Reunited, and it feels so good!

My mom's family has a reunion every two years in Salado, TX. We went in early April and had a lovely time catching up with everyone, although Mom, Neil and Michael couldn't make it due to Michael's baseball schedule. It's the first time I've ever gone without them, and it was a bit odd for me. I wouldn't have been as sad if they still lived in the great state of Texas, but I really looked forward to seeing them there since we don't see them much anymore. I totally understood why they couldn't make it, and all is well now. It just took awhile for me to get used to the idea.

Anyway, we arrived on Friday and went to a burger place to meet anyone who could make it. Mikey, William and I were literally the first customers to arrive that evening, so we had the run of the outdoor space for quite some time. William sure enjoyed it since he had been cooped up in his car seat for over three hours. They had some fun play equipment that was just his size.





Things got even more fun when family started arriving, hugging, and awkwardly introducing themselves to people they only see once every two years! Thankfully, my Aunt Lisa, grandmother Mimi, cousin Katie and Uncle Mike were there. No introductions needed.



We all spent a lot of time watching William do his thing.





We left around 8:30 to head to the hotel, and it was a rough road getting our little man to sleep that night. He had a really short nap in the car on the way up since we hit major traffic in Brenham. Then he fell asleep on the 20 minute drive to the hotel. He woke up when we took him to our room, and he walked in and immediately started crying and saying, "Go go go go!" (Translation: Get me out of here!) We tried to keep his bedtime routine as normal as possible, so he got his bath and fussed all the way through it. I sat out on the balcony to stay out of sight while Mikey put him to bed in the hotel crib. Mikey joined me out there, and once we thought he was asleep, we crept quietly into the room..."Da da da, ma ma ma." And so Mikey and I sat on the floor of the bathroom/hallway (in the dark) and played on our phones until he really was asleep. I'm sure we looked ridiculous. I think a suite may be the way to go next time!

Mikey woke up nice and early to play golf with some family members. Naturally, William woke up the second he walked out the door. I was still a little sleepy, so I turned on cartoons. W thoroughly enjoyed himself!





Once I was awake and ready to go, we milled around the hotel grounds talking to family and letting W burn off some energy (a never-ending task). We went to the cafe for breakfast, and I was so grateful that someone asked us to sit with them! It made it so much easier to get food at the buffet. And of course it's fun to catch up with people you haven't seen in two years.

It was soon time to visit Allison, a wonderful friend from college. We don't see each other nearly enough, so I try to get out there for a visit every time we have a reunion. Allison hadn't met William yet - she got the full-on toddler experience. Run, run, run, touch breakable things, open cabinets, go up and down stairs, pull the dog's fur, etc. You can see he looks worn out in the picture (as do I!). He was seriously all over the place.



A good time was had by all! Thanks, Allison, for the hospitality. I know it's not easy to host a toddler in a home that isn't equipped for the madness.

We headed back to Salado, and Mikey returned just in time for a quick lunch. I am not used to eating out for every meal. Luckily, William is well-behaved about 95% of the time that we go out to eat. I think eating dinner at the table together every night has helped. He is used to waiting while the adults finish up and chat.

More family arrived in the afternoon, including Kelli (my cousin) and Gavin, who got engaged on the way there. It was big news! Kelli's mom Sallie also joined in the fun and made me a happy lady when she jumped at the chance to watch William while we got ready for the evening. I loving having aunts who are magnificent with kids. It comes in quite handy!

Here we have Gavin, Kelli, Katie, and the usual suspects. The boys missed the blue memo. How embarrassing for them.



We ate dinner at the family favorite (yeah right) Stagecoach Inn restaurant. It actually wasn't bad, although we made a big mistake being cheap and getting chicken. The beef looked way better. William got antsy at dinner, so I busted out all the toys I had in my bag of tricks. We all survived!

It was finally time for the actual reunion meeting. This is the time when we all (maybe 70-80 people) sit in a big room, tell family history, talk about what everyone is up to, let the kids do a talent show, etc. Below is a picture of us with Lee, Holly, and Emmy. Lee is my age, and Emmy was born just a couple of weeks before William. I was sad we weren't able to talk to them for more than two seconds, but we were all busy chasing our kids around! One of these days, they will all be able to entertain themselves so we can catch up.



Here is just one row out of at least eight. The Jones family is a formidable group! Don't mess with us.



Sunday morning is quickly becoming my favorite part of the reunion. Lee's parents officiate a church service for the family members. It's always a really touching experience...not something I likely would have appreciated as a kid, but I really get a lot out of it now. I hope this tradition endures.

And all too soon, it's time for the goodbyes! Our little group had to wait a bit for Mimi to be ready to go, so what would I do other than take some pictures!









The weekend was a lot of fun, but I never stopped missing my little clan o'Manns. Perhaps next time!

On our way home, we stopped for William's first bluebonnet pictures. You can see that we didn't plan ahead and have the typical cute spring/summer attire on-hand. We just went with what he was wearing!