Introducing: Madeleine Ruth Householder....

She's here!!! I knew it! She's a GIRL! And this is one proud Auntie!!! Have I used enough exclamation points?

Stats: Madeleine Ruth Householder
July 18, 2008, 12:37 p.m.
7 lb. 5 oz.
19 in.
One mom, one dad, 7 big brothers and sisters!

It's finally time to kiss my baby boy, goodbye...

I don't know why, but I've just really struggled with Jacob's 5th birthday. It's a big one for us. As a family tradition we only have birthday parties for 1st, 5th, 10th and 16th birthdays. Otherwise it's just cake and ice cream with mom and dad and whatever family members are available. This is good for many reasons. It makes the big birthdays BIG, doesn't teach entitlement to scores of gifts, and when in a large family you aren't having to plan parties every month which is expensive and time consuming.

I loved it when I was growing up. I had no problem only having friend parties every 5-6 years because my mom did such a great job of making them super cool and exciting. I don't really remember my 5th too much other than I think it was a traditional kids party with cake, ice cream, games and church friends. For my 10th I had a slumber party with 10 friends and a treasure hunt that went all around the neighborhood. Even as a kid I recognized that it took a lot of time and talent on her part. For Emily's 10th she and five friends were picked up at school in a limousine and taken out for treats. On my sweet sixteen I was thrown a surprise party with 150 invited guests, a dance floor, and a super cute performer (actually a guy I had a crush on in grade school/very good friends with and had lost touch with) it was AWESOME! These are the kind of birthday memories I would like to give my children.

So this was Jacob's 5th year and it was time for his first big party. It was held at Aunt Emily's house and our good friends, the Michigan crew, and his church class were invited. By the way, I love the MI kids to death and in every way think of them as family. Those girls, Nicole and Kristen, have had to put up with my growing pains, in some ways, more than my sisters. And I just struggled.

Jacob informed Phil and I in California that he would no longer call us "Mommy and Daddy" because he's a big boy now. It's "Mom and Dad" but because I cried about it for two weeks he still call me mommy in the privacy of our own home. The other day we were taking a walk, holding hands, and when he saw some other boys close to his age he dropped my hand and fell behind. The day is here, he starts kindergarten in August, and he's beginning the journey of leaving my nest and I can't stop crying!

This is why I'm so late in posting his birthday photos. I just haven't been able to deal very well. I also promised myself I would write him a letter for his scrapbook and that hasn't happened either, but it's a goal for this week.

So here they are. Pics of a really great birthday. One that included, family, friends, cake, ice cream, presents (Wii & wii accessories, a soccer ball, puzzles, Kung Fu panda, fart putty, and so much more) and even a surprise guest: Grandpa Blake all the way from California!

Goodbye baby bear, Hello son...

June 24, 25, 26, 2008 - The End of the Road

We had left Sea World to go straight to my friend Paula's new place in Redondo Beach with her husband, Mark, and daughters Jennifer and KayDee. We thought we had to be to Las Vegas Tuesday night for a midnight flight so we only had a short visit after waking with breakfast at Carro's and a trip to the park. But, horribly, that was not the case. We didn't have to leave until the NEXT midnight. So after much teeth gnashing and crying on my part, we checked into the Excalibur hotel. Here is a picture of my darling children attempting a dramatic interpretation of how I was feeling...
To make the most of it we spent Tuesday night walking the strip.

Wednesday we spent the morning at a time share sales pitche (come on...what else did we have to do?) and then went to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.

By the time we arrived at the airport at 10:30 p.m. I had had enough of fun and was actually looking forward to a long deep sleep with Cleo posted at my head and Rudy at my feet in my own soft, cozy, bed upon the floor.

June 23, 2008 - Shamu, Shamu!

The last family day of our little vacation that could was Sea World. We went as early in the morning as we could possibly manage. We had Mom/Dad (cough, cough, sorry won't make it to work today),

Tiana/Ryan/Quinn,










and my cousin Meagan/her hubbie Tim, and Elizabeth,
John and Meghan weren't able to make it because of it being the first day of school for them at MSJCC, and of course us...
We saw Shamu and friends:















The tide pools, dolphin feeding

and shark encounter:
We also saw the Cirque de la Mer show which is just an amazing water acrobatics show












and Sea Lions Tonight . A hilarious, and should not be missed next time you visit Sea World, parody of all the show with sea lions, otters and one very large walrus:












We ended the night at the dolphin stadium and then Shamu Rocks! Unfortunately I don't have any pics because my little camera's flash couldn't fight off the dark, but needless to say we had a great time and Mena is practicing her swimming to become a Shamu trainer someday.

p.s. pics of Quinn and the starfish, and the Stroller Brigade are compliments of my lil' sis, Tiana's blog. Visit Tears and Rainbows for her version of the big trip.

