Looten Family Reunion

This past weekend Josh, Laney & I loaded up and headed to Camdenton for the annual Looten family reunion. I guess it's not actually the Looten family reunion, but that's the branch we go with! It actually is one of our favorite things to do, because the whole family gets together, we rent out a building at Windermere for the weekend, and just hang out. We split up the meals and try to out-do each other on yummy goodness Friday & Saturday nights, we swim in the pool, we play games, we eat lots of junk food, we stay up too late, we tell stories... just lots of fun things!

This year a few of us (Josh & I included, though Laney stayed with Grandma & hit the pool) headed to Weaver's, and Amish (or Mennonite, I'm not actually sure) store near Versailles. That was a lot of fun, it was just something different to do, and we got some really good cheese, and yummy snacks like chocolate covered banana chips and milk chocoate peanut butter (WOW good). We hit the pool in the afternoon, but it was almost too hot to enjoy it because even the pool water felt like bath water! We still managed to stay for awhile, and Laney absolutely LOVED the pool. Her Grandpa Looten got her a swim sweater, and she was happy as a clam. She floated around and rolled over and splashed, a total water baby.

I didn't take many pictures through the weekend because it was too hot at the pool, and I just didn't want to stop having fun to take pictures. So, here are a few...

The weekend really started Thursday night, when I had to make 10 dozen cookies for dessert for Friday's dinner! I made sugar cookies, and Laney "helped." She kept trying to "stir" (i.e. fling across the counter) the flour that I was actually trying to use. So I finally let her have her own bowl so she could just go at it! She LOVED it!

After baking, Laney decided we needed to go shopping. Which is like her favorite thing to do... not a good thing! :)

Going shopping! She even said "Bye, Mommy, see you tomorrow!" as she left. Of course, once she shut the door and was stuck in the dark utility room, she immediately started crying for me to let her out! It's nice to still be needed!

Friday night we celebrated Jeff & Connie's 25th anniversary with cards and cupcakes. Laney thought the icing was so delicious that when I told her she couldn't lick the icing off a second cupcake, she threw herself down on the floor and screamed. Gotta love 2 year olds!

At the pool, modeling the swim sweater Grandma & Grandpa bought her. If you have a little kid in the pool, this is totally the way to go. It like jams over their head, and then there's no getting out of it in the pool. She floated around and never once slipped out. She went under a couple times because she kept "rolling over" (and yelling it at the same time), but she always rolled back above water. I think it's a great way to learn to swim!
The picture of cool... drinking Grandma's lemonade wearing the shades.

Actually sharing with her cousin, Leila. This might have been the only time sharing happened. Leila was very interested in Laney's toys, and Laney was very NOT interested in sharing them with Leila. Commence fits once again... but I guess it's part of learning to share!

Laney was much more interested in sharing with her older cousins from Texas, who were not so interested in taking the toys away, as they were playing with her (Leila doesn't quite have that down yet). Thought these two pictures were especially cute...

Anyway, we had a really good time. Like I said, I didn't take many pictures because I didn't want to stop whatever I was doing to take them. I love getting to see those relatives from Texas, who we only get to see once or twice a year. Anyway, it is going to be a family-filled week with the family reunion this past weekend, then we're painting with Mike & Jess, then headed to Springfield to spend a day with Grandma De & Grandpa Don, then Friday we're headed to Illinois to spend the weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Price, et. al. So, basically, Laney will see all her great-grandparents within a week... pretty busy! So, look forward to lots more pictures!!