Rackham Family Reunion, Part 1

On Thursday last week we packed up our car and started our trek to South Dakota for (drumroll, please...) the Rackham Family Reunion! Yay! This has been 4 years in the making, so we were really excited for the chance to see my extended family all together. Well, I was excited, at least. :)

We were on the road by 8am (quite the feat for us, by the way) and on our way through Spanish Fork Canyon when a huge storm hit. It was pouring down rain all through the twisty canyon. The heavy rain turned into hail, which packed the roads so much we couldn't change lanes. We figured this was one of the rare times when it's actually desirable to be stuck behind a big fat semi truck--it plowed through the hail and made a path for us. As we made it through the storm about two hours later, we saw a pair of bicyclist riding the opposite direction. Right into the terrible storm. Bless their stupid--but healthy--little hearts.

We were able to make good time to Silverthorne, CO, where Ben's uncle Todd has his dentistry practice. He cleared his afternoon for us and checked our teeth. Phebe's looked great, Ben's OK (just one small cavity), and mine... Well, I had 3 cavities. Blurg. It took 4 shots of Novacain before I couldn't fill the drilling. (Ben opted out of the shots. Show off.) Anyway, we were really grateful Uncle Todd took the time to check our teeth.

After that we headed down the mountain pass to Denver. We learned that rush hour traffic with Coloradoans is an adventure. When they need to change lanes, they just turn on the blinker and go for it. None of this checking your mirrors to see if it's clear garbage. And icy roads? No big deal. (Sidenote: I would gladly exchange this for the bad habits of drivers in a certain other state that starts with a U. That is all.) Once we got down the mountain, we found our way to Littleton and stayed with our cousins, Charlotte and Chris, and their children Evelyn (almost 3) and Heber (just turned 1). Phebe was overjoyed to be out of the car and playing with little people her size. She tires of us quickly these days.

The next morning we drove to Rapid City, SD, where my family would be staying for the weekend. I don't recall much about the trip, just that there were lots of long stretches of open road, and that South Dakota was much prettier than I thought it would be. Honestly, I thought all the nature there was gorgeous. We met up with our family for a picnic that night, and then went to bed to get ready for the big day with the Big Heads.

We call Mount Rushmore the Big Heads because when I was trying to describe the monument to her, all she seemed to get out of it was, "I see Big Heads!" Nice. We met at the entrance of the park and took a big group shot. Then we all split up and did our own things.

(Almost) the whole Rackham Family. 


This is the Hall of Flags that leads up to the trail going around the monument.


John got his picture taken by the Hawaii pillar and Phebe rushed in to stand by him, so we did the same thing for the Utah pillar. Too bad this is the best picture Phebe gave us!



John and Phebe were BFFs the whole time we were there, holding hands every step of the way.




Grandpa Brenner was their favorite tour guide.


Phebe also liked catching a ride with Uncle Jared.

Here are the Big Heads: Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.

While we were cruising around the trail, we discovered a secret 5th head on there... You Know Who!

The funny picture.

The cute picture. 

After we saw all that we could, and chased the kiddos around, we ate at the cafe in the park, the same one Cary Grant did in North by Northwest. Phebe decided to make a mustache out of the whipped cream that came with dessert:

When we were done with lunch, we went back to the hotel for some much needed naps (I was by far the grouchiest of the three of us) and then prepared for the Rackham Family Game Tournament. We started with Mexican Train Dominoes. Ben represented for the Tolmans and made it the final round, which was played the next day. 

Part 2, coming up next!

Rackham Family Reunion, Part 2

On Sunday, we went to Church in the Mount Rushmore Ward. We came home for snacks and naps, and finished up the dominoes tournament. Our cousin Dallin took the trophy. However, the Brenners did represent in the cribbage tournament later on. When that was done, we met up for a picnic with the whole Rackham family. It was great hearing my grandparents reminisce and share stories from our family's history. When I grow up I hope I turn out just like them. 

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's hotel and held the cribbage tournament, and played more dominoes and Killer Bunnies. Emma and Grandpa Rackham played each other for the championship, and she won! Grandpa is the best cribbage player in the history of the world, but Emma beat him that night. It was pretty intense! I'm looking forward to the tournament next time. Most of the family had to leave Sunday night and Monday morning, so we said our goodbyes to them Sunday night. It's always so sad to leave family.

The next morning, the Brenner clan when to a place called Old MacDonald's Petting Farm. Lots and lots of fun was had by all: petting the baby animals, feeding them bottles, riding the train, watching the pig races, getting pony rides, chasing roosters and turkeys, tickling cousins... We were pretty beat when we were all done.

We met up with the rest of the Rackhams who hadn't left yet and had lunch together. It was late and Phebe was grouchy so we made a hasty exit when the meal was done and headed back to the hotel for naps. When we woke up we went to my grandparents hotel with a fancy indoor water park. I didn't take any pictures there, but we all had fun. By the end of it, Phebe was jumping into the water saying, "I'm like a fish!" and pulling herself around the floor of the wading pool. We'll have to get her into swimming lessons soon. Sigh... they grow up so fast. After swimming we said our goodbyes to my grandparents and headed back to our hotel to pack up.

We all hung out in our rooms together. The cousins got a bath together and stayed up way too late playing together. I think Phebe and John miss each other a lot because when John saw me early the next morning he asked where Phebe was, and the first thing Phebe asked when she woke up was, "Where's John?" Thank goodness for Skype.

Tuesday morning we started our trip back to Denver. We spend the night there again at Charlotte and Chris's home, and spent a great evening talking and hanging out with them. Thanks for putting us up, you guys! We love you! The next day we made it back home to Utah. Long drive. Glad that part's over.

