Parnell Family Reunion

We just got back from our annual Parnell Family Reunion. It was held in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, and we had a great time! I was so excited for Nathan to play with his cousins and to show off Charlotte for the first time! We rented one big house with 6 bedrooms where many of us stayed, and then several condos. The "big house" was where we all gathered during the day and night for eating and visiting. Really it should have been called the "crazy house" because of all of the kids running around, playing, and having the time of their lives! We loved watching Nathan interacting with all of the kids, and trying to be a big kid himself :) I was so proud of the way he acted...not many fits, and he was so social with everyone!

And Charlotte got completely spoiled by being held all the time! She was passed around constantly but loved the attention, and I loved the free time :)

Jake, Nathan, Landon and Logan - Landon and Logan are our nephews (Wayne's brother's kids)


Charlotte with Uncle Cliff (Chris' Dad)


Auntie Carrie and Uncle Chris with Charlotte


Uncle Stuart (Wayne's brother) multi-tasked and gave all three boys a bath...thanks Stu!


"Can someone give me a hand here?!"

After getting all cleaned up, the boys were ready to play again!

This is the air mattress that Grandmother slept on in our room, but the boys turned it into their own trampoline. No matter how many times I told them not to jump on it, they would still sneak in and jump away. I even caught them trying to jump from our bed onto the mattress! It's a wonder they never popped it!

Family Reunion, Day 2

Logan, Landon, and Nathan all brought their bicycles with them, so we spent a ton of time outside riding bikes and running around. The house was on a cul-de-sac, so it was a perfect for them. On Friday, we were going to take them to Magic Springs which is a waterpark/amusement park, but we had to wait until all of the guys left for their golf tournament. To pass the time, the boys spent the morning racing outside :)



Landon

Logan

Jake (on Landon's hot wheels!)

On your mark, get set, GO!

And they're off!

After a few laps, Nathan decided he was faster if he just ran :)

I guess all of that racing wore Nathan out...this is him on the way to Magic Springs! It was only 11:00 am!

Charlotte with Auntie Carrie watching the boys swim.

Logan and Landon in the pool. Magic Springs was so much fun for them because one side is only water activities and the other side is rides. There was a great kiddy area that was shallow where Logan, Landon, and Nathan could swim but also walk around, and go on lots of water slides by themselves.

Eating lunch before heading to the rides.

Auntie Carrie went on the first ride with them. Wayne was with us also, but then took Charlotte home to get her out of the heat. Tiffany, Carrie, and I spent the next two hours doing one ride after another!

Landon

Logan and Nathan

The three boys going on a train ride

And this is all of us (except Carrie who is taking the picture) on our way out of the park. We were all COMPLETELY exhausted and hot! I'm actually holding Nathan's arms down to pin him in my lap because he was crying and just wanted me to hold him and take him back to the car. I think Logan was just happy to sit down for a minute...the rides section was at the back of the park and downhill, so when we were all ready to leave, we had to walk a good 20 minutes up hill with 3 hot, tired, grouchy kids. Nathan walked the first 10 seconds, and then wanted me to carry him the rest of the way! All we wanted was water, air conditioning, and beds!

Nathan was asleep before we left the parking lot and stayed asleep for another 2 hours once we got home. After he woke up, he was ready to play some more! Tiffany and Stuart brought the bounce house they bought for their kids and blew it up for everyone to play in :)

Nathan and Mommy

Family Reunion, Day 3

On Saturday, Tiffany, Carrie, and I took the boys to see Toy Story 3. Nathan loves the first two and has both of the Buzz and Woody dolls. I didn't know it, but Logan and Landon love it too and brought their Buzz Lightyear. So the two days before we went to the movie, all three of them kept playing "Toy Story" with each other. So we thought this would be a great outing.



"No more pictures! I just want to see the movie!"

Nathan with his 3-D glasses...which he didn't wear during the movie :) I kept trying to tell him that he could see it better with the glasses on, but he wouldn't wear them...I'm glad I paid the extra admission price for him to get the glasses :) The movie was really cute, and Nathan did pretty good. It was only his 2nd movie to go to. He did want to get up and move around a few times, and I had to keep telling him not to touch the chairs in front of him, but all in all it was fun. Logan and Landon were perfect...they were glued to their seats and the screen the entire time!

Nathan and Auntie Carrie

Nathan and Mommy

While we were at the movies, Grandmother took care of Charlotte

Grandmother with her grand kids

Tiffany and their new addition, Layton. He is 4 months old and is the happiest baby!

Charlotte and Layton

Here's a close-up

Nathan, Daddy, and Charlotte.

Charlotte and her big brother

Nathan was being so sweet for the previous pictures, and then was silly with me! I kept asking him to smile sweetly, but he just wanted to be funny. Then he finally showed his sweet smile, and leaned his head on me, and the battery died...my luck.

Later that night, we had the family auction. This is a tradition that we do every year. Everyone brings items for the auction. We all bid on them, and the money made, goes to help pay for the reunion the next year. It is always so much fun!

Uncle Mike was the spotter letting us all know when someone made a bid. He is hilarious! I think we all had stomach aches from laughing so hard!

Family Reunion Day 4, Going Home

On Sunday, we all got packed up, had a great breakfast and devotional, said good-bye and then got on the road. Chris was going to Little Rock to visit his mom, so Wayne drove their car and let Carrie ride with me, Nathan, and Charlotte. Wayne was up the night before with all of the guys until 6 am! So he said he'd drive ahead of us since we'd have to make several stops with feeding Charlotte, potty and snack breaks, and Nathan stretching his legs breaks. We met Wayne in Greenville just before Dallas where we switched back. Wayne was asleep in the car :)

Charlotte is smiling now!

Here is Carrie changing her diaper while Nathan and I went in to get some goodies.

The reunion was so much fun, but the laundry and unpacking afterwards was not! Can't wait till next year!

Happy Father's Day to Daddy!

On Sunday, the day was devoted to Daddy. I tried to do as much for him as I could (while taking care of 2 kids). Nathan and I went to the store Sunday morning and got Daddy an assortment of bagels for breakfast. Then Wayne went on a run and came back to swim with Nathan. That was Nathan's favorite part!



"I love my daddy!"


Nathan hates to float on his back, but he will do anything for Wayne! Wayne has gotten him to feel comfortable, and now he loves to show off.



Wayne and Nathan swam and swam, and then Nathan helped Daddy run some errands. We spent the rest of Father's Day helping Daddy relax and spending time together as a family. Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy ever!