On our way to Beaver on Friday the 7th.

 

First night in our new tent. We pretty much ran our old one into the ground. It has gotten at least 10 years of life out of it. The tent itself is still in good condition, the zipper is just wearing out and the kids are not gentle with anything so we decided that if we wanted to get anymore life out of it, then we better get a new one.

Our new one is much bigger. The kids don't have to be squished and there is still plenty of room to put our totes of clothes and still walk around.

 

Ahlanna with Uncle Scott and Nadia with Papa.

 

My mom...A.K.A Grammy

 

Quynsie

 

Raven

 

Nadia and Cousin Isaac.

 

Carson wrestling with cousin Ethan and playing soccer with cousin Zachary while dad watches.

 

Parents raising children with trauma histories have to be able to handle dark moments of uncertainty yet still know they're going to be okay.

~Heather Forbes~

 

Whenever the family reunion is held in Beaver, we go swimming as a group. This time, our family reunion family got it all to ourselves. It was good though because we had a huge group.

Raven going off the diving board for the first time without anyone there to catch her and swimming for the first time in over a month because of stitches.

 

Carson with some of his cousins.

 

Nadia

 

Carson with Dad

 

Carson done so amazing at swimming without his life jacket. He is getting so good.

 

Quynsie

 

 

Cousins

 

My very crazy dad

 

 

My tidal wave brother in law Troy. He makes the best waves when he jumps into the pool so that was said lovingly.

 

Cousin Matthew, my dad Scott, brother in law Sonny, brother Bronson, my mom RayLynn, my sister Britteny, brother in law Troy

 

Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Carla, Uncle Verlin, cousin Alisha, her husband Kevin and her kids Ahlanna and Timmy.

 

The only difference in this picture is that it has my cousin Matthew in it.

 

We had such a great time with everyone, especially last night when we all gathered around the fire and told stories. My cousin James is a character. We were up way too late and we were way too loud. I am not sure how my grandparents slept once they went to bed because the party hadn't even gotten started when they went to bed. All of us parents got the kids in bed and gathered back around the fire and had adult talk.

I learned a lot last night about my cousins, but mostly James. He was a wild child.

They grew up and live in Illinois so we have not gotten to see them a whole lot.

I so wish we all had grown up together because I am sure we all would have had a great time together.

 

I had totally forgotten about an incident when I was a kid until my dad brought it up, but we used to play car tag with my parents. We had cb's in our cars and who ever was it had to chase the other down and when you caught up to the other person, you had to bump your car into the other car and that was called tag your it and then that person had to do it. It was so much fun. I guess I lived on the edge as a teenager a little bit. LOL

 

Sad to be leaving Beaver and my cousins.
My cousin Steven's daughter Abby was so cute and it broke my heart. She came up to me with crocodile tears and said "I'm going to miss Raven, she has been a good friend and she likes my scary stories." Then Nadia came over to give her a hug and the tears just fell. She couldn't keep them inside anymore. I look over and Nadia is ribbing Abby's her tears away. It was the saddest and the cutest thing ever.
Abby my girls are going to really miss you as well. I wish you guys lived closer because you guys would make great friends/cousins.

 

I really did have a great time and so did the kids being with all of our extended family.

We were only missing two of my cousins and their kids, so it was great having them all here.

Joe and I and our 4 kids.

My sister Britteny, her husband Troy and 4 of her kids. We were missing her oldest who is in the military.

My parents

My brother and his husband

My grandparents

My uncle Calvin

My Aunt Carla and her husband Uncle Verlin

Alisha (my cousin), Keven (her husband), Ahlanna and Timmy (their kids)

Steven (my cousin), Amanda (his wife), Abby, Isaac, Ethan and Zachary (their kids)

Matthew (my cousin), Erin (his wife), Savanna and Bryden (their kids)

James (my cousin)

 

My grandparents have 9 grandkids and 26 great grandkids.

 

That is 20 adults and 16 kids

That is a total of 36 people divided up between 2 houses and the huge yard that we pitched tents on and my parents brought down their trailer.

 

Had my cousins Amber and Aaron came with their families and my niece Liz there would have been 49 people. That is just crazy. Mind you this is just my grandparents posterity, not the rest of the people that were there for the reunion.