Remember how Padre's side had THEIR family reunion a while ago? Well, this month it was Mom's side's turn! However, it was also Padre's birthday yesterday. So, basically, a whole lotta family. So I went over, first to the Padre's before we were to go to the Asian Buffet, Padre's favorite place where we go for EVERY birthday, whether the birthday person wants it or not!
It's tradition... or whatever. Anyway, I actually LIKE the Asian, so I am good with it. Rinny is the only one who does not, but she's not so much a fan of FOOD so, yeah.
Anyway, I went to the Padre's and checked on our deer. ALL 4 TWINS were out there! Only GrayNeck, though, the mother of the 2 older set (including the one that has a bad leg who I call Fred), was with the babies.
Anastasia/SkinnyMom is a MEAN little doe. I watched her brutally attack Fred because he got too close to her. Those 4 are all such good friends. They are always together, but the moms get annoyed. But SkinnyMom was just MEAN... really hurt Fred, badly. But GrayNeck, even she gets annoyed when (because SkinnyMom isn't as attentive to the feeding of her twins as GrayNeck is) the OTHER twins try to nurse off her too! 
But at least she just shoos them, instead of crippling them. (Sorry, I am still pissed at SkinnyMom.)
This is Fred only 2 weeks ago...
And with his twin (either George or Hope, depending on the sex, really, but basically GN's other twin)...
And look at him now, he is getting so big! In just 2 weeks!
Maybe eventually he will grow into his EARS.
Anyway, then we went to dinner for dad. So dinner was good... and kind of interesting, too! Because we were next to a table of all deaf guys and so I was doing some major eaves dropping on their signing and it was reminding me I should practice more.*
*meaning, ummm, at ALL. Yeah. I suck.
We got to the park in Centerville and then it was just random kid craziness. My cousin, the Zoobies, Jamie and her husband the Inventor have a ton of kiddlets. Me and Rinny used to be their regular sitters. The oldest ones grew up with us. And now they are just SO OLD! The funny thing is that "BabySarah", who is not a baby, nor the youngest anymore, just can NOT remember us, I am SURE! Because I stopped tending so much before BabySarah was even born. I think maybe a few times, but she was an infant.
Stephen and Hailey know us... Even Tristen was too little. However, BabySarah has decided that she not only remembers me but LOVES ME TO BITS. I am suddenly her favorite cousin. It is so random. She is a cutey, though.Here she is, with the next youngest of the Zoobie brood, telling me about catching water skeeters.
What was SUPER funny, though, was when Rinny was laying on the grass (talking to Potato Head, one of her boys) and Caleb (T-La's #2), UNCOACHED walked up to her and said "Stay right there, okay?" and then found a balloon that was going to be used for a game and about dropped it right on her head with his perfect wicked giggle. IT WAS AWESOME. She seriously screamed and I was overjoyed to capture the moment of evil baby prowess on camera.
Well, that just got all 3 of T-La's boys involved, which was pretty adorable and funny (that being the 2 most perfect descriptions OF T-La's boys, along with "TROUBLE") and totally Slide Show-able!
But there really are other kids in the world besides T-La's. Because ALL of my cousins but me and MY sybs pop out kids like Pez. And all of my Aunts and Uncles (except Shy, obviously) have children. Plus, there are Dogs. hee hee!
Okay, and I swear Sandy looks EXACTLY the same as her daughter EXACTLY. 
She also just had another baby, a very tiny boy, just this month. I'm not even sure SHE knows who his dad is, though. She is not, what you would call STABLE.And then there was the TALENT SHOW. That's right, our family had a talent show. Most was pretty painful to watch, some was actually really impressive. One of my cousin's kids is a CONTORTIONIST! AWESOME! I didn't get any pictures of that, though. Or about 5 separate teenage girls looking like they belong on a pole during their dances (with various aunts and uncles exchanging very stressed out looks). But here are a few highlights!
Anyway, other than that, we had a little program about Grandma and remembered her. We also talked about Grandpa and other memories. AND all of Grandma's kids and grandkids got a binder with little genealogy things, old letters, and a CD of old pictures! AND a coin from grandpa's collection.
I actually COLLECT coins and so that was super exciting to me. I like having a connection with Grandpa. I was young when he died. It is a 1954 half-dollar. That is the year my mom was born. It's not really WORTH anything... about 3-4 dollars... but it meant a lot to me.
Some not so swell things about the reunion...
Megs and Jake did not come. I called and called Megs. She isn't answering right now. I know the feeling. I really understand not coming either.
But I miss her so much.
And I wanted so badly to see her.
Seeing Carson... and Reagan... with no Brady in between just really made it hard not to think about losing him on 9-11. It just felt so sad and weird. Grandma too. To not have her here. I mean, I know they are there in spirit and all that, but it felt... lonely.
And being lonely about THAT made me lonely about other... non-family people... who wouldn't have been there anyway, but...
maybe someday would have.
You know?
Yeah. Sometimes things suck. BUT IN GENERAL, it was a good-ish reunion.
Also Aunt Clare kind of roped me into helping her teach some sign to her class in church next weekend. I am actually a little terrified. But I was won over, mostly, because she said "and after the meeting Megs and Jake will come over and we can all eat together." So I said yes and I better get practicing, even if it IS just for kids.
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