Something So Big: We Gather Together

I've been around.

Just not on this blog. Everytime I sit down at the home computer these days, it is to read e-mail. Then it's time to play catch-up with this house which is so filthy I cringe. Friday Cleaning Days are a thing of the past now that we're all Back to School!

I like Blogger, really I do, but somewhere over the course of the past half-year, they changed their format and it has become increasingly difficult to upload multiple pics...and increasingly easy to lose ones that you've already uploaded. It takes FOREVVAH to upload pics, and I'm sure there's an easier way to do this but I have neither the time nor the $ to hire a tech guru to show me the error of my ways. This post was started--and lost--a week ago!

Thanksgiving Recap: You're looking at pictures of the Siegert side of the family first, although not nearly as much photo representation as my side of the family. I goofed and left my camera at my parents' house so didn't have pictures of the Siegert/Buchheit/Waddick Thanksgiving, but here are some of the same people at a November gathering at our house a few weeks prior. Pretend it's Thanksgiving please!

Lauren (the baby in the next pic) is such a doll. She smiles a lot and I've rarely seen her upset. Her daddy calls her "Chubs" because she's on the smallish side. Such a cutie!!

Grandma Jan with Lauren, Great-Aunt Linda, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sara

Lauren's big sister Maddy, my goddaughter, loves to play with her cousins. Wynne likes to pretend she's a big sister whenever they get together!

Mark's Grandma Joan turned 87 last month and still goes to most of his football games. She's probably been to more of Mark's football games than any other person! And she never wears a hat, even in freezing temps. I don't know how she does it--she rarely gets sick, still cooks up a storm (for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter), and is sharp as a tack! She's quite a lady.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

My side gathered 2 days after Thanksgiving, but this time it wasn't at our house...the gathering was at Mom and Dad's NEW house (new to them)! This is just a small portion of the shoes. And the scary thing is that not everyone was even there!

We put a space heater out in their insulated garage and ate out there. It worked well.

My mom is pictured here with her youngest grandchild, Annamae. Mae is five months old and certainly looks like an Engelke baby here! The gathering was bittersweet because my dad went into the hospital on Thanksgiving night and had a pacemaker put in a day later. We gathered in their new home, but he wasn't there...in body. He was certainly there in our thoughts and prayers! As we gathered to hold hands before the meal, the eldest sibling took Dad's place by leading us in prayer. My deepest prayer is that Dad can lead us in this prayer at Christmas and next Thanksgiving!

The basement of my parents' house has a beautiful, handcrafted bar. It was so good to just be together with loved ones, reminisce and look forward with hope.

Garrison, age 5, is a darn good Uno player!

My baby is getting too darn big. She has smaller cousins (and second cousins) who give her plenty of opportunities to play teacher and mother hen.

Wynne, Memphis, Hollie & Leila

Uncle Ken has always been so great about teaching kids how to play board games and sports. It was time to christen Mom and Dad's billiard table (that came with the house). The kids needed to learn how to use it properly, and Ken did a great job!