McBlog – Page 8 – Love mortality; you're only here once.

Our kids still don’t have any first cousins, but they sure do have tons & tons of second cousins! And it’s always wonderful to spend time with them.

The Dynamic Duo, AKA Nada Payne & Marisa Whitaker, drove from Tennessee to Utah with little Luke & Natalie in tow! Impressive! (Something I would never be woman enough to undertake.) Chase & Charlotte were in heaven playing with those two kids.

Pictured: Luke & Chase getting intense with the LEGO Star Wars video game in the family room.

Not pictured: Charlotte & Natalie getting intense with the princess dress-up in the office room.

Family Get-Together at Jim & Gretchen’s before Scott & Christina’s BYUI graduations (& Erica & Josh’s wedding). David Whitaker is a funny guy, just like all the men in this family!!

Speaking of funny guys…

And here are a bazillion photos of the family, for the record.

GG, Tyler, & Chase win the awards for craziest facial expressions in this next one!

Some adorable children. From left: Kyle, Joel, Chase, Caroline, Charlotte, Luke, & Natalie.

Kyle didn’t put his green sword down all evening.

Photo Op with Great Grandma Lipps. Charlotte really enjoys saying that name.

Later, in the backyard, I caught the kids in the act of being very cute. Chase gladly embraced his role as as Swingmaster/Eldest Great-Grandchild Present/Tough Guy.

I should blog about our California trip… but first I have to backtrack to right before that trip. Chase & Charlotte took a few weeks of gymnastics classes, which they really enjoyed. I never took any pictures, boo!

They also took 5 days of swimming lessons in someone’s awesome, very warm backyard pool.

Chase did wonderfully with the swimming lessons! He is a completely confident little fish in the water now, a great swimmer, & he & I both don’t have to worry about him drowning.

Charlotte, on the other hand, hated “getting water in her ears” & really wanted nothing to do with putting her face in the water. She would cry whenever the teacher asked her to blow bubbles in the water. She did alright, but I probably should have waited till she’s 4 to put her in lessons. You never know how they’re going to do!