July 21, 2008 - The 1st LaMar and Ruth Elison Family Reunion! EVER!!

Let me just start by saying, "FAMILY Rocks! FAMILY Rocks!, Hello Hemet!"

• So let me tell you little story about a man named LaMar, an Idaho dairy man who liked to drive the family car, then one day he was wadin' through some poo, when out from the town came a doctorin' dude, allergies that is, dander, farm life. Well...the next thing you know LaMar ain't a millionaire, but the doctor siad, LaMar you gotta move away from here, said Californie is the place you gotta be, next thing you know he's moved to Calvary, street that is, orange groves, punch buggie cars.

Last summer my cousin, Sean Reid, passed away. While my family was calling each other in the need to feel connected, my cousin Sharon (Elison) Pearson said that she wished she had grown up knowing her cousins better. I really wish that for her too. Her desire plus my grandfather's fear that he would never sit in the same room with all of his posterity, helped me make up my mind that a family reunion was long over due. So I did it!

I along with EVERYONE else who helped me: My sister Emily who listens to me whine on an almost daily basis (and because of her inpending 8th child wasn't able to make it, even though she was with us in spirit), my sister-in-law Meghan, who ran around with me all week mostly to cut out apples for our family tree, my DAD! who did all of the pre-reunion work in Hemet which was most of it, my mom for giving Meg and I free reign of the Ellison machine at the library, my sister Tiana and cousin Sharon who helped set up for the luncheon with me. My brother John who made me long envisioned family tree, Aunt Jeane and family for providing drinks, Uncle Brent and family for breakfast food and lunch salads, Uncle Ritchie's kids (Marsha, Kathleen and Patricia) for chips, Phil for manning the breakfast grill and for everyone who just came and supported us. Patricia Elison, Uncle Ritchie's daughter, received the furthest traveled award; all the way from Virginia Beach! And if I've failed to remember something please chalk it up to my too human weaknesses.

So the morning started with an 8 a.m. breakfast at the park. We had Aunt Jeanie, her son Stephen and family (wife, Heather, Matthew, Rebekkah, and Kaylie), her other son Stewart, her daughter Kaelene's boys (Ethan and Evan, Eli was at a baseball game), my clan, and Uncle Brent's family, and of course Grandma and Grandpa! I think Phil's favorite part of the reunion was manning the grill.
Then kids with parents and grandparents went to the library to a bug specialist who was kicking off this year's Hemet Library summer reading program "Buggy for Books" while Sharon, Tiana and I set up. Because so much was done by everyone in advance, this part was easy, and we gladly excused the adults to enjoy the Bug Doc with mom. Unfortunately, opening and closing day of the summer reading program are mom's two busiest work days of the year. So the reason you don't see her in my pics is because she unfortunately couldn't get any time off until Monday. But she was able to join us later for the luncheon.

Our theme for the reunion was "The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree". We had 49 people attend the luncheon and it was so much fun. I especially enjoyed Jacob just running and running with so many boy cousins. There were the Necochea boys (Ethan, Eli and Evan), Nicholas Reid, Matthew Reid, and the Pearson boys (Rodney Kale and Gavin) who unfortunately aren't in this picture.

John, Meghan and I had made a great big apple tree with the trunk representing Grandma and Grandpa, and each limb representing their children's families, apples for each member of their posterity. It was fun and kind of awe inspiring to see how many people have been given the gift of life because of the marriage of two people, Ruth and Lamar Elison. And how each of us fits into our great big family.
Two of my favorite verses in the Old Testament of the Bible. There it is written that the prophet Elijah will return to the Earth again before the second coming of Christ. It reads, "(5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (6) And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers..." (Malachi 3:5-6).

