Yesterday was Father’s Day, and we started the day off right. Annabelle wanted to make her dad cinnamon rolls for breakfast (that girl has quite a sweet tooth), so we started off with homemade cinnamon rolls (my version anyway, more on that later), then moved on to bacon and eggs. After that the kids got down to the task of practicing for the day’s activity.
We were going to Greg’s parents’ for Father’s Day dinner, and we were thrilled to be invited for several reasons. High on the list of reasons was of course the chance to see the whole Goodrich side of the family, and certainly to experience some of Grandma Becki’s famous food and hospitality. I was happy that all the older girls in our family would be able to join us and I could force everyone into a few family pictures. I love my “bonus daughters” so much, and I relish every chance to spend a little time with them.
Annabelle and Batman had something else in mind entirely. They wanted to fish. Grandma Becki and Grandpa Elliott live in a lovely community in Eagle, and among other amenities in their beautiful subdivision are a number of stocked fishing ponds, reserved for residents. And their grandkids, of course.
In anticipation of the big day the kids and I had made a trip to the fishing section of Wal-Mart, where they each got new fishing poles. Batman picked out a Spider Man pole, and Annabelle naturally went for the pink Barbie version. They spent all afternoon Saturday out in the front yard practicing their casts, until Desperate Hubby’s hands were practically shredded from untangling knots in the lines.
As soon as the last (sort of homemade) cinnamon roll was polished off on Sunday morning, they headed out to the front yard in their pajamas to practice some more.
They fished and fished, and asked about fifty times when we were leaving. They wanted to go see Grandma and Grandpa, sissies, and, of course, the fish.
Finally mid-afternoon rolled around, and we headed on out for the twenty minute drive to my in-laws.
The first thing we saw was that Grandpa Elliott had some snappy new shoes he was sporting for us to see. I thought that the toe separation would drive me crazy, but he said they were comfortable.
The grandparents’ new dog, Sugar was almost all grown up. We hadn’t seen her for a few months, and she had gotten much bigger. And was completely freaked out by the kids. Poor Sugar spent most of the day running from one room to another trying to avoid being mauled by the little invaders that were my dog-loving children.
I think it is obvious why Grandpa Elliott didn’t want anything to do with a dog when the idea of Sugar was initially brought up. He obviously doesn’t like them.
The sissies arrived not long after we did, and I settled us all in on the couch for a nice family photo. Nobody complained too much, and we actually got a fairly decent shot.
Betcha can’t guess who picked out Desperate Hubby’s new Father’s Day T-shirt.
I got a few shots of the kids individually too.
This is Batman and his big sister Hana. Hana just finished her sophomore year at BSU (with a 4.0 GPA, by the way). She is funny and bright as well as lovely. She’ll run a multi-million dollar business some day. Mark my words.
Annabelle and Hali sat at the bar and ate chips together. Hali is Hana’s twin, and she also just finished her sophomore year at BSU. Also with a 4.0 GPA. Hali is going to be a teacher, and she will make a great one. The kids adore her and so do I.
The youngest of the “olders” is Sami. Sami is heading into her senior year in high school, and she is smart and a gifted athlete as well as being breathtakingly beautiful. I tell her she could be a model. Or a pediatrician.
Not long after sissies arrived my sister-in-law Shelley and her family came on scene. They are super cool and it is always fun to see them.
Shelley wasn’t too thrilled when she saw my camera. She told me she thought it was illegal for me to publish pictures without asking. Sorry Shelley.
Shelley’s husband John is a brilliant engineer and one of the funniest people I know. He always makes me laugh. And he doesn’t even try.
Doesn’t his shirt just say it all?
I made their clan sit for a family photo too. Their boys are almost all grown up, though the younger one, Grayson (far left), seems hell-bent on self-destruction in the form of one athletic accident after another. He most recently broke his elbow in a trampoline wreck. Well, so maybe it’s just “accident,” not “athletic accident.”
This is Shelley’s oldest boy, Lucas, and Grandma Becki. Lucas has just been accepted to the prestigious College of Idaho, and is a super good tennis player to boot. We are all very proud of him.
Here we have the matriarch and patriarch of the family, Grandma Becki and Grandpa Elliott, and their little dog Sugar. Becki and I have more than once been mistaken for sisters. She is so beautiful that I am flattered every time.
I am lucky to have the most awesome in-laws ever awarded to a small-town Idaho girl. Or any girl for that matter. I love you guys.
Papa Bill was married to Becki’s mom for many years. He is a retired State Magistrate Judge, and still maintains an unmistakable air of authority. He has always made me feel like a valued member of the family, and he still makes me laugh. He will turn ninety this year.
And finally we come to Uncle Mike. Mike spent over two hours outside patiently baiting hooks, untangling lines, answering question after question about fish and bugs and geese, and releasing the multitudes of fish that my kids caught. Enough said.
And that leads to the fishing. It was great. The kids are forever spoiled after fishing at Grandma and Grandpa’s. They think all you have to do is throw the line in the water, reel in the fish, then have Uncle Mike turn them loose.
And isn’t the scenery beautiful?
Did I mention there were fish?
The kids caught about twenty perch and blue gill. The fish were beautiful, even out of the water.
Uncle Mike threw them all back in, but it was fun to see them for even a moment.
So pretty. Not my photography, silly. The fish.
When we were all fished out we headed back home. It was late, and we ran right out to feed the horses. We ran into our dear neighbor Grandpa Vernon outside. Annabelle told him all about the homemade cinnamon rolls we had served DH for Father’s Day.
Grandpa Vernon is a very accomplished baker, so he was naturally curious about the recipe we had used. He asked Annabelle question after question about the dough: how did we prepare it? Did we put butter and sugar on it? Did we let it rise?
I thought I was going to escape the inquisition, as my little daughter unknowingly answered question after question with just enough lack of detail to obscure the real truth.
Unfortunately, Grandpa Vernon finally asked the question that let the cat out of the bag. “Did your mom roll up the dough and cut it into slices before she put it in the pan to bake it?” he asked.
“No!” my little angel answered. “It just came out of the can that way!”
Oh well. I tried.
Chronicles of a Desperate Horsewife 