Memorial Day 2010

Sheesh!  Does anyone have any spare time I can borrow...or have!  I realize I'm not the only busy person in this world, but holy cow!  All this posting stuff is for, in the end, a book, so I guess it really doesn't matter when I post...just as long as I get these events onto my blog.  I know it's a bad thing to wish for, but sometimes I just want to be sick so I don't have to do anything...but then being sick doesn't pan out to be all that I hoped for.  (I'm knocking on wood right now...I really don't want to be sick...I just want the excuse to do nothing!)

So here we are back in May, on Memorial Day.  It's picture overload too.  It annoys me, but I don't have a lot of time to wait for my ancient computer to create collages, and I'm not liking the collages anymore. 

Last year I don't think I took any pictures because I ran, literally, from home to Salem Pond with Jill...well...I got there an hour after Jill did...it's about 12 miles and we were training for the 1/2 marathon in August, so having my camera there wasn't at the top of Will's to do list.  He had to get all our breakfast stuff and the kids ready by himself (boo hoo ;) ) and meet me there.

So this year, I luxuriously rode in a car to Salem Pond.  Jill still ran.  I don't regret not running at all!

Grandma Strong and a crew of some her older grandchildren.  Aspen, Jacob, Katie Jane, Lauren and Allie. It's no longer a fight to keep the kids from trying to get into the water, now that most of the kids are older, the real challenge is trying to get enough food ready...FAST!

It's completely unhealthy the amount of sausage and bacon we consumed.  But...yummmmmm!

The one main thing that comes to my mind when I think of Salem Pond on Memorial Day, is grandma Jane and all the old bread she saved for weeks so that we could feed the ducks for over an entire hour!  The highlight of the day. 

Breakfast is always better if one of the cooks can imitate a pirate!  Aaaargh, Captain Steve!

Ryan....feeding his darling baby, Emery bacon...BACON!!!  He also gives her sips of Dr. Pepper.

Classic Ryan.

Will had to demonstrate how he ate my Aunt Jeri's famous, wonderful, delicious muffins.  They're so good that you really do try to shove the entire muffin in your mouth as fast as you can so you can quickly get another one!  (Personal experience...I think I had three.  Sorry if one of my family didn't get one!)   It's not fair that we only get them once a year, and only Jeri can make them taste as heavenly as they do!

Emma and Aspen.

My favorite baby to take pictures of!  I love her!  Lily Larsen...the sweetest thing!

Daddy and daughters.  Allie, Steven and Ashley.  Wait...is that really their father?  Because I'm not sure if he looks enough like them. ;)

See!  I love her!  She has the softest skin and the biggest blue eyes and the perfect little button nose and the most kissable little cheeks.  I want to put her in my pocket!  Perfect babyness!

Two blue eyed, sausage and egg eating beauties!  Emma and Autumn.  Oooo, and hot chocolate!

It's hard to be surround by beautiful women!  My sister Beckie and my cousins Sara and Brittney...They were totally not wanting me to take a picture of them.  I think Beckie was trying to hide behind a plate and Sara had a darling little boy about a week before this picture and could put me to shame on my best day!  I told you you ladies are BeaUtiful!

Then there's grumpa.  He spent most of his time cooking breakfast and pushing little grand-kids on the swings.

What an awesome dad!