Annual Reunion Time- Picture it!

Jules here-

 Once again, we hosted an annual reunion for our family in New Hampshire! Though our brother and his family couldn't make it this year (boo!!) the rest of us gathered for a week of cousin time!  It truly amazes me that the children can see each other only two times a year, and yet they fit together seamlessly.  Grace, Josephine, and Felicity jumped right in to vivid imagination play, a crafty sleepover, and hours of "plotting" against the boy cousins...

We spent the week playing games, hiking mountains, going to water parks, and eating lots of food of course (thanks Mom!!).  I have NO pictures from the water park- why? I was in survival mode and in bathing suit, so that's not going to happen on the internet.  Watching ELEVEN children under the age of 12 at a water park in the full sun was quite exhausting!! I will definitely wait until my three kids are strong swimmers to return so I would feel more secure at the park. 

My sister and her brood stayed with my parents, but visited me for a day to go to all my new-favorite local places. The kids LOVE Funspot which touts itself as the largest arcade in the world (it is quite big with an arcade game museum too...). Everyone loves winning tickets, riding bumper cars, and eating pizza!

Pop-pop on a little car....

Thirteen years until this guy is behind the wheel of a real car...

Mini-ferris wheel with Tad!

My darling Charlie :)

 We also headed to our local beach to enjoy a barbecue, swimming, and sunshine.  I loved showing them our favorite summer hang out and having the kids cool off in the lake!

Hanging out with my older nephews fills me with hope... I got to play Scrabble and Boggle with them, and they were quite good!  It gives me hope that I will survive the Candyland and Chutes & Ladders years and game nights will progressively be more fun!

Side Note- I brought the younger ones up "Zingo" to play.. and from Simona on up- they all LOVED it.  It's a picture matching, speed bingo-esque game.  We have played it for years and my children all still love it.  Highly recommended for smart 2 year olds up to ages 6 or 7.

You can buy it here....

Of course no trip to New Hampshire would be complete without a view from a mountain top, we hiked up the local Rattlesnake Mountain for some great views over the Pemi-Baker Valley; Brian and I hiked with 8 kids from ages 3-12. Not bad :)

And finally... my favorite part of the trip was meeting my newest niece- GEMMA! She is the post precious, happy, jovial child I have ever met! She will be held by everyone and she smiles easily- fantastic for a family reunion!

Easy Rule #35532- Nothing beats family. Even miles away, meeting few times a year--the bond is incredible!

Easy Rule #6345- Even the shyest, most mommy-centered kid can succumb to Aunt Julia's goofy style... HA! I won over Simona!! Woo-Hoo!!