Leake Family Reunion-2019-Part II

Tuesday morning we took at a bit of a slower pace, but we were out the door around 10:00 and made a 30 minute drive to St. Mary's.  St. Mary's was the fourth permanent settlement in America and we actually have a family connection there!  Bob's 12th great-grandfather, John Jarboe, was the second man to own land in St. Mary's, and he married a woman there named Mary.  We all found this fascinating, Marshall and I especially.  Now, St. Mary's is essentially the same as This is the Place State Park here in Utah, or Old World Wisconsin.  It has been restored so well and was very hands on and interactive for the kids-we all loved it.  We rotated through different areas, the kids were able to try different activities, including helping to carve out a tree trunk using clam shells!  They also had a reconstruction of a ship, The Dove, that we were able to tour.  It was just a real fun and educational outing, and also thrilling to know that we are related to colonists. 

Mackall Barn-1785.  One of the oldest standing barns in Maryland.

That evening, we had family pictures done, which turned out absolutely wonderfully.  Of course, Richard and I snapped a few of our own pictures, which we also love. 

We got back to our cottages right as the sun was starting to set over the Patuxent River.  Richard, knowing that I had been looking forward to sunsets over the water, told me to get out of the van and run down to the beach to finish watching the sun set.  I stayed on the beach for about 15 minutes and it was stunning.  Stunning.  I watched the sun set two more nights later in the week, but this sunset was by far the most beautiful.  There is something about water that is incredibly calming to me, and the peace of a sunset or sunrise over water cannot be matched.  It was just gorgeous. 

On Wednesday we did split up.  Two vans drove to the National Zoo, and one van (ours, along with Bob) drove to the Air and Space Annex by the Dulles Airport.  Once again, the kids were troopers with such a long drive.  We got to the museum about 11:00 am and there was hardly anyone there.  Right off the bat, Marshall and Bridget were able to have a mini-flying lesson in a Cessna.  They learned about the three main parts of a plane and how they are controlled and they actually got to sit in the plane and try everything out.  The rest of the time there we just roamed and took in the sites of all these massive and amazing planes.  It really is so impressive.  This place is much more open than the Smithsonians in D.C. and had way less people, which we all really appreciated!  The highlight, as it always is for us, was seeing the space shuttle, Discovery.  You really are in awe when you are right up close to that amazing creation.  It was also very special to have Bob with us on this outing.  His father helped to work on the very first cruise missile, which is housed in this museum.  It was another great outing and we only hit some D.C. rush hour traffic on our way back to Solomon's Island.  Once everyone returned, we had a relaxing dinner, put the kids to bed at a normal hour, and then some of us adults enjoyed a peaceful and fun evening out on the deck. 

Thursday brought us a trip to Annapolis to visit the Amish Market.  We all feasted on freshly baked pretzels, and they were divine.  We also walked around the market and admired the beautiful Amish furniture, especially the kitchen tables.  After that, we had a short girls outing and let the men take all the kids 11 and younger back to the cottages.  It was a much more peaceful drive, I will say that!  We stopped at a cupcake bakery to pick up birthday cupcakes for the next day, but of course we all ordered a cupcake to eat right there and then.  I got key lime.  Delicious.  Thursday night we went out to dinner with Richard's brothers and their wives.  Bob and Becky were kind enough to stay behind and host a grandparent's night.  It was a win all around for everyone.  The kids broke a pinata with Grandma and Grandpa, played outside, played games, watched a movie, popped popcorn, and played in the fresh rain puddles after a brief downpour of rain.  A perfect summer evening for the grandchildren.  The adults also had a wonderful time-my favorite night of the trip!  We got reservations at a restaurant just a few minutes away, right on the water.  I really wanted us to sit outside, you know me and water, but because our group was larger than four they had to seat us inside.  We were still right next to the windows though, which I appreciated.  And then I really appreciated it when that torrential downpour arrived!  It was actually really neat to watch that storm roll in.  It happened so fast and reminded me of a Midwest rainstorm with the blue sky quickly changing to dark gray and then dropping buckets of rain in just a few minutes.  Weather aside, we had a delightful time with Nathan, Nina, Joe, and Aubri.  It is so rare for the six of us to be together and we really just had great conversation and laughed a lot; it was wonderful.  In true adult fashion, we ended the night by stopping at the local grocery store.  :)  Another great day in the books!

