Family matters

I wanted to first of all, say Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law! After patiently waiting their first born entered the world! Troy and Jana named him Carson Thomas. I like the name. And he is a cutie! We can't wait to meet him. Tyler and I are especially excited mainly because it will be Samuel's first male cousin, albeit 4 years younger. We hope they will be good friends.



Also, my cousin Cassie had her baby last week too! Congratulations, Cassie and Jacob!

And all in one month I will have 3 cousins getting married.

You see, my family is HUGE! My mom is the oldest of 10 kids, 8 of whom still live in Utah. My dad is 1 of 5 kids, 4 of whom live in Utah. I am one of 49 (soon to be 50) grand kids on my mom's side. I have 1st cousins who are younger than my children. Crazy! My dad's side is big too. There are 27/28 cousins. I know all of their names and their spouses names. But I couldn't name all of their kids.

We commune often. And when we do, on either side, it's very loud. It's a bit overwhelming, especially on my mom's side, for the incoming spouses. They feel a bit of pressure to remember everyone's names. Don't ask Tyler bcse he has barely learned all the aunts and uncles names, and for the most part, who goes with whom.

So what is the point of all this rambling? Well, I guess I am just grateful. As I attended cousin #1 of the season getting married last weekend I remembered how much I love my family. My cousin Mica and I were discussing why we are so close. We decided it was because of the efforts made by our parents and grandparents. They made sure we did things together (even as I grew up in Colorado until I went to college), that we knew each other, and even liked each other, if possible. We get together for mission farewells/homecomings, baby blessings, weddings, showers, reunions, holidays, parties, ceremonies, and just because. We call each other up and read each other's blogs. We send out Christmas cards and email each other. We know each other and our "elders" made sure we know our ancestors. We know their stories. We know where we came from. I don't write these things to boast but to show my gratitude.

Both sides of my family have great pioneer and non-pioneer heritage. The first thing my grandpa would ask you upon introductions is, "What's your last name? I know your face. You must be a so-and-so" and would somehow make the connection as to how they were related to him. It was sort of funny at times but now I realize what a blessing that was. "We are who we are because they were who they were." One of my favorite quotes. My family is great because their ancestors were great and they kept that tradition. And my biggest hope is that my kids will have the same relationship with their cousins. That they will know their aunts and uncles and love them. That we will continue to be together often. That they will know they will be offered support and love on both sides and will always be taken care of, in addition to the help from their parents.

This is what I am grateful for this Thanksgiving. Families. I love doing genealogy and learning of those who got us here. It's an important work. I am grateful to bring souls closer together in the eternities.