The donut game!

This last week we held our first annual Eisenhauer-Mecham family reunion. On Thursday we hung out at the farm and visited and played games. This is the donut game. You hang donuts from string at different lengths. Here we have the contestants patiently awaiting the signal to begin eating. Some of the players were bigger than others!

They listen as the rules are stated.

And as the rules are restated!

And go! You had to have your hands behind your back and could not kneel on the ground.

To add to the fun, Renny swung the branch back and forth.

Some get right into it and others watch and contemplate.

Of course Stu was right in the middle of it all.

And at last the prize!

These were our three real winners!! Laney was quietly standing by and then bam her donut was gone! Ethan and Sam of course were beasts! We had a lot of fun! Millie

Getting Ready

So, this week is our first ever Eisenhauer-Mecham family reunion and we are having it here at the old home stead. So, we have been getting ready. We have been doing some mowing and raking and hauling. We have also been moving wood and cutting wood and burning wood. We are about ready. (Good thing, it starts tomorrow!) As you can see the boys are totally excited!

This log needed to be broken down into more smaller logs. The boys got tired of sawing and decided to try breaking it!

Here Sam is standing on one end and David is getting ready to jump on the other end. (Luke was not quite enough weight!) They did succeed in breaking the log.

Did you know when you cut a log part way and then put something under it to help you break it this something has a name? No, I mean a real name. It is a fulcrum. I know weird! Millie

David before trek and after

This is David before trek at 5:30 in the morning! Not too excited about his trek clothes. Does not know yet that everyone is going to look like him when he gets to the church. You can tell by his look he questioned the whole idea of the trek and the reason behind it.

David after trek! Notice the angle of the hat and the look on his face that says, "I don't care what I look like. I survived the trek and I look good!" I love the whole trek experience and I love how it has affected my kids. I love hearing their stories afterwards and feeling the spirit they felt. I think the trek experience helps them to realize they can do hard things and afterward appreciate that they were hard but they did them. I am very proud of David. He was a leader in his family and an example to his fellow trekkers. (I know because he is David and because his ma and pa told me so!) Millie

Random pictures I did not get to blog!

This is the mother deer with her twin fawns that lives near us.

Here she is again and still not easy to see. She was a little skiddish with the babies around.

Our field trip group on Luke's trip to Lalooska lodge. All of my children have made this trip in the third grade but this was the first one I got to go on. Always before I was pregnant or had a little baby!

Isaac's last band concert of the year. He is always in the back and hard to see. He plays a mean trombone.

Coming to the snake river near you.....Li'l Millie!

Isaac riding the mechanical bull in Weiser.

Luke riding the mechanical bull in Weiser.

We always take this picture (okay, maybe not always, but for several years now) while watching the parade in Weiser. Just had the three of them again this year.

This Rob enjoying the parade. I think I have several pictures like this one also. You can see we were sitting with a pretty fun bunch!

Luke kind of with the keebler elf! They are in the same picture anyway.

This is my table display in the living room. I put it together for the 4th and love it so it stays! Just a lot of random things that are red, white and blue and family.

Hannah, me and mom!! Love this picture! Millie

He is not here.....

This is a very typical picture of David. He lives plugged in. But he will not be plugged in for the next three days. David is off on Trek. And yes he left his mp3 player and ear phones home (I saw them in his room). He had said he was going to sneak them along, but in the end he did not even try. He is a good boy and we do miss him. Millie

Pictures from the back seat.......by Isaac Henrikson

This was our trip back from Weiser. Isaac must have had the camera and about 7 hours on his hands! Some times these are the most interesting pictures on your camera. The ones you did not know were taken. Millie

You've had a birthday, shout hooray!

So, Luke is now nine! He is growing up so fast. Friday we celebrated his birthday. He had a full on birthday day which started with Sam taking him to lunch and a surprise party when he got home. Then a friend who could not make the party came bearing gifts and played for a while. Then we had a barbecue with family.

Rob and Far Mor watching as he opens his pile of presents.

Stina, Carol and Grandma Julie also looking on. David is in the left bottom corner and Grandpa Frank is in the upper right corner.

Luke and his pile! It is hard to tell garbage from gifts at this point. Happy Birthday Luke. We love you lots. Mom