Family Reunion Part 2: The Aquarium at Newport

   While at our family reunion we all visited the aquarium at Newport.  We had a good time.  Emery unexpectedly enjoyed the eels immensely.  I was not aware of her great love for sea life.  Harper spent most of her time pushing Logan's empty stroller around.  I think she might have left behind somewhere (Sorry Adam and Angie).  Avery was happy to be hanging out with her cousins.  The aquarium did a big group picture for us too. 

Emery's face of joy when watching eels swim around.  I don't think Aidan was as joyous.

Reagan getting a ride from her dad, Paul.

Apparently Luke isn't much of a morning person.  Hudson wasn't actually that happy either.

Awe mother and daughter:  Ashlyn and Nellie.

Harper pushing Logan's empty stroller.  I forgot that I had the camera on manual focus.

Avery and Aidan checking out some sea birds.

Like Logan, Hudson too wished to do nothing with his stroller.

Logan hanging out.

Emery's a sea otter.

Phil, Aidan, Heather, and Maddux taking a family selfie.

Ashlyn being an awesome cousin carrying around Avery.

Harper, Reagan, and Avery

Emery and Sam

Group shot number one with a lot closed eyes.

Group shot number two Daryl and I still have our eyes closed.  We should have just kept our sunglasses on.

Family Reunion at Newport Beach, Oregon

  My family was able to arrange a family reunion this Fourth of July weekend since the last time we were all together was for my sister Alex's wedding about three years ago.  We were happy to finally get together.  We went to Newport, Oregon.  Half of the family shared a house and the rest of rented out a row of four townhouses.  We stayed in the townhomes, and it was a really great place for us to stay.  We didn't realize it was right next to a park when we booked them.  That really helped keeping all the kids entertained.  Avery was very excited to see Addison again and kept checking with us that she would be there.  Addison slept with Avery and Harper most of the time except for the night Harper was driving everyone crazy.  We also had a great time trying to get three little boys in a picture together.  Hudson, Logan, and Luke were all one at the time.  I took a ton of pictures, so this is just the first of what we'll probably end up being a total of three posts.

Addison, Avery, and Harper sleeping on the pull out couch.

Here's what they looked like in the morning.

Hudson and Logan.  I am not sure how they got Logan laughing, but once he got started he didn't stop for a while.

We tried to get Luke in there, but we got him with his beloved blanket and sippy cup.

So here's probably the best picture of Hudson, Luke, and Logan from that attempt.

Logan was so hilarious.

Luke putting on Daryl's shoes.

Here's Luke all dolled up for church Sunday morning.

Here's the townhomes where we stayed with Mom and Dad in the red door, Phil and Heather in the yellow door, Chris and Alex in the purple door, and us in the green door.  I tried to place everyone from quietest to loudest.

Harper, Sam, Emery, Avery, and Addison

Phil, Aidan, and Maddux

Luke wanted to play ball with Maddux.

Maddux is such a good cousin.  He played with Luke for a good while.

Here's Avery at the top of the park.  There's a giant tube slide in this pirate ship.

Here's the bottom of the slide.  I got Luke to go down with me once and he was not happy. Harper never went down it once.

Mackenzie

Addison

Hudson showing amazingly good balance.

Emery

Harper

Emery is Three

  Today is Emery's third birthday, but we had her little jump party yesterday evening.  We just invited family and some friends, and had a nice little party.  Emery had a pretty good time.  I did have to go with her on most of the slides though.  At the end she had had a little too much party time, and to have a bit of a quiet time.  She perked up though as soon as cake was mentioned.  Tyler was very sweet when it came time to open up the presents.  He was very good about helping her open things.  There were two birthday cakes because I just picked up two cakes from our local grocery store and one wasn't going to be enough.  Emery noticed there was a second cake at a different table and came over requesting a second piece of that cake in addition to her first slice of cake.  She knows what she likes.

I like that Harper's mouth is open in the middle of a thought.  She actually talks a lot, but her preschool class didn't ever get to see that side of her.

I love Logan and his giant kissy cheeks.

Harper being goofy again.

Angie took Logan down one of the bigger slides and he seemed to approve.

Luke had a great time playing with Karl.

Zander wasn't feeling the bouncing, but he still gave us some great smiles.

Emery was insistent that she have a Minnie Mouse cake, and gratefully accepted that she got a store bought cake with a Minnie Mouse figurine stuck on top.  Also she didn't mind that the toppings were a little funky because Avery and Harper helped bring the cakes from the car and putting them on the counter upside down.

I love how happy Tyler and Emery look in this picture.  Emery had no trouble blowing out her candles.

Avery and Harper having cake.

The Weekend

  This weekend Daryl's brother Kyle flew into town triggering an improtutu family gather with Daryl's brothers and sister.  Saturday Karl brought Kyle over after picking him up at the airport. We wanted to get together with Ashley as well, so we had her and Thomas and Ayva come on over Sunday with everyone else.  It was a great weekend of family, food, and board games.  

All the boys on Saturday.  Kyle, Daryl, Luke, Karl, and a less then enthused Tyler.

I just really liked this picture of Harper with a giant bike helmet on.

Tyler wanted to help me pit cherries.  Also I understand now why my Dad always pitted them outside.

We remembered to get a cousin picture which of course Avery decided she needed to stick her tongue out during.  There's plastic on our stairs because we are renovating our upstairs bathroom.  Avery is holding Ayva, Tyler is holding on to Luke, Harper is by Tyler, and that leaves Miss Em sitting on her own. 

Ayva has changed so much since we saw her last.  She looks like she got a fabulous foil job on her hair.

Here are all the siblings.  Karl is on the top step, then Daryl, Kyle, and Ashley.

Ashley did a lot of posing for me and Emery tried to sneak into this picture.

Ayva is also into posing like her mother.

This was Saturday after the big kids had spent almost the entire evening out on their scooters.  Tyler took off his helmet and looked like he had spiked his hair with mousse.