"lucky I'm in love with my best friend": Rasmussen Family Reunion

Our family reunion started Tuesday with family pictures by Helga Laing (pictures to come in another post when we get them). I love taking pictures and I think the other girls do too; the husbands and kids were good sports while we took so many pictures. After pictures we went to our chapel parking lot on 300 south where we had a sort of "opening ceremonies" for the reunion. That started off with a full on dance party in the parking lot. Who knew you could bust some movies to 'Scripture Power'?! We then sang songs like 'Here we sit like birds in the wilderness,' 'We're all together again,' and 'I love the Mountains'. Dad and Mom presented our shirts to us** - we even made a tunnel for everyone to run through before getting their shirt - in memory of all the baseball games and such we did those for when we were kids. Then Dad pulled out two firework bricks. While those were going off Nathan flew his plane around and through the explosions. (See the little blue and white thing just below the firework in the picture? That's Nathan's plane - coll huh?!) What a wonderful start to this week together!
And EVERYONE was HERE!!!
All 7 kids, spouses and children - 33 total
Blessings were being poured out already

Pioneer Day and the start of the reunion
(Nathan, I, Harlow, Whitney, and Dad all ran the Temple to Temple 5k together this morning...pictures are in the next post)
We had lunch together at Cafe Rio before heading up to...

Heber City Camp

"Glamping!" -Brandi

Mom Ras had to book this camp site a year and a half in advance to reserve it for all of us and goodness, are we all grateful she did! The whole thing was wonderful! Great spot, sleeping in warm cabins, bathrooms and showers close, running water, sinks, stoves right at our camp - Brandi was right when she called it "GLAMPING"! Mom and Dad have been working and planning for a long time to have everything organized and ready and Wow, did they do an amazing job!

Three Cheers for Them, HipHipHooray! HipHipHorrary! HipHipHooray!!!!

**Our Rasmussen Family t-shirts had a number on the sleeve, the number marks when you joined the family. Dad (1), Mom (2), Me-Lizz (7), Nathan (27), and Harlow (30). There are 33 of us total right now - pretty neat! Good job designing the shirts Papa!

I sure love this sister of mine! It's been so fun to live close and get together often with our families! She's been such an angel in my life and I love and admire her!

Thanks Becca for the incredible sister you are to me! Kisses!!

Nicci, Sophie, Angeli, and Hailey

a beaver swimming out in the reservoir

I love this picture of Seth and Brandi

So Beautiful!

Sweet little Graci Lynn and her butterfly

Rise and Shine Sleepy Heads!
Harlow seemed to take that literally; we were up around 6am every morning...it would have been nice to sleep in a bit but the mornings were beautiful and peaceful so I'll try not to complain

Harlow found the granola...little sneaky

"Oh No, Whitney, You did not just photo bomb this picture"

"Why Yes, Yes I did!"

Nicci D and Uncle Nathan having a ball in the Canoe

Nicci thought we should row out to the yellow buoys across the lake. She even got to touch it once we were there :)

Brayden and Ethan started a few different water fights. They were just asking for it...yup, their canoe got tipped and they went swimming.

We got the have an hour out on the reservoir in canoes and paddle boats.

Shhh - Our last night there....Nathan had wanted to sneak out to the reservoir but no one would go with him so he and I snuck out on the dock and took a paddle boat out for a little spin. We had to be super quiet. The water was beautiful, calm and dark. Our first paddle boat was all clanky so we switched it out for another one. A nearly full moon came up over the mountain and it made us pretty obvious out there on the water. We stayed out for a bit then headed back for camp where we ran into Ammon, Seth, Brandi, Paul, Stewart, and Emily. The first 4 decided to join us out on the water, so out we went again. We were giggling...we weren't very good at being quiet paddling the paddle boats either. But it was fun...we're glad we didn't get caught! A little fun "Harmless Rebellion" as Nathan called it.

