Baby's First Steps!

Isabel took her first 2 steps last week and then yesterday took a few more.  We got video of it today!  Yay for Baby's first steps!  Such a fun milestone!  Enjoy!

Kids Pictures!

My Plan was to take "6 month" pictures of Isabel. Then in June I realized, that my baby was 8 months!  So I called Kate and begged her to do baby pictures of Isabel.  At the same time we did a few of  Benjamin and Abby and all 3 of them because we still have not done a family picture.  So here they are!  Kate did an amazing job, as always!  So first are the 3 of them and the end are my favorites of Isabel's 8 month Photo shoot!  Enjoy!

Summer Swimming

We did a ton of Swimming this Summer!  We went to our neighborhood pool several times a week, we went to 7 Peaks water park a ton as well, and the kids took swimming lessons for the first time!  They did great!  Benjamin even started swimming!  He hasn't learned to side breath yet, but it's a start!  Check out the video at the bottom.

Lots of Sunscreen!

That's Daddy & Benjamin coming down!

Here's their swimming class

Abby with teacher

Benji swimming

Bear Lake!

This year we had our very first Rincon Family Reunion!  This is my mother's family.  We were all very close cousins growing up and pretty much all grew up together.  Why we have never done this before I don't know, but we finally did it and it was a blast!  I just wish I had taken more photos!  We went up to Beaver Mountain on Friday morning and set up camp.  We had dinner and later that night we had a slide show with lots of family pictures from when we were kids as well as lots of pictures of my Grandparents who passed away in these recent years.  I really wish I had taken pictures of our tent and the kids inside.  It was our kids first camping trip and it was so fun!  They loved it!  We loved it as well because the campsite had really nice bathrooms with warm showers.  The cooking was also nice for a first time camping trip because my cousins who have campers and tons of equipment took care of all the cooking, so that was great for us because we have no equipment and would have probably starved camping on our own.  So it was a very pleasant camping trip.  On sat after breakfast everyone headed over to Bear Lake for the day.  The sand was nice, the water was so blue and warm and had lots of shallow places for the kids to play, so it was super fun!  That night we had dinner and made some crafts and spent the night again and Sunday morning packed up and headed home.  I can't wait till next year!  I really hope this Family Reunion becomes a regular thing!

Abby had fun at the Lake

Mom had fun too!

Isabel loved the shallow water because she could walk around in her baby boat like it was a walker!

Benji and his cousins Sterling and David had fun paddling in the paddle boat!

Cousins in the "kiddy pool"

My cousin Julio made this awesome sand turtle!

And Isabel could not get enough of the muddy wet sand!  She love it!

Goodbye Dad

My Dad's funeral was on Saturday.  I was asked to speak at his funeral and was a little hesitant to do it, but I was very pleased with what I said.  For the sake of remembering, I would like to repeat some of it here in my Blog.
First, I thanked Magdalena, for the wonderful, kind, caring, patient woman that she is and I give her all the credit for repairing my relationship with my Dad, she was the one who pushed him and I to see each other more and to simply try.  It was because of her I had any relationship with my Dad.
Next I talked about how, although my Dad did a lot of things wrong, there were a few things he did that was really right.  First he and my mother raised us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in this church.  What a blessing!  Everything good in my life is because I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I love this Gospel and the happiness it brings.  The other thing that I admire about him was the example he gave of sharing the Gospel.  He was NEVER afraid or even hesitated to share the gospel with everyone around him.  My Dad, loved to talk.  Getting him to stop talking was the hard part!  But he always talked about the Gospel, and there is no doubt that he planted a lot of seeds!  Also, his love for Genealogy was very admirable!  I hope someday I will be as dedicated to Genealogy as he was.  And the last thing that my Dad did that was very right, was Family Time and Family outings.  He loved the National Parks, road trips, and seeing and doing new things and going and seeing new places.  He created so many beautiful, fun, childhood memories by taking us to so many places as kids.  And for that I thank him.  And he instilled in my a love for family time, and family vacations, and family outings.  I remember going to Yosemity, Yellowstone, the Redwood National forrest, the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Disneyland, 6 Flags Great America, the Monterry Bay Aquarium, I remember camping in the high Sierra's, and all the National Parks in Southern Utah.  And my favorite vacation was when we took a road trip all the way down the Coast to the tip of Baja California, then we took a ferry to Mazatlan, and drove across Mexico to stay with my Grandparents for a month, and then we drove up the East Coast of Mexico, and back home.  We camped on the beach and ate fresh seafood, we swam in the ocean, we saw the ruins in Mexico, and had the summer of our lives!  Now that I think of it, a 2 month vacation, means my Dad was probably un-employed at the time, but as kids, we didn't even think about that, we just had so much fun!  and it was because of my Dad and his love of going, and doing, and seeing.
Finally I bore my testimony of the Restored Gospel, because I know that is what my Dad would have wanted me to do.  I felt the Spirit and I know that allthough he made a lot of bad choices in this life, I know it is not my place to judge and the Savoir in his Mercy and love knows the heart of my Dad and he will judge my Dad and he loves my Dad and I know I will see him again!

Below are some pictures of my Dad, and the funeral.  Sorry so many are sideways.  They were turned the right way on my computer but when they uploaded to the Blog, for some reason they went back sideways and I can't fix them. So just turn you head. :P

My Dad with his 5 Grandkids back in Feb.

About a week before his passing with Tony Carzares
As you can see he deteriorated a lot in those last few months.  I love this picture because Tony is one of my Dad's oldest and most faithful friends.  Tony has always been there for my Dad and was never bothered by my Dad's unique personality.  When he heard about my Dad's condition he flew out immediately to see him.  Just in time too.

Dad's Casket at the "viewing" right before the funeral

The Pallbearers putting the casket in the hurse

Pallbearers carrying casket to grave site

Starting to lower the casket

In his final resting place

He is burried at Pleasant Green Cemetery in Magna.  It's funny, because there is nothing green about this cemetery!

But it did have a great view!

Tossing Daisies into grave, the kids also blew kisses and said, "Bye Grandpa!"  It was really sweet

Fred and Pete wanted to help shovel some dirt on top.

My Step-Mom Magdalena, her brother Pedro & her parents

On a good note, one nice part about the Funeral is that I got to see 3 of my 4 Aunties!  They are my Dad's sister's and like Sister's they loved my Dad despite all his flaws.  I just love these ladys!  They stayed with me for the weekend after the funeral.  We went to church, had a yummy Carne Asada dinner, and played with the kids in the back yard.  It was really fun having them.

Aunt Judy and her son, my cousin Don

My Dad's Twin Sister Michele

My Aunties took these pictures of the Kids playing on the swing set

Fun on the Swing Set

  

Isabel loves swinging!

My Aunties, Monday morning right before they left