GIRLY CoUsIn TImE!!

The Day After Christmas we headed down to "THE VALLEY" to spend a few days with Dan's family who had all gathered for the holidays.

(I wish my family was only an hour away--so we could reunite like this more often!)Dacie has been LuCkY in the fact the the closest cousin on both sides (Hutchings and Sorensen's) of the family-- were GIRLS, amidst a VERY BOY WORLD (even since then)!

Dacie will be grateful for this because it may be her only form of sisters!

Lola is our children's ONLY cousin on Dan's side of the family--

and by chance (family vacations that coincide, and Lola visiting her grandparents often) we have been able to see her since the day she was born!

And since the first reunion we CANNOT help ourselves from DRESSING THEM IN MATCHING CLOTHES!

We can mostly thank a spoiling aunt and grandma for these matches!

(These pictures were in July when Dacie was 6 months and Lola was like 2-3 days old)

(Once again matching in the fall at Uncle Russ's homecoming)

Last Christmas 2007!

Little did we know the next day these two cousin sista's would be slammed with sickness!

OF course they had to match at Uncle Russ's wedding in June '08


*****THIS CHRISTMAS WAS NO EXCEPTION!!!******

to the MATCHING PHENOMENON

Lola and Dacie's quality cousin time works out perfect. They are exactly 6 months apart. So they are starting to be interested in, and play with the same kind of toys. Because of the age difference Dacie can boss Lola around and not share, and Lola does not care. Lola is just grateful for a playmate and follows sassy Dacie around!

To Dacie's benefit she isn't always mean. She did miss having her "baby" (what she calls Lola sometimes) around after we left.!!!

It is so fun to see them start to interact and play together.

Dan's family all has some sort of talents-either wood-work, taking pictures (we will hear more about that talent later)...or SEWING!!!

I really don't have a hands-on talent like those, unless making babies counts! ha ha

So Aunt Amy (Lola's mommy) made some matching skirts for the girls to wear to church!

This Christmas was a fun couple of days of re-kindling cousin friendships

AND the boys getting their "dog fix"-as Lola comes with 2 dogs (Lucy and Bentley).

CHRISTMAS is about FAMILY!!!!

The gals saying good-bye to each other the morning we left-

UH OH! They are NOT matching!

The Wedding!!!

On Saturday June 28th-Dan's Brother Russ married Selena-(who incidentally has been a member of "the best Friends" that always hung out with Dan's sister Amy-- and as they said, Russ was the accessory-ha ha). Dan, I and the kids were able to come down the night before and attend the festivities that day!Racing (not really, if you knew Dan's dad) Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen to the Mesa temple after accidentally meeting up with them on the highway, after they had gone and picked up the flowers and we were running later than everyone else!
The kids hung out at the visitors center, and the temple grounds (THANK YOU Uncle Clint) while we were in the sealing AND after for pictures. They were pretty good troopers considering it was 110 degrees!
It was one of the sweetest and most spiritual sealings I have been to. I did not want to leave the temple. I enjoyed the sweet spirit I felt there and the overwhelming peace I was consumed with. I cannot imagine being married anywhere else and making these covenants that are not only for this earth life, but well beyond.



After having enough of the heat--we headed over to the Landmark Restaurant for a luncheon. Then we sprinted home to get some quick naps in before we had to return 1-2 hours before the reception for more pictures!

My goal in this whole affair was to get a GOOD family photo (since we matched and all)--and this was as good as it got. My camera was running out of batteries SO we were blurry-AAAHHH!
Dacie and our only cousin (on the Sorensen side) Lola (they are exactly 6 months apart) got matching dresses for the wedding...and of course we could not photograph 'the girls' enough. Here they are sharing some snacks!

Dacie kissing her cousin!
Dan was one of the groomsmen with his 2 other brothers (Clint and Scott) and got to even wear a tux!!! This will probably be the only time besides our wedding that I will have the privilege of checking him out in one. What a hottie!

