July Family Reunion

Most years, our family has a July family reunion at the Discovery Park in Mcminnville. This is a great favorite of my kids because of the awesome play equipment, but most especially the water feature.

I was surprised that Julianna was afraid of the sprinklers. She was tired, and spent a while happy in the playpen. All the kids loved eating plenty of food. The kids happily divided their time between the sand, the water, and the playground. The only part I don't like is that our pavilion is far away from the kids stuff. It makes it really hard to keep an eye on everyone. Julianna liked going down all the giant slides. It was a HOT HOT HOT day. I had to poor a lot of water on the black swings so that Julianna could go on them without burning her poor bottom.

Dorathy hangs out in the shade with baby Luke.

The hot sun affected a couple of my kids, giving them headaches and heat exhaustion. Lots of liquid, shade, and rest helped.

Play-Time!

Cousin Spencer.

Our Matriarch, Grandma Alice Blanchard

On the way home from this reunion, I totally scored a great find. There was a yard sale in Amity that closed up shop, with a big sign that said, "Everything, free!" I felt prompted to stop, even though I was late for a cherry picking date with Scott.

I found several boxes of free clothes, books, and best of all...a free desk for Courtney!!! yay~~~ I painted it pink and Now Courtney has a desk identical to Dorathy's blue one in their room.

It's funny, my house is so small and crowded now that just adding one small piece of furniture made me need to rearrange half my household! I'm glad it's done now, though.

Aunt Nita

The Dotson Family plans a Family Reunion every two years. They are always a struggle for everyone to attend because with 18 children spread across the U.S., travel, scheduling, and finances can be a difficult obstacles to overcome. This year we had a tie in the votes about whether we'd meet in Texas or in Oregon. Oregon won out, and Scott and I were very excited to share our beloved home with everyone.

Complications arise, however, as they sometimes do. Life just happens, right? Well, this was definitely a series of "Unfortunate Events!" One sibling got in a car crash and had to purchase a new van, Another has children with special needs and cannot travel far from home. One had a mountain of Dental bills, another got married, and another sibling had a baby. The parents Moved from Texas to South Dakota, and had to travel to England to help care for an aging Grandma. For some who lived in the East, Oregon was just too far to travel. (The last reunion was too far for us to make it to, so we know how that one goes!) One sibling was going on a mission with the Peace Corp and had their Departure date moved up. Believe it or not, ALL these events coincided in close proximity to our reunion date and made it impossible for our plans to be realized.

We totally understood everyone's predicament, having been there ourselves, but still it was sad to give up our dream of sharing Oregon with everyone.

Happily, we got one member of Scott's family who was able to make it for a visit! Lynita, Chad, and Madison were able to come for part of the weekend. It was a special treat having them. Their baby, Madison, was not only incredibly adorable, she was also such a GOOD baby! I don't think we heard her cry once! After having Julianna for 2 years, Scott and I were in shock. We kept on looking at Madison, and then at each other and saying, "Madison is such a happy baby!" It was great to learn more about Chad and Nita's current life in Vermilion, South Dakota where they both teach at a University there.

They had only one full day in town. I'm sad we didn't get more pictures, but we were too busy having fun! In the morning we rode on the Salem Carousel and walked on the bridge across the Willamette River. Then we had lunch at our house and let Julianna take a nap. Scott got to share his rabbits, garden, and bees with Nita. Nita was VERY brave and got close to Scott's hive.

Then we packed up and played at the Lincoln City "D" River Beach. We ate dinner out at Mo's and enjoyed some good seafood. Then back at my Parent's house we watched an uplifting movie called "The Ultimate Gift".

The next morning, it was time to say goodbye. It was so good to see some family, and it helped us realize the importance of continuing to get together.

Even if we can't ever have a BIG reunion where everyone can come, we can keep planning, keep trying, and meet up with one another more often. Good things will always result, even if the Reunion is 2 families instead of 20.

So for 2012...the family is thinking of planning a cruise to Mexico. Who knows? Maybe we'll all get to be there!

I'm already excited and looking forward to it!

Angel's new friend

Angel has a new friend: her cousin, Spencer

It was so cute to see them hang out together at the beach and during our family reunion activities!

The were playing the run away game. Run toward the water giggling, then run away screaming as it came up to them. They probably played this game happily for 2 hours. It was so adorable.

Angel, Spencer, and Hyrum are all 3 years old. One of the most hilarious things they all did together was at Grandma's house. They were all showing their belly button's off to eachother. Only problem was...Angel was wearing a dress! She couldn't understand why it was okay for the boys to lift their shirts to flash their bellies, while she couldn't be allowed to do it in a dress. (Angel is continually in a dress these days becase it's easier for potty training...it's just not the most modest option for a girl her age.) Cute kids!