A Weekend With Family

Covid 19 canceled Christmas in July last year and it didn't quite get organized this year, so granddaughter Katrina invited all who could come to their house for a cookout and pool party. In other words, Christmas in July without the game and gifts. 

Cover the pool table and you have a handy buffet table.

L to R - Host and barbecue master, Brad. His hamburgers are the best! 

Son, Douglas, grandson, Brock, and "just the wheel man", Hubby Dearest, Bud.

Before they could go into the pool, Great-grandma wanted pictures with all the great-grands.

Clockwise beginning at the bottom left, Maverick, Brynley, Lily, Rodney, Michael, Sawyer and Jack.

Missing from Doug's lineage, Ridge and Nicholas.

Great-grandsons not present from Preston's lineage, Ayden, Greyson and Louis.

Adding the kids' Grandpa Doug (my eldest) to the mix.

You can see multi-tasked HD reflected in the patio door - here in his roll as camera man.

Great Grandma surround by loves who have made my life a joy: Granddaughters Alyssa and Katrina. Katrina's son Rodney and stepson, Michael. Son, Douglas and grandson Brock.

Middle row, Great-granddaughter Lily, Alyssa's daughter and great-grandsons Sawyer and Jack, Brock's sons.

Maverick, Alyssa's son, and Brynley, Katrina's daugher, in front.

With Douglas, his wife Shelly and three out of four of his kids.

Wish Zach could have been there, but he was at work.

Making it up to Shelly for leaving her out of a picture of me with Alyssa and Lily when they were down to see us in April. 

Grandma Ramona and her girls.

I am one fortunate woman. 

Brad and Katrina's Backyard Bar and Grill is the fun place to be.

Me with the host family.

Okay, now you can get into the pool.

Look, up in the sky...is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No......

.....it's a drone.

And Michael is at the control.

I even tried it out - well, watching it through the goggles, not operating it, though Bud did.

It is really amazing what you can see as it flies through the sky all around and at various heights.

Grandpa Doug with his two granddaughters.

Notice the rocks surrounding the pool area.*

C'mon Mom! I'm ready to get in the pool!

No baby races this year as there were with these four two years ago.

Brynley is swimming on her own while Maverick still needs a little watching.

Diving for it!

Got it! Brynley is very much at home in the water.

Did she say she wants to be a mermaid?

Not sure what was going on here, but they were all watching.

Lily, Sawyer, Doug, Brock and Jack.

A little earlier in the day -

Brynley and Sawyer playing 'jail' in Shadow's doggy bed.

Last August's derecho totally wrecked the backyard playset.

Jack, Brynley and Sawyer enjoying its replacement.

Not sure what kind of insect this is. A butterfly?

* I cannot be around rocks without hunting for and picking a favorite or two.

Brad said I could take as many as I wanted.

These are the two that came home with me.

View one.....

.....view two.

And the one that I now wish I had brought home.

Oh well, I can look for it 'next time'.

One final picture just because she is just so darn cute.

Brynley was splainin to Great-grandma Ramona why she should get over there and play that game with her.

I tried to tell her I wouldn't even begin to be able to understand how to play it.

It was such a delightful day. Nothing can be any better than being with family.

That continued this afternoon when I went to a baby shower for my grandniece Jesse.

My niece, Kristi, Jesse, and me. 

 

 

 

Kristi is the daughter of my sister, Betty.

She is looking forward to being a grandmother.

I'm confident she is going to love her new role.

A weekend with family, the perfect way to end one month and begin another. 💕