Leake Family Reunion-2019-Part I

We recently returned from an eight day Leake Family Reunion in Maryland.  It was so wonderful, and before many details escape me; I want to document it.

 On the evening of June 7th, we had 13 people sleeping in our house.  Our Vernal family had come out earlier that day, because we had to leave for the airport early the next morning.  Richard and I actually had to attend the residency graduation dinner on June 7th, so we got to leave the chaos of the house and everyone else took care of our kids.  Bless them.  

Anyway, on June 8th, we all woke up between 4:30 am and 5:30 am, and we were in our cars on our way to the airport at 6:15.  We flew on Southwest, all 13 of us, and we were able to finagle all of us sitting together.  On that flight, I just had Gretchen to worry about, and we lucked out with an empty seat next to us, which was extremely helpful! 

Last 20 minutes of the flight...I had been trying to make this happen for 3 hours!

We all survived the long flight and were met at the airport by Nathan, Nina, and their girls.  Our little family actually rented a van, so we didn't all officially meet up until we all gathered at a Golden Corral for dinner.  We were just outside of Baltimore, and based on the crowd, it looked like we were there with a bunch of graduating high school seniors and their families.  I really think we were the only white people in the restaurant, and for two hours I prayed that Rachel would not make a comment.  She did not make a comment and prayers were answered!  After dinner, we drove about an hour to Nathan and Nina's house and for the first time that day, the kids were able to run and play, which is exactly what they did.  The cousins all had fun together, and Marshall, Bridget, Rachel, Becca, and Katelin spent almost the entire evening on the trampoline.  We left their house after dark and drove to our hotel, and I am pleased to say, there was only minimal chaos in getting children to bed.  Once everyone was asleep, we all slept soundly, and all the kids slept through the night and had to be woken up in the morning! 

On Sunday, Nathan and Nina had stake conference, so we went to that in the morning, and then spent the afternoon at their house.  Nina was kind enough to feed all of us.  Kids continued to play and Richard and I conked out on the couch.  Once again, bless everyone else for taking care of our kids!  After all of that, we loaded up three vans with people and luggage and drove about 45 minutes to our cottages in Solomon's Island, Maryland at a naval recreation center.  We rented two four-bedroom cottages and they were right next to each other.  We stayed in a cottage with Bob and Becky and Joe and Nathan's family shared the other cottages.  They were good little cottages with big decks and worked perfectly for us.  Once we all got settled and had dinner, some adults went grocery shopping, and other stayed behind with all the kids.  We walked down to the beach, threw rocks into the water, played in the sand, and then made our way up to the park.  The kids played and played on the playground, some people played catch with a football we had found lying around, and we had a great time!  We ended the evening with some of us playing Telestrations-always a good end to the evening! 

