Siblings

My mother's sister, taking a picture of my new husband and I, with my brother and our sisters.

Family Tree

That tree turned out to be perfect for our crazy family to pose in for a group portrait!

Ancestry

One of the annual traditions during our reunion is walking over to the family cemetery. Here you see one of our twins 'meeting' her great-grandparents...the kids really like to read all the headstones & hear all the stories...we need to get them written down before our memories fail!

Fun on the Trampoline!

A Milestone!

30 years of marriage...and still able to kid around with each other - that's something to celebrate!

BIG DOG!

Diesel, the English Mastiff, came to the family reunion yesterday in his very own car...

Oh, brother...

Some people can't take a hint...

They're still leaning up against my shed!

Scouting

3 generations of Scouts in our family. 2 of them, my husband and brother, are Eagle Scouts.

Hay Fort

This morning, (And I swear it was a coincidence!) our delivery of 300 hay bales arrived. Our guests were all happy to pitch in and get it stacked into our barn. We really appreciated the help and it made the job soooo much more fun!! About halfway through, my brother-in-law decided to rearrange the bales and build a fort for the kiddos, complete with a maze. They were thrilled! And, some of the adults couldn't resist and climbed in as well. That's my sister climbing back out, while a line of kids patiently waits for their turn inside...

A trip down memory lane...

So sorry that I didn't get a chance to post yesterday! We had our big family gathering here - 29 guests, 22 of whom stayed overnight (10 children & 12 adults) - and it was a wicked rowdy good time! On Christmas Day, I posted a photo of our boys in front of our Christmas Tree. This is a tradition that my parents started when I was born. Each year, my siblings and I pose in front of the tree for a group photo. This first one, dated December 25, 1977, was taken the year my sister was born. (There are 4 from my earlier years, but this is the first photo with all 3 of us together.)

And here is the one taken December 25, 2008...
(That is my parents' dog, Duke, in my lap.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family...
to yours!

Birthday wishes...

I'm not saying my boys always get what they ask for, but when it's feasible, we do our best. As I mentioned the other day, our youngest asked for everyone to go fishing with him on Moose Pond for his birthday. So, we piled a bunch of family members into 3 canoes & 4 kayaks and headed out for a couple of hours on the water. It was a great time and he thoroughly enjoyed it!

Kayaking on Moose Pond

Another one of my nephews enjoying a beautiful day on the water...

Up Close & Personal!!

Before he tossed him back into the water, my husband let our nephew meet the Large-mouth Bass that he had caught...

Another tree hugging kid!

I snapped this photo today because it reminded me of this photo from last spring. However, this time, the kid featured is my nephew, leaning over to see how high the water in the Little Androscoggin River was after the heavy, heavy rains last night. The water level is way up today! And the current is really strong too - it's definitely a rushing river!

Happy Father's Day!!

Here is my father, hard at work, as always. He keep very busy with lots of projects around the farm. In this picture, he is making a toy rifle for one of the grandchildren. He loves to make wooden toys for them and has produced dozens! Every time they visit, he either has something ready for them, or they come to him with plans in mind, which he is glad to help them make. We all love to listen to his stories - he has lots to tell! Thanks for everything, Dad - you're the BEST!!