This has been my blessing this past year. I have had the spirit of Elijah in my heart and in my home as I prepared to reunite all of my family for the first time. Many couldn't make it because of money, time, work conflicts, etc. So my smaller goal wasn't accomplished but my larger goal was, at least they know that we love them and we wanted them with us.

I just want to say thank you, to each of you who participated, for making this so much fun and as I pass the hat to Sharon for the next reunion, my heart is a little saddened to miss out on what I hope is as a great an experience for her as it was for me.

June 20, 2008 - Da Beach!

Friday morning we headed off to the beach.
Dad, Phil, Jacob, Mena, Tiana, Ryan, Quinn, John and Meg. There we met up with my Uncle Brent, Aunt Alice, cousin Sharon and Sharon's kids (Rodney Kale, Gavin, Aspen and Valencia). Other than a few runaway child scares, we had a REALLY good time. We had such a good time that my hubby and wee ones and I wished we had an extra day or two at the beach. Maybe next time. The highlight of the day for me, was when Ti and I took Sharon out and taught her how to dive under the breakers. We got to laughing so hard it was like being 13 all over again.

Sharon is one of my favorite cousins that I have never gotten the chance to know very well. While Emily and I were growing up between Michigan and California, she and her family were back in the ol' country. Otherwise known as Blackfoot, Idaho. Whenever they made it down to So. Cal. it was in the fall after Em and I had left for school. But when I transferred to Utah State I spent a few Thanksgivings with Uncle Brent, Aunt Alice and family. That's when Sharon and I really met and learned how much we liked each other and wished we knew each other better. IN FACT! I remember having a conversation with her when she was at Ricks and telling me about this guy she liked who was going on a mission. Hmmm....well that guy returned to be her husband and father to their four children, Rodney Pearson! Poor Rodney, he didn't make the beach. He just started a new job at the John Deere headquarters in Des Moines a couple of months ago and wasn't scheduled to join his family until Friday night. But some ill timed tornadoes in Lincoln, NE actually delayed his arrival until Saturday afternoon.

So here our some pics of the beach, enjoy!

I love to see the Temple - June 19, 2008

Another exceptional part of our trip was going to the Redlands LDS temple with my dad and grandparents. It's so beautiful and peaceful on the temple grounds, it doesn't even matter which temple you are visiting, there is just a peace that comes from our Father in Heaven that can be experienced there. This was our first time attending in Redlands and I would have liked to have more time to walk the grounds. Even though it is still larger and more ornate than Detroit and Columbus, it's smaller than San Diego or Los Angeles, and considered a small temple. I always love going with Phil and being reminded of our sealing covenant and also the promise of eternal families that comes in understanding and accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ol' McNecochea had a farm, E-I-E-I-O, June 19, 2008

My cousin Kaelene, who is two weeks younger, but married 12 years with 3 boys, Ethan, Eli & Evan. Has always loved animals. When we were in high school she had shown lambs, goats, and a cow with FFA (Future Farmers of America). Now that she is a grown woman with a family she continues her passion for animals as a Vet Tech and in assisting her oldest, Ethan (11), with his 4-H projects.

After the Temple and before the Gates' came into town, Phil and I took the kids to visit Kaelene and her fam out at their house. They now have dogs, cats, pigs, goats, sheep and horses. Mena REALLY liked the goats. Jacob REALLY liked playing Guitar Hero in the house with the boys.

Quinn Quinn, Quinn...Quinn Kelly - June 19, 2008

My sister, Tiana, and her husband, Ryan, welcomed their first a child, a son, Quinn Kelly Gates on March 21st. Lily, his cousin on the Gates side, calls him Quinn Quinn, Quinn...Quinn Kelly. He is such a smiley and good natured baby! Except when it comes to water, then I have NEVER heard a child who can howl like that!! It was so much fun to get to meet and hold the little squirt. I definately didn't get to hold him as much as I had wanted too because of all the goings on, and I'm sorry that he has to live so far from us. But Emily and I are going to try to make a real effort in getting his mom and he out to Ohio real soon!

There's No Place Like Home: June 15-18, 2008

We had a quick visit with Mom and Dad, John and his wife Meghan when w got in at 10 p.m. Then it was off to bed.

