Josh and Dustin-the Big Boy Cousins

Trey really, really looked up to his "Big Boy Cousins" Josh and Dustin. These two young men were the kindest boys to Trey. Whenever Trey would run past them, for whatever reason, they would always stick their hands out to give him a "high five" or give him pounds with their knuckles. Such sweet guys; something I hope Trey and Tian will be. If Trey and Tian grow up ANYTHING like these two great guys, I will be extremely proud and grateful!

Thank you Josh and Dustin for being a wonderful example for our little Trey-Man to follow!

Josh and Trey
Dustin and Trey

Jumprope

7.30.09
Jump rope was all the rage at the Ricks Family Reunion. Aunt Megan led the group with double dutch, and each child tried to enter the maze of jump ropes! I took the challenge, beginners luck I think, I got right in!

Family Dinner

7.29.09

Our Family was in charge of dinner for the reunion on Wednesday night! Christina and my mother-in-law Marie were in charge of enchiladas (Christina made a spicy, veggie enchilada and Marie made one with meat!), James and Megan made salad, and Justin and I made rice krispy treats (one of the Bledsoe favorites.). I got a killer deal on marshmallows and butter a few weeks prior to the reunion, so we took all the fixings for 6 9x13 pans of rice krispies! AND, they were all eaten!!! (this was a first to make them in the microwave! So much easier then stovetop in my opinion! A tip from my mother-in-law. My sister-in-law Christina told me to use more butter then what it calls for. Another WONDERFUL tip!)

Geocaching in Cali

Justin was in charge of a GPS Geocache hunt for the family reunion. Tian was taking his first morning nap and so I watched as everyone went their separate ways.

Justin giving the directions to the Geocaches he hid the night before!

Trey sitting next to his cousins Katie (in pink) and Jaide (in the BYU shirt and khaki hat!)
Tyson up for the Geocache challenge


Trey forever interupting Justin's instructions. He kept shouting out where Justin hid the caches.
Trey's pouty face after I told him he needed to be quiet!

Cali Hike in the A.M.

7.29.09
The boys were up and at 'em bright and early. So, we took them on a walk with Grandpa Larry behind our ranch around the lake. We ran into wild blackberries, some wildlife, and warm weather. For 8:30 am, it was smokin'!










I had told Trey the night before about Dehydration. Trey has a tendency to run and run and run and forgets about eating and drinking. Because the weather is so hot and I knew Trey would be playing nonstop, I told him he needed to drink tons of water, OR he would get Dehydrated. Prior to leaving for our walk, Trey said he was thirsty and needed a drink. Justin said, "We wont be gone for long Trey," and thought we didn't need to bring a water bottle. We heard, "I'm thirsty. I'm very, VERY thirsty. I need a drink, I am so thirsty." And finally, the kicker was, "Mom, I am so thirsty. I am dehydrated." A lesson learned, when this boy says he is thirsty, get the man a drink will 'ya?!






(the faces of Dehydration.)
We got back from our little hike and Trey drank, and drank, and drank.

Basketball with Jaide

7.30.09

As Justin hid the caches for our family Geocaching adventure, Trey and his new cousin Jaide played basketball! They have never met before, but you would never know it! They loved playing with eachother! In fact, when Trey was at the Shasta Lake Dam, Jaide was pretty upset. She was wanting to play with him! While Justin was in the bushes hiding the caches, a herd of bucks ran across the ranch's dirt road.

If they weren't related, I would definitely try to hook them up! They are just too cute together!

Trey's determined look as he ran for the ball. I think this picture makes him look so tall.

Nightly Games

7.28.09
The Ricks/Bledsoe Family are WAY into games. The first evening was packed with games for the whole family.

One game Trey really got into was the Foot Game. A large Sheet was held up and the men stood behind the sheet. All of the children had to look at the feet and find their Dad's! I was in the middle of helping Tian when the game began, and when I returned, Trey was standing so proudly in front of Justin's feet! I was shocked. I couldn't BELIEVE he found Justin's feet! Then, Justin's mom reminded me of Justin's "special" ankle. I wont go into detail, but one of Justin's ankle has something very specific about it! (don't worry, it's not a birth defect or anything!) Needless to say, Trey chose Justin's feet out of many men; and I was proud of him!!!

Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ray

We were fortunate to share a home at the family reunion with Uncle Ray and his wife Aunt Kathy. They have raised SIX boys and are truly inspirational people! Kathy has battled Breast Cancer and handles her health "speed bumps" with such class, strength and courage. (In fact, she is on some medicine at the moment which makes the bottom of her feet feel like they are on fire. And what does she do: She hiked through some caves and barely sat the entire reunion. AMAZING!) I look up to Kathy in every which way. She is an extraordinary example to me.

Uncle Ray is really into cycling, and it just so happened that Justin took his bike to the family reunion. Justin and Ray took a few morning rides which Justin really enjoyed. Me, not so much; only because Trey and Tian were very early risers and keeping them quiet for the rest of the sleeping guests was a bit of a challenge.


While Justin was out on one of his bike rides, there was one incident, occurring on the second to the last day of the reunion that really tested my patience. It happened while I was showering with Trey, who was complaining the entire time that he couldn't feel the water, and Tian, tugging at my slippery legs from outside of the shower. He too wanted in the shower, and was screaming at me to pick him up. He had already taken a bath that morning and was neatly dressed in what was now very soaking wet clothes. After Justin and Ray got back from their bike ride, Justin took the boys so I could finish getting ready. (he IS a very sweet and loving, thoughtful and kind father and husband.) As I was getting ready, Kathy walked by me, could tell I was a bit frustrated, and gave me some of the best advice. She too has been in my shoes and knew exactly how I was feeling. I will forever cherish our little heart to heart!

I caught a sweet glimpse of true love coming from these two. While waiting for a meal to begin, I witnessed Ray and Kathy stealing a sweet hug from each other. Heaven's knows what they have been through as a family; to see them fighting together throughout every life's speed bumps is a faith builder for sure!

We love these two!




Tian with Aunt Kathy

Grandmother and Grandfather Ricks

Aunt Megan with Grandfather Ricks

Getting two restless boys to pose for a picture with Grandfather Ricks is quite difficult. As I was looking at Grandfather Ricks one evening, something about him reminded me a lot of Tian. It was his big, blue, expressive eyes. I have always wondered where Tian got his big blue eyes from (obviously the color is from both me and Justin, but the shape of them is very different then ours!), now I know where: Grandfather Ricks. As the week went on, I often fed Tian around the same time Grandmother Ricks was eating. Usually, Grandfather would eat beside her. I was feeding Tian an avocado at the time and Grandfather said, "Tian got THAT from me as well." I asked him, "What?" And he said, "Avocadoes. I love them!" So sweet!

Grandmother Ricks






Grandfather Ricks had a recent BIG birthday, so we celebrated with a birthday cake!



Grandfather Ricks has many stories memorized that he still loves to tell. He was quite the entertainer. Trey loved listening to his stories. One story was about a "Potato Bug" which we call "Rollie-Pollies." Trey ran up to Grandfather Ricks and said, "Grandpa, they are called Rollie-Pollies!" Smarty Pants that Trey-man is!

Coram Ranch @ Shasta Lake

7.28.09
The Ricks Family Reunion took place at Coram Ranch in Northern California. Coram Ranch was located across the Shasta Dam down a very dirt road. The Ranch was close to the Sacramento River and Shasta Lake, in a very secluded region. So secluded, we had have special permission to cross the Dam! Traveling across the Shasta Dam, the Dam Guard looked at our license plates and said, "Idaho huh? Well, welcome to the heat. It is 115 degrees today!" Justin's father actually got a picture of his temperature gauge in his car, which actually read 116 degrees!




Each family got their own room or house, depending on how large their family was. Our little family of four stayed in a room that had two queen beds and one closet large enough to house Tian's Pack-n-Play!




Tian didn't seem to mind his little cave at all. I was a bit nervous he was getting too toasty in his bed, but thankfully the swamp cooler for our home was right outside our door!

***Also, I am proud to say Tian stayed to his sleep and nap schedule like a champ throughout our whole family reunion. Justin and I did miss out on a few activities due to Tian napping, (we brought the baby monitor, but reception can only transmit so far) but we chose to have a happy baby over having some family fun. I guess those are the joys and pains of motherhood!***