childhood memories . . . my amazing family!!!

Today at work (The Sharing Place) I met with a mom and her 6 children, the oldest child was 15. I couldn't help but have flash backs of my childhood as the oldest in my big, wonderful family!!!

I just couldn't help but think of my family. My mom was so similar to this woman, and the kids were so similar to me and my sibs.

I am so grateful for everything about my childhood. I couldn't have been raised by two more wonderful parents, who of course didn't have a manual for how to raise their kids, but they did an amazing job (and still do, Mom!). I remember so many fun times, so many learning experiences, and SO much family time and family outings. Even when I was in High School and into my friends, we still did a lot of family things all together.

I remember my Dad, and Mom too, were so huge on family time. Dad loved having his family all together and really vocalized and exemplified the importance of that.

Memories fill my head of:

- camping

- fishing

- hikes

- Saturday outings to explore Southern Utah

- Family night and the conducting and acknowledgements- "We'd like to welcome everyone out to Family Night! We'd especially like to acknowledge the presence of the most wonderful, most beautiful, most harmonious, most fantabulous, most superific (and whatever other wacky words came to mind) ___(?)___ Glauser!!!!!!!!!! And the person named would stand and do a silly bow (and we'd acknowledge a different family member each week - SOOO fun!)

- Sunday cookies and movies

- Random, yet perfect, family teaching and sharing moments

- Uno in the tent

- Picking Peas out of the garden in the Spring

- weeding the garden

- water fights

- hallering moments, followd by teaching and learning moments

- "Take the punishment!" (inside thing)

- Dad's bulldosing moments and Mom always there to replant (Dad learned to replant too, a little)

- The Narrows (the little ones) at Pioneer Park (I wonder if I still fit in those?)

- Easter morning and Thanksgiving with the Taylor's or the Garrett's

- Family trip to Laguna Beach!!!

- Disneyland (and meeting the Neff's there one time, when I was real young)

- Our blue Astro Van (and the surfing sticker on the back window that Bri Neff gave my Dad)

- Taking out the middle seat in the van and laying out blankets and pads for a long road trip (so seatbelt safe)

- Performing nights at home (random, never planned)-- Me and Brad's Aladdin performance, Michael inbetween ;), Becky and Scott (or Cami and Scott, or Cami and Michael?)) doing the Phantom of the Opera, Michael inbetween ;), Cami's dance moves, oh and Michael inbetween;), and Jeffery just laughing so hard and Sara just trying to think of something to perform, dance moves, poems, you name it --- And most hilariously Michael's random, yet awesome, raps and rhymes! Hilarious! (I sure miss those lately Mike! Really - I do! No jokin' this time!)

The list goes on and on! I hope others in my family can comment and add more to the list - ones I am forgetting or some of the endless ones I didn't list!

I love my family! Thank you for being perfect just the way you all are!!!!!!