Vacation Time -Family Reunion in Gatlinburg!

Every other year we have a family reunion with my (Rheanna's) family. This year it was in Gatlinburg, TN in June. I am the youngest of 5, and that means 12 adults and 21 grandchildren (one more nephew has been born since). We stayed in a big rental house all together. We had a great few days hanging out and going to fun places. So many memories. We love our families!

Several family member joined us in the Color Me Rad race. We definitely got colored!

Story Time

Talent Show

Games

At the top of the mountain, SO beautiful up there!

 

The face they made for the chair lift camera. Silly boys!

It was a fun day.

Our boys had fun with mini-golf.

All the cousins with Grandmom after the carnival.

They just don't get any cuter!

Watermelon seed spitting contest.

Vacation Time-Beach!

In May we went to the beach. We go at least once every year for a few days. We had so much fun. The weather wasn't great, but that didn't stop us! Enjoy some favorite pics.  We usually go with some family, and this time we went with Andrew's brother Wayne, and some friends.

July/August

Still updating for the year!  Here is a peek at our July and August.

 Celebrating the 4th of July with a fireworks show.

 One of my favorites of my boys having fun together.

 Splash Pad fun while visiting family in North Alabama. They got wet!!

 We went to chuck-e-cheese with cousins and had a blast together.

 Brandt is teaching Hunter how to use one of his old toys. They were both excited when it got brought out of the attic.

 Brandt loves helping to wash the car. Before they are done, somehow he is always soaked, sudsy, and loving it!

 Brandt started preschool this year at one of the churches near our home. Here we are at meet the teacher the day before he started. He has had a great year and really liked meeting new friends. He has learned so much.

 Mommy wasn't sure she could let go.

 Family Picture (Hunter thought my hair was tasty.)

I have started a tradition to go and get ice cream after the first day of school. It was fun to hear all about what he did on the first day. 

May/June

Continuing to update from the last year. Here are some pictures from May and June.

 We go strawberry picking every year. Strawberries are my favorite food, so we get a lot and then freeze them to use throughout the year.  I make freezer jam, freeze them whole, and freeze them in a sauce. Then we have Strawberries for anything we might need. Strawberry shortcake is a favorite!

 Brandt and his preschool buddies!

 The 5 moms did preschool for these cute kids this year.  This was at the end of our year. We took  turns having it at our houses and teaching.  It was a great year, and we enjoyed our preschool time.

 My grandma passed away this year. She was 93 and an amazing woman. Here is my brother Mark, sister Deborah, Grandpa, Hunter and me in Utah before her funeral. I was so grateful to be there. It was a hard time, but good to be with family.

 Our garden did great this year!

 I was able to sneak a picture of these two playing.

 My boys on Fathers day.  I got them matching ties. Love them!

 Brandt loves the water and is a great swimmer after his lessons. We think he is part fish, as he would spend all his time in water if he could.

He had been begging for a fish for about a year. His dream finally came true when he got to pick out his own blue Beta fish. He named him Mikey after the ninja turtle.

Feb/March/April

 We were so busy enjoying our boys and life, that the blog got neglected. It was almost a year ago when I made my last post. Here is an attempt to catch it up and fill in a few glimpses of the last year.

This boy is always smiling!!!! He is so much fun and he has our hearts!

Brandt's favorite toy from Christmas is his Imaginext castle.  He has gotten several other parts to it this year and loves to play with all the people and characters that he has. It is also a favorite when friends come to play.

My sister-in-law Janina, My sister Deborah, and I got to have a girls weekend at a church conference. It was a nice way to relax, sleep through the night, and be recharged.

We love our Zoo. We had fun while the Dinosaur exhibit was here. Hanging out with cousins at the zoo is even better! Sarah and Abigail are two of Brandt's best friends.  Having cousins for best friends is so great!

 We got a quick trip to the beach and got to hang out with Hunter's Stacey. It was a good day!

 Easter was great and we always get to spend it with both sides of our families, making it so exciting!

 Phillips Family Cousins

Family Picture before church.

Decorating Easter Eggs

 Stevens Family Cousins!

We love to camp. Brandt and Daddy got to go on a father/son campout and had a blast. Mommy had to live with text updates to hear how it was going and hear about all the fun they were having. They went on a hike in the morning and discovered some neat places.

Brandt loves sports and we love watching him have so much fun doing something he loves.  Plus, he has fun while getting to use up some of his endless energy. This past year he completed 4 sports with his program and got an awesome trophy. It is a program where Daddy gets to play with him as he learns to play. They played 6 weeks each of Soccer, Flag Football, Basketball, and Baseball. He loved it so much we are doing it again this year.

Every year we plant a garden together. It is something we all enjoy and look forward to doing. It is hard work and so yummy when we have our fresh veggies to eat.