On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day with breakfast, cards, and church with my parents. It was so cute. Jacob went up with their Primary to sing because he wasn't able to sing with our Primary in Fremont but he really wanted to sing for his daddy. They sang completely different songs than he had been learning in our branch but you would never know it as he gave it his very best.

On Monday Jacob, Daddy, Uncle John LaMar and Aunt Meg all went to see "Kung Fu Panda" while Mena, my dad, Grandma Elison and I went out for the traditional spaghetti and meatball lunch. One of the funniest things about my Grandpa is his Idaho Swedish pallet. The man hates all spices, sauces, ethnic, etc... food. So what started out as Emily and I taking grandma out for some spaghetti one in awhile when we lived there, over the years, has turned into a granddaughter tradition with whoever is in town visiting, taking grandma out for a little italiano fare. Last year, after John and Meg's wedding, it was Emily, Tiana, Meg, Mom, my cousins Marsha, Katherine, Baby Ben, Mena, Grandma and me. But this year we went out before everyone arrived just because of the time crunch once the reunion was in full swing.

Tuesday and Wednesday, we went camping with my Dad at Big Bear lake in the mountains for a little canoeing. I could really kick myself because this was one of the highlights of our trip and of course I forgot my camera. DOH! It was absolutely gorgeous and serene. Mom and Dad as well as the kids took turns going out in the wood canoe with grandpa while the others played on the shore. We told family history stories by the campfire and roasted hot dogs as well as making s'mores. It was so lovely and I just wish that I could share it with you in photos. The pictures in my mind are memories for a life time.

Vegas, Baby, Vegas! June 13 & 14, 2008

Let me start by saying this was the little vacation that could. I was starting to think this trip was never going to happen. Gas prices going up, Phil started a new phase in his career, not having the vacation savings I thought I had been saving. (Yes, we thank you Mr. tax man for being so proficient at your job.) But we did it. We made it out west.

For starters, we had decided to fly instead of drive because the van is such a guzzler with the cost of food and lodging across the plains. It did mean not visiting with our Utah and Idaho friends which was disappointing but at least we were able to make the reunion. We flew into Vegas because we were able to find such incredible deals on flight and hotel as well as a 12 day car rental for a lot less than driving. But it looked like we were going to be in trouble because when we arrived at the rental desk it was 12:05 on the 14th. I KID YOU NOT! And Phil's driver's license expired at midnight on the 13th! His birthday. Because even though he had to get a new license last summer because of a wallet theft from the YMCA (blah, blah, blah, Fremont crime rate) they didn't re-new his license then and Ohio's are only good for three years. BUT...because of my license being stolen I was using my Oregon one, which I never turned in because I like my picture, and Oregon's are valid for 7 years. ha HA, so we rented the car and my thinly legal license.

We finally made it to our room at 1:30 am @ Circus Circus (don't recommend it). Woke up the next day and had breakfast at the Excalibur buffet (yummy yummy goodness) and then Jacob played in CC's adventure dome while Mena and I napped. We then all went swimming before our late check out and finally left Sin City after a quick bite at the Denny's around 5 p.m. And then it was off to good ol' So Cal...

June 10, 2008 - the First day of Summer

Jacob finished school on Wedneday, June 4th but
Emily's kids weren't done until Monday the 9th. So that Tuesday we went with my sister-in law, Margarida, her daughters, Alessandra and Ayana, and Great-grandma Ridout for a little end of school, first of summer celebration. We eat ate too much food and played extra hard. Emily's sisters-in-law Melissa and(who was in town from Wisconsin) and Kathy also came to visit with their kids. The kids had a great time together and the mom's of course loved the chit chat. Cousins are awesome! Having a family that accepts you for who you are, warts and all, is one of the greatest blessings of life!

Way Back on June 8th!

So about a month ago we went to the annual Nimelli garden party at our friend's Katrin and Jim's house. This was our first time making it but apparently it's been running for about 8 years. We had a great time with lots of food and two wading pools for the kids and even a croquet championship with the winner keeping the coveted flushing toilet bank for the year.

Just to clear up the relationship for those of you out west and not in the know. Jim Nimelli is my high school best buddy's older brother whom I was terrified of for years. And Katrin is his awesome wife that I've really enjoyed becoming friends with over the years. We are so excited to finally be on the invite list of their family and close friends annual gathering.

One of the great things about moving to Ohio has been spending more time with good friends.