Weekend in Cedar Springs

Earlier this month we had the joy of spending a weekend in Cedar Springs - the small town where my dad grew up and where much of our family still lives.  There was much to celebrate!  A new baby,  my cousin's one-year anniversary, my nephew's birthday, my aunt and uncle's 40th anniversary, and the fact that all 13 great-grandchildren were in the same place at the same time (which is no small feat given that some come from Oklahoma, Maryland, and Kenya!).  It was a wonderful family-filled weekend.

Despite the other exciting events, the new baby was the highlight.  Because, duh.  New babies are one of life's greatest joys!  They smell new and perfect, their toes are tiny and perfect, their crossed-eyed look while they try to focus on your face is funny and perfect...everything about them is perfect.  Especially if they're amenable to being passed around, and this baby was.  Perfect!  She belongs to my cousin, and her name is Kate (love it!) and this is my sister Kate holding her.  The two Kates.

And like every family gathering, there are copious amounts of food, as there should be.  We ate, and then we ate some more, and then we ate still more.

And here are the great-grandkids.  One is missing from this photo, but everyone is looking at the camera and smiling which was a small miracle.  (You'll notice below that NOT all the children are looking and smiling in a subsequent photo, namely my children...)  Don't they look so lovely and innocent here???

This is Kai with his cousin Melanie.  They were born about one month apart but it's hard to tell they're so close in age because he's so much taller than her!  Even though she's slouching in this picture, Melanie really is a dainty 'lil thing (but smart as whip, that one!).

And here are some cousins riding around on the stick horses that my grandma made and which we used to ride around at her house when we were kids.  Ah, nostalgia!

Back to the baby.  I'm telling you, she was passed around all day and the total highlight of the weekend.  Here she is with her Great-Grandma Clark!

Overnight we stayed at a campground, and it was the first time our boys have really been camping.  They've been asking us for months to take them camping, and we promised them we could when we were back in America.  So we dug out the tent, and my husband (who's the best man around) slept in the tent with all three of our boys while I abandoned him and slept in my parents' camper.  They had a blast and are already asking when we can go camping again :)

And then we celebrated my nephew's birthday.  Presents and s'mores.  Life doesn't get much better than that!

I also snagged a few headshots of our boys because I didn't have anything current.  They make my heart squeeze.

Then more celebrating with my aunt and uncle who've been married 40 years now!  My cousin planned a lunch gathering at the Cedar Springs Brewing Company (where my uncle is a part owner), and we got to look through their old wedding photos and enjoy time with everyone again.

This time all the great-grandkids were present so we attempted another photo, but the Horn boys were not feeling it.  Asa was exhausted and had simply reached his limit for the morning, Kai was in a fowl mood for no good reason, as was Caleb.  Speaking of him, can anyone find him in the picture?  He is there, somewhere...  I'm also there, trying to hold up a screaming Asa.  Sigh... the things you do to capture memories!

Asa really was exhausted.  This is what he did after the photo.  All on his own he curled up on a chair with his snuggle blanket to conk out.  Eli helped him out by creating more of a bed than one chair could offer.  Poor kid.  An event-filled weekend like this is a lot to ask of a toddler!

Lastly, we headed over to Grandma's house.  This is the place I think of when I remember Clark holidays: sledding down the hill behind the house and seeing who could make it all the way to the woods, finding Easter baskets hidden around the house, the kids Christmas tree piled high with presents, and always Grandma's chocolate chip cookies at the ready.  And this barn too, where we used to climb up into the hayloft and play while bats hung above us, or ride the stick horses across the yard and back to the house for more cookies.  Well, the barn has seen better days and needs to be torn down, so everyone was invited over to have a last look and take whatever they wanted from what was left inside.  I was glad to show my kids my grandma and grandpa''s house, and the barn too, even though they may never remember it.  At least I can say they've been there.

Here is our family with Grandma Clark.  It was a perfect summer night.

And my nephew, who asked for a photo shoot.  I love a kid who loves the camera :)

It was a wonderful weekend and we felt so blessed to see my dad's whole family.  The only person not there was my cousin who's serving in the military and out of the country right now.  But his bride was even there, who we'd never met because they were married last summer while we were still in Kenya.  So nearly everyone was there and it was a special time.  And we've already got plans to go back for Red Flannel Day in the fall!  (Yes, that's a thing and it's a ton of fun!)

Fourth of July

Mama: "You wanna do sparklers?"
Caleb: "You mean sprinklers?"
Mama: "No, I mean sparklers."
Caleb: "Yeah, sprinklers."
Mama: "No... sparklers.  You light 'em on fire and they sparkle."
Caleb: "Oh, fireworks."
Mama: "Well, sorta, but something else."
Caleb: "You mean sprinklers?"

Mama heaves a sigh...

Mama: "Who can tell me what the 4th of July is about?"
Asa: "Goliath!"

Mama blinks, then giggles, then determines to teach these kids more about the country they were born in.  Because apparently they know very little.  Despite celebrating all the American holidays while living in Kenya and despite explanations about being American even though we were living in another country, there's a bit of a disconnect in their little brains about what it means to be American.

So I busted out some picture books about the 4th of July and used words like "freedom" and "Revolutionary War" and listened to everything from America the Beautiful to The Star Spangled Banner to You're A Grand Old Flag to God Bless the U.S.A by Lee Greenwood (which always reminds me of my childhood, specifically skiing at Mt. Holly with the song blaring across the slopes from the loudspeakers when it first came out).  All that to say, I did my best to help our kids understand and enjoy Independence Day this year while we're here in our own country.

Last weekend the lake community celebrated early with a boat parade in the afternoon and fireworks over the lake.  My parents and my sister's family came over for the fun.  It was a perfect summer day for it.  And of course the lake needed to be jumped in.  Our kids are still getting used to swimming (read: none of them know how to swim still), but every chance to get into the water is helping, bit by bit.  Kai is our fish, staying in the water for hours if we let him.  Asa is more interested in water guns than in actually swimming, and Caleb enjoys the water as long as we can convince him to get into the lake in the first place, which often takes more coaxing than you'd think.  All that to say, the water was perfect for anyone wanting to jump in!

And of course we did sparklers.  And now our kids know what sparklers are :)

The fireworks show was impressive.  Apparently there's a guy who volunteers to do it every year.  He takes donations and puts on a great show.  And the lake is full of boats, scattered everywhere for the show.  As long as you're on the water, there isn't a bad seat in the house!

Yesterday on the 4th we ventured to a parade in Hadley, a wonderfully small town with all the accompanying charm.  It was another new experience: our kids had never been to a parade.  We'd probably sound like terrible parents if we didn't have the excuse of living overseas the past two years!  They were super excited to wear their new "America shirts" and super excited to learn that people in the parade throw candy to kids.  Can America be any cooler???  Of course, it took several candy-throws and watching experienced cousins who sit on their haunches, at the ready for every piece of candy within reach, before our own kids understood the concept and joined in the fun.  They'll definitely be ready for their next parade!

At the end of the parade, a troop of fire trucks rolled past and hosed down anyone wanting to get soaked.  My nieces and nephew stayed put and were thoroughly doused.  Our own kids hung back but were given fire hats to take home.  Isn't Asa the cutest firefighter you ever did see???

So here's hoping that now our kids know a little something about the 4th of July, and that it's not about Goliath :)