By 9:30 am on Monday morning, we were on the road and D.C. bound.  By the time we got parked, and met up it was close to lunch time and we ate lunch at a food court before setting out on our adventures.  It was a rainy morning/early afternoon in D.C., so after lunch we all donned our rain jackets to walk to the Museum of Natural History.  The museum was crowded and it took us a bit to figure out how to navigate a busy museum with our group of 18.  We eventually just decided to break into smaller groups and have a meeting spot and time.  All together, we did the fossil section, and then we broke off into groups.  Our little family, minus Rachel, went to the gem section.  We beheld the beautiful Hope  Diamond, as well as all the other gorgeous gems in that area.  After that, Bridget was done, so Richard was going to take her out of the museum, but he ran into some other people in his family.  He swapped Rachel for Bridget and Bridget went to ride on the carousel that is on the mall.  She loved it, might have been the highlight of her day.  :)  I believe Richard and Marshall went to the ocean exhibit, and I took the little girls to the bathroom and then we sat down and had a snack.  After we all met up again, we decided to do the American History Museum.  We again broke into groups there.  The group I was in saw the First Lady's Dress exhibit-always a highlight for me!  We also found Dorothy's ruby slippers and they also had the 1989 Batmobile on display-Richard's highlight.  After those museums, we walked past the Washington Monument, glimpsed the White House from a distance, and ended up at the World War II Memorial.  We spent quite a bit of time there with our tired feet in the cool water and the kids had a ball.  It was a much needed break for all of us!  After that, we had quite a walking trek to get to Shake Shack for dinner.  We passed by the Jefferson Memorial, from a distance, and eventually wound our to this picturesque wharf right on the Potomoc River.  I am a sucker for any restaurant by the water, so I was in heaven.  There were a bunch of restaurants, a little fountain in the square, white lights strung across the street, and hello, the Potomac River.  We ordered our food and ate outside and it was perfect.  After a leisurely dinner, we had a short walk back to the cars, thankfully!  It had been a huge day, walking about eight miles! 

Our little D.C. tourist.  Didn't mind the rain at all!

Our kids really were troopers.  At some point during the day, our girls each had their own little melt downs, but they were short lived.  I am really glad we went into the city for one day.  Richard and I love, love, love Washington D.C.  I did tell Richard though that I don't really want to take our kids back until Gretchen is seven and we don't need a stroller anymore! 

School Wrap-Up

August 2018

May 2019

My kids just wrapped up their first school year at Reading Elementary.  This was another new school for them, the third elementary school that Marshall and Bridget have attended-and only being in 4th and 2nd grade respectively.  The only time I ever changed schools was when moving up to junior high and then high school, and of course, I always had my group of friends with me.  I was excited about our move last summer, but I was also very nervous to move the kids again.  It had taken us a full year, maybe even a bit more, to fully settle into our North Salt Lake neighborhood, and after just a year of stability I felt dread when thinking about having to do it all over again.  

I am thrilled to say though, that this move, and all the change it brought, has brought us goodness, and for that I am so thankful.  I think I can honestly say this has been the fastest school year I have ever experienced as a parent.  It really seems that it was just yesterday I was walking Marshall and Bridget down the many hills, with Rachel and Gretchen in the stroller, to take them to the first day of school at yet another new school.  I helped them get to their classrooms and hugged and kissed them good-bye.  However, this time I did not cry all the way home as I had done two years earlier.  I didn't even shed a tear, but I had them in my thoughts all day until they were home.  They came home with glowing reports and the positivity continued all school year long.  

I am SO proud of these kids.  Not only have they changed and grown up physically, but also emotionally.  I have had small pay-days as a parent as I have seen the choices they have made, things they decided to try, and how they handled certain situations.  I sincerely hope that I can teach them all I need to, and that they may continue to choose good, and also learn positive things from mistakes they will inevitably make.  

So here are some first and last school day photos, as well as things I want to remember about these last 9 months for them...

Marshall

August 2018

May 2019

This last year, Marshall has stepped outside his comfort zone and tried new things.  He tried out for a competition soccer team last June, and he made it.  He has struggled with some confidence and tenacity during soccer games this year, but really started to come into his own during the spring season.  He even scored two goals this spring!  He also participated in Book Battles and made it all the way to the district competition.  His team made it through the third round before getting eliminated, but he is already developing his strategy for next year.  Marshall also chose to participate in the district STEM Olympiad.  This required him getting to school early on Wednesday mornings to practice.  Marshall and his partner didn't medal, but once again, Marshall is committed to participating again next year.  Marshall also spoke at Bridget's baptism, not something we were expecting him to agree to!  Academically, Marshall excelled.  He went into the school year with the highest reading level in his class.  And by the time 4th grade was done, he still had the highest reading level, but had also improved his reading level the most!  One of Marshall's teachers, Mrs. Klinker, had each of the students write something nice about every student in the class.  She then typed up a paper for everyone, listing all the compliments from their peers.  Marshall brought his home on Friday, and I cried reading it!  Someone told Marshall that he is so kind and never talks bad about anyone.  Others complimented him for being a kind friend.  I hope he always nurtures these qualities.  

