Reunion 2010

One weekend in June, every summer, we pack up and head to my dad's hometown for our family reunion. My dad comes from a big BIG family. My grandparents had TWELVE children..... yes, 12!!! From that has grown a huge family. I think the headcount for Saturday's festivities was 75. Anywho.... we head there on Friday afternoon usually. **this may be a little much for one post, but I really want to remember it so I'm documenting as much as I can on here.**

This year, Jared was working late Friday so my dad decided he would come to our house Thursday and take me and the girls with him Friday morning. Jared met us Friday night after work. So we woke up EARLY Friday morning so we could get to Sam's at 7am before we headed to my grandmother's house.

The girls wanted me to take their picture in the freezer section of Sam's. They are so funny!!!

After buying our Sunday lunch groceries at Sam's, we headed out. We got to Mamaw's and the fun began. We hung out all day Friday with the few family members who were there already. Friday evening we headed to my mom's to celebrate her birthday (again!) then back to Mamaw's for more fun.

This year, we rented the 3 room suite at the hotel so our room became the "hot spot". We hung out until about 11pm (if you know me, you know that is WAY past my bedtime).

Saturday morning I woke up early thanks to my lovely alarm clock:

She and I got dressed and ready and headed to the grocery store. I had been asked by my darling hubby and brother-in-law to make my banana pudding so M and I went to Kroger and got what we needed then headed to Nanny's to make it in her kitchen. (Nanny and Mamaw live about 10 minutes from each other)

We made banana pudding and then came back to get the big sisters dressed and ready for the day. We got everyone rounded up and headed to start our fun-filled day. Our family rents out the old train depot in town so that we can have a space big enough for all of us. It works out nicely because it is separated into two rooms. We use one for eating and visiting and the other room for the kids to go wild.... and that's exactly what they do in there!

Of course, by "kids" I mean the big ones like Jared and the little ones too!

Lunch is served at noon and consists of veggies, fried chicken, salad, and chicken and dumplins. Mamaw makes them in a HUGE pot and they are the highlight of my meal! And we put a hurt on that pot of dumplins!!

Yes, we scrape it CLEAN!

We all sit around and visit and eat and the kids play and it is really just a nice time for everyone.

Papaw is very sick and we know he won't be with us much longer. What a blessing it was to have him at the reunion this year. His Hospice Nurse brought him and it was wonderful. We made sure to take some family pictures with him and Mamaw.

I will cherish this picture forever! I love to see how much they love each other still. 

My dad and his baby girl.... he loves his girls!!

Laila Whitney and her Aunt Whitney!

Mika Lynn and me! I love this baby girl so much!!

After lunch, we decided to take the kids swimming at the hotel for a while before we laid them down for naptime. I am so blessed that Nanny came to the reunion with me and she stayed around to help me with Mika while J and I took the big girls to the pool!

No trip to the pool is complete without Cheetos!

Laila gets really hot and her poor cheeks turn bright red. I felt so bad for her to be out in the 100 degree weather with her face so red, so I decided to take her back to the room early. Jared and Pappy stayed with Peyton and when they came back to the room they told me she was swimming without floaties! I'm so sad I missed it. But I am SO proud of her. Is she really this big?

After we took our naps we got cleaned up and headed back to the depot for dinner. We order pizzas from the best local pizza place and take them up there to eat. The girls were thrilled to get to go back to the depot because they LOVED playing in there.

Hula Hoop!

Jared loved playing in there as much as the girls did! :)

Sweetness!

So we had dinner and hung out for a bit then headed back to the hotel to put Miss M to bed. Once again, our suite was the place to be, so we had a good crowd over. It was such fun visiting and hanging out with them. Jared and I both decided we wished we could see them more often and spend more time together. And the great thing is that we all have kids about the same age and hopefully they can grow up together!

How sweet is this Sister picture! I LOVE it!

Sunday morning we get up and go to Mamaw's tiny little church to worship together as a family. This year we decided to do something a little different for lunch. My dad and Jared stayed home from church and went to the depot to grill burgers and dogs for us all! It was wonderful. They did a great job!! We usually try to go out to eat somewhere but it is just getting harder and harder to find a place to accommodate us. This was the perfect solution.

The Grill Masters!

Enjoying lunch together!

Laila is so in love with her Mamaw. She was so sweet to her all weekend and it completely melted my heart! When Mamaw came in for lunch today, Laila got so excited to see her and asked Mamaw to sit by her.

Look how happy they both are! I'm seriously holding back tears right now thinking about how sweet this is and how much I love seeing Mamaw this happy while she is in the middle of such a hard time with Papaw. 

We got home tonight about 5pm and Jared and I both agreed that the weekend was a huge success and so much fun! We can't wait to do it again next year!! What a blessing my great big family is... I love you all!