Hailey remembering her mother

Having my niece's daughter, Hailey, with us last week made me very reflective, again, about her mother. At times I could feel Robin with us. I could sense her great love for her daughter. Of course she loved her, we all knew that, but I could actually feel her love around her daughter.

I found this entry that Robin wrote on her blog after finding out her transplant didn't work. I had it pasted in my journal and I've copied it below. I was impressed how much she was asking us all to help keep her memory alive in her daughter. 

Check out this interview Elora did with Hailey last week.
I was surprised Hailey had anything to say about dating...she's only 7! 
Also I found it interesting to learn why both Hailey and Elora don't like math.

He went up there with my camera.

Sorry, this is Family Camp week and all of us Roziers are there, even if we aren't actually there.
Dennis drove up the 75 minutes last night and took a few shots.

 Dennis says to me the very same thing every year, "I know your family loves it up there but I really don't see why. 
Everyone is SO DIRTY. 
There is dirt EVERYWHERE."

And look who showed up Jake and Katie from Utah...and that's Carly on the end. Didn't she just give birth 2 weeks ago? 

And Dennis continues, "And the living quarters are like being in the slums."

Jonas would not make eye contact with Grandpa. He totally ignored him which is unusual. I think he was afraid Grandpa might take him away from dirt Paradise.

And Dennis says, "The kids are all FILTHY."

But he also says, "The parents say the kids look forward to Family Camp more than Christmas!"

I think that sign has been there since I was a kid.

Téa went up for a 2 day visit but she's back with us now. 

Eating her first corn on the cob. 

After putting her to bed tonight I realized I had forgotten something in her room. 
So about 20 minutes later I went into the dark with my little flashlight, trying to be so careful not to wake her up.
As I am pointing the flashlight around the room suddenly I hear her little whisper, "Honey? Honey?"
(That's her version of 'Grandma Honey, is that you?')
She knows just how to melt my heart. 

Beatles and Family Camp

It was the summer of 1964 and I had just finished 3rd grade. Our family of 7 was crammed together in our minus-seat-belts station wagon heading up to Dinkey Creek for the 3rd annual Family Camp. 

All the way up that long and winding mountain my Dad sang the new Beatles song, "I Want To Hold Your Hand." over and over. To this day, 48 years later (did I just say 48 years??) I can't hear that song without seeing my 34 year old Dad singing and driving us all up to camp. 


What rebels they were.



 So yes, to me, Family Camp and the Beatles go hand in hand. I can't think of one without thinking of the other.

(Just as a side note however, I don't think my son McKay and his wife McKenna are thinking of Family Camp when they hear this song.)


We went every year since 1961. Most of my siblings carried on the Family Camp tradition with their children, and are still carrying it on. This week marks the 50th anniversary. Amazing!

 Here's Family Camp 1965. My mom had just given birth to twins.

(These are all my siblings except for the red head on the back row and the very blond girl in the front.)

I found this one recently with my Mom's things. 
I think it was Family Camp 2000? 

I'm hoping someone up there this week will bring me some Family Camp 2011 pictures!!!

Happy 50th to everyone up there!

Look who's moved in

Family Camp is back again which means we get to have Miss Téa just like we did last year! Go back and look, she has changed SO MUCH in a year!

The first night she was here she kept insisting, "Bow bow bow" as we were putting her to bed. I kept telling her she would have to wait till morning and then I would put a bow in her hair. Finally Grandpa said in his Grandpa's voice, "Time for bed."  And then she said in her very soft sweet and 2.3 year old voice, "Don't remind me."  
One of those random sentences that seemed to come from nowhere.

She tries singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at least 25 times a day. Just like her Uncle Tyler use to do at this age!

She also says, "My can do it!" a good 15 times a day.
 

On the way home from Trader Joes tonight she counted 1-10, over and over. She'd forget a few numbers but as we would say the next number, she would say the one after that.

She sleeps really well...from 8:30 to 8:30. Good thing Grandpa and I  bought a crib tent for the Pack N Play!

I bought this skirt at a boutique just 12 hours before watching her and her brother come into this world.

And she loves it so much she won't let me take it off. 

She's wearing it in Dream Land. 

Téa watches this video over and over and LOVES it.

Doesn't make her sad at all. 