We got to see a lot of deer...for some reason it just never gets old (at least when they're out here and not in your garden eating your stuff...not fun then, Not Fun!)

Here is a Mommy and her 2 fawns

In the picture above they are nursing

Whitney and I cooking breakfast together

What good sisters we are

Golly, I'm sure gonna miss this girl, I almost get teary eyed just thinking about it...but I'm saving that for a different post

Some nose picking action by our Harlow boy

Our Service Project: shoveling, hauling, moving, and raking dirt/rocks onto the path.

"You're doing a great thing! The groups before you moved the gravel in, the next group took the gravel back out, then the next group brought in the wood chips and the following group took the wood chips back out and now You, you get to put the gravel back in!" -our service missionary

Great Grandma Larsen came up to visit us
We sure do love her!

All the Air-Soft Wars were loads of fun. I wasn't very good but they were still fun. Heck, even picking up the 7,000 pellets Kolby accidentally spilled from off the ground was fun. Just being together, that's what's really fun and makes everything that you do together all the more fun

At the Cope Course
(*I was back at camp with a sick, had thrown up but now sleeping Harlow Boy)

Harlow and cousins playing in the sand pit by the big swing

Me on the big swing

Uncle Stew held Harlow the morning that Whitney and I made breakfast. Thanks StewBug! I definitely couldn't have helped Whit if you hadn't stepped in to help me.

Every night we sat around the campfire talking. Dad told us Sam McGee, just like when we were little and camping. He also brought up this super cool green laser pointer that points up into the sky; it feels like you're touching the stars. With that, he pointed out constellations in the sky, again, just like he use to do for us when we were growing up. Paul said "this is the first time I can actually see what he's trying to point out to me! All growing up he'd say "Look! there is Signus the Swan" and I'd be like sure Dad" We all had a good laugh from that. One night we did smores. And another night we watch "Jennifer is a Party Pooper?!" on YouTube - took a while to load that one with us being up in the mountains.

Playing Pit
Best part was when Kirsten suggested that we take the "corner" card and put it outside of the cabin so that when someone got pit, instead of calling out they just got up and booked it out the door. The first one to find and get the card won the round. Brilliant Kirsten! Brilliant!

Play the Thimble Game

haha, these kids crack me up...I love the ways they're all sitting

The boys cooking breakfast, what?!

Good job Paul, it was totally an awesome breakfast...well really, Amazing Job Mommy for planning all the meals, and being so stinkingly amazingly prepared. Every meal was a hit!

Not only did Mom do a fantastic job planning meals, she planned and was prepared for everything. Backpacks for everyone (particularly the kids), friendship bracelet kits, nail polish, card games, board games, snacks, treats, notebooks, crayons, color paper, time at the water front and cope courses, meal assignments distributed...She went above and beyond in every aspect! She made this family reunion extraordinary!! It wouldn't have been what it was with our Mommy dear!! But that's the same for our whole lives. She has made our worlds and lives truly remarkable. She always made sure we were taken care of, taught and educated, disciplined, reverent, happily feed, nicely dressed, laughing and smiling, knew we were loved by her, Dad and the Lord. She made special efforts to spend one on one time with each of us. We saw her live her faith. She took time to tell us what she loved and admired about us. She testified of the Lords blessings in her life. She let us see the joy that she felt and satisfaction she received in being a mother. She was as excited as us when school was out for the summer and sad when school started again and didn't allow her as much time with us. She was a listener. Her wisdom brought me peace and never lead me astray. She cried for my heartaches. She noticed the small things we did and praised us for them. She believed in me. And she still does all these thing today! She is a remarkable woman! I feel blessed and honored to call her my Mother and wrap my arms around her, to cry on her shoulder and talk with her (even if it's just on the phone) practically daily. She is My Mommy and I Love Her!!!!

Harlow's helping Daddy pack up the car to go home, so we can unpack and pack up again to go down to Henderson for Whitney's last talk in church before leaving on her mission.