All in all, a long trip made worthwhile be being with people we love. See you Rackhams at the next one!

In Other (Sad) News

About two weeks ago I had a miscarriage. It has been really tough to deal with, but we are getting by one day at a time. Sometimes I wonder how much more we'll have to go through before things get any better.

I was 9 weeks along. I was a little sick when we first found out about the pregnancy, but not as sick as I was with Phebe. This was my first clue that things weren't right. With Phebe I was sick for pretty much 4 months solid. This time, not so much. Hardly at all, in fact. Despite that, it was still really hard to hear my midwife explain to us that the ultrasound showed nothing had developed--we had gone in because I had been cramping and bleeding for the previous three days. Lots and lots of crying on the way home.

Around 11 o'clock that night I started bleeding too much and had to go to the ER. The people who took care of me were great. Ben was there holding my hand the whole time. They gave me an IV bag of fluids (with some great painkillers), did an exam, and after a few hours said I was OK to go home with the provision that I stay in bed for the next two days. So I did. Many thanks to my mother-in-law for coming to our home in the middle of the night to be with Phebe, and for taking care of her later that week.

Then, we left for our long trip to Mount Rushmore. The drive was beautiful. All of the big puffy cumulus clouds looked like babies, though. I think they will for a long time.

Easter

Well, we had a fun-filled Easter weekend. Saturday morning, after seeing what the Easter Bunny brought us (he comes on Saturdays to our house--we have a special deal with him), we went to our city's Easter egg hunt. It was about what one would expect from a free event for the public. It was crowded, busy, and over in about 10 seconds. As you can see below, Phebe didn't care about any of that. She had a fun time.

(Side story: There were signs posted all over the place clearly stating the limit was 4 eggs per child. I can't even tell you how many kids had baskets overflowing with eggs while some kids had none. I suppose kids will be kids, and that this isn't too big a deal. That would be true if I hadn't seen the parents of those egg-grubbing kids feverishly going through all the eggs to see if they had won any prizes. Apparently there were some big ticket items up for grabs, and those parents were bound and determined to win something, no matter the cost. Sheesh. I mean, really--what are you teaching your kids by doing that?! I was appalled by the whole scene. We're not going again. Rant over.)

Sunday we went to church and then to Grandma and Grandpa Tolman's house for family dinner and an Easter egg hunt over there. Phebe wore her new Easter dress all day long. I put her hair in sponge curlers the night before, and she was a good sport about it, but her hair didn't quite turn out the way I had envisioned. Oh well--I have plenty more chances to work on my technique because she insists on having them in her hair if she sees them out. Here she is before church:

And here she is hunting for eggs in the Tolmans backyard:

I was only able to convince her to take the dress off when her cousins started doing bubbles. She might love bubbles more than dresses. Actually right now she loves candy more than anything. We're trying to eat up those treats quickly. Sometimes parents have to make a lot of sacrifices. :)

We had a wonderful weekend, and hope you did too!

From the Mouth of Our Babe

It's been awhile. Let's get caught up by sharing some the funny things Phebe has said since our last post.

• "I move chair!" This was Phebe's very enthusiastic response when I asked if she wanted to make muffins (also known as "mupples" at our house) with Mom.
• "Circles! Five!" We were coloring and she made circles for the first time. I praised her for it, and she demanded a high five.
• "I pour milk." Phebe helped Grandma Brenner make frosting for Grandpa's birthday cake. When Grandma left the counter to answer the phone, Phebe decided to help pour the milk... half a gallon, all over the floor. But to be fair, she did announce what she was going to do.
• "Hi, Santa Claus!" This was something she said a lot around Christmastime--anyone with white hair and/or a white beard was Santa. The most awesome of these sightings actually took place in church in Alaska. A wonderfully nice, older woman with beautiful white hair was speaking. She just happened to be wearing a red sweater with a white scarf. 
• "Eat lunch." This is the answer to her own question: Where'd the squirrel/puppy/moose go? Obviously, they're out for lunch. This started after we saw two moose eating in Mom and Dad's neighborhood.
• "Please." I asked her to do something but forgot the magic word, and she reminded me of it with an emphatic please. The look on her face was priceless. "Seriously, Mom, you're not going to use your nice words?"
• "Try it." Usually said when Phebe shoves food in my mouth. Guess she's heard that a lot.
• "Do it self." I mostly hear this when Phebe wants to do something without my help, but I'll also hear it when she thinks I should do what I just asked her to do.
• "I princess." I have no idea where this came from, but she'll spin around in circles and say "I princess!" What's even funnier is when she wants me to spin around with her she points at me very authoritatively says, "Mommy! Princess!" 
• "I want cheese Gromit." We hear this when she wants to eat cheese, or when she wants to watch Wallace & Gromit. 
• "I need cake," and "I need present." We heard this a lot after Phebe's birthday, after which she informed me, "I big now." Sigh... Yes, Phebe girl, you are. 

Too Cool For Skool

Playing a developmental game. "Putting stuff in a pop bottle".

Phebe's Adventure Of The Day

Today...

Mom's Couch and Crayon (fun) any ideas on how to get it out?

Phebe Ink.

Yesterday's Adventure... Currently still missing two keys. LOL!

Note from Megan: Ben posted these for me while I was out. He forgot to mention the other adventure yesterday involving a call to Poison Control. Yes, you read that right. While in her carseat, Phebe decided to take the flower out of her hair and taste it. When Ben got her out of the back, he noticed a bite taken out of one of the petals. And since he couldn't find the missing piece, he had to make the call. "Hello, my daughter just ate craft foam." Sigh... Somedays it's a miracle she's still alive!