Monday, July 28, 2008

Ahhh.... Culture

**Disclaimer: Denten took almost 400 photos in two days. Be grateful there are less than 20 in this post!




2008 Bitsilly Family Reunion.


Location: Grandma Bitsilly's property, Tohatchi, NM.




Robinson Family













Robinson Family with Grandma



Grandma Bitsilly and her Robinson Great-grandchildren





Our fam with Grandma





The Bitsilly women!


Seneca, DaNae, Grandma, Dianna, Cheyanne






Dent and I after a lovely (read: bumpy) ride through the desert





Seneca and her new favorite treat




seriously, she couldn't get enough.





This is the hogan that Grandma and Che (grandpa) built when they first moved to this property. it is a one-room building with mudded walls, a dirt floor and a wood-burning stove in the middle. Various family members have stayed here on occasion when they needed a place, but luckily for us it was vacant this weekend. It had some junk stored in there, but there was plenty of room for a portable crib for napping!




Saturday morning Seneca had a great nap in there. A few hours after she woke up, Cooper ran to the trailer summoning us to come see the snake. Turns out Drew had a rattlesnake cornered in the hogan... yep, the very place my baby had been sleeping. nice. Winston and Drew killed it, saving the rattle, of course.


We figured with the snake taken care of, it was once again suitable for napping. Seneca and Beckham took turns having great naps in the hogan during our stay there.






Coop, mom and Bex


Little Bex, just hanging out.



This is Denten's cousin, Olin. He has been dancing for years and is so great to watch!



Cousin Brenden, doing the traditional grass dance.



Sweet Grandma.
This year we celebrated her 80th birthday. There is no actual record of when she was born, but she chooses to celebrate her birthday in September and the guess is that she's close to 80!


Aunt Delphine and Senny, the first contestants in the dance contest!

A few years ago, Aunt Joey started a fun run/walk to be implented at the reunion. The goal was to put a little emphasis on keeping our bodies healthy. Even though Joey couldn't join us this year, we kept the tradition alive. Senny rode in a pack on her Grandpa's back... here is her blue ribbon.


Senny and Landon dancing after our fun run. Landon is so sweet to these babies and he and coop had blast, going all day long!
It's amazing how much we packed into two days... I could go on and on! The best part was reconnecting with these family members that we see so seldomly and have them get to know our children. Cooper and Seneca had such a good time playing with lots of new cousins. Digging in the dirt provides hours of entertainment, apparantly!
I'm grateful it was easy to camp with these kiddos and that they had such a great time. I'm grateful to be a part of such a culturally-rich family who accepts my white skin. I get teased consistenly for my "biliguanna" ways, but it comes with love. 'Til next year...





10 comments:

Lindsay said...

oh my gosh. i am dying at the picture with grandma holding beckham. that chin kills me!

Emily said...

looks like lots of fun!

Jana said...

I think that is so neat that you get to have a part of that culture in your life. You are lucky. And I think I would have FREAKED out with the rattle snake. The trip looked like a great time. Wish I could have seen you while I was in Utah.

The Hunt's said...

(sigh) I love your children

Sandi said...

What an awesome blog. Looking at those pictures made me reminisce. What a fantastic time you had, not to mention the fact that you are adorable and your children are total winners in any contest, but I have to ask, why you don't have on green t-shirts?

T. Bateman said...

wow...I'm not even sure what to say...but what an incredible family to have such a tight connection to deep rooted culture and tradition.

KA said...

Rattle snakes in the napping hunt are not for the faint of heart. My dear, I think you proved your courageous spirit, and Seneca has already proven her abilities as a snake charmer.

Jaime said...

culture is right! i wish i was invited (hint hint). looks like you had a blast. AND, i can't get enough of Bex's cheeks - oh my the things he can stash in there.

Keri said...

Amberly, Hi! I pop in on your blog every now and again (love it) and was thrilled and surprised to see Winston and DaNae in the pics. I danced with them at BYU. Will you pass on a hello for me/from me? They'd know me as Keri Slade, if they remember me at all! Glad you've had such great summer adventures! Keep up the awesome posts! --Keri Vance

The Silly Witch said...

I love this post. Reconnecting with family is so important, and you seem to really take the time to do it every chance you get--and with three small children. Your reunion venue looks perfect for the little ones. Good job keeping them clean for the pics.