We then moved to a different area of the property, so the photographer could take some less formal pictures.
Drew (Shelley's 2nd) holding our Chase and April's Zachary.
Arielle and Layne (both Shelley's)
This ladder was for the photographer to use as a platform...but he never used it....
The kids loved it though!
This is Allison and Hanna.
There were lots of bubbles, and everyone got into the fun!
If it works properly, I've included a short video of it all at the end of this post....
Bradley (David's 2nd son)
Brent (David's oldest son)
Shelley and little Arielle
Chrissie's husband and daughter: John and Mimi
Hey, where are you going with those bubbles?!?!?!
Heather's Tyler and our Chase
Nathan (Shelley's 5th son)
Jim (Shelley's husband) holding Abby (Heather's baby)
David and Ben
John and Chrissie looking on while Grandpa shares ice cream with Meliah. Fabulous photo in full size!!
Sam and my mom.
Heather and Andrea helping w/ last minute lunch preparations.
Chase getting into the cookies BEFORE lunch!
The lunch was wonderful, and beautiful!
Did I mention the food was really good?
Kim and Craig's table extends to astounding lengths!
Chase and Tyler
The hosts, Kim and Craig
Somewhere in the middle of the meal, Sam/April presented Daddy with some very nice framed photographs....one of the Chicago Cubs from way back, one of Bro. Hyles signed by several of Daddy's Sunday School boys over the years, and I can't recall what else.
Daddy was able to name just about every member of the Cubs players!!
Here he's reading the notes from his SS boys.
Mother, ready for dessert!
Kim, getting Daddy's dessert order.
I believe he finally said, "one of each...with ice cream". :)
Baby Ben
Daddy enjoying a funny story.
The ice cream was on its way!!!!
After lunch several of the grandchildren played or recited various pieces for Grandma and Grandpa. Every one was wonderful! Get ready Julliard!!
Abby and Brooke recited 2 poems....one for Grandma & one for Grandpa.
They were sweet, funny, and at times tear-jerkers. I need to get a copy of those.
Daddy and Mother evidently enjoying the moment.
David and Tracy's 3 oldest girls - more Julliard students coming up :)
All the grandchildren sang a song from the Psalter Hymnal especially for Grandpa.
The 6 oldest Michigan Reed boys recited 2 passages of Scripture - quite impressive, and great to hear in their all-male deep voices.
Daddy eating more ice cream!
Need I mention that it's his favorite of foods??!?!
Kim and Daddy
I think I got my love of the frozen dairy food from him!!!
Craig took Daddy for a spin around the property on "the Mule".
The guys spent a lot of time playing bean bag toss.
Sam makes these boards and sells them.
Johnny......in perfect form.
And this is Sam and Taylor and Matthew.....watching the incoming bag......about to be beat! LOL!
Some of the kids played games in the arena for a LONG time that day.
Heather (holding Matthew), Kim (holding Meliah), Mother, me (telling the crazy story of how we got ripped off by KFC's "free meal" coupons!), and Chrissie
Craig and Daddy...with Tyler, Jessie, and Hanna in tow
Craig gave some of us a demonstration of Devir's abilities. One amazing dog.
Sam -n- April talking w/ Johnny.
Kim and Daddy discussing the pros and cons of hearing aids.
Daddy explaining how this particular one is supposed to work.
(Daddy has some that uh, well, don't work too well!)
Matthew kindly helped some of the younger kids play a few games of Laser Tag. I never got any pics of the older guys playing, because they're a whole lot more stealthy than this group was.
Most of this bunch
"already KNEW what to do" and "didn't need to know the list of rules again". :)
Right.
Matthew was very patient.
April, relaxing.
Jessie, swinging.
This was late at night, and everyone was enjoying something on YouTube.
It was at this moment when I realized I needed to place the key to THE MULE in the hands of someone older and more responsible. Chase can and will start vehicles!
Heather had made up a gorgeous hardback picture book for my parents. It held pictures of them from their dating years all the way through their wedding, each of us children growing up...and so on....
Heather had smaller versions of the book made up for each of us siblings, and we all treasure them!!! She did such a beautiful job. This is Shelley perusing her copy.
That night we stayed at Sam & April's house. April gave Allison and Hanna adorable haircuts.
At first we went "to the shoulder"...and then a little shorter.
Hanna
Abby and Allison (the look-alike cousins)
Saturday began with more bean bag games....
and the girls taking turns riding horses!
Craig and Daddy had long, interesting conversations over lunch....and ice cream!
Heather (and Abby)
I believe this was a frisbee game among all the cousins.
Emelie gave Grandma one of the rag dolls she makes.
All of my sisters were oohing and aaaahing. :)
Everyone watching Mother and Daddy go through the beautiful book Heather had made up.
Allison, Abby, Brooke, Kara, and Jessie
playing on the patio.
David obviously enjoyed the stories being told about some of us! I was enlightened to the fact that during certain of my jr. high years I was a burden and embarrassment to my sister, Kim, who was a Senior in high school at the time. I don't even recall all of that!
