Sundays have been fairly busy since Shannon and Lindsey's last Sunday. Today was no exception. Stacia and Noah ran the coffee corner, Allie and I greeted, Michael ran around doing a bunch of things and preached.
As has become somewhat standard, we grabbed the other last person in the building, Jenni, and headed for lunch. We opted for a quick lunch as we had a family dinner this afternoon/evening.
Family dinner? What? It wasn't the 3rd Saturday of the month. Jamin invited us all to his home. He's been working hard on his home and yard. It was fun to gather at his place again. He's painted, paved the driveway, leveled the yard - and planted grass, added decor and steps to the hot tub and he bought a trampoline so the kids would have something to play on. Krista is in Guam and Luke tends to like smaller gatherings than ours when he's alone (we get it!). Nolan and Alex and Izaak didn't attend. We still enjoyed a FULL HOUSE.
We set around and visited and played in the yard while Lasagna baked. Annie loves time with "the uncles." She spends quite a bit of time playing yard Jenga. She needs an assist to reach the top and finish her turn...
...but she's a pro at determining which one should be removed without tumbling the whole tower.
She's sweet enough to give advice to struggling Uncles when needed.
Annie has an engaging personality that invites interactions with others. She's determined and gutsy and sweet. I know God is going to bless those around her with her unique personality and gift mix all her life.
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| Danny |
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| Cory, GG, Carrie, Cy |
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| "Can I come into the out?" 📷by Larissa |
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| Aunt Carrie and Noah 📷by Larissa |
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| Noah, Jared and Michael 📷by Larissa |
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| Such a sweet moment! 📷by Larissa |
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| GG & Noah📷by Larissa |
I hung out in the kitchen at some point...making sure pans were in the oven, bread ready to pop in and salad ready to go...Danny cracked me up. He was NOT having the oranges in a bag. He KNEW Uncle needed the oranges in the basket. Danny knows how things should be and he's not afraid to work to make sure they stay that way. He also knows the rules and is diligent to enforce the rules. A judge? Lawyer? I look forward to watching how God uses his developing personality.
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| Aunt Arielle, Trudy, Aunt Allie |
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| Uncle Josiah bouncing kids |
I believe it was after we ate that Cory and Jamin headed for the hot tub. In less than a minute they had quite a crowd joining them. Most stayed with their feet in the water. Of course, a few fell or jumped in and were promptly corrected.
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| Cousins - Bre, Arielle and Cy's kids |
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| Charles wants to join the fun! |
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| Cy, Danny, Gideon, Benny, Cory, Annie, Bella, Bre, Trudy, Liv |
About this time Jamin brought out the WATER BALLOONS, and hoses and buckets. I do believe Jamin and Josiah were the main targets of the battle. I have balloons in wait at our house, but it's never been a nice enough day when the kids are all over. Maybe in August.
I absolutely LOVE this photo of Charles. He had the courage to join the fray, and when it got to be too much, look at him running for all he's worth to the safety the rest of us provide. Good traits to have.
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| Run Charles, run! |
This day was such a blessing to all - but I think to Michael and I most of all. It is pure joy to watch our adult Gherkins desire to be together, go out of their way to entertain each other, and watch out for each other's children. Having adult children so near each other who desire to be a part of each other's lives, cousins growing up together, Grandparents and great grandparent nearby....it is all a dream we are so blessed to be living. No, life isn't perfect - but it's pretty darn close. Our family vision all these years has been to "Love Courageously" - which boils down to "Love God wholeheartedly and Love others Deeply. I feel like we are on track...we are learning to love well in new seasons.
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