Thursday, July 29, 2010

Montreat Family Reunion Weekend

*#* NEW POST: Lake Susan pictures and Cedar Chest photos -- farther down *#*

Last weekend we gathered with my dad's side of the family for a reunion in Montreat. It was really fun getting so many relatives together, some of whom we'd never met, and others that we hadn't seen in several years.

Caroline & Rachel with cousin Hutch by the pool at a hotel in nearby Black Mountain
Brian & Caroline playing in the creek

--- FAMILY PICNIC BY THE CREEK ---

Going around the table starting with Caroline, we have:
Caroline, Margaret, Emma Izard, Maddie Izard, Gail Marshall, Kailey Izard, Louise Green, Nathaniel Marshall, Kathy Izard, Allyson Green, and Sarah in the middle!
Same table from the opposite angle:
Kathy Izard, Allyson Green, Sarah, Caroline, & Margaret
Emma Rose & Lo
The Allen Marshall Family!
Rachel with a yummy s'more
Aunt Lindsay
Brian & Sarah with Jack Seitz, a cousin of my grandfather
Dad with Kailey

--- SUNDAY BRUNCH ---

Emma Izard with Sarah
Brian with Charlie Marshall (son of Lauriston)
Aunt Lindsay with Kailey
Cousin David Snider with Margaret
Maddie, Sarah, Rachel, Emma - the Izard girls LOVED playing with our girls -and vice-versa! It was so much fun - I wish we all saw each other more often.
Allen & Robert with mountains in the background
Caroline snuggling up to Mimi (aka Margaret)
Jeff & Allen
Aunt Lindsay, Gail Blunt, & Dad
SILLY Caroline - don't we all wish we were still this flexible?!
Regina & Margaret
Little Munchkin cousins playing together - actually Sarah was being quite curious, trying to pull on Emma Rose's hair bow, dress, and anything else. Emma Rose didn't like all the poking & pulling very much!


** SEE BELOW for MORE photos! **

Montreat: Mt. Lookout Climb & Creek / Playground Area

--- HIKING MT. LOOKOUT ---


Getting set & ready for the climb! Emma Rose, Robert, Lo, Jack, Maddie, Nelson, Kathy, Clair
Caroline was so excited about climbing a mountain! I'm not sure how she did it, but she climbed about 80% by herself on the way up (she rode on my dad's shoulders for a little while) and about 95% on the way down - pretty amazing for a not-yet-3-year-old!
The shoulder ride - pretty impressive for my very fit dad!
Sarah and I enjoyed the beautiful mountaintop view
Clair & Nelson resting in a nice, shady spot
Rachel the proud mountain climber
Cute summit picture -- the kids loved climbing around on the rocks
Vandersea ladies
The Marshall Clan plus Jack
On the way down - Caroline was such a trooper, and did great with the help of Jack and my dad - she never did complain about all the steps, or how long it took, or how hot we were, or anything! Truly amazing.
Snoozing Sarah on the way down
All in all, it was a really fun hike!


--- BY THE CREEK & ROBERT LAKE PLAYGROUND ---

Our babysitter Meredith playing with Caroline
Rachel cools off in the creek
Caroline having fun on the swing
Rachel coming out of the tube slide - we have a cute picture of her just like this from when she was 18 months old - I'll have to go look for it!
Nelson going down the baby slide
Hutch trying to decide whether to climb down the metal chains or run down the stairs
Picnic lunch

Robert & Emma Rose after the tube slide
The Ergo Baby Carrier - it's not just for babies anymore!!!

Montreat: Lake Susan & Cedar Chest

--- PICTURES FROM LAKE SUSAN ---










--- PICTURES FROM AROUND THE CEDAR CHEST ---