Family Gathering

My favorite aunt and uncle (winks to Trudy and Marty)are in state this weekend for Rina's class reunion. We gathered at my grandparents' home to see them. The kids and I went down early today and other relatives joined us later in the evening. The kids started their day outdoors with the kittens in the barn, then came in to color, play in the basement, and then eat lunch. I was able to sit and visit with my aunt and uncle while the kids played. It was great, especially since we don't get to see them often.

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After lunch, the corn was shucked and the children were able to feed the cornshucks and cob tips to the horses. This is their favorite activity. As they were doing this, my grandpa cut out the corn stalks that were finished producing and gave those to the children to feed to the horses. After watching his brother and sister do it, Isaiah began to push things through the fence to feed the horses. He was fascinated. Then he began to imitate the horses. He first tried chewing on a corn leaf, but that didn't prove tasty, so he tried gnawing on a corn stalk. When he saw that we were laughing at him, he kept chewing and chewing.

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Grandpa had picked more than 55 black walnuts for Noah. Noah loves to chuck things into the pond. He threw all of these walnuts and then even more walnuts into the pond. He's also allowed to throw in apples that have fallen to the ground. This is Noah's favorite activity. He got his Uncle Seth to join him when Seth arrived, and grandpa joined in as well.

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Isaiah took a nap and the kids watched videos in the afternoon (to rest and be out of the heat for awhile). Other relatives started arriving and we had a large family supper. My dad took Isaiah and carried him around (so I could eat). Grandma and Grandpa made homemade ice cream and Dad and Isaiah cleaned the paddle off together. After the kids ate supper, Ross, Sophie, and Eli took the kids outside to play. They are so good with the kids and the kids are so excited when those teenagers arrive. I'm pretty sure that my children believe that Ross, Sophie, and Eli live to entertain them. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Dad (Grandpa) gets the surprise face out of Isaiah. Noah hauls a cornstalk bigger than himself toward the fence to feed the horses. Isaiah plays with Great-grandpa and Grandma. Madeleine wanted to take her great-uncle Sam down to introduce him to the horses. She really enjoyed his company today, later taking him out to see the kittens in the barn. Aunt Sophie carries Isaiah to see the horses. Morgan and Maddie joined her.