shipley reunion 2010

you knew it was coming . . . the shipley reunion rundown! exciting pictures with commentary! what more could you ask for, really?

there is nothing better than being with family. i am convinced that cousin time is the best thing on earth. can i get an amen?

here we go. . .

the snails in my parents' backyard were a big hit. the girls had fun collecting them and having them for pets. that is, until they slithered away. (is that right? do snails slither?)

my parents' backyard is pretty rad. the girls have lots of places to pretend and play together. here they are in their "house" cleaning it and making beds. . .

all of this girly play stuff is probably why i found ollie like this . . .

strawberry picking. always a crowd pleaser and always delicious.

the older girls put on a play. they literally spent an entire day practicing and reminding us about the play at 6:00, "and ending at 7."

the sign says:

"the three lost girls

start-6:00pm

end-7:00pm

brooklyn

abby shipley

macy

parker

there is cookies

bring a blanket

there's action!

and it's funny!"

due to artistic differences, macy bowed out seconds before the show. she can be a diva.

so it was all brooklyn (also the director), parker and abby. . .

(aubry, see your red shoes at work?)

the santa cruz boardwalk is an old family favorite. going there as kids brought us so much excitement and joy we would almost burst out of our skin just thinking about it. now, it's just exciting for us to see faces like these . . .

(and of course, these faces.)

donovan at the monterey bay aquarium. the BEST and (in my opinion) only aquarium worth going to. are there any others? nope. didn't think so.

and of course, a beach day. going to the beach gives me anxiety but the kids love it and parker doesn't care the tiniest bit that the water is ice cold and the wind is blowing 30mph. (good ol' central coast.)

my brother, jamie, brought out a couple of boxes of old toys we used to play with. cars, trucks, transformers and the like. ollie was like, "finally! hallelujah!"

here is the "impossible-to-get grandparents with all their grandchildren" picture. but once you get jamie's monkey impression going, miracles happen. you can't even tell that oliver is screaming out of pure misery! it's amazing he even stood there!

and the even more impossible entire family picture!

and, wait! another one! jumping! sans me. i don't jump.

but seriously, check out kiana on the left there. a herkie? she's such a show-off . . .