Family Reunion

The last couple of days Damian and I have been up at my grandma's house for a family reunion....it has been a mixture of highs and lows overall as could be expected when a family gets together but overall I think it had a lot of high points. Damian and all the guys went and played paintball and when they came home had to compare all their welts. I got to meet my cousin Adri's husband (well, he will be in a week) and we had a bridal shower for her....I got to see my cutie pattootie niece Lexus and she is growing so fast she is working on walking and she can say some words now so that is really great. She was the charmer of the reunion I think but I just might be a little biased. She does know and recognize her auntie...grinning at me and blowing me kisses and she was actually really good during some of the activities that went on after her bedtime. My family FINALLY won the game of Family Newsletter jeopardy thanks in part to my mom actually rereading all the family newsletters for the last two years. We also got to learn a little about some family geneology and about some of our returned missionaries missions and just got to feel the spirit with my family. Sometimes they drive me up the wall and sometimes I want to strangle them but at the same time I love them and miss seeing them and enjoy their company when I see them. I think that is how it is in a lot of families. Last night Lexus did something really neat...James and Gwynne (her parents) were telling me that at home they have pictures up of my dad (Lexus' grandpa) and Lexus sometimes will stare and point at that picture and babble a little at it. I didn't believe it but last night I saw it...she was fixated on it until I moved her to sit by me so she wasn't stepped on. That was really neat to witness...I honestly feel that Lexus knows who her grandpa is and that he got to be with her and hold her before he sent her down to us. I also got a chance to really think about some things and about what is really important and what doesn't really matter all that much and I'm even more determined than I was before to get back into the temple with my husband and really strive toward having an eternal family with my husband. I can't sit on the fence about some things I have to make a stand one way or another and I think I know which way I am going to go now.