Family Reunion

We just returned from the annual family reunion at Dean's parent's house in Ocean Park. It is a great weekend of getting to catch up with family that we really only see this one time a year. This year we kept a couple of the same activities for the kids as they were a big hit in previous years. In the picture above, Jacob is making a window cling painting and Jordan (our neice) is working on a fuse bead project. Below, Toni (Dean's sister) is working on the tie-dye shirts. The kids had such a great time with them last year that we did it again this year though the color was bahama blue this time.

Dean had fun riding his dad's scooter around and giving the boys rides. His parents' RV park has lots of space for driving the scooter around. The kids also had fun riding their bikes as usual though their "track" got quite a bit bigger. In previous years they would ride around on a bit of sidewalk just outside grandma and grandpa's house but this year, they rode around the gravel driveways that surround not only the house but some of the RV spots (or tent spots as we use them).


We also had the annual auction to raise money for the food and activities. Everyone brings a wrapped gift to the reunion and then Dean's dad is the auctioneer. You bid on things and only find out what they are AFTER you buy it. You could run the risk of getting one of the gag gifts. A "lovely" baseball hat with clapping hands sticking out of it comes back almost yearly. This year we lucked out with one gift being a crockpot and the other was a nice bottle of wine and some wine glasses. Unfortunately, the box with the wine in it fell out of the car as we were unpacking and the bottle broke. But, even though they bounced on the driveway, the wine glasses are still perfectly fine.

The new activity this year was rockets for the boys. The boys loved firing off their rockets and watching them soar high into the sky. Griffen's rocket only got this one launch because it flew so high that the wind carried well across the street and it was lost in some brush.

Austin's first launch went well and then he decided to not take a chance of losing it so he stopped but the nexted day he tried it again and this time his too was lost. Jacob didn't launch his rocket because as he put it together something happened and the top wouldn't stay on. Better luck next time.

Anyway, it was a fun weekend filled with GREAT food and lots of time catching up with family. The boys were very tired as we headed home yesterday and spent the five hour drive watching movies and sleeping. We look froward to another great time next year.