Tuesday, June 29, 2010

tohatchi: in words and pictures

first and foremost, I’ll have you know that for my children, sleeping in a tent was wildly successful.  they loved it and have been asking to go back to grandma bitsilly’s and sleep in a tent again since we got home.  me?  I spent a good portion of the first night composing a blog post in my head about how I could probably survive in antarctica in the mummy bag I was using, it was so bloody hot.  after I stole the kids’ quilt, I probably logged a good two hours of sleep before daylight arrived.  second night, much better.

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grandma telling us the story of the cradle board.

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the boys ready for the family fun run/walk.

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cooper making sure landon does not get an unfair head start.

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grandpa and beckham coming across the finish line.

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celebrating at the finish line… three miles for me and my first race on dirt in my vibrams.  loved them.

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pretty much my favorite pic of the trip.

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mmmm… tortillas.

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musical chairs.

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a new cousin wrapped on a cradle board.  pretty much made me want to have another baby immediately.  I could have just taken him right home with me.

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bitsilly siblings.

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grandma and grandpa robinson with their grandkids.

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elvis and his girls.

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try as I might, I can not braid like the aunties.

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rez ball!

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cooper receiving his medal.  first place in the one-mile run!

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denten after winning the shawl dancing contest.

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barrel racing

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she brought her dancing shoes!

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pretty girls:  dianna, amberly, seneca, cheyanne, danae (and xander).

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senny found a friend and danced the night away.

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my dance partner got pretty tired and fell asleep sitting upright on a folding chair.

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boys in trailer

jace, beckham, cooper and landon.

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the eltons stopped by on their way home.

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silly cousins!

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grandma looked strong and healthy.  the aunties delivered with a wonderful meal and awesome frybread.  it was fun to reconnect with cousins, young and old.  we enjoyed a trip to the flea market and found a few treasures.  the firework show put on by denten and winston was a great success.  I love my family.  I love this occasion that pushes us to stay connected and make great memories together.  totally worth a few sleepless nights. 

8 comments:

kimmalee said...

So many precious memories you've captured there! What amazing traditions. I'm with you, Beckham's squishy face in that picture is precious.

Lindsay said...

1. I can't believe how tall Cheyanne is. She is beautiful!
2. Beckham is looking more and more like Coop.
3. He really wants me to kiss his cheeks.
4. I can't wait to see Dent's shawl dance in McCall.

Torey said...

Looks like a lot of fun!

Leslie said...

So fun! Beautiful family too!

Amy said...

LOVE all the pictures. Looks like you guys had a great time!

Scrap Happy said...

So did everybody come back to your house then? That's your living room!

T. Bateman said...

In one of the pictures, of the "pretty girls" there is a woman named Danae. That is my middle name but I don't know much about it. My father was Cherokee and I am told the name has Indian origin. Do you know anything about this name, like what it means or any history?

DaNae said...

yeah for all your pictures, 'cause I didn't take very many. hehehe...Denten was the 1st place winner in the fun run & shawl dance competition. So funny! I am that woman but the name story isn't as exciting as you may think :) 'Dineh' is the Navajo word for themselves. Like the Sioux (white man's terms) refer to themselves as "Lakota" anyhow, my mom's name is Dianna & my dad David, my nali (paternal grandmother) had a good friend Renee & she loved the name. She suggested that name to my parents when I was born. They changed the R to a D. I think it was just a coincidence that my mom is from the Dineh Nation LOL. It's also a Greek & French name. So I like to think my name connects me to my Navajo side as well as my French ancestry :)