Conner Reunions

These pictures cover a few small reunions in Utah and Maine. It worked out pretty well because we went out to Utah for about a week and a half to go to the Watkins reunion and hang out with Mals family for a few days. Thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation, we got to see the Conners within a week of returning from Utah! Here are some highlights of the things we did: 

We went to the Watkins Cabin near Sundance for a night and I got to introduce the Conners (and friends) to the legend of Old Man Stewart, the history of the cabin itself, and all the fun things to see around there. 

Finn and Grammy. 

Before we went on this trip, we realized Finn has been having night terrors. And while we were staying at the cabin, he had one or two. A friend of ours said that their son had them as well, and they just stuck him in a cold shower to wake him up. Leading up to this trip, we did the same thing with Finn and it seemed to work really well. He was always calm we wrapped him in a warm towel after a cold drench. So at the cabin I improvised...I stuck his little feet in this ice cold river! Let me tell you, that definitely worked! **NIGHT TERROR UPDATE** Finn hasn't had a night terror since we switched him to strictly almond milk. Thanks for the suggestion Tiff! 

We fed the horses that graze near the cabin. They are not my families unfortunately...but the owners to don't seem to care that we feed and pet them. 

Madie loved feeding them, but was a little timid around their big smacking lips. 

And we can see how much Finn loved them. 

FAST FORWARD....we are now at our house for a lobster bake. These lobsters were HUGE! Thanks again Conners for providing those. It was fun to have the Conners stay on the island for a few days and be close by. 

FAST FORWARD AGAIN...This is the following weekend and we met up with the Conners at Grammy Haskins home. I think you can literally fit 1.5 Killian heads into one of Finns. "That's a huge noggin!" (said with a Scottish accent)

We went to Baxter State Park to attempt a Mt. Katahdin hike, but got started too late. We just went a couple of miles up just to check it out. We figure that since we live here we'll get another crack at getting up there soon. 

On Sunday we headed to Hope, ME to Seth's house for another lobster bake and reunion. I love this picture of Finn and his cousin Pip.  

I really liked Seth's yard. Nice playground, lots of grass for the kids, and tons of room. We had a scare when Madies neck got nailed by that tandem swing, luckily it didn't hit her head on, otherwise we could have had a much different evening looking for an ER. Thankfully, nothing serious happened.  

But let's get real, we all know that these three guys were the main event. 

Particularly after these two! Apparently Pip did not think much of Killian because he was literally going head to head with him, then tried to sit on him. I have more photos that capture the sequence, it was pretty spectacular. 

Love at first sight. Finnand this Power Wheels Jeep. As soon as he saw it, he was trying to find a way to break in to check it out.  

Another photo op. 

One more Conner reunion before they leave Maine. Stay tuned...

It's Gone

 Madie turned 4 on Tuesday. On Wednesday I told her to please leave me be just for 30 minutes so I could get a quick nap in. That didn't happen, so when I finally figured I had already spent 20 minutes trying to nap with her coming in and offering me "tea" and asking me questions, I got up. I rubbed my tired eyes and looked at Madie who beamed up at me with a satisfied look. At first I thought she had pulled her hair back by herself.

"Wow!" I said and smiled. Then it hit me. "Oh! Madie... oh you cut your hair," I said, trying to contain my shock--and failing.

"It was getting in my eyes."

All in all I think I held it together extremely well. No crying. No scolding. (It's a good thing Mike wasn't here.) To me, hair is totally screwupable. I was sad--we've never cut her hair, not even trimmed it, but I figured, it's done now and she's got an adorable, if quite uneven, pixie out of it.

Before                                                                            After

Madie Makes 4

Our sweet Madie turned four yesterday. It is hard to believe we've been married for five years, but even harder that we've only been parents for four! I feel like I've been a mother forever--in a good way. Of course, we all have a lot to learn still, but in the mean time I think we're (mostly) having a lot of fun.

Madie, Finn, and I spent yesterday at the beach with some friends. Unfortunately I didn't realize I had my phone in my bag with me the whole time--I was mildly frustrated at the beach but extremely so when I got home and realized that I just hadn't felt in the right pocket deeply enough. Gah! So the pictures on here won't be from her actual birthday this year--of course on Friday we're having a little party with Grammy and Grampy, Aunts Kaitlyn and Eden and Uncle Ezra, and a few friends, so we'll make sure we get pictures of that.

As Madie turns four she is an excellent at bouldering and a budding rock climber. She can scramble up almost any rock face with enough hand and foot holds that she can see the top of. The only trouble is getting back down.

