Pre-Reunion...

When our plane landed from Washington, we went straight from the Oakland Airport to San Francisco.  Paul had a "Good Neighbor" honors dinner to attend at Cavallo Point.  The fog hadn't quite burned off yet & I love how the Golden Gate Bridge hides in the clouds...

We drove across to Cavallo Point, now part of our National Park System, where historic Fort Baker sits.  They have taken the old army post & renovated the buildings to make it into a 5 Star Resort...truly beautiful!

Robert Campbell Photography

Google Images

We had our picture taken, we enjoyed a fancy dinner, & Paul was among a select group of agents recognized on stage with their wives...more pictures & they gave me this crazy BIG bouquet of flowers...

I had to straddle these flowers all the way home to Coloma!  Awkward!!!

When we got home these cute little critters were there to greet us!  They came a few days early for the family reunion...we had fun playing outside.  Olivia & Jude LOVE being outside!

The midgets showed up shortly after to play, too!  We were all so excited to see our cousins!  Aunt Cindi organized a nature scavenger hunt...

Unka Ty got in on a little tire-swing fun with the midgets...

A couple of days later...ALL the extended cousins gathered to begin our long anticipated, fun-filled Middleton Family Reunion!  Our last "extended" Middleton Reunion was in 2003!  It was so fun (& emotional) to see everyone as they arrived...I LOVE THIS FAMILY!

Our guests of honor...Larry & Jeanne Middleton...parents of four, grandparents of 24, great-grandparents of 56 (with 4 more on the way!)  You've created such a wonderful family & we love you more than words can express.  Thank you for giving us a reason to celebrate family!  

Let the shenanigans begin!

Baby Jack

Disclaimer: Even though I took most of these pictures, I stole them off Jill's blog because she has already done the work to make them "blog ready" - I have justified this because I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the task of catching up on my blog.

Jack Carter Holyoak made his grand appearance, complete with fireworks, on July 4th!

Weighing in at 10# 9oz & 20.5inches - he's a BIG little guy!  And totally adored at first sight...

We were happy to be able to come & meet him & help out a little bit...

But as you can see by his first bath, Jill may have all the help she needs with some very attentive siblings...

We had tons of fun playing with our Washingtonians...we helped with some yard work...

Went on a picnic at the park...

We played in the back yard pool...

We practiced our hula-hoop talents & our art skills & just sat outside watching the cars go by...

One day we went to a park on the waterfront to play & enjoy a free concert & a free lunch!  It was amazing that the community would host such an event - great fun for the kids & they saw tons of friends from their preschool & church...

 

After the concert we grabbed our free lunch & headed for the foot ferry.  We ate our lunch as we crossed the water to the Harborside Fountain Park in Bremerton...

This is one of my favorite places to play with the kids...

I love these fountains!  There are several of them throughout the park & the water explodes out of them at certain intervals & showers down on you - it is very fun & refreshing.

 We enjoyed some Cold Stone on the way home...ice cream is always a treat!

While we were there we were invited over to Kiff's parents to celebrate Roman's birthday.  They put on a great barbecue with lamb kabobs & chicken kabobs, complete with all the fixin's for some tasty gyros, YUM!

Happy 2nd Birthday Roman!  You make a great BIG brother!

And Happy Birthday to you Baby Jack!  You are one sweet little firecracker!

Cassandra Raine

I am finally feeling like myself again...I have a lot of catching up to do!

While we were in New York, right before we left for Bermuda (June 23rd to be exact), we got a call from Gina to let us know that Cassandra Raine Deceuster arrived safely after 34 hours of labor...3 weeks early!  Weighing in at 8# 3.4oz & 20.5 inches, she was a good sized little gal to be so early!  We were happy all went well without the complications that were anticipated.

Since I was sick when we got home from Bermuda, I didn't get to meet Cassandra right away.  Paul went down to help out while the doctor gave me drugs & put me to bed.  Unfortunately, Paul is not a picture taker but Gina sent me this...

He did take a few with his phone...LOVE her chubby cheeks!

While he was there, the kids had a bike parade at their church parking lot to celebrate the 4th of July.  Paul said the kids had a great time...Luke, Alana, & even Dono got into the action!

A few weeks later, I finally got to meet Cassandra...

She wasn't loving this photo shoot, but in her defense, she was ready to eat & take a nap.  

We always have fun playing with the kids when we visit.  Luke & Alana are very good gamers (like their dad).  They think & strategize before they make their calculated moves...(Notice the Purdue version of the Monopoly Game, Purdueopoly?  We got this for Gina when we picked her up from her mission in Indiana & got to tour her mission.)

Gina says that Donovan had a difficult time adjusting to not being the baby...he is doing much better now.  He is so sweet & tender hearted - he's a good cuddle-buddy.

Alana is a big help...she's a good cook & she can read & follow a recipe, although I'm not sure if she wanted brownies or if she just wanted to lick the spoon?

She is certainly a good little babysitter...

Welcome to the family Cassandra, we are so glad you are finally here!

Blurry iPhone photos are better than none, right?  :)