The Best Family Reunion You'll Ever See!!

OK, so I may be a bit biased, but my mom's side of the family can throw one heck of a reunion/party!

I thought we had fun at the 4th of July get-together but this was above and beyond! Way to go Uncle Brad!

There was the socializing and the eating. (Always a plus for me!)

Aw, look at my mom and dad both dressed in red. (smile)

And of course for Baby there was the dirt... she rolled in it, poured it on herself,  and slid down it. Sister too. In fact this morning when I went to put her shoes on, I dumped out at least 1/4 cup of sand out of each shoe... "Sorry, Rachael," she said with a grin. (She has been calling me Rachael a lot lately. I wish she would call me mom, but, it is funny to hear her say my name.)

Baby also had fun on the playground with Daddy.

Don't forget the hayride.

Then the horse and pony rides. (The way my kids were acting you would think we didn't have a horse in our own back yard...)

Uncle Joel took Sister out on her little ride.

Baby didn't think this little thing was as fun as her horse at home... but, W did a good job leading.

Brother was so excited when he got to help lead pony rides with my cousin (and his too, he says) W.  She was so sweet to Brother and he really had a good time hanging out with her. They are the same age.

No matter how much I rubbed at the dirt on his face, his smile definitely wasn't leaving...

Then a pie-eating contest. (Which I wanted to do but, we were getting together at Kirsten's house after for Jessie's banana cream pie and I certainly wasn't going to ruin my appetite for that—wink, wink.)

Then the cotton candy.

Next the greased pig chase. I was so excited that Brother and Sister both participated!


My favorite part is when Brother takes a bow for everyone after one of the chases is over. I think he had more fun running around the pen than actually trying to catch the pigs.



And just before we left at 6pm there was the watermelon bust...

and we left early! It was scheduled to go until 10pm!

We had pie at Kirsten's and talked for a few minutes and then headed home.

I was so proud of my kids and how well they handled the crowds and the activities. Ultimately they had a blast, but lets face it... they were overstimulated and it showed getting them to bed last night and getting ready for school this morning.

But, the smiles on their faces and the experiences they had—I know they would want to do it all over again. Sometimes a hectic evening and morning are worth the growth in the other areas of their lives.