She is also very much interested in drawing. She likes to color, but really she wants to draw her own creations. This is so different from me as a kid. I remember loving to color, but when I drew I just felt trapped like I could only draw things I knew existed--and that can be frustrating for someone with zero drawing talent or skill. Madie, on the other hand, freehands all sorts of stuff and then tells me what it is. Maybe that's why she's so into the first chapter of The Little Prince. She is only mildly interested in the rest of it, but she'll keep telling me, "Let's go back and read about the bump." We've read that chapter five or six times. No wonder we still haven't finished the book!

She is a great big sister and has recently asked if I plan to have any more babies. There was no hinting that she'd like another sibling--it was figuratively and literally in my face. She can be hard on Finn when she plays, but she really does love him and often she'll tell me how much she loves him.

Happy birthday Sweet Pea! We love you so very much!

Watkins Family Reunion

This last week we flew out to Utah to go to a Watkins family reunion. Luckily, most of Mal's family currently lives in Utah, too! Double-lucky, half of Mal's family is coming to Maine for a couple weeks three days after we fly back home. For our family reunion, my parents rented a cabin in the mountains near Heber City, UT. I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical about the location at first. We were originally planning to meet in Durango, CO until the house we rented was sold in February. Then we scrambled to find another location that would be the most convenient for all of us. Utah seems to be the default because we all have varying degrees of family that reside here. When we drove up to the cabin and found it in the middle of an aspen grove, I was immediately impressed. I love to see and hear aspen trees. It was a great location, and we all had a lot of fun. 

Our first night in Utah was spent with Grammy Conner in Salt Lake. Madie and Finn were entertained with the fish tank. 

The next day we met up with Ty and Tiff's family in South Fork, UT.  Tiffany was feeding the Finn man. 

Finn saw the creek and was so eager to jump in the South Fork River. The lakes and streams near us in Maine are quite a bit warmer than this water. I think Fin was a bit shocked with the cold. 

Madie and Brodie played at Grandma's and were immediately playing together and laughing. 

Hannah, Grandma, and Finn enjoying outside. 

We stayed with Ty and Tiffs family at the Watkins Cabin above Sundance. I got up early to snap some photos and get my 'mountain fix'. Such a beautiful area. 

Madie, Lexi, and Kylie on the bridge behind the Watkins Cabin. 

After the Watkins Cabin, we headed up to the reunion cabin in Heber City. Madie and Brodi were setting up bear traps. 

Ty man-ing breakfast. 

On our way out to Park City, we saw a red fox. 

Madie loved playing with Sadie as well. 

Nana holding the Finn man. He was in such a great mood the whole reunion. 

Lexi loved mothering Finn. She even changed his poopy diaper!

I'm kind of surprised I don't have a picture of Madie snuggling with Tiffany, because Tiff was pretty much her favorite person while we were at the reunion. She thought Ty was pretty funny too. 

Madie tying her shoe on the front deck. 

Anybody know why the bees were dying when they went on this plant? They were all over the place. 

"Octopus in the neighborhood?!" Mal was showing her dance skills to the theme songs of Madies favorite TV shows: Dora the Explorer and The Magic School Bus. 

We went for a little hike as well. Nana, Tffany and Lexi were sporting our red reunion shirts. 

Dad and Finn. 

Snack time at the pond. 

Papa and Finn. 

Our kids loved playing with their oldest cousin Kylie!

Madie loved playing outside with her cousins. 

The kids were pretty exhausted with the time change. Finn had a particularly hard time adjusting, but was totally adjusted by the last day. Of course!

We headed up to Park City for the day and did some alpine slides. I took a video the whole ride down and she was absolutely hilarious. Whenever we went down a steep dip, Madie commented that "That tickled my bum!"

For our talent show, Papa told the story of Golden Lochen and the Three Bears in German. 

On Sunday we had a small family home evening and headed to Temple Square for a tour of the Conference Center. Madie, Sadie, and Brodi were all holding hands here. 

Finn kept studying Nana's mouth with this scowl of a look on his face for seconds at a time. He was probably wondering why she was chewing gum and he wasn't. He has some serious food jealousy issues. 

Mal and Madie at the top of the Conference Center. 

One of the best parts of going to the reunion was seeing our new niece Emily.  I'm glad we got to bless her while we were all together. 

Emily on her blessing day. 

I have some of the coolest nieces and nephews, I loved talking and playing with them. Here is a take-away from each of them that I learned while at our reunion: 

• Kylie: Taught me to use Instagram
• Lexi: Loves to mother Finn
• Claire: Was the second fastest kid in her school
• Sadie: She is such a sweet talker
• Sam: The most faithful kid to any hobby or toy I have ever seen (trains for over four years)
• Ethan: I have never met a kid that wants to be a locksmith until this summer
• Brodi: Loves to organize cards and toys in complex patterns
• Hannah: You can win her heart with Chapstick and lotion
• Emily: Very sweet baby

We are looking forward to the next one!