadakah's favorite was the Seahorse. She was asking to see one from the moment we entered the door. I have to admit that they were fascinating!

This is the tropical enenity.

This is an Octopus all wrapped up. Totally different from what I imagine one looking like. His head is all spikey...he looks creepy! Later we got to see him climb to the top of the tank!! Another favorite of mine was the Jelly fish. They had a number of different kinds there and they were beautiful!

Me and all my girls taking in the wonder!

My dad and Eliannah. She LOVED the frogs! She stayed at this tank forever and would not leave it. When we would take her away she would run right back to it. She was so excited to point out where each one was. Speaking of frogs, she does the cutest thing by quoting The Princess and the Frog. She sits down like the little girls at the begining of the film and she crosses her arms across her chest shakes her head back and forth and says: "I would never, ever, no never kiss a frog! yuck!!" It is darling!

Tsadakah on a frog statue.

After this we went out to Cafe Rio. Yum! Then we went to a place where the kids ran through the sprinklers.

Memoires

I put this picture on because something about it speaks to me! I was going over to the spot where I was going to take my neighbor's Family Reunion pictures to see that the lighting would be like on that day. Although her hair is messy and in her face I think that it is a beautiful picture. This is MiKaylah's 2 month old picture. It is no fair that she is getting so big so fast. In one week I will need to be taking her three month pictures.

We went to a play date where we let the kids play with the hose. My lil' Sadye is so fun! She just jumps into the fun of the activity.

MiKaylah is now smiling. She has been for weeks but you know how it is when you get behind on your blogging! ha ha

Camping Trip

For Pioneer Day we went to Mike's family property in Joes Valley. It is beautiful there and we had so much fun we are going again! I love camping! There were people from my side of the family as well as his.

This is pretty much all that MiKaylah did! That is what she always does these days! :) She actually slept through the night every night! I think that it was because I bundled her up so much for fear of her getting cold so she was perfectly snug.
Eliannah loved the stream. We couldn't keep her away. She was throwing rocks and splashing in the water.

This is our 24th of July picture! One of my favorite things to do for the 4th and 24th is to dress in red white and blue. I don't like it to be 100% uniform though. I'm just lucky to get Mike in the picture so I don't make him change.

Have you discovered these yet? The monster marshmallows that are actually 4X the side of a normal mallow? My brother-in-law, Troy, has 4 on his skewer. My dad has 1 mini. It was a really funny comparison.And here I am with my monster 'smore. Look at that sucker!And here I am eating it...or attempting to eat it! ha ha. I do have to say that it was one of the most delicious 'smores I've had in a long time.Sitting around shooting the breeze and talking. They wanted scary stories so I told one that my sister, Leah, had made up when we were kids. I scared at least 3 kids so that they wouldn't go to sleep alone, and hopefully a few more who were too proud to admit it. :) I have to admit that it took me many years to get over that story myself. I had plenty more, but I didn't share them because my Tsadakah was one of the ones that got super scared and would not leave my side. She kept saying, "I didn't like that story, mommy! That was a not nice story."

I love this picture of Eliannah in the tent after a day of swimming. She was cold and her jammies were warm from roasting in the tent, so she was snuggling with them. She just looks so pretty with those gorgeous Wilberg lashes! Sorry it's side-ways, I don't know why.

Tsadakah loved swimming too! She wanted me to get into the water with her, but it was too freezing...I got in once.

Ellie loved this doll and played with it more like a little girl than a baby. She is growing up too fast! She just loved it!

In the last wind storm six or seven trees fell over right in the middle of the designated campground so the men spent a lot of their time chopping it into firewood. I have to admit that I got carried away taking pictures of Mike doing this manly work! I just love it! I am so glad that he is a manly man who knows how to work and provide. He totally took care of us all and made sure that there was a fire and coals whenever it was time to eat!

I have an obsession for sunsets! I am so glad that I have a nice camera that can capture the beauty of the scene!

On the way home we took a very MUCH more scenic route home. It took us 3 hours longer than usual and we had to use our 4 wheel drive because it went straight up to the top of the mountain and back down. It was actually really beautiful and I wish that I had my camera handy to capture it to share. It will always be locked in my memory though. My favorite part was seeing the mountain sheep cascading down the mountain side with lush greenery and thousands of flowers that I have never seen before!

Overall it was a fantabulous trip!

Pure and Fragile Life

Lately, Michael and I have been talking about just how frail and susceptible we humans are. I think that sometimes we think that we are strong or that we have control over life and death. However, death is just a heartbeat away.

In the early part of July a friend of ours lost their 4 month old baby. Although it was sudden and devastating, the circumstances can only point to God and His presence in the situation. I was struck hard with the emotions that come with death and my way of dealing with the sorrow is to write poetry; it's my therapy.

Pure and fragile life

We're all hanging in the balance.

The veil is thin.

We forget in the day to day

How delicate life is.

Don't think of it as an accident

For there are no mistakes under heaven.

Impropriety was not yours.

We have no power to reach out and pull someone back

When the time has come for it to happen.

When all we are left with is a hole in our hearts,

Reasons seem to be hallow excuses.

"It was just his time."

And yet our faith is all that we have to hold onto;

A comfort to us when we cannot make sense of it.

Peacefully and painlessly guided into heaven,

By the hand of an angel.

His election is made sure.

His life was surely a miracle

And no doubt his call home was too.

Christ's LOVE can fill your home with comfort,

Surely you are longing for relief.

Joy can be yours again.

For it was a holy place in which God called home

One of His choicest spirits to perform his mission there.

And now he is a part of heaven's love which

Pours down upon you, filling you will warm feelings.

Love can never die.

The bond you've shared, though short,

Is an unbreakable love expanding through all eternity.

I have to kind of appologize because while writing this I was thinking of two different families deeply effected by this story. Because of that the poem is actually innacurate to details. However, I hope that the heart I put into it was felt and that they will understand why I left it that way, because I think it can touch the heart better when it is writen out of the freshest of feelings.

Love, best wishes, and lots of prayers to these families!