Bromley Family Reunion 2007

We had so much fun at Aspen Grove! It is a really fun family camp that is run by BYU alumni and students. The kids all had their own groups and we had quite a bit of family time, too. They did all of the cooking, had activities throughout the day, offered "daycare" for kids 0-2 years old, and even had guest speakers, a fireside, church meetings on Sunday, and a family talent show - where I thoroughly embarrassed myself, but we had a great time! I have SO many cute pictures from the reunion. I will try to narrow them down. I have them all on the snapfish.com album, so look there for the rest.

More Family Reunion Pictures...

Okay, I couldn't resist just a few more... there are SO many!

Road Trip!!!

Jackson & I decided to take a road trip this summer and hit some family reunions. We couldn't afford to fly, so this was our only option. And to cut down on costs and make it more fun (and safe), Maddie & Tiffany came with us. Jackson and I loaded up the day before to spend some time with Grandma & Grandpa Ussery in Portland. The next morning, we picked up Maddie & Tiffany at the train station and continued on our way. (They took the Amtrak train from Seattle to Portland.) We drove straight through from Portland to the bay area in California. We were there for a couple of days to help celebrate our Grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. Being a single parent is tough! I'm glad Tiffany and I were together to help each other, especially in the car when the babies needed something and I was driving - she was the designated "get the babies whatever they want" go-to person and I did all of the driving. There were times when one of us needed to use the restroom... again, very handy to have an extra person to help out. And then the art of taking a shower when you have not coordinated with your child's nap... SO nice to be able to trade off with each others' kids.

Our car was packed, but the kids mostly slept at the same time (a HUGE blessing!) and did EXTREMELY well in the car. From the bay area, we travelled 2 1/2 hours to our Aunt Lisa's house in the Sacramento area, in an attempt to get some of the long drive the next day to Salt Lake City out of the way. We were so glad that we did because it was a very long & boring drive through the Nevada desert! We only stopped for gas and used those stops to change the babies & grab some snacks to keep us going.

We made pretty good time and the kids were SO good! I think all 4 of us were glad to finally be there and unload and relax a little. We stayed with the Jones family and their 6 kids spoiled ours. Then we went to our Aunt Karen's house and stayed there for a few days until our Bromley/Pugmire family reunion started at Aspen Grove Family Camp, just outside of Provo - by Sundance. We had such a great time! The kids loved playing with Natalie (Karen's little girl) and all of the other cousins at the reunion. By the time we were ready to drive back to La Grande, I was about done being a single parent. We had been gone for a VERY long time! Luckily, Parker did get to fly in for a weekend and spend a little time with us at the beginning of the reunion. We missed him and were ready to sleep in our own beds again!!

I'm posting a few pictures of our messy car. I can't say enough how good the kids were... we were such proud Moms!!

Visiting Daddy in Enterprise, OR

Parker was put up in a hotel in Enterprise (about 45 minutes from our house) and assigned to a project for their local NRCS field office. We were lucky enough to be able to spend a few days with him in between trips! For those who know some history, this is the Nez Perce Tribe's native land and Chief Joseph is buried here as well. The town of Joseph is so much fun. There are little shops and restaurants and cafes along the way. During Chief Joseph Days in the summer, it is packed... people make reservations up to a year in advance. At the top of Hwy 82 (which travels through all of these little towns) is Wallowa Lake. It was pretty low this year. Jackson and I didn't go quite that far... we just enjoyed the swimming pool at the hotel. Jackson LOVES to swim! He is a little fishy!! He looks like a frog when he kicks in the water, the way his legs go out and back in. It's pretty funny to watch him. And he thinks it's hilarious to splash Mommy & Daddy. It's been so much fun going trying some of the little restaurants and cafes here and spending so much time with Daddy.