Sun Lakes Camping Extravaganza

To revisit my twin themes of (a) belated picture posting and (b) my families getting along... the Sun Lakes camping trip from Mother's Day weekend!

My sister-in-law (D) meets her family for an annual camping trip in Sun Lakes. Last year, D expanded the trip to include her in-laws (Mike and me, the eldest brother's family, and the grandparents). In 2010, the trip got even bigger! My parents joined, as did one of D's close friends. There were kids running around everywhere, food being cooked at all hours of the day, and some pretty cutthroat games of hand and foot.

Mike and I won every round, in case you're curious.

My father was happy to take Mike and James (Mike's middle brother) out for two days of fishing on Banks Lake. I spent a lot of time napping and snacking, though there was a poorly played game of miniature golf...

Giving Thanks

I realize it has been quite some time since Thanksgiving. However, I recently discovered these photos on my sister-in-law's Facebook page. I couldn't resist sharing!

It's also worth noting that I'm so grateful that all of my families get along. Thanksgiving participants included: my parents, Mike and me, my brother and his family, plus Mike's brother and his family. One of my sister-in-law's closest friends even came along. It was great, and of course the food was fabulous.

Belated Mother's Day

Recently, I went over to my parents' house for a belated Mother's Day celebration. My aunt and uncle--recently back from their winter in Arizona--joined us for a lovely lunch and a bit of triplet/L-Pie wrangling. A good time was had by all!

I enjoyed getting to catch up with my aunt and uncle. Then there was puppetry with the boys (they love to stick their hands in the bear's mouth...) and reading a Little Critter book with L-Pie. She found the mouse on every page!

I love watching my little family at their parenting and grand-parenting best. And I swear, my parents have the best toys at their house (to say nothing for the cookies). My old Fisher Price dollhouse? Always a big hit... and my mom can play with Hot Wheels for hours.

Here is Renae's beautiful present for Mom. I regret to report that I showed up sans gift!