Beautiful Spokane!

One week after we got home from Japan/California, we got to go to Spokane with Eric's whole family!  It was beautiful there for many reasons.  We went for Eric's Grandpa Ransom's funeral, and there was such a sweet spirit at the viewing, funeral, and burial.  ALL of Eric's extended Ransom family except one cousin (who was about to have a baby) was there, and I love them!  It was so great to see everyone, Eric has about 8 girl cousins within a couple of years of our age, and they are all so fun and cool!  I loved talking to them and all my Ragnar buddies. :)  And we got to see KJ/Liz/Jayda, which we weren't expecting to see until the summer, bonus!

Anyway, here's Maris chowing down on a cookie on the plane. She did great, and Owen was SO excited to ride in an airplane!

 We got to swim at the hotel.

 During the funeral service all the great-grandkids sang "Families Can be Together Forever" and it was so sweet.  My kids, even Owen, sang every word with feeling and made all of us cry. :)

 pictures from the burial:

I hadn't remembered that Eric's Grandpa was in the Navy, so he got the whole veteran burial service.  He enlisted in 1945 when he graduated from high school, and was doing pilot training.  His first solo flight was on V-J Day, so he never had to fight, but he was willing!

 Eric and Ryan putting flowers on the casket

 Owen ran off to look at an American Flag on the other side of the cemetary, and Katelyn kindly went after him!

 cute candid of Kurtis and Cleo waiting during picture taking

 the girls with some second cousins

 Mary with her siblings in front of the Spokane temple: Lynda, Jolene, Steve, Cheryl, and Mary

and with their spouses

 Eric with all his Ransom cousins but one!  He's on the right with Elizabeth.

 All the great-grandkids who were there!  about 10 were missing.

 Can you tell the kids were DONE taking pictures??

 we got a quick one of our family.

 we celebrated Cleo's birthday at the hotel!

 Then Sunday morning we got to go to Grandpa Ransom's house and Eric got to show the kids where he grew up visiting his grandparents.  It was really neat, I loved it.  And it happens to be gorgeous there!

And then we flew home!  It was a quick and wonderful trip, thank you Mary and Brad!

and I forgot a couple of pictures in the April post:

all the neighbor girls in our pool, and Owen running the "lollipop race" for younger siblings at Katelyn's Hershey Track Meet.  He was so cute!!