a whale of a time

We just got back from a family reunion!! You may remember, if you've read much of this blog, that Plava is one of 5 kids that were born within about 4 months of each other in our family. They were the first 5 of the new generation, and it was quite surprising when we found out that there were so many being expected at once! This is the 5 of them at our last reunion at Baba's house - two years ago. Plava is the closest one there, and the youngest. She was only 4 weeks old.

We all decided that it would be fun to have a big reunion every 2 years, and so this past weekend was the second one since the babies were born. Since this above picture was taken, there have been 4 more babies added to the family and two more are expected in the coming months (Pito being one of those!).

Here are some pictures we took of the weekend.

The lineup - Plava really didn't want to sit on the couch. Can you tell??
(Don't worry, we rescued her moments later.)

Ryan, Gregg, Little E and Teresa lounge in the lounge.
Okay, it's Baba's living room.

Mom and Michal seem engrossed in conversation, don't they?

Dave and his new best friend.

Little E, F, M and Plava. Oh and we mustn't forget Baby Em, Baby Doe, and "Big Baby".
(seen here from left to right)

M, Plava, Baba and F. Don't you love F's smile? It makes me want to smile.

A trip to the Mission Hill winery - did I mention this reunion took place in Kelowna?

Dave having a moment on the rolling hill of grass.
Not long after this was taken, some of our group log rolled down it.

Anna smiles down on the rest of us sitting on the grass below.

Me, Plava, Pito, and Baby Em, taking a break.

Us crazy kids made a home-made slip 'n' slide!!!

The onlookers.

F had so much fun!!!

The paparazzi even showed up! Oh wait, that's Michal, Nigel and Ryan.

And yes, in spite of it bringing on some sizable braxton hicks contractions, I partook in the fun too!!

Cousin Steve, tearin' it up!!

That evening, the rest of the family (that wasn't lodging at Baba's house) arrived for a big family dinner on the lawn.

Here is a shot of four of those five little ones (Plava is missing in this one).

And here they are, with a few more.... still missing little M (who arrived the next day with his parents in tow) and little K.

Aaaah, and here's little K - the youngest of the bunch (currently). Plava was quite enamored with him - can you tell as she strikes a rather aggressive looking pose?

Oh we had a lot of fun. It was hilarious (and exhausting) watching all the toddlers interact. There were surprisingly few squabbles and tantrums. Another two years and we'll be at it again with slightly older kids, though there may be some babies in the mix still at that time. Who knows!? We're happy to be home now, but I admit that I'm finding it awfully quiet around here...