Cookies and Cousins ... and Jumping

JUMP!

As we were growing up, we always had a lot of interaction with Uncle Merrill and his family. As we all got older, it was harder to have family gatherings with all the spouses, kids, etc., because it was such a big group. But today, Mom/Margie hosted a "Cookies and Cousins" party, and we had a great turnout. It was so fun to visit my cousins that I hadn't seen in a while. There were plenty of cookies, and while it was drizzling a bit outside for a good portion of the evening, that didn't deter the kids. Jen brought jump ropes, hula hoops and catch games, Dad/Lamar set up the golf shoes, and everyone stayed quite busy. There aren't  many photos/video, but we caught some action in a little video ... 

At the end of the evening, a huge rainbow formed across the sky ...

Father's Day 2011

It was out to Scott and Amy's for the annual Westra Father's Day BBQ.  There was rain, which continued all through the day keeping us mostly indoors or under the canopy. That was perfect for paracord projects, and Gray had brought a handy portable paracord kit. The rain did stop enough for the kids to peek at the toads under the tramp. 

The paracord was a bit hit, and the cousins all ended up with new bracelets. 

Looks like we tired some of the guys out!

Then it was TOAD time ...

WHO let the toads out? 

According to this video, Callahan grabbed one of them ...

Some never before seen (before this blog post) footage of the family party!

Graduation 2011 ~ McKenna's Cap&Gown

 

Scott and Amy sent out official graduation announcements for their first-born, their first high school graduate. 

Got some graduation pictures ...

... and fast forward 10 years ...

There was a darling picture of little Taylee, wearing McKenna's cap and holding her diploma. Mckenna recreated it at Taylee's graduation, with Mckenna donning Taylee's cap and diploma. 

Banana Bread

Bananas ... they are great to have on hand for a quick (and healthy) snack, but they go bad so quickly!  And you know Mom, she likes them on the "under ripe" ride. Yes, you can freeze them for smoothies, but even better? Banana bread!

It's another Westra classic!

These quick breads don't use as much flour as regular bread, so they are a little easier to sub in Gluten-Free flour for those Celiacs in the family!


INGREDIENTS~

1/3 Cup Milk

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup Butter or Margarine

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Cup Mashed Banana

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Raw Sugar (for topping)

Combine the milk and lemon juice and set them aside (the milk will curdle). Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, mashed banana and milk. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle raw sugar across the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. Also makes great banana muffins (bake for about 15 minutes).

The raw sugar topping is a Blackham addition, but it really adds to both the appearance and the taste (and the calories of course, but if you're eating this, you're probably not TOO concerned with the extra calories, as this is NOT a low cal dish to start with). 

Easter 2011

Easter was April 24th this year. The Westra family party was the day before, Saturday, April 23, 2011. Lots of pretty flowers all over the yard. Cooper had broken his arm just a few days before and was worried about the hunt, that he wouldn't be as capable with just one hand (and yes, it was his right-arm that he broke ... this was his second break in six months!) We told him that he could start with the "littles" group to give him a little extra head start before the other big kids came collecting. 

Here's a quick clip of Ani and her first Easter egg hunt ...

Looks like Cooper did just fine finding and collecting eggs!
That broken arm didn't slow him down at all. Got a bucketful!

Scott doesn't seem to think it's fair that his egg is so little compared to Camden's big egg! While the Blackham Boys have used Easter "buckets" instead of baskets for years, looks like other families had buckets this year too.

Who knew stickers would be such a hit ... on heads! Funny faces!

You can check out the Jensen Easter 2011 in Wendy's family blog ...

• Easter Egg Hunt
• Coloring Eggs 
• Easter Morning
• Egg Bash and Egg Hunt

Dancing in the New Year ...

The Blackham house hosted a little New Year's Eve bash to wind up 2010 and welcome 2011. Grandma and Grandpa, Chris and his boys, and D&D and baby Ani came over for Hawaiian Haystacks (with gluten-free gravy!) and games. Shane's family was going to come too, but they had some sickness hit and weren't up to it after all. D&D brought a Wii game over called "Just Dance" and it was enjoyed by everyone. We played Apples to Apples, Pictureka, Rat-a-Tat-Cat and Grandma taught us how to play Farkle. 

Here's some video ... Mom/Margie and Derek start off with "It's In His Kiss", then Dad/Lamar and Chris tackle "The Monster Mash" (1:30), followed by Corin and Kaden rocking to "Tik Tok" (starting at 2:30). Then Chris and Kaden wondering "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (4:00) and Derek and Corin getting funky with "Funky Town" (starting at 5:10).

Who has still been dancing over the years?

Looks like Derek had his camera out ... any additional video or pictures?

2010 Christmas Letter

The annual update ... PDF is in Dropbox.