Blissfully ignorant, I guess. Poor Kim. The stories really WERE horendous!
Johnny telling Shelley a funny story from days gone by...
Daddy and Mother enjoying the book.
Telling stories surrounding various pics in the book.
Asking questions about certain happenings from our childhood.
Then we went into the library to watch a short video segment from my parents' pastor, Dr. Schaap, in which he thanked them for lots of different things. Very nice - we all enjoyed it.
Also during this time, Chrissie presented them with several letters from folks thanking them for various things and congratulating them for reaching their 50th Anniversary. Our favorite was from Pres George W. Bush...whose secretary must have had a long day....because the letter from him and Barbara was congratulating Daddy upon attaining the level of Eagle Scout.
Johnny grilled the burgers and hot dogs that night.
He's quite the entertainer too! :)
Some of the kids got harnessed up and pulled up to the rope bridge, but I wasn't there long enough to see if anyone actually walked on it. I think someone said it is in need of repairs.
While Craig was helping Hanna into the harness, he asked her how much she weighs, and her immediate answer was simply "I'm solid!"
Hilarious!
Who's been telling her that?!?!
She enjoyed the ride and went all the way to the top!!!
The cousins played all sorts of card games together.
Me and Johnny helping Chase to realize that caterpillars aren't scary.
Saturday night we stayed at Johnny's Aunt Carolyn's house.
She and Uncle Bob should run a B&B. It's always SO nice there.
Sunday morning, she asked if she could do all the girls' hair!
SURE!!!
They all looked so cute!
Jessie enjoyed the salon moment.
Hanna hoped for curly hair for just one day!
Monday it was time to head home.
"Hey, can we take that black/white picture over again!?!?!
I just found some great boots!"
(Aunt Carolyn gave these to the girls for dress-up!..and Chase liked them.)
On the way home, we stopped to get ice cream sundaes in honor of Daddy! :)
This is the video I promised. Hope it works!!
I have a ton more pictures, but this blog post has been about a week or 2 in progress, so I'm quitting here. It was a fabulous reunion, and we all have beautiful memories.
Marian and her family had made up a short video of their family talking to Mother and Daddy, which was played on Friday afternoon. Brought tears to many of us. I had to take a walk outside after watching it. We REALLY missed Marian that weekend.
Just for the record, I did ask Daddy (on Sunday) what part of the previous 2-day event he had enjoyed most. His immediate answer was "the ice cream". So next time, we're just having an ice cream social in the back yard, and forgetting all the fluff! :)
Love to all.
Rachel
Pictures would help me to ...um picture it better! ;]
ReplyDeletewell, uh yes, I'm still working on it.....that title was just the "teaser". (Actually, I hit the "publish" button by accident!) I'm still working on the compilation of all the pictures. When you can only upload 5 pics at a time.....and it doesn't happen at the speed of light....well, let's just say it's a work in progress. There are a LOT of pictures going into this post.....believe you me!!! Just you wait!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt just keeps getting better. And for the record, you were always a really cool older sister that let us little girls tag along with you and your friends even when I am sure we were a pain. And I LIKED that olive/military dress...I think I wore it a year myself. LOL LOL
ReplyDeleteHR
Heather,
ReplyDeleteyou know how to really boost the ego! :) I loved that dress too. Too bad it embarassed everyone else! HA! And, really I LIKED having my little sisters along. I think it was the Mother Hen instinct....had to take care of you guys. We WERE the "4 little girls", right?
Rachel
Oh, Rachel! I loved looking through all of these photos...had to tease you when they first weren't up - but you certainly made up for it. =] What a wonderful heritage. Very rare to see so much happiness and love these days.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh out loud about the letter from the president. I told Marco that it would be our kind of luck. We'd get the long awaited letter from some important person and it'd be addressed to Mario and Shirley Morales...haha! Congrats!
O.k. now you have me curious. What dress????
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures!!!!
Heather H.
Well, the dress which raised so much discussion and laughter was an olive green twill dress which I made sometime in my early teen years. It was definitely military green and even had the antiqued-brass buttons to enhance the "masculine" look. To give you an idea of the style, it was sort of a shirt dress on the top and had long sleeves, but then ballooned out at the hips/waist til it became Drop-waisted and the skirt part was very slim/straight and to the knee. Absolutely gorgeous, I must say. Well, that was what I thought back then! I wore it with ummmmmm, I think it was.....red shoes! :) HA! Then I proceeded to make it in other colors, it was so lovely and comfy. Then I find out 25 years later that it was the mortification of my older sister, Kim! Oh well. :) Mother chose her battles wisely, and was just glad that I was finally sewing! She probably didn't like my infatuation with army green at that time, but the most she ever said whenever I asked her opinion was "Looks rather man-ish to me."....but as long as it was modest and decent, she never prohibited us from wearing what we deemed beautiful at the time. Funny, looking back! :) I think I had some clod-hopper shoes she didn't love either, but again, she chose her battles. rb
ReplyDelete