Bridget

August 2018

May 2019

Bridget LOVED second grade.  She also loved her teacher, and her teacher loved her right back.  I have always known that Bridget has the great talent of kindness, and making everyone feel comfortable and happy, despite their age, boy or girl, or how they look.  This talent of hers just continued to magnify itself this year though.  She was given the opportunity to help in the special needs classroom for several weeks at a time and was able to rotate through there multiple times.  She loved it.  She always informed me with excitement in the mornings that that day she would get to go to the special needs classroom.  Earlier this spring, a little kindergarten girl was hit by a car while walking to school.  She missed a couple weeks of school, and when she came back she was in a wheelchair.  Bridget did not know this little girl before the accident, but her first few days back at school, Bridget would go around the track with her during recess.  I found it so touching.  Bridget made excellent friends this school year.  All good, wonderful and kind girls.  Bridget also excelled academically.  She was never beaten in a timed test at school, the entire year!  More often than not, Bridget would do her homework in the mornings during breakfast, always staying one day ahead.  She did her first book report this year and turned it in early.  Ronald Reagan is now her favorite U.S. President.  :)  Bridget has continued to be our well-adjusted, self-sufficient, and delightful little girl.  May she always keep those qualities.  

Rachel

August 2018

May 2019

My oh my, Rachel has learned SO much this year, and has worked so hard!  She is stubborn, and despite being at an excellent preschool last year, went into kindergarten not really even knowing how to write her name.  She was the youngest in her kindergarten class, which made me feel like she was even further behind.  But, fast forward nine months, and she knows all the letters and their sounds, she is reading, she is writing sentences, she can segment words and can figure out how to spell them, she can sound out words to help read them.  Her numbers are coming along, though she still gets 8 and 9 confused!  Her teacher started spelling tests in February, and with practice every day, Rachel got 100% on every spelling test...which I am taking as a HUGE accomplishment on both our parts!  Despite all of this mental growth, Rachel has kept every ounce of creativity in her, and that just delights me.  Rachel made really great friends in kindergarten, including a darling little girl named Sara.  They are best of pals and have a ball together.  I volunteered every other week in Rachel's class and a few months into the school year, a little girl asked me if I was Rachel's mom and I told her I was.  She then went on to tell me that Rachel is always kind to her and always says yes when the girl asks to play with her at recess.  I am so thankful for kind children!  

My Grandpa Toney

My Grandpa Toney passed away on Sunday, March 3rd, at his home, with several family members by his side and my Grandma holding his hand. 

My Grandpa was born and raised in Michigan.  He was the son of a farmer, and raised his own family, of five children, on a dairy farm.  My grandparents joined the Church when my dad was a little boy.  My grandparents worked hard to balance their demands as parents to five children, life on a dairy farm, workers in a factory, and their religious obligations.  They raised five wonderful children, who went on to marry five wonderful people, and it warms my heart every time I think of the posterity that has come from my grandparents and their conscious, good choices.  

My Grandpa Toney was a quiet man, and just got quieter the older he got.  Because I was born and raised in Utah, I didn't have a lot of time with my grandparents while I was growing up.  My parents tried to get us all out to Michigan about every other year, and those are some of my fondest childhood memories.  My grandparents sold their farm when my Dad was on his mission and they bought a home in South Haven.  I loved this home for two reasons:  1) it had a pool 2) at the end of the house, overlooking the pool, was a huge room that was filled with toys and books and games.  I had a lot of cousins who lived back there, and so our summer visits were filled with swimming, playing with cousins, swimming again, eating loads of food (my grandma loves to make and eat great food) and swimming some more.  It seemed I lived in my swimming suit when we would go back there in the summertime.

