Here is the most popular toy of the reunion- loud and only fits one child :)
Our steps to the beach! It was so nice to be oceanfront so we could drop D off for a nap inside and easily check on her.
Jim on his way to surf! Our neighbors came to fish for shark and they were kind enough to move down the shoreline a bit. Jim paddled their line with shark bait out for them.
Jake all sun screened up. A whole week of sunscreening kids several times a day can get exhausting!
Sunday morning breakfast!
Waiting for a big one
The waves were great right in front of the house so I really got to watch Jim most of the times he went out to surf and I really enjoyed watching how much better he has become over the years.
Nicole totally figured out how to catch waves and was kicking her legs to get the right waves.
Mike went out with her and I told them to stick together so it was easier to watch them. They were so cute waiting for a "good one" to come along.
This is our week, except I did go boogie boarding with the kids several times which was awesome.
Me and D
I can now say I went surfing. Of course what I really did was slide all over the board and have a hard time turning it around and get creamed by a wave.
After enough abuse on a surf board I opted for some sweet rides on a boogie board. It was lovely!
We went crabbing on the sound side from this walkway.
Nicole and Kaitlin wanted to be "twins" the whole time, they were fast friends and Nicole has already sent Kaitlin a letter in the mail.
Casting out the lines.
Walking out there with Josh and Ryan. One of my favorite parts about a reunion is chilling with my family and spending time having fun together, especially when we've all been apart for a long time.
When they pulled the line up Jim caught the crab in the net! The absolute best part of the crabbing was when Caleb caught a crab on his line at a spot hard for the net to reach. So Josh, who was holding the net, said "Grab my ankles!" and totally went hanging over the edge (before he's checked to see if we were going to save him!) and thanks to his dedication we caught our first big crab! Probably the most exciting moment of the whole trip was when we all saw that big crab!
Big enough to keep! They caught 3 crabs that were big enough and every time the squeals of excitement made all the effort more than worth it. Jake almost got pinched by a crab and that really really scared him. Of course, us telling him a dozen times not to put his finger in the bucket didn't make a lick of difference until the crab made a go for his finger.
Trying to spell our last name and hoping the camera was on a slow enough shutter speed (it wasn't).
Making ants on a log with Grandma.
Storytime with Grandpa.
Marian and Brandon made enchiladas one evening and everyone loved it!
Mike with the grand sea turtle. Overnight, someone left a dead fiddler crab on the head of the turtle. Nice.
Family pictures were an interesting time to say the least. Mom was amazingly patient, bless her heart!
One of the few shots that Jake's shirt wasn't hanging off one shoulder in a scandalous manner :)
Apparently picture time is over...
My sweet Nicole. She is growing up so fast! I realized that our next reunion in two years will be after she is baptized.
Everyone at the reunion- Caleb made a grand dash down slippery stairs after setting the timer and it was amazing that all of the kids (except the babies) were looking at the camera!
Some pics from the treasure hunt
Mike enjoying the spoils of treasure hunting.
One of the clues had dad infested with snakes! The kids loved rescuing him.
The treasure map pieced together!
Digging for treasure...
The kids all loved dividing up the treasure, eating the chocolate gold, and making trades with Caleb.
Nicole loves Daniel a lot. Even though she was so little when he stayed with us for a summer, she has always had a special place in her heart for him since then and loves being with him.
Everyone liked this angry-faced duck on Nicole's shoulder. Very pirate-like.
Guarding his treasure!!
The infamous Capture the Flag game! I think someone just tripped on one of Caleb's booby traps- dubbed "ankle breakers"- so Jim could escape.
Making plans...I was napping during this, but apparently Marian was the master genius who hid their flag in ridiculously difficult places. And somehow Caleb's flag, which Josh testifies he saw during the last game, disappeared somehow and was never found. I'm tempted to think it was the lady who for some reason camped her beach chair in the middle of the game.
It was a blessing to have two of the kids Great Grandparents with us. I loved having them with us and am amazed how they are as young and fun as ever. Singing along with Grandpa on the guitar will be one of my favorite memories of the reunion!
No comments:
Post a Comment