John Parsons Jones Family Reunion 2011

Is it family reunion time already? It seems like we just had one a couple of years ago. Okay so I did go to a family reunion a couple of years ago, but that was just with Linda and Celeste. This year the whole clan went except Sean and Nathan. I didn’t know that reunions could be so fun. It didn’t matter that I didn’t even know half the people there.

Pretty much the whole clan in attendance.

The eldest of my cousins with her husband. Just a little side note. Her husband's brother lives in my stake.

The look on Bekah's face says it all.

It was still a good time, at least for me, for my kids not so much. Bekah was heard to say ”Don’t leave me here with all the old people”. It’s tough when you don’t know anyone and there’s no one your age. The kids were troopers though and they ended up enjoying themselves too. I think performing the skits really helped with that.

A nice shady place to rest.

One of the most fun things that happened at the reunion for me (and this will tell you what a geek I am) is discovering that a couple of my cousins play one of the same apps I do. So I was able to get their user names and start playing with them. What makes it even geekier is that one of them was sitting next to me while we were playing the game. Although I don’t see what the difference would be if we actually had a game board on the table and were playing that way.

We did the usual family reunion stuff, you know a lot of talking, playing badminton and volleyball, canoeing, and the obligatory skits. The weather on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous!

I have a wicked overhand lol.

Family Vacation 2011

Traveling in the car for 20 hours with 2 screaming kids and 6 adults sounds like a lot of fun right? Well it is if it’s done in two cars with the little ones in the other car. We actually had a great time and the CTRs did pretty well all things considering. We were traveling to Lehi, Utah for a family reunion.

We decided to travel across Kansas then head north to travel through Wyoming. It’s easier on the cars and nerves not having to drive through the Rockies in Colorado. Plus traveling through Wyoming we get the added bonus of seeing a couple of Angels.

It was great being able to see Sara Capener and her kids not only once, but twice thanks to CTR sr. leaving behind Yellow (that’s the name of her stuffed duck. It’s yellow hence the name. She names things by color or sound.) Of course we could have turned around and gone back to get Yellow since we were only about five miles out when we discovered Yellow was missing, but it gave us a reason to stop by on the way back, not that we needed a reason to stop by.

It was great seeing Sara and the kids. I told her when we were planning on getting to Rock Springs and not only did she have a most delicious lunch prepared for us, but also goodie bags for the car. She rocks! Love you Sara.

Then in Utah I got to visit with my dear friend Thing 1 aka Heidi Weed. We call ourselves Thing 1 and Thing 2 so that we know who’s who. We also partook of a meal which was fabulous and then were entertained by our very talented children in an impromptu concert. It was great! I loved being able to see some people I hold dear but don’t get to see often any more.

Happy Birthday!

Today is the day when all of my children are now officially adults.
Happy 18th birthday to my baby Bekah. Antioch Park is a great place
to have a party. We were a little concerned to see clouds and rain in
the morning, but it cleared up quite nicely. Funny thing though, it started
raining again about an hour after we left the park.

I love the shot of Alexa in this one.

Stick 'em up. Who ever heard of an armed robbery with a
crazy straw?

You can't have a party without pizza. Okay well yes you can

but it sure makes it more fun.

Trying to light the candles. Makes it a little more difficult
with the wind, but these girls are very resourceful.

I don't know if we should actually count her blowing out all the

candles with the wind blowing and all.

I Am a Child of God

When my first grandchild made her entrance in this world, my friend Bonnie made this for me. It's taken me this long to get it framed. Thanks to my dad for making the frame and my mom getting it done. My mom's been showing it to her friends in WA and they all want the pattern.

Grad Party

Random pictures from the grad party for Bekah, Kate, and Rachel.

Lots of mingling.

Friends

Kate, Rachel and Bekah the 3 honorees.

Yummy snacks.

More friends

Deep conversation, yeah right.

Edible Grad Caps

Fun times

Smile, you're on Candid Camera.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

I can't remember who it was that said something to do with 15 minutes of fame, but this could be CTR jr's. This was the front page of The Shawnee Dispatch on May 25, 2011. I know it's a bit difficult to see, but hopefully you can kind of make it out.

Peek-a-Boo I See You

Never send a father to help a daughter pick out a new pair of glasses. You'd think I would learn that by now huh. The last time Bekah got new specs they were green. They were cute, but not what I would have picked for her.

Her next pair were a little more conservative only because they didn't have the green ones in stock. She had broken the green ones and needed a replacement pair.

Bekah needed to get some new glasses so Joe took her to get them. This time she went to a place where one can get two pair for the price of one. This is what she got.

Okay, the first pair are what I would pick for her and the second ones fit her personality.

Fun Stuff

I found out about a fun new thing in making greeting cards.





They're called Honeypops and they come from Inkyantics. On the outside they look like any other handmade greeting card, but it's when you open it you find out what's unique about them.

It's a three dimensional image. My friend Chris introduced me to these when we did our last missionary boxes. She made cards for all of the missionaries with an Easter theme. I was hooked as soon as I saw the cards.

Yeah I know, just what I need, another hobby. It's been fun to make them.

These are just a few of the ones I've done.

Bekah's Graduation

Today was Rebekah's big day. High School Graduation is a significant milestone in a teenagers life as well as a parents.

Let the procession commence.Do you see the bright green feet. That's Rebekah, my little rebel. Actually I'm glad she wore them. She was easier to spot that way.

It's official, Rebekah's has graduated.

Up a tree, just like her brother did last year when he graduated.

I don't know what to think of this one.

Graduation Day.

I Love to See the Temple

For family home tonight we took a trip to see the progress on the Kansas City Temple. It's been a few months since I've driven by it.

Most of the windows are in place.

The east side is still pretty open.

One thing I noticed the last two times I've been by there is that the outside seems to change color depending on the angle of the sun

and whether or not the sun is shining or there are overcast skies.

Tonight the temple had a golden color to it.

It's so beautiful. I get a thrill every time I see it.