Part 2 or The rest of the story with Hailey and Elora

As soon as Hailey arrived they did their traditional measuring to see if they are still the same size.

Dennis does not like to eat outside but I asked if he could just endure it for 10 minutes so we could call it a barbecue. 
He did. And we did.

 The conversation from Hailey went like this:
"Oh this is spicy brown mustard...do you have any regular?" So I get out a jar of regular. Then Hailey continues, "Oh Trader Joes mustard, that's really good! Have you ever tried their honey mustard? Trader Joes makes  a really good honey mustard."

Hailey is a 'foodie" just like her mom was, and her Aunt Natalie. 





They spent both evenings in the pool. I heard Elora say to Hailey, "Grandma Honey's bathing suit looked so small, but it fit!" 
Like she was shocked I could get into it.

Then they started the girl thing of trading clothes. Elora wanted to wear Hailey's pajama pants, but her own night gown with it. Raising boys, we never had these issues. 

Next afternoon Grandpa and I needed a nap. And the girls wanted to do a "project." So we went through the house collecting things. Here's what we found.(The cookie sheets gave them a flat surface on the blow up bed.)

About an hour later I peeked inside the door to see what they were creating.

And this is what they came up with. They organized a "book club" complete with invitations.

If you don't see your name here, don't despair. It's all about the planning. (I think BB and em are their code names.)

Then it was off to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. I discovered this was the perfect place to take them. They got to choose their own foods, serve themselves and ....

...make their own Sundaes!

It was especially fun to take them, because both girls said they had never been there before.

Then it was off to see my Dad and Susan. I explained to the girls that they both have the same Great Grandparents. Hailey added, "By marriage." And we corrected her, "No, by birth."

 It's hard at this age knowing how everyone is related. I don't think they really care how...only that they are!

Come back soon Hailey!!

Judy Moody with Elora and Hailey

Dennis and I wondered why we were the only ones laughing at Judy Moody and The Not Bummer Summer. We finally decided one has to be at least a half century old to get the humor in this movie. And the theater seemed to be filled with 7 and 8 year old girls and their parents.


Hailey and Elora were totally mesmerized by it. 
No laughing, oh no. This was serious stuff to them...and the rest of the audience, apparently. 

Serious business this movie. But not the drive there.

Some more candid shots, while they were watching the previews.

The one below may look posed, 

but anyone who knows 7 and 8 year old girls would believe me when I promise it's not. 

Oh the drama.

The relief all over their faces that Judy Moody had a great summer after all. 

It was close in parts! 

Especially when Judy's best friend went off to circus camp.

(Seriously, circus camp. What parent would send their child to circus camp? )

They wanted to check out the poster again on the way out of the theater. 

They were in deep discussion.

Dennis got in the car and said, "There was no depth to that movie. At all."

Shhh! Don't tell them.

I want our granddaughter Elora and her 2nd cousin Hailey to remember these 2 days with us, so don't be surprised if I show more pictures.
They are so blessed to have each other.

Wouldn't you want to retire here too?!

What a HAPPY place. 
This is so cute!!




Have you seen the other Lip Dub video also made in Grand Rapids?
Roger Ebert calls it "The Greatest Movie Video." Watch it here.
It's not one of my favorite songs but it's absolutely incredible how they got 5000 people to participate in it...I mean, 
HOW did they do THAT!

The vactioning grandchildren are HOME

Can you imagine going on a 12 hour road trip with 7 children, including 2 year old twins in 2 cars for 2 1/2 weeks? 
*That is sort of exactly what my son Logan, his wife Amy just finished doing. And they had a great time, imagine that!

Lots of family bonding...

Lots of crazy fun

And look what they saw!

Sometimes they just had to crash...where ever.

I thought I would end with this angry happy little picture.

Would you believe on this trip these 2 slept together in the same little porta crib? 
Or I guess they call those tiny traveling cribs..."Pack N Plays" now, right?
I gotta keep up with the times.

*To be more accurate, Austin and Kylie drove one of the cars back 2 weeks before the rest of the family so they could attend EFY in Logan, Utah with our granddaughter, Jessica. But they did all drive home together, breaking the trip up just outside Las Vegas where they spent the night before continuing on home the next day. I wish they had taken pictures of all 9 of them in that hotel room !! :)