Grandpa Howdy and Grandma Sharon

This summer we were able to attend the Hawks family reunion with my extended family. I think every single one of my cousins was there minus my brother Andrew who was still on his mission. It was really fun to see all these cousins, especially some of the ones that I haven't seen in years. It's amazing how big this family has become - it was no small feat to get the whole group together!

Kylan and I have been talking a lot recently about how important it is to share our families stories with our girls. To show them where they come from so they can develop a strong sense of identity. Big families like this can get a little bit crazy, but that's all part of the fun!

 The reunion was based in Saratoga Springs, right on the west side of Utah Lake. We picked up these camp chair and a couple of little fishing poles for the girls to test out their fishing skills. It was one of the biggest hits of the weekend! We spent lots of hot hours down on the docks casting that little fishing pole into the water.

Grandpa Howdy has always been kind of a quiet man, he usually lets my Grandma do most of the talking. However, he certainly has his own way of showing us that he loves us and is proud of us.

Lili has been working incessantly on perfecting her cartwheel over the last couple of months. She has literally done thousands of cartwheels in her efforts to become proficient. You can imagine her excitement when she learned that my cousin Kacey is a tumbling teacher! It took her about an hour to work up the courage to ask Kacey for some help, but once she did the cartwheels never stopped!

Grandpa Howdy and Grandma Sharon with most of their great-grandkids.  

It's always a good idea to get a picture of all the grandkids, but inevitably there are one or two that aren't interested in cooperating. I guess that's what make the pictures memorable!

 I just love that my girls have had a chance to get to know their great-grandparents. I have lots of fond memories with these two both down in Richfield and when they would come up to stay with us. They have always made me feel like I'm important to them and I can see that they do the same with my girls. What a blessing it is to be connected to family like this!