When I was in 5th grade we spent Thanksgiving in Michigan and when I was in 9th grade we spent Christmas out there as well.  That Christmas the entire Toney family was together, with the exception of I believe two cousins who were on missions.  Growing up, those were hands down my two favorite holiday celebrations.  Just the excitement of traveling for a holiday was a novelty!  But I loved being in such a huge family group for a holiday celebration.  I remember traveling to Al and Joy's for Thanksgiving dinner (my Dad's aunt and uncle).  I remember it being so warm that the guys played football outside.  I remember nightly games of mafia organized by my cousin Shawna when we were there for Christmas.  I remember our gift exchange and how happy that was.

I remember that one year, my Grandpa Toney called me on my birthday.  I think I was probably turning 12 or 13.  I was tickled to receive a phone call from him on the evening of my birthday.  It was a brief conversation, but it still made my heart soar.  

My Grandpa loved John Deere tractors and loved fishing on Lake Michigan in his boat.  I spent some time on his boat during our summer visits with cousins and uncles, and of course, my grandpa.  One vivid memory I have, and this happened when I was seven, was on the boat, in the middle of Lake Michigan.  One of my younger cousins, who was a difficult child, was misbehaving.  Finally, my Grandpa had had enough, and picked this cousin up by this arms and dunked him in the lake!  He never let go, but my cousin was not happy, and my Grandpa told him he couldn't come back in the boat until he promised to be good.  Lake Michigan is rarely a warm lake, and so you can imagine that my cousin changed his ways pretty quickly.  This memory as a seven year old is seared into my mind.  :)  

Almost every time I visited my grandparents as an adult, with my own kids in tow, Marshall would take a turn sitting up on Grandpa Toney's big John Deere tractor.  My Grandma also had lots of tractor toys for the great-grandkids to play with.  Marshall still remembers them!  

Sometimes my grandparents would drive out from Michigan to visit us in Utah.  I loved their visits.  It was so fun to have grandparents visiting!  When I was a senior in high school they came out for a visit.  They were able to attend my choir concert; I loved having them there.

When we moved to Wisconsin I was able to spend more time at my grandparents' home.  I was actually not great at getting out there my first couple of years (Chicago traffic had scarred me), but I got better at it and made a trip out at least once a year, if not twice.  The first time I went out to visit them, Marshall was eight months old.  I have a memory from one of my early visits there.  My Grandpa was still able to drive and go to church.  I remember waiting and waiting and waiting to leave church, but my Grandpa just kept talking and talking and talking to people...I was shocked!

Another memory happened at a later visit.  I still just had Marshall with me, but he was napping in the pack and play.  My Grandma wanted me to take her to the store.  I was a tad nervous to leave Marshall with just my Grandpa in case Marshall woke up, but my Grandma assured me everything would be fine.  I was worried the whole time I was gone, and anxiously walked in the front door when we got back to their house.  There was my Grandpa, sitting in his favorite chair, with Marshall on his lap.  Marshall was as happy as could be and I was relieved to see that all was well so I snapped a picture.  :)

The last trip we took to Michigan before we moved to Utah was in January 2016.  This was only Richard's second trip out there with me, but I got him to come along for this one.  We spent a weekend there and had a wonderful time.  Words to describe trips to Michigan would be love, fun, food, laughter, games, relaxed, and acceptance.  My girls, as usual, had a ball playing Barbies (Rachel still talks about these Barbies and she was 2!) and Marshall had fun playing with the tractors.  My aunts, uncles, and cousins are also so good with kids and would just start playing with them.  As we left to drive home on that Sunday afternoon, I knew that would be the last time I would see my Grandpa Toney alive.  I made sure to tell him I loved him as I hugged him good-bye.  I will always have happy memories of him waving hello or good-bye to my kids on our visits.  His face would get more animated, his blue eyes would perk up and get a little bit bigger, and his big Grandpa Toney hand would do a little floppy wave.

My Grandpa Toney was a wise, strong, and kind man.  I am glad my three older kids have some memories of him.  I am grateful for all the treasured memories I have of him.  He left a great legacy of faith, consistency, and hard work.  Love you Grandpa.