reunioning

Greetings from Moline, Illinois! Land of the family reunion, 1/4 of the Quad Cities, and home of my Gram.

All of July I was super guilty of living in everything but the moment. I just had my eye on the prize that was AUGUST. So much to look forward to in August. Simon is on a kind rotation in August, Simon has vacation in August, I get to go to Dallas in August, and we have our annual family reunion in August.

Just a few days before we drove up here my grandma woke up the in the middle of the night unable to move the left half of her body. After 30 minutes (!!!!) of trying to roll over to grab her phone her valiant efforts prevailed and the paramedics were in her house seven minutes later. We are all so happy that despite this being her second stroke - cognitively she is totally fine and since she's been in the hospital she has made tremendous progress in physical therapy and is determined to walk out of the hospital (and eventually hit up Miss America in September in Atlantic City to see Sierra compete). She's such a fighter and has been in amazing spirits even though she's been missing out on the reunion activities. She's a total whizz on her iPad and cell phone and has been keeping up with an onslaught of photos and a barrage of daily visitors.

She was even able to hold Butterball Patton.

The cousins all made the annual trek to Whitey's (some of us may have gone twice with potential plans to go again tonight, maybe) ...

Julia proved that the apple falls MILES from the tree by approaching a little girl (not pictured) that looked to be about her age and just started chatting. FAR from her mother tree.

My Aunt Rebecca is super skilled at balloon artistry which the kids absolutely hated ...

octopus for Bash

Alien girlfriend for Theo.

And a mermaid for Julia (and a snake, and a set of fairy wings and a fairy wand and a monkey for Bash - again, they hated!)

The kids also had the BEST time with their aunts and uncles ...

And my mom (their nana) ...

who not only watched the three older kids so that Simon and I could go to mass with JUST phoebe (incredible ... ) on Sunday but she let me, Simon, and Phoebe sleep in until 9:08 this morning - the most wonderful and strange feeling ever to wake up feeling rested and to notcrying. Crazy. And the only casualties were Bash finding his way into some permanent red marker mischief (bleach to the rescue), and him escaping out the quiet sliding door twice (once to fill the watering can with salt). Considering his long list of conquests back at home I was pretty impressed with her Nana skillage.

Julia watered GG's impressive flower garden in her absence (and quickly turned and soaked her brothers who "are just SO fwusteratING" who in turn soaked their queen).

Other memorable memories:

+ Grace made the delicious discovery that is peach moscato (she was scared to look at the bottle but she's fairly certain it was Arbor Mist ... )
+ Aunt Heidi has been the hostess with the mostest making meal after meal of the best food for the masses.
+ But really, that wine.
+ I guess that's it.

All in all, terrible time!

Terrible time indeed.