Eclipse Eve

Most of our family attended a local ward this morning.  The ranks of the congregation were swelled by eclipse tourists.  Ben and I stayed behind with Will and watched our stake conference via a live feed, but Melanie took this photo for me.  I had Frito Pie ready for everyone when they returned.

After lunch, Jeff declared that naps were mandatory.  I complied, almost doubling the amount of sleep I'd had in the last 24 hours.  When I woke up, I helped Adele put a fun pirate puzzle together.

She and I found brownies which Aunt Carolyn had made.

Everyone has become quite enamoured with Lewis on this trip.  He likes all of us, but mostly only if his mom is nearby.  I was thrilled that he let me feed him a brownie.  I managed to take the picture and get the brownie on the fork all by myself.

During this lull in the action, my artists enjoyed another painting session.

Adele woke up and joined us.

Bradley came in to see what was going on.  I invited him to pick up a brush.  He declined.

Once all the parents had their beauty rest, they piled the kids into three cars and took them to a nearby park.  Dave took this picture for me, titling it, "Ready, Aim, Fire!"

I had spaghetti and meatballs ready when they returned.

Luke loved dinner and returned for seconds.

My favorite part of this week with our family might be watching all the grandchildren having fun together.

I thought two heavy meals on a Sunday might be too much.  I was wrong.

The skies were cloudy, but we ended up on the deck hoping the clouds would go away.  Jane took a selfie with Jill.

Matt was chilling, waiting for a little action.

The action was planned, unbeknownst to me.  The family thanked Papa for the fun trip together.

Emotions are a little high right now, and Ben got a lot of hugs from the sweet people who love their grandfather.

It melted my heart to watch them engage so completely.

All of a sudden, it was my turn!

The big kids behind me kept the tackles from knocking me over.

Camille's hug at the end was very tender and sweet.

The family has embraced Ben's love of eclipses.

By 10 pm, the sky was clear.  All the children but the two youngest were out with us in the dark, waiting for a turn at the telescope.  Those of us who had jackets had them on, and we were outside for more than an hour.  The Milky Way Galaxy was crystal clear. Steve was able to show us the Andromeda Galaxy, M13, the Ring Nebula, and Saturn.  I spent the evening carefully pointing out the Big Dipper and then the Little Dipper to each grandchild.  While showing Luke and Jane Polaris, we saw a shooting star!  

In the meantime, Melissa is enjoying every minute with Richard, who is old enough to open his eyes.