Bring the fam

 I am so blest to be a part of a wonderful Bible Study!  I've been with some of these gals for almost 11 years & some of the others for just a few short months... but I am so grateful for each & every one.  We got our families together for some desserts & fun at the park a few weeks ago.  It was great!  We didn't account for how soon the sun would set when planning to take a picture & of course not everyone could make it, but other than that I would say it was a success.  :)

Thanks for a fun night, ladies!

Family Reunion

Our 7th annual family reunion for my Dad's side of the family was another big success!  Lots of catching up, meeting new babies, tagging, eating, chasing ducks, jungle-gyming, guitar (& ukulele!) playing, & general fun.  The one thing we didn't do was take a big family photo this time.  Next year!

Family Photo Shoot

 My sister Chris took these great photos of our crew.  I love how *most* of them turned out.  Guess which one won't be our Christmas card?  ;)

Celebrating baby brother

We celebrated Zachary's due date, September 1st, with some special family time. 

 The kids all received this special prayer pillowcases to remember him & to remember to pray.  Rebecca talks about when she has a bad dream, she rolls over & talks to Mary or hugs Jesus.  :)

 Later that morning we went out to the orchard of our friends who so generously invited us to pick apples & pears!  The kids LOVED using the apple picker.  I just liked being there & seriously appreciated all of the delicious produce!

Our neighbor & goddaughter Macy was scaling the trees.

 For lunch we went out to eat at Cheddar's.  Delicious & fun.

Such a nice family day!

Champions

In need of a little family fun time, we ventured out to finally redeem our Catholic Schools Week coupons at Champions. "But can we go there, too? Isn't it just for champions?" Andrew asked. Well, yes we can!We enjoyed a couple of games of bowling. Here's Andrew chasing his ball that went the wrong way instead of down the lane!

We had the bumpers up & the girls used these metal rollers to make it much more effective than Rebecca's prior methods. Andrew broke 100 & Rebecca knocked down 52.

Even more fun was the Adventure Maze, however. They all could have run around in there for hours! Rebecca spent her first 10 minutes collecting all the balls that she could find & putting them back in the ball pit. Likes to clean up everywhere but at home...

It was definitely a fun time! I think we'll go back for the maze again soon. Give us a call if you'd like to join in the fun!

Sisters

My sister Melissa came to town this weekend with her oldest girls for the Celtic Thunder concert. Of course it was "So awesome!" They bunked at Cara's house & we all met to go wedding clothes shopping in the morning. Shopping is in general not a good time for me, but it sure was fun to be with them. I love my nieces & I love my sisters. We all connect in abundant unspoken ways that make us close even when we aren't together often. I'm so thankful to have them!

Teresa & Rebecca have gone through strong love/hate phases already. It's so sweet so see them loving on each other & so reminiscent of days past to hear their bickering! (Well, as much as a two & four year old can bicker anyway.) I know it's all part of being sisters but my prayer is that the love phases dominate. I hope our girls will continue to grow closer as they grow older like I have with my sisters. God knew I would need all four!

VI visit

We ventured out to breakfast at Village Inn, a rare adventure, to visit with Darren's great aunt Alyce & her daughter Peggy last Saturday. All of my grandparents are gone & unfortunately we don't get a chance to see Darren's grandma, Alyce's sister, as often as we would like, so she has really played a special role in our lives.
Alyce used to be at our parish (but has since moved out of town) & really took us into her heart. We so miss having her there! So, we're glad to go on early morning outings when Peggy so generously brings her for a visit. We weren't quite ready in time for Mass, but breakfast was lovely. Thanks for the visit, Alyce & Peggy!

Reunited

We held our 4th annual family reunion on my Dad's side last weekend. Well, 4th since we've started again this round... it used to just be every holiday at Grandma & Grandpa's that we'd get to see this gang of seven kids with their spouses with their kids with their kids' spouses with their kids' kids. Now we've added some kids' kids' kids. That makes for quite a crowd! Since Grandma & Grandpa have passed & since this crazy group could barely squeeze into their house now anyway, we meet at the park. There's lots of jungle gyming & duck chasingstory telling & laughing,chowing & grinning for photos with your mouth full,chatting & relaxing,singing & guitar playingNothing says Grandma's like a BIG potluck. I think they should make a different kind of plate for a family potluck so you can take one of everything. Or maybe that would require a tray...Some family I see often, some I see once a year at this reunion, others who came this year I hadn't seen since our wedding! That's the beauty & trial of a big family: it's hard to find a time that works for everyone, but even with just half available it makes for quite the crew! It was so nice to see you all! Hope to see you again next year... or before!

A Herd of Cousins

My parents graciously hosted us & a whole herd of cousins at the farm a few weeks ago. It was both peaceful & chaotic... like most gatherings! Gotta love watching them play with our old toys. The joy Teresa got out of this mirror was amazing! I'm thinking we need to invest.

My Godchildren: Lizzie, James, & Julia

No that's not my sister... it's my niece! I'm in awe at how mature Clare is & how wonderful she is with all of the little ones. Lucy is quite the little mommy herself.

A stroll down the gravel road. Just us, a couple of tractors, & the butterflies.

The mighty warriors

tamed. Innovative swinging

Thanks for a fabulous time, Mom & Dad!

The Race Is On

Last weekend was the Havelock Charity Run/Walk. We made it a family event!
Darren & I each pushed the girls in a stroller while Andrew walked alongside for 3K.

There really wasn't any running until AFTER the chocolate donuts at the end of the race! It was a fun time & an easy way to make a $50 donation to CSS just for finishing. I really felt invigorated, too. Maybe there will be some actual racing in my future... maybe. ; )

Jackson

Welcoming Jackson Aaron

Congratulations, Christine & Derek!

Thanks for an adorable nephew to love!