a snapshot

I figure the people that read this blog know me pretty well, and probably know a lot about my family.

Today I figured I'd give you a snapshot of my extended family. Some of you know them too.

What is worth driving way too many hours with a baby who hates not being held, with traffic and fog, and then a barfing 5 year old? These people! We spent the last 4 days together, for the first time in almost exactly two years.

My little brother came home from Australia on Wednesday. After about a day of being together, it was like he'd never left. Except he says some funny words and sometimes you can hear a very slight accent.

Here is my entire family.

My parents hardly look old enough to have 5 grandkids, right? My dad has a really cool job but even after working with him for two whole summers (8/9 years ago) and him having been there for as long as I can remember, I still don't know what he does. We joke that it's a I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you type of job. Maybe it is. He's busy with that and being a Papa, and being a Stake President, and always having a few house projects going on. He's pretty handy. And he can bowl. And he's athletic.

My mom loves reading to her grandkids, and she loves purple and leopard print (and sometimes even purple leopard print). She's trained Emma so perfectly that Emma can spot those animal patterns from a mile away. She works at a dentist office and supplies me with lots of sample-sized Sensodyne. And she can dance. Boy, can she dance.

Michael comes next. He's the oldest (though I got married first). I won't give his age but he's entering a new decade in a few months. He is married to Laura and they have two kids, Jessica and Chandler. Laura's a great mom. Jessica has a song in her heart (and in her mouth) almost constantly. Chandler is a fun little boy and I'm not entirely sure he knows how to get around without running. They live in Idaho - much too far for my kids to be happy with - and I think one or two more winters there will have them crawling back to slightly warmer temperatures. At least we can hope. I must say that in high school I loved having an older brother, with cute friends, who wasn't too embarrassed of me. And being one grade apart was awesome. I highly recommend it.

Then there's me (no picture).

Next, after almost 5 years, came Carly. She's my only sister and I didn't like that we were 5 grades apart. She's the beautiful one some of my friends called "Barbie." Carly married Michael (yes, another Michael in the family) last August and they pretty much had to work around me and my due date to plan their wedding. Michael has been such a fun addition to the family, as he has a great sense of humor and plays with my kids as much as they want. Tyler informed me today that Michael is one of his favorite people. They live in Nashville and I'm hoping to go visit them before they have to leave (they're only there for another year or less). And I'm working on getting them closer to us permanently.

And last is Adam. He is and always has been so much fun. He put up with a lot being the youngest of 4, but the upside of that was that he got fed lollipops quite a bit as a baby. My last three memories of him from before he left consisted of Prop 8, Macie's funeral, and habanero peppers. When I saw him this last week I felt like I was looking at a peer. He is quite a bit taller than me and just looks so mature. He goes to school in Idaho (he will in April). My kids adore him and they broke him in fast by making him play Mario Kart with them. Adam is someone I have come to admire quite a bit these last few years. He made me so proud today in church. A real softie, that wanna-be Aussie.

One of the most fun parts was doing Just Dance 2 on our Wii. That's a good time. Now it's back to work and school and our own beds. It hurts inside that I don't have any idea when we'll all be together again, though I am quite certain it won't be two years.

There you have it - the coolest family ever. And worth all the stress to be there. :)