Happy 4th from the Wildes and Wildes

My brother Ned just moved to Portland and we celebrated the 4th of July together.

The Hillsboro Parade:

Fireworks at home:

Idaho

After Utah, we took a trip up North to visit my brother K and his family. Sonya got to meet another cousin she has never met before and this is the most chill baby I have EVER met!

The next day, we stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument.  It is a lot of desert until you arrive at the monument, then it looks much like the moon.

We happened to be there during the three weeks wild flowers bloom so there was some extra wonder to the place.

Sonya earned her Lunar Ranger award and was pretty proud.

Utah

At the end of June, we visited Utah to see family.  Sonya hadn't seen all her cousins yet and a brand new one had just been born to Desire's family.  So far, Sonya has 11 cousins on my side of the family and we hadn't met 3 of them!  This trip remedied this situation.

While we were there, we hike up Timpanogos Cave National Monument.  As Karren is pregnant, we took our time.  Sonya also wanted to be carried quite a bit, so this slowed me down as well.  Favorite quote from Sonya from this hike (to me): "This is crazy ..... pick me up!"

Here are some photos of that hike and the cave at the top:

I also went with Sonya, Ian, and Zach to the This is the Place Monument in Salt Lake City.  The kids really enjoyed it as they got to ride two trains, ride a pony, pan for gold, do a couple of crafts, and spend time with their favorite uncle/dad.

Finally, here is a photo of Sonya's newest cousin:

I think this was Sonya's favorite part of her trip, visiting her grandparents and cousins.  After this, she repeatedly asked to go back to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

My Peoples

After four years of promising, we made it down to Arizona to visit Karren's Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bobby. Sonya immediately felt comfortable and took their hand. She would ask every morning, "Where are my peoples?" It wasn't until we returned home that she began calling them by name.

We spent an enjoyable three days visiting with them. They treated us to a dinner cruise on the Dolly Steamboat on Saturday, which was gorgeous!  What's better than great company in gorgeous scenery?

Sunday was very relaxed.  We spent the morning going to church and the rest of the day conversing with our hosts.  Karren made us a delicious meal and Shauna, a good friend of mine from my freshman year of college, joined us to consume the feast.  It was great catching up with her and eating Karren's scrumptious food.

Thank you Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bobby!  We will have to get together again soon.

Grandpa and Grandma Wilde's 60th Wedding Anniversary

Grandpa and Grandma (Ken and Elaine Wilde) have been married 60 years! To celebrate the occasion, we threw a party for them on August 7th in Aunt Ilene's backyard. To this point, they have themselves, 7 kids, 24 grand kids, 8 great grand kids and 3 more on the way.  This doesn't even count the wonderful people that married into the family.

39 people showed up to celebrate with them!

The younger grandkids and great grandkids played together.

Distant (in miles) cousins and nieces/nephews/uncles/aunts were reacquainted.

Excellent food (prepared by my gorgeous and very talented wife and Aunt Ilene) was consumed.

In all, it was an excellent time together, one that all will cherish.

The Trip Home

After 8 weeks of vacationing, we had to return home so I could begin work on Monday (two days ago). We decided to take the northern Montana route instead of the southern Idaho route. The time was almost identical and this choice was more scenic. This allowed us to stop at another national monument, Grant-Kohrs Ranch. I think Sonya enjoyed the Smokey the Bear binoculars given to her by the Forest Ranger best at this stop.

Chosing this route also allowed us to stop at my grandparents museum in Polson, Montana. I haven't been there since well before my mission in 1997. It was great to spend the evening with them and let them get to know Sonya and Karren a little more.



Now I am home and back to the grind. Only 6 2/3 years until I am eligible for my next sabbatical .... sigh!

Visiting More Family and Golden Spike National Historic Site

A week ago Monday, we had a really fun visit with Grandma Woffinden and Sonya had a blast with her dolls. Sonya has really become a girly girl and so she just loves Grandma Woff's doll collection.


A week ago, we headed north to Yellowstone but stopped on the way at Golden Spike National Historic Site and at Uncle K's.
Pictured here is a replica of one of the trains present during the ceremony in 1869:

and Karren and Sonya placing a chocolate Golden Spike in the exact location where the actual Golden Spike was inserted:


Sonya really loved her Uncle K, almost as much as Uncle Bon. In fact, she kept calling him Uncle Bon. Uncle K's house is now one of the locations Sonya asks to visit (Grandma's house (for any number of Grandparent's houses: Wilde, Mangels, Woffinden, Glee, Doris), Sonya's house (for home), Sydney's mom's house (for the Barkers), and now Uncle K's house).

Sunday Family Time

On Sunday, all my local brothers and sisters came over along with their children. Sonya got to see all eight of her living cousins (three are on the way via K, Ned, and Becky). Karren made a gluten free dinner to accomodate my mom and Shannon's allergies and the kids played hard together.

On the play structure with Ashton, Ian, Jaime, Sonya, and Sage:


Sonya and Ian:


Ring Around the Rosies with Uncle Bon is always a favorite! Here he plays with the 5 youngest (Ashton, Seth, Sonya, Talia, and Zach).



The respective eldest children of each family: Sonya (Cameron), Ian (Ned), Sage (Becky), and Jaime (Desire).

Spending time in Utah

We left nice and early to travel to Utah on Monday. The trip was long and Sonya was tired of driving half way there. She kept asking for Grandma's house and Sonya's house. We stopped in the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and played in the museum.



Since arriving in Utah, we have spent lots of time with the family.