My mom's family has a reunion every Labor Day weekend in Texas. Since it's such a short trip, I fly with the girls on Friday and stay an extra night before all the family arrives on Saturday. We gather at my uncle and aunt's ranch house, which is incredibly fun. The only downside this year is that my mom got sick just before that weekend, and didn't feel like she could travel. So, she and my dad stayed home this year, and we all missed them!
They have several golf carts to ride around the ranch property, and Emma and Hallie have learned some great driving skills there! Emma took us on our first driving tour.
Then it was Hallie's turn at the wheel!
Enjoying the tree swing and the beautiful views.
There's a pond on property that's stocked with fish. The girls didn't catch anything over the weekend, but they had fun trying.
Dan flew on Saturday morning since he had to work on Friday. He caught a ride from the airport with my brother, Steve, and his family since they arrived on Saturday, too. It's been several years since Steve's whole family's been able to come, and we loved having them at the reunion!
As soon as cousins, Meera and Rowan arrived, they got a grand tour of the ranch.
Meera loved driving the golf cart and giving Hallie and Rowan a joy ride!
We have an annual egg toss competition. The kids are pretty casual about it.
But the adult version is highly competitive!
They added a pickleball court this year.
Dan played pickleball for the first time on a team with Jeff, and they dominated!
The pickleball cheering section
The kids had a great time riding and drawing with chalk.
No visit to the ranch is complete without an adventure in the woods to visit the "bone pile"
This is where the kids collect any cool bones from deceased animals on the property. And pile them up into a creepy skeleton tower.
It's a monument to the Circle of Life
It's always hot enough for a swim in the lake. There's a giant lily pad for the kids to play on. The girls give each other rides on it, and the boys play "King of the Hill" on it until someone bleeds.
There's also a paddle boat and a couple of kayaks. Emma's hitching a ride and being dragged around the lake by Dan and Hallie.
After swimming, Hallie took a big bite of watermelon and lost a tooth!
One of the small trees had died in the lawn, so the guys handed an axe to a barefooted 9-year-old and told him to take care of it. Welcome to Texas!
Meera caught a fish and the whole crew helped her reel it in!
While the kids were adventuring, the adults spent many hours playing card games
The Webb/Strickland/Campbell cousins
The cousins with spouses
The cousins' kids
And the whole family! We absolutely love that our extended family still gathers every year. It's a special tradition that we don't take for granted!
Just a few days after we came home from Texas, Hallie turned 8! I made her a #7 pancake to celebrate her last day of being 7 years old.
Hallie's birthday was on a weeknight, and we had dinner out to celebrate. Her restaurant of choice was Texas Roadhouse. The grandparents and our nephew, Nathan, were able to join us there.
She was a little bit happy about her presents.
She picked out her own birthday cupcake from the store and it was gloriously pink!
Speaking of gloriously pink, one new place that Hallie wanted to visit for her birthday is a dessert shop called "The Sweet Spot." It's completely pink inside from floor to ceiling, and she loved it!
The desserts were super fancy and delicious!
Dan and I split a gourmet shake that had a brownie and an ice cream cone perched on top.
That weekend, we had more birthday celebrations! Hallie invited her two best friends, Sophia and Fiona, to make Build-A-Bears at the mall with her and Emma.
The birthday girl
There was a cute ceremony when they stuffed their Build-A-Bear animals.
They each chose different animals, and all of them were adorable!
They all chose roller skating and leash accessories for their animals so they could take them on walks.
We had a final birthday party for Hallie with the Jester family in Williamsburg. It was the last chance for everyone to swim in Grandpa and Grandma's pool before they closed it for the fall & winter.
Hallie built her own donut cake for the family party, complete with Stitch and Angel decorations.
Hallie, what would our family do without you? Your enthusiasm is contagious, and you enjoy experiences to the fullest. We love your sensitive and sweet heart and the kindness you show to others. Your best days are filled with the people you love and fun activities. We're thankful that God blessed us with you! We love you and pray that the Lord will lead you and keep you near him all the days of your life.
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