Selena is a photographer (and in fact majored in it at NAU) SO she got one of the best photographers (or the best-I am clueless with this stuff) for her wedding, and pictures were the priority. Dan got to do allot of 'photo shoots'--check out the photographers site for a slide show and pictures of the affair (look at Sorensen-Reid Wedding).

They introduced the wedding party with a spotlight and DJ, one at a time-- and had them sit at a table up front. The picture above is Dan enjoying a moment with his brothers!

The reception was held at a country club that was "out there"...but it was BEAUTIFUL!!!! Selena's family did not 'hold back' ,and so needless to say this one of the BEST receptions we have attended. It was very formal and beautiful, but also had other fun additions (like a photo booth from the mall to take photos for free!). The entire evening was MC'd with a DJ and they even played a funny little newly wed game. What would a reception be without some DANCING! Daddy and Dacie tore it up on the floor!!

The grounds

Inside the reception hall- Dacie is taking it all in!
Of course guess what part of the reception was MY BOYS favorite? (including Dan's) THE FOOD! They had a chocolate fountain with the cool chocolate that hardened on the food quickly. They had a pasta bar with chefs that would cook your pasta for you right there, with your choice of fixings and sauce. There was shrimp, and sushi, and crackers and cheese.... Dan did not stop eating from the moment he walked in to when he walked out. There was lemonade fountains, and later cups to toast with sparkling cider, etc.! It was CRAZY FUN!! We could not leave, or sneak away as we had anticipated because we were having too much fun!
We got home pretty late...so we drove up to girls camp EARLY the next morning rather than squeezing it in that evening and hitting an elk!
As a side note from my previous post archive picture: We did not have to worry about trashing Russ's car-his "energetic" groomsmen took care of that for us, and Russ got it allot WORSE than we did (with flour down the a/c vents and all)!
Welcome to the Fam Selena!

HuTcHiNgS HoLd Em' ReUnIoN- Day 2

Sunday is a Special Day!

After church, family photos, lunch, naps, western crafts and dinner...we headed up to the meeting house for an evening of FuN!(Dan, Shaun, Mom H, Colton, Kelby)

We each adopted a kid and split up into 4 groups for 'stations'

(Ryland, Booboo, Amber-Rose, Kayden, Mindy & Grandpa H dead on the floor)

Station #1 is to put on western make-up (fake eyelashes, glitter, eyeliner pencils, RED lipstick, blue eyeshadow) and bust out the boas and bowler hats-- to take B/W photos

(Dacie, Alicia, Brendon, Beth, Cara-Sterling in front)

Sterling putting on Uncle Brendon's mustache
Aunt Mara putting on My (Alicia) lovely 'saloon gal' make-up, while Dacie learns a thing or two
Dan's going to DIE!!! My brothers talked him into this-- Dan and Shaun showing off their pretty lips!!
Cousin Kayden the hard core card player!

Station #2-Included some card games (go fish, old maid, life size Yahtzee -compliments of the Krandar family) and some country western children's books to read

Station #3- Was making wanted posters for each nuclear family within our family-Drawing pictures of them and writing why they are wanted in our family (i.e.- wanted for having the the kindest heart)

Station #4- Come up with a skit from a bag full of props to perform at the end

At each station there was a family video/pictures playing of photos since the last reunion--

it took longer than anticipated and started turning into a late evening!

Let the shows begin!...

Indiana Jones (shaun) and Afro man (kelby) fighting over Colton
Momma Shark attacking!
Uncle Chad and Aunt Breanna having a conversation about losing weight for the reunion-- on the jump rope telephone!
More of the slow motion fight scene (they actually did it in slow motion)

After returning to camp and getting the little babies in bed, the camp fire was lit and games were plentiful each evening. Bedtimes were forgotten and treats busted out!
Grandpa playing domino's with "Da Boy" cousins!!