Payne Family Reunion begins

This year the reunion started on June 19, but I was in Keokuk, Iowa, on the 14th to spend some time with my parents before everyone else arrived. We enjoyed our time reading, playing with the toys and legos, and playing outside. The kids got rides on the lawn mower and they helped Gaffa with a job he wanted done (but didn't want to do it by himself). He offered the kids a trip to Dairy Queen if they picked the stones out of the grass and put them back in the edging where they came from. The kids were excited to get ice cream and they all worked hard. They also enjoyed eating a few meals out on the deck and making things with the leaves of the tree.

We rented "The Yellow House" again this year because it is so convenient to have us all in one house, with lots of bathrooms and space for everyone to do whatever they want. My parents enjoy the luxury of sleeping in their own home at night, while the rest of us adults tend to stay up way too late, after we have put the younger children to bed.

My younger sister and her kids arrived on Wednesday, the 19th, (in her new car) and my brother and his family arrived later the same day. My kids were so excited to see their aunts, uncle, and so many cousins. My oldest sister and her husband and youngest daughter arrived on Friday. My younger sister's husband also arrived on Friday evening.

Thursday, the 20th, we did my craft - making FLUBBER. I had never done it before and was a little worried but it turned out great. It was easy, and the kids really enjoyed it! They played with it almost every day. They each picked out the color for their flubber, mixing different amounts of food coloring to get what they wanted.

Mikaela was the oldest cousin to attend the reunion this year, and she did a great job interacting with the younger ones and taking part in the different activities.

My brother and his wife really helped me with all the cousins and the mixing and coloring of the flubber. And they also enjoyed playing with it once we were all done.

 

The kids figured out that if they stretched out the flubber and then used a straw to blow air under it, they could make these huge bubbles.

My parents were a big help in the clean up - and Harmonie tried to help but just wanted to play in the water. It was nice to have extra hands and eyes to watch that little girl.

Here are a couple of the giant bubbles they made the next day (6/21). It became a competition to see who could make the biggest one.

Ben figured out how to make them in his hand, rather than having it on the table. He got really good at making them ginormous. It would eventually pop, and he would start all over again to see how big he could get it the next time.

Flubber really was a big hit, and I'm glad it was so that the kids had something creative to do on their own.