He Lives In You

What do you get when you combine:

2 parents

13 children (and 13 spouses)

78 grandchildren (and 42 spouses so far) ←Troy's generation

103 great-grandchildren (and 6 on the way) ←Blake and Nash's generation

257 immediate members of the Tanner family

Every two years, we get together for a big family reunion.  Probably only three quarters of the family were actually in attendance this year because we are scattered far and wide. And we still are a humongous group.

I LOVE Tanner gatherings. There are so many good people doing great things with their lives that there is never enough time to soak in all of the conversations we want to have. 

This reunion was so well planned and executed. Many hands worked together to provide three meals a day for countless heads. There were presentations from recently returned mission presidents, published authors, and experts on our family history. We square danced. Canoed. Played volleyball. Climbed through a ropes course. But mostly, we talked. And talked. And talked.

During one of the presentations that would not have held the attention of small children, one family was in charge of outdoor children's activities. There must have been at least 60 children from the ages of 2-10, so our boys were in heaven with all of their second cousins.

They started by constructing rockets.

There was a whole apparatus set up to launch them into the air, which eventually led to an activity for the adult cousins to see which rocket could travel the farthest.

Who knew painting a rock could provide endless entertainment?

There were also stations set up for the kids to make crowns and fruit loop necklaces. Finally, they each received a bag of cream, salt and ice to shake and turn into homemade ice cream.

It took about twenty minutes to transform into ice cream, which meant that I did most of the shaking, but the end result was delicious.

Being up in the mountains meant that there were all sorts of opportunities to become one with nature. But what did our boys gravitate towards? The broken down wooden trailer near the pavilion. Whenever I lost Nash, I knew just where to look to find him.

"He Lives In You," from the Broadway version of The Lion King, was chosen as the theme this year. The song is a reminder to Simba that when his father died, he never really left him.

In reference to the theme, we remembered and celebrated the amazing person that Troy's grandpa, William Tanner, was and is. He passed away ten years ago, about a week after I met Troy. His legacy is remarkable. I feel like I know him personally after all the stories I've heard over the years. He wasn't afraid to talk to anyone and he left behind a legacy of missionary work and happiness. And a huge posterity. This year's theme was a reminder that he really does live in all of us, in one way or another.

While waiting for lunch one day, Troy's talented cousin sang a powerful rendition of "He Lives In You" that got us all fired up.

There was a table set up where we could write letters to our 10 full-time missionaries/mission presidents that are currently serving around the world.

We spent most of our time visiting inside the large pavilion that could fit everyone. One day, our family was in charge of picking up 36 pizzas to feed the troops. 

Tricia's husband had to leave early to get back to school, but the rest of us sported our reunion shirts with pride.

Our boys were smitten, as usual, with Uncle Todd.

Let's just take a minute and note the awesomeness of the t-shirt hanging off Blake's shoulder (why don't t-shirt companies make children's sizes for mass production?) and the burn marks all over Nash's arm. Gotta love it when your kids look like ragamuffins.

As usual after Tanner gatherings, we left feeling impressed, motivated, supported, and loved. We sure are blessed in the family department. I don't think it's really that common to have such a huge family where everyone adores and is so respectful of one another.

Istanbul not Constantinople

When we arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, I immediately noticed how modern it was. I was not expecting such an advanced and clean city.

It was fascinating to see hundreds of minarets lining the sky. Since Turkey is a Muslim country, five times a day, assigned chanters recite prayers that blaze over loudspeakers from the minarets.

We ate a delicious Turkish lunch overlooking the Aegean Sea.

We visited two grandiose structures in Istanbul. Our first stop was the Blue Mosque. It was the first operating mosque that I have ever been inside. It is one of the few mosques that has six minarets.

We were issued scarves to cover our arms and legs and took our shoes off before entering.

It is called the Blue Mosque because of the 20,000 blue tiles that line the inside walls and ceiling. I was fascinated by the the ginormous (yes, it's huge) light fixture in the center of the mosque, but unfortunately, the thousands of cables used to suspend it were a distraction.

There were phrases from the Koran that lined the walls. This particular one is interpreted, "The man who works hard is a friend of God."

Next was the Hagia Sophia, which was the largest dome in the world until St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was built.

The Hagia Sophia is an ancient Christian church from the time of Constantinople. It is gigantic and in good shape. The interesting thing is that the church was transformed into a Muslim mosque for about 1000 years. There are beautiful Christian mosaics that were covered up when the church was turned into a Muslim mosque.

Turkey, which borders Iraq, Iran, and Syria, is an Islamic country. However, Turkey (and Istanbul) is much more westernized and liberal than many other Islamic countries. They have freedom of religion, although 99% percent of the population is Muslim. Our tour guide said that he was a non-practicing Muslim. Turkey has also been trying to become a part of the European Union. As a result, they recently uncovered some of the mosaics and now the Hagia Sophia has a Christian and Muslim influence. From the inside, the Hagia Sophia is breathtaking and is at the center of western/eastern ideals.

We ended our day at the Grand Bazaar, which is said to be the world's oldest shopping mall. There are close to 4,400 shops on the walkway. Most of them sold useless things, but it was fun to walk through.

Brothers sharing headphones on the bus. How cute.

Also in Istanbul is the first continent-to-continent bridge. Istanbul is the only city in the world that spans across two continents, Europe and Asia. We passed under the Bosphorus Bridge as we were leaving.

Napolean once said, "If the earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital." It is the city on which civilizations and empires have been built.

I would have to agree. Istanbul is one of the most fascinating cities I have ever been to.

And now I know you are all singing "Istanbul not Constantinople..." I was surprised to find out that there are more actually words to that song.

At Sea

Sailing days were among my favorites. We liked to get up and go to the gym, lay by the pool and read, eat way too much food, tune in to the European Cup games (in German) and get more sleep than we ever would at home. We had a few formal nights to top off the relaxing sea days.

I have no idea why I was doing this.

Whatever was going on was apparently very funny.

One mistake I made was to tell Blake via Skype that our ship had a water slide. He burst into tears and asked when we were getting him a ticket. I felt horrible for that oversight.

There's nothing like a little sunset bocce ball.

That's right, you show him.

I love everything about this shot. The symmetry, the framing, the ball in mid-air. Just sayin'.

It was amazing visiting so many countries, but topping the list for me was having the opportunity to power through four parenting books that I have been wanting to read for ages. I rarely take time out to read at home, and being able to devote my undivided attention to my kindle and notebook was invaluable.

I desperately needed refreshers on the correct ways to talk to children, respect them, problem-solve and teach them values. I learned it all in college, but that was before I was on the front line day and night. Now, when I'm worn out and frustrated by the constant barrage of the needs of two small children, the right words don't always flow.

A little escape from reality was just what I needed to set new goals, get back on track, and feel empowered with the review of skills that I learned long ago. It helped that I was missing the boys like crazy and was so eager to get back to them and "practice."

In case you're interested, I read: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk (by far my favorite), The Entitlement Trap (also good), 1-2-3 Magic (so-so; the whole book could have been condensed down to one chapter), and Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood (I know a lot of people swear by this method, but I found it to be poorly written and contradictory to a lot of things I've been taught).

Sailing days are the best.

Carnival Dayzz

Sandwiched in between our return from Europe and heading to California for my brother's wedding (more on that later), we were lucky enough to be home for our town's annual summer carnival. We felt especially fortunate to be present for the occasion, considering it was literally one of the four nights we spent at home in five weeks straight.

I wish I had a video of the expression Blake made when I told him via Skype about the upcoming carnival. He no longer cared about us returning home from Europe. He was completely focused on mapping out his ride itinerary (according to his memory from last year) and counting down the days until the big event.

Sometimes the anticipation is as fun as the event itself. Blake made up a song about the carnival on the way there.

Even Nash got into the rides this year.

And the popcorn.

It's always fun to bump into neighborhood friends at the carnival.

The #1 hit this year was hands down the ropes course that lead to a gigantic slide. I'm pretty sure our boys snuck under the ticket taker a few times because they were so eager to climb through it over and over.

I am so glad that amidst our crazy summer schedule, we didn't miss out on this one highlight.