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Family Reunion 2012

**Warning this post is going to be super detailed so Thurm and I can remember all our plans for this reunion... just in case we ever want to do it again**

Thurm and I were in charge of his family reunion this year. He had the brilliant idea of making it a two-day competition-filled-fest to find out who the greatest of them all was.  This was the perfect plan for their family, who is the gaming-est family I know.

The whole event was worth 100 points.  50 points coming from competitions, 25 from written quizzes, and 25 from service sign-ups.  The service were things like dishes, picking up family room, taking out trash, etc.

Thurm set up twenty something competitions and tournaments separated into adult and jr. divisions:
1-Mile Run
4-Mile Run
Swim
Dive
Talent Show
Arts & Crafts
Writing
Hair and Makeup
Boggle
Backgammon
Bananagrams
Just Dance Wii
Cook-off (Main dish, Side, and Dessert)
Croquet
Bocce
Horseshoes
Obstacle course
Bean Bag Toss
 Lightening

Then he wrote five different paper quizzes. These were cool because alot of the questions and answers were about the individual family members.

Crossword puzzle
Scavenger Hunt
Movie Quote
Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader Trivia
Brain Teasers

We awarded t-shirts (pictured above) to the top 10 overall winners and the winners of the individual competitions. First place got a mug with the below design.  And 2nd and 3rd place got customized pens.
The big breakdown in the system was the service points.  There were many who weren't that competitive and just didn't do their service or I had to come ask them to do it.  That left alot of work for me, which being 8 months pregnant was exhausting.  Next time, I think we'd assign jobs by family and the parents would have to either be the task masters for their own children or do it themselves.  The other thing we would take into consideration is that the kids really just wanted to go play and swim in the canal.  I think we probably needed to do less competitions for the kids and give them alot more free time.
It was a really fun reunion, but not being very competitive myself, its probably not one I'd want to do every year.  But I think its one that will be remembered for a long time : ) It was really cool of Thurm to come up with it all and put it into action.  Thurm has such a great family and they are all are such great sports and know how to make everything fun.  It was a huge success!

This silhouette is the pose Thurm's family strikes when they win a game - it was on the mug with the words "Worlds Greatest H**** 2012"

Backgammon Tournament

Crossword Puzzle-clues involve family trivia

Arts and Craft Display--There was some really cool stuff!  This was one of my favorite competitions.  We also had the writing displayed in this room, which Thurm won.  He wrote this amazing essay about his dad called "The House that Thane Built."  

Quinn & Jens spent most of their week on the trampoline. 

Bocce

Croquet

Cook-off Prep
The cook-off was another one of my favorite events because we ate some amazingly delicious food for two days!  My grape salad won the side dish! Woohoo!  Some dishes that really stuck out were BBQ ribs and beans,  manicotti, lettuce wraps, roast chicken and vegis, quiche, red pepper pasta sauce..... so many good ones. 

Aunt Lynette teaching everyone a Zumba routine for her talent. This was hilarious seeing 50 people out on the grass doing zumba. I wish I could have heard what passing cars were saying. 

Talent Show

1-Mile Race finish line

Lightening

Bananagrams tournament

Just Dance competition

Chocolate Melting Cake Recipe

Thurm looked this recipe up a few years ago after our cruise and we've meant to make it. But we finally bought some ramekins and made it today. YUMMMY!  But we made two batches and followed the time the first time. The second time we cut it to 10-12 minutes and they were more melty and better.

Carnival Cruise Warm Chocolate Melting Cake Recipe I was just thinking about delicious warm chocolate melting cake, so I looked it up. I haven't made it yet, but it seems like a good recipe. Enjoy! 8 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 7 eggs, divided use 6 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup flour Vanilla ice cream, for serving Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt chocolate and butter; cool 10 minutes. In separate bowl, mix 4 eggs with sugar. Whisk. Add flour and whisk. Add remaining 3 eggs. Add egg mixture to chocolate mixture. Pour in individual baking cups or ramekins. Bake until just done, about 15-20 minutes (interior will be melting, not set). Serve with vanilla ice cream. Makes 8 servings. Approximate nutritional values per serving: 460 calories (64.7 percent calories from fat), 8 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 27 g sugar, 2 g dietary fiber, 35 g fat, 250 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium.

The Great Salt Lake- June 15th

We don't take advantage of having a huge body of water 15 minutes from out house very often.  Quinn wasn't a fan of getting dirty in the sand which shows he needs to get out of the house more.  We went to the marina and they were having a sailboat festival that day.  We stuck around for an hour, but never got to see any sailing.  It must have happened later in the evening.  

Quinn turned FOUR years old!

I just realized that I must have deleted Quinn's four year old birthday pictures : ( I can't find them anywhere.  We did a little birthday party for him again this year because he talked and talked about it for months before.  We just invited some neighborhood friends over for a water party and cake.  The kids played pin the party hat on a picture of Quinn, freeze dance, and hot potato.  We had sprinklers and a little pool to play in.  I made a sailboat cake that was cute in concept, but just looked like a mess when I made it.  He got lots of presents from his friends-- one of his favorites was a Chinese cookbook for kids.  He and Thurm made chinese popcorn, mango smoothy, and a chinese chicken salad all within the first couple days of getting it.  His most favorite toy however, was a camera from Grandma.  He took about 50 pictures a day. I have been so proud, he seriously got some great pictures!  I'll have to post some.

Jens is TWO years old!!!

We celebrated Jens' birthday a few days early so we could do it with cousins.  I made him a construction birthday cake--easiest cake ever. I crushed up some oreos to make a pile of dirt and got some chocolate covered nuts for boulders.  Everyone loved it.  He got a bubble gun from grandma that was a big hit and some toys from his cousins.  I think he didn't quite know what was going on, but he enjoyed himself.  

Grandma Carlsen's funeral

My dad's mom passed away this last Tuesday.  I have good memories of my grandma. Picking raspberries in her patch and then eating a huge bowl with cream and sugar after.  Eating homemade fruit leather out of the freezer in her garage.  Playing volleyball with cousins in her backyard.  As an adult she taught me how to do genealogy.  I took a trip up and tried to learn everything in two hours--at least I have a starting point.  She left a legacy of hard work and the importance of genealogy. She had cancer and was in a lot of pain, so it was a good thing she got to leave this world and see her husband.

My whole family-July 2012

Sun Valley

I can't remember what these flowers are called, but we have a bush in our backyard. The blooms only live for a couple weeks, but are so beautiful!

I love this picture!  ADORABLE little faces.  

My dad had a time share in Sun Valley, Idaho this last week that he gave to us.  He and my mom came up for two days and we stayed a few more.  On our way, we stopped to see my grandma in Rexburg. I love the Rexburg temple, so pretty.  

We went on a few "hikes" while we were in Sun Valley. They were more of nature walks, since the boys  stopped every few steps to look at a bug or pick a leaf.  

The beautiful Big Wood river with a lone fisherman.  

Awesome train bridge that was imported from OR and re-purposed as a foot/bike path.  

We had a pretty relaxing vacation-- naps every afternoon, swimming, hiking, reading, watching "cupcake wars,"  taking baths. The great thing about Sun Valley was we didn't feel like we had to go site see or do anything really.

I've been to Sun Valley a few times, but I don't know that I've ever walked through the Sun Valley lodge. It was fun to look at all the pictures they have hanging on the walls of famous people who used to frequent Sun Valley.  It had its hey-day in the 50's with Marilyn Monroe, the Kennedy's, etc.  Cool place.

On another note: Thurm calls Jens, Jensipan (pronounced like marzipan), then it morphed to Pan, then Pan Pan, etc.  So Jens started calling Thurm "daddy pan pan"  then me "mommy pan pan."  Now occasionally he'll see a dog and call it "doggy pan pan."  He also will repeat something over and over until I acknowledge it.  And not with just a "yes" or "mmmhmmm."  I have to say "Yes! its a butterfly" or whatever it is he's said. I have to repeat him word for word or he cries. Geesh!
This last week Quinn has started repeating everything Thurm and I say.  Its pretty obnoxious, but he laughs hysterically and its hard to get mad at him over it.

Happy 33rd Birthday to me!

 I turned 33 last week.  It wasn't a big deal, because somewhere along the way this year I started thinking of myself as 33, so I get to be 33 for another year : ) I was in Idaho for my b-day so it was really fun. My sister-in-law took me and her girls for pedicures and made me a chocolate cake. Yum.  My mom got me a new griddle and had a BBQ for me. My dad bought me flowers.  My nieces and Quinn made me presents, cards and treasure hunts all day.  It was a great birthday!

We had a fun week in Idaho.  I gave my sister-in-law a ride up from the airport and we had a few hours to talk, which was so nice.  Then I got our car fixed. My mom and I made a baby quilt for the new baby that is adorable.  We still need to quilt it.  Then we drove to Rupert and I took pictures for Thurm's nephew's wedding. It was a great wedding and alot of fun to photograph.  Quinn LOVES his cousins and I wish we lived closer to them.

I realized that I haven't blogged that we are having a girl. I think its because I'm doubtful we really are. I keep waiting to go to my next ultrasound at the end of the month and finding out that they made a mistake.  I'm excited though. I had a moment several weeks ago before I found out what the sex was. I realized how much I want a girl. It will be really cool to have a daughter (maybe post teenage years when we can be friends).

6 months! More than half way : ) 

Whoo hoooo! Things are growing in our backyard! 

We had a little weenie roast in our backyard for dinner last night-hot dogs, pineapple and of course marshmallows. 

I wish so bad I had an after picture of this. His marshmallow just fell off the stick, you can see it at the bottom of the picture.  He went from happy to sad in one second. funny.