I'm finally posting a few of my favorite pictures of my family's reunion. It was such a fun, fun week. We really had a blast. Our family of 8 has grown into a family of 27! My brother had t-shirts made with our name and the number we entered the family on the back. Even George IV had one as number 26 with Margaret following him as number 27! It took place at my grandparent's cottage on a small lake in Michigan. It was a place that we all loved as children as we spent many summers there. Since my grandfather's passing last summer it only seemed fitting that we all go back. It was such a walk down memory lane for all of us. I even saw a friend that I had there so many years ago. We also went to an ice cream shop that has been in town since I was born. In fact it was the very place that my grandparents knew I arrived. They were fishing at their cabin (without a phone) and awaiting word on my arrival. The only way my parents could get word to them was by announcing my arrival in the shop window knowing they would drive by and see it! I took 200 photographs and put them in this slideshow. It's 9 minutes long and pretty boring if you're not in my family but I'm posting it for them. I'll be back soon with more pics from happenings around here. Hope you are enjoying these final days of summer!

Love this family photo because Magnolia loved the dirt and sand and it seemed her face looked like this all week. :)
Impossible to keep Magnolia clothed lately so we compromised going "French" style on the beach. :)

George turned a corner that week. We changed his formula and I think with all the sitting up he's doing, his acid reflux improved which in turn dramatically improved his mood. I think he also loved all the cuddling and attention he was getting. He's such a peach. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXq7nzISS0s

It was so rejuvenating to be back on the island!
We ate at our favorite place, The Washington Hotel. It it so nice to have dinner on their big front porch and let Magnolia run around on the big lawn while we wait for our food. She and I shared homemade fettuccine made from wheat grown on the island and locally grown grilled vegetables. For dessert, homemade vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and toasted almonds.

Oh my!

Here she is arriving in style for dinner.

Playing on the big lawn. Mommy & Magnolia at School House Beach. Flying a kite on Sand Dunes Beach. George and George waiting for me to shop for yarn at Sievers School of Fiber Arts. 4 days and counting...we are heading up again. :)

George turned 4 months while we were in Michigan! He's doing great. He's strong, he's feisty, and when he's hungry, he's hungry. He's starting to chuckle and squeal in delight. He also has a pretty pouty mouth when he's unhappy (see pics below). He's not rolling over yet but trying. He loves to sit up and stand up. He's enamored with Magnolia. He loves his blankies or burp cloths, anything he can clutch and rub on his face. He continues to teeth and drool, drool, drool. He knows his mama and dada and we just adore him. I must admit though, having two has been a great deal more stressful and I don't think he's the easiest baby. I continue to try to find balance and hopefully we'll settle down with the travel and find a new groove to settle into. For now we've been home 5 days and we're heading up north for the weekend. Summer's almost over and we are trying to get the most out of it. I have 200 photographs of our family reunion in Michigan. I am going to try and put them in a slide show for all my family members who are waiting to see them...check back soon!

Here's George & Margaret. Margaret is my sister's baby, born just 8 weeks after George! So sad!

I just love that face!
Magnolia & George hanging out on our bed.
They really do love each other

We celebrated our 2nd Gotcha Day/Family Day in Michigan. Magnolia received a beautiful knit doll dressed in traditional Chinese clothing and wearing a dress we bought in China. She's holding her new doll in this picture but she has wrapped it up with George's baby blanket. I took this picture early in the morning before heading over to see my family for the day. I can't believe it's been two years since that day Magnolia was placed in my arms. It was the most magical day imaginable. Last year on this date was the day I found out I was pregnant so it really is our Family Day! We had a wonderful time in Michigan for my family's reunion. I'm way behind on everything. I hope to get caught up this weekend with posting and catching up on my favorite blogs. I'll be back soon!

We just spent the weekend in St. Louis gathering with all of Magnolia's China sisters. It was a wonderful reunion. All of the girls have a special place in my heart and it just warmed me to see them all again. We can't wait for next year!

Wow! This has been the busiest summer ever! Nani came to visit last week and is staying until we head down to St. Louis with her this weekend. We made it up to the island for the weekend. It wasn't enough time, we really didn't want to come home! My pictures are in random order as I can't seem to make sense of anything these days. :)

Here's Nani with George on the island After bath all ready for bed, sitting on the Adirondacks watching the sun set, wrapped in my wrap. Same here, all ready for bed but she just needed one last walk down to the water. Putting flip flops on over socks just didn't seem to be a problem. Quiet time with Nani turning over rocks. Wrestling on the hammock Newest fascination, hands! Magnolia & George with their Nani Magnolia's second year of painting lessons from Nani. This year things got wild with painted party shoes and pink polka dots on the legs. Last year she was completely naked for her lesson. This year at least we got a t shirt on. Sandbox has been a favorite this summer. She will stay in there for an hour! This is George the day he turned 3 months. I had to include it because I loved this outfit my aunt got for him and he outgrew it so fast. :( I just love his sweet cheeks! These two LOVE each other! Blowing bubbles Our summer is about to get even busier. I'll be back next week!

George is 3 months old today! Boy do I love to see him grow! The one thing I can say for sure about his personality is that he's feisty. He's feisty to hold, feisty to feed, and he has a serious set of lungs. He's starting to chuckle and making a lot more sounds. He's holding his head up a lot more and getting stronger by the minute. He's also discovered his hands and you can see he has learned how to bring them together. Believe it or not, he's teething already. I've read it can start as early as now and be one long drawn out process before the tooth actually appears!

Of course he hardly looks feisty in these pictures, just sweet as pie. :)

We had a great 4th of July! All of Magnolia & George's St. Louis cousins came up to the island and they all had a great time together. We celebrated Musa & Isa's birthdays by having a treasure hunt, dancing, and eating lots of rice crispy treats. We made a trip over to Rock Island and hiked to one of the most beautiful sand beaches around. We took turns cooking dinner, we played hot potato with the beach ball, we swung in hammocks, we lounged on the big raft, we flew kites, we played t-ball, we went to story hour, and we opened our "snack shack" for ice cream almost every night. It was a perfect summer weekend!

Snack Shack

Charlie working on a puzzle

Limbo on the deck
Beach ball hot potato

Magnolia's favorite game: Up & Down Really Fast!

Cate

Charlotte

Musa flying a kite

Shariq & Isa

Cousins