Note From an Aunt

You know what I think is really cool?

I've got these nephews.

And they are really into photography.

I always knew they'd grow up and want to be just like their Aunt Jen.

Or not.

So, even though I really can't claim credit,

I'm way proud of them.

Check out James' photo blog here.

And one last thing...

We mustn't forget

Granny's Famous Last Night Glow Stick Parade.

Riding bikes in the dark.

Lit only by glow sticks.

No family reunion would be complete without it!

The Rest

 Seeing as how we've been home longer than we were actually at our reunion, it's probably about time I finish this up.  So, what else did we do? ...

 Mostly, we hung out.

 We celebrated Aunt Beka''s birthday...

 By doing the Peanuts dance.

 We rescued a turtle.

 We read good books.

 We tie-dyed.

 We ate treats.

 Mayo watched - and occasionally interupted - many a soccer game.

 We made indoor s'mores with Uncle John.

 We  beat the pinata...

 ... wore it as a hat ...

 ... and showed off our model walks.

 We made more s'mores.

In summary, we wore ourselves out!

Fearless

Every evening after dinner we played soccer.

And every evening after dinner Camden got hurt.

But that didn't stop him.

Because the boy is fearless.

And really, really good.

Volleyball

There is something so satisfying about spiking on your big brother.

Fifty-Two (or Five)

More adventures!

Our reunion this year - and for the second year in a row - included an all-day, fifty-two mile bike ride.

For some of the tougher among us, that is.

For the smaller crowd, there was also a five-miler.

And they did great!

(As did the tough guys.  We're all pretty impressed by them, too!)

New River Adventure

We went kayaking on the New River.

 And by "we" I really mean a group of family members, not including me.

Can you see me getting that big belly in and out of a kayak?

Would have been entertaining, I'll give you that.

I helped get the smaller crowd situated and waved as they pushed off.  All grins!

And then, as my family battled the rapids, I sat back and enjoyed the view.

And finally, little orange specks began to show up on the horizon.

Here they come!

Dan says Camden did help paddle most of the way.

The Jake-ayak looked awsome coming in!

Perfectly in sync and showing the rest of us how it's done!

And then Dan just had to go back out.

First, he took a nephew's kayak.

Then he came back with two!

Kayak hog.

Or, maybe he's not so bad.

It was a rescue mission.

Can't leave an aunt - or her kayak - out in the middle of the river.

It was a great time.  For those on the water... and those not.

To the Beach!

Every afternoon found boys hopping on bikes.

Heading for the BEACH!

There was plenty of sand-play.

Sand castles, a model of Claytor Lake itself,

and of course...

burying cousins in the sand!

And there was lots and lots of water play, too.

Especially when Daddy (aka Uncle Dan) started throwing children.

A definite high point in our vacation!

Family Reunion 2011

We spent last week with our favorite people.

Aunt Debbie and all the cousins were there.

These kids are why my kids count down to the reunion all year long.

We Nuggets were there, too.

We even have a picture to prove it!

Aunt Fran brought her crew along.

When I grow up, I want to be like Aunt Fran.

Oh, and her girls did my nails.

Aunt Bekah and Uncle Jacob came all the way fyrom Utah.

Yippee!

And of course there were Uncle Bob and Aunt Ro.

Life of the party, as always!

My favorite photo of the whole week.

Poppy, Uncle Bob, and Aunt Fran.

See, your siblings really are your best friends for life!

Uncle John and Aunt Maria continue to be too cute for words.

And pretty awsome, too.

Yay for Granny and Poppy!

They make it all happen.

So I wanted a picture of the O-kids (minus two who weren't there and we missed them terribly).

And this is what they give me.

This right here - this is why I like these people.

Of course we took the silly mom and sisters shot.

We meant to take a nice one, too.  But it never actually happened.

Put this one on your mantels, girls!

There is nothing in this world quite like the friendship of a cousin.

They see each other once a year, but every time it's like not a moment has passed.

Love it.

We had a blast, and I'll be sharing what we did over the next few days.

Stay tuned!