Family Reunion

Eating Ice Cream is GOOD!

Caitlin and her chocolate face!

What a wonderful week! We left on Saturday the 19th headed for the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. It took us about nine hours or so to get there. The kids were AWESOME on the drive! And they had NO ACCIDENTS! (YAY!) Our first attempt at a LONG trip with them both in undies! I am so proud of both of them!

We stayed at a place called Fontana Village. My family has been going there for family reunions for 29 years now! (Wish I could say I have been to them all, but sadly, I have not!) They have all kinds of things to do there. They put in a new pool which is wonderful! The twins loved it. We played putt putt with them. (Quite interesting to try with 4 year olds!) The family rented a bout one day and two jet skis. We went out on the lake and went swimming as well as playing on the boat and jet skis. (The kids LOVED the jet ski! Even if Jim threw me and Christopher off it!) Jim and I went white water rafting with a large group from the family. We all played cards. My "Aunt" Mary Ann trid to teach the twins how to play war. We all ate dinner together every night. (A big deal since there were over 60 of us there!) We had a family sing-a-long and even went to Karoke. I have to say it really was a GREAT week! I LOVE how close my family is and how we can get together and just spend a week hanging out. Sadly, the week came to an end, and the good-byes began. I hate good-byes. But I know two years from now, I will be back on the mountain with my family again. And that is a good thing. The twins got to meet so many people and this time, they will actually remember them. It is always a joy to see how much everyone has grown and changed. It is also nice to know that no matter how much we grow and change, we can always fall back together as a family and just be together! I love that.

We made our trip home on Saturday the 26th. Again, no problems. No accidents. (I am just amazed at how well they both did on the drive!) So now we are slowly settling back into our lives here in VA. And I am already looking forward to 2010 so I can get together with my family on the mountain!

The Blooms (My mom and me and my sisters, the one third of the Cooks)


The Cook Branch of the Family (There are 4: Bradshaws, Cooks, Rudman and Weaver) Wish I had a picture of the whole gang, but I didn't have a timer for my camera! So I just got the parts, not the whole gang!


The Three Cook Kids (My Mom and Uncles)


Family Olympics