reunion

We spent the last week of July in Carolina Beach, NC for my mom's family reunion. This happens every year, although the location changes. But this year it was at the beach, and no complaints here. The weather was great and the drive wasn't too too bad. Lesson learned though, following advice we'd been given we decided to leave at 4 in the morning so that Hannah and Joseph would go back to sleep in the car and a few hours would be under our belts before stopping for breakfast. Did not work. We organized and packed all day Monday getting ready for our Tuesday departure. Loaded up, got the kids from their beds and hit the road. I think we might have gotten half an hour from them at most. But we got there nonetheless and had a good time.

Of course, we know by now that our kids don't exactly sleep well when not at home. We were up every day by 6 am (around 5 a few times). We watched the sunrise from our balcony. And since we've given up the idea of a restful vacation for the next ten years or so, we weren't surprised at how little we slept.



Lots of sand, sun, and swimming. Lots of chasing the littles and applying sunblock. We built castles and destroyed them, ate sand and collected sea shells.

{Swimming with the soon-to-be Aunt Crystal.}

 

I took Hannah down to the lake to play one morning while Joe was doing dissertation work and Joseph napped.

While we were there Joseph started WALKING! Up until this point it was a step here, a couple steps there. One day he decided to stand up and walk across the room. I grabbed the video camera to see if we could get him to do it again. He obliged. Yay for Joseph!

 

{Hannah loves her Uncle Peach (Pete)}

We took the kids to their first carnival. Thinking Hannah might be a little scared, we were planning to stick to the carousel, choo choo train, and the like. She surprised us...a little thrill seeker we have. Those planes and dragons went fast!

Another morning at sunrise we decided to go play on the beach.

{Hannah and Aunt Trudie playing in somebody else's castle.}

{The cutest footprints in the world.}

On Saturday morning we had our own Olympics at the annual "birthday party" celebrating our young'uns. The kids got shirts to wear and competed in a variety of events including a potato sack race and watermelon seed spitting contest (and that wasn't just the kids).

As you might expect, Hannah had her own way of playing the games.

All she needed was a little pep talk and she was all set.

I mean, just look at the determination. Tongue out and all. Wonder where that competitiveness comes from...

{High five Meme!}

 

Second time around she enlisted help from Uncle Will Will. Girl wants to win!

{The used-to-be little ones}

{Water balloon toss!}

Along with a family dinner at the hotel, we round off the reunion with family pictures.

{Newly engaged Will and Crystal}

{Brooks-Buck representation}

{Attending family members. This number can get as high as 100 or more.}

It was great catching up with the family. As the planning responsibilities rotate, my mom has the reins for 2013.