We have passed this same sign many times over the last 18 years but this time LeRoy wanted to stop. The last time we had a picture taken here was when Levi, Erika and Derek were all in car seats.
Lenora (LeRoy's sister) provided a perfect place for us to have the Edwards' family reunion. She had beds arranged for all of us, food for days, a swimming pool, a pool table, horse shoes, sunscreen, towels and most importantly, air conditioning. Our time together was wonderful!
Our initial excitement over the pool was quickly hampered by the fact that a tarantula had been hanging out in the yard and pool that day. The Texas peeps seemed to think flipping him over the fence was enough but us Idaho folk were a little creeped out. Still, the heat won and we were soon in the pool. . . for the next three days.
Some of us that preferred to be pool side swatting flies, applying (and re-applying) sunscreen and making sure everyone had enough water.
When we were water logged (or dying from the heat & humidity) there was pool inside.
The physical maneuvers these Edwards men pull off for a shot is quite entertaining.
Nathan and Hyrum had been talking themselves up all spring telling Papa they were going to beat him.
Beat him they did! Of course, his decades of pool experience was set aside as his decades of grand-parenting let the boys have their moment of glory.
Mixed in with the pool and the pool there was also plenty of regular old chit-chat and happiness.
One of my favorite moments was watching Ben and Papa compare and discuss their hearing aides.
The Rexburg kids had the privilege of sleeping on the party bus. It was the perfect setup with 6 beds, plenty of luggage space and its own air conditioning.
Hyrum ended up sleeping with Daymia the first night because of bad dreams (probably from too much travel, sun and excitement) and Derek scared them with his sleep walking/talking. Nathan was initially worried about the size of beds, if it would be too cold/hot, spiders, the dark, and the dogs but the others wouldn't let him out of the party. By the end of our stay we were ready to start the bus up and take it home.
The kids
The grand kids
Middle: Crystal, Papa, Nanny holding Kaia, Heaven holding baby cousin, Lilli, Haley
Front: Jace, Bert, Nathan, Hyrum, Derek, Trace
The people brave enough to marry into the Edwards' clan
This was such an odd picture to all of us in-laws but part of the reason our relationships work is because we know when to stand firm and when to do what we are told.
Everyone!!
Saturday night we headed to Cool, Texas to stay with Nanny and Papa. However, because of all the rain and flooding that Texas had received, their septic tank was very temperamental so we stayed at a hotel in Mineral Wells. The following morning (Father's Day) we went to church with the Mineral Wells LDS Branch where LeRoy and I both spoke on fathers (his topic was earthly fathers and my topic was Heavenly Father). It was an honor to be with his dad on this special day! I have so much respect and love for this man!
After church we quickly changed and packed at the hotel in order to check out on time and then had a wonderful lunch that Nanny had prepared. She was so kind to not only feed us but pack up enough food for our two day trip home.
We couldn't seem to pull ourselves away! We loved having our own time with them and so enjoyed the spoiling from Nanny and the teasing from Papa. The longer we were there the more and more we were laughing. Our favorite was when Papa showed us his muscles.
It wasn't until I was putting this collage together that I realized that LeRoy goes through the exact same flexing routine that his dad did, even down to the belly pat!
As I watched Nanny and Papa throughout the week I saw so much patience and love from them. True, unconditional love. Every one of us thinks we are the favorite, just as it should be.
This last picture is a good representation of how we all felt about our Texas trip.
Genuine fun, love, and laughter!
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