Visit With The Reynolds

While our young missionaries don’t have the option to travel home for special occasions, we ‘senior missionaries’ do!  Our mission leaders flew to California for a son’s wedding.  Hermana VanAlfen went to Utah when their only daughter had her first baby.  The Nye’s returned to Idaho for their daughter’s wedding.  It was my turn in October when I flew to Washington DC to be there when Mary and Mark’s youngest was sealed to them in the DC Temple.  

Trevor Jake Reynolds

Jake was my Daddy’s name.  

The day at the temple was the reason for the visit.

Families can be together forever!

George’s sister Karen, me,  Mark’s mom Jan, the cute family, Mark’s sister Amanda and Mary’s cousin Mindi.  Mary and Mindi had been friends for several years before they discovered that they were 2nd cousins.. 

Happy Grandma!  Next time I hope someone reminds me that my glasses get dark in the sun.  Looks like I am hiding from the paparazzi!

In addition to the temple, we enjoyed the park.

Cool shadow photo

The National Zoo

Fun on the carousel!

And plenty of play time at home!

Jackson is pretty good at sharing his toys with little brother.

As long as he is in charge!

The truck that Trevor is sitting on was mine when I was a little girl.  

And I had plenty of opportunities to eat all the American fast food I had been missing.  Wendy’s,  Chick-Fil-A, and Cafe Rio!

When I flew to DC my suitcase was almost empty but not so on the way back.

Lots of Amazon orders and shopping for food we can’t get in Peru, like brown sugar, canned pumpkin, taco sauce, dry mustard, Dijon mustard, zip lock bags……

I flew back to Peru with a 50 pound bag and a carry-on that I could barely lift.  I bought enough new clothes to keep me happy for the next year.  Since the weather doesn’t change much in Piura, you don’t have seasonal clothes changes and I was tired of my clothes already.  Now I just need to ration them out over the next 10 months.

I am happy I got to be there for shoppping and fast food but 

I am thrilled that I got to be there to enjoy such a special time with this darling child.

Aruba! Jamaica! Ooh I Want to Take Ya

 For years I have wanted to go to Jamaica.  George went there with his family after his graduation from high school in 1968.  For part of the time they stayed on Negril Beach which was then '7 miles of white sand beach with one small hotel and two bungalows.' Now that white sand beach is lined with hotels.

I guess that is progress!

Our son-in-law Mark served his mission in Jamaica. 

I was so excited that our cruise ship would be stopping there.

We docked at Falmouth and enjoyed a rafting  excursion on the Martha Brae River.  

The rafts are 30 feet long and are exactly the same as those once used to transport goods from the plantations to the port.

The scenery is a lush tropical paradise.

Our 'dispatcher' was over 60 years old and had been on the river for more than 30 years.

Most of the young guys quickly passed us by but he didn't mind.  He just chuckled and said that they were all hoping to get another guide job on the river today but they couldn't go back to the starting spot until he arrived anyway!

The very relaxed trip didn't bother us at all.

Why rush when you are on vacation.

Slow down and enjoy the beauty.

Enterprising locals had set up small 'stores' along the bank just in case you wanted to stop and shop.

I didn't buy anything until we got to the end.  Wahoo!   They had Dr. Pepper and I quickly got one before I asked how much they were.  $5 for the can.  Oh well, it did taste great!

George enjoyed some $11 ice cream at a place ranked by National Geographic as the 4th Best Ice Cream in the world.  We could both hear Grandpa Lewis saying, "You should be able to buy 3 gallons for that price."

In case you are wondering how the river got its name well....there is a legend of an old Arawak 

 witch (Arawak are indigenous Caribbeans - they are the ones that first encountered Christopher Columbus) who lived on the banks of the river Matibereon.   Having heard tales of Arawak gold, Spanish treasure hunters captured the witch and tortured her to lead them to the treasure.  Pretending to comply, she led them to a cave, then suddenly disappeared.  Frightened, the Spaniards ran out of the cave only to be engulfed by the river.  The witch then changed the course of the river forever.  Supposedly the gold is still hidden somewhere near the river.  I'm still fuzzy on how the Matibereon River became the Martha Brae!

Such a fun day in Jamaica!

Christmas Traditions

 Christmas traditions are important to me.  That's probably one reason that I have a ridiculous number of Christmas decorations.  Some of them my Grandma Boyle made before I was born, others I remember from my childhood, still more from the time when we had little kids plus so many from our trips. I collect nativity scenes and also try to get a tree ornament at each destination. I love them and find joy each year when I get them out.

Traditions of things that we 'do' are even more important.  During my growing up years, all of my Daddy's family came to our house for Christmas Eve.  First we went to our different churches for a Christmas Eve service and then all my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents came to our house for eggnog and good food.A few years  after I was married the electricity went out during the party.  Unsure what to do with a crowd in a dark house, a new tradition of singing Christmas carols together was born!  Funniest of all, we sang 'The Twelve Days of Christmas" with different people taking each verse.  My Daddy's sister, Maudie, always sang, '3 French hens' and although she could not carry a tune, she was quick to laugh at herself and that just added to the fun. After Maudie passed away, we never sang again because it was just too painful. George and I did renew this tradition when we lived in Spain by inviting all our friends over for food and carol singing on Christmas Eve.  

Our George Lewis family traditions have evolved over the years.  When the kids were little, we acted out the nativity story and also read 'The Polar Express' and of course left out cookies and milk for Santa. 

Our children all have sweet memories of first Grandpa Walt Lewis and now Grandpa George Lewis reciting the Harrison R Merril Poem

'Christmas Eve on the Desert" 

They remember all the years as little children when they didn't understand the poem at all and just felt anxious for the evening to end so Santa could come.  When they were teenagers, the beauty of the poem and the tender sentiments expressed became clear. Now it is a treasured reading every Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning we open gifts one person at a time. I love this because then you get to see the reactions as special gifts are opened.  When it is a free for all, you miss seeing the recipients delight.

Now that we have adult children and grandchildren, traditions have evolved and we seem to have hit upon the perfect mix for this stage of life.

This year I loved listening to 9 year old Isabella anticipate the Christmas traditions.  Her excitement about the games and food made all the work that goes into making this holiday special well worth the time and effort!

Christmas Eve starts with ornament making.  Every year since 2011, we have made ornaments. You can see them on our tree in this photo of Matt and Cady and their cute dogs, Millie and Baby Dog.  The boys do occasionally grumble about 'crafts' but they are good sports and make one each year!

Games are next on the agenda!  From a marshmallow toss to Christmas Tree Cup Stack to mini golf, they are all so fun.  This year we added 'Oregon Trail' and 'Left, Right, Center' to the mix.

Monica won the grand prize for the "Left, Right, Center" game and promptly gave the $24 to Isabella.

Our competitive Isabella really wanted to win the big games competition. (Although the $24 did make her happy too)  She always does want to win any game she plays but this year she really, really did.  Last year Cady suggested that I buy a trophy to pass around to the winner each year.  And I did.

Isabella coveted that trophy.

We had a Christmas miracle.

I won the game competition!

First time ever!

Isabella really did not think this was fair since I bought the trophy!

After all these years, I finally won so I am keeping it for the year.

This might be the only time I ever win.  George had the handicap of a cast on his arm.  Matt was having severe back pain. And Johnny missed the games because he was working.  Scott came in a close 2nd.

This was MY year!

Game traditions!  Ornament making traditions!  And of course food traditions!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup with sandwich fixings....

And the oh so important to Isabella, chocolate fountain....

Her favorite thing to drizzle with chocolate -  the angel food cake!

I agree!

Christmas morning - It's all about the presents and the food again.

Breakfast pizza and cinnamon rolls!

 I made the comment that since everyone loves these two items so much, I should make them more often.

Interestingly the consensus was that I shouldn't.  They like them being special for Christmas morning.

Before and after breakfast we opened presents.

There were a lot of very thoughtful ones!

Not the most important part of Christmas but still so fun!

By the end of the festivities I felt like I should have been wearing Matt's hat.

But I would need it to say

'Tired but oh so happy!'

Next year we will be enjoying Christmas in Peru and trying to make it special for over 100 missionaries who are also far from home.

I can hardly wait!

But I will really miss all these faces!

Christmas In West Virginia

 I gave Mary a sweatshirt for Christmas that said, "Life is better with my boys".  I think she would agree that Christmas is better with her boys.  Jackson, Mark and the new little foster baby!  The baby's birth mother's parental rights were terminated a few weeks ago so it appears that he will become a permanent part of our family.  I couldn't be happier! Hopefully before too long we can share his cute face on social media.

Poor little guy had RSV for Christmas.  His fever finally broke and the meds helped so I think he did enjoy the excitement.

The Reynolds family has the tradition of going out to eat on Christmas Eve.  I love that these boys have so many Reynolds cousins plus a Nana and aunts and uncles on that side of the family.

Back at home Jackson carefully lined up carrots to lead Santa's reindeer to his house. Pretty smart!

And laid out more carrots and a cookie for the jolly old gentleman himself!

From the looks of their living room, the carrots worked and toys were in abundance!

Jackson is following in his Uncle Johnny's footsteps with a love of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Uncle Johnny even parted with his vintage hat from the 1st Turtle Movie.

That is quite a sacrifice.  Johnny's had that hat since he was 5 years old and went to see the movie - way back in 1990.

"HEROES IN A HALF-SHELL!  TURTLE POWER!"

Mary spends a lot of time playing games with Jackson.

I hope he enjoys the Mousetrap game and that it isn't too frustrating.

Mary reports that Jackson's favorite toy is his racetrack.

It does look amazing and like something he and Daddy will enjoy together.  

When we can't be together for Christmas, I am so thankful for a thoughtful son-in-law and daughter who share lots of photos.  And for Facetime so I can almost feel like I am there.

Father's Day 2024

Pictures of 4 of my favorite 'fathers'. 

My cousin Joy died a couple of years ago and her husband died last month.  When their children were cleaning out the house, they found this photo of my Daddy. that I had never seen before.

My guess is that this was taken in 1942, just after he joined the navy at the start of World War II.

This one is an oldie but a favorite of mine.

George and our boys rocking their new German hats in Berchtesgaden 1996.

And here is Mark with Jackson on their way to church.

Any questions about what kind of Dad Mark is can be answered by looking at the Paw Patrol sticker on his car window and his GI Joe tie!

Johnny and Monica always seem to have fun together. 

He makes her laugh and is willing to act silly and play with her.

And a funny Father's Day story - 

We played a 'Would He Rather?" game and tried to figure out which of two things George would rather do.

I have known George for 50 years and been married to him for 49.

Johnny and Matt are 39 and 43.

Cady has known him for less than 2 years.

Guess who won the game?  Yep Cady.  There were 17 questions and she got 16 correct.  The boys and I each got 12.  Either she is a very lucky guesser or she is just very intuitive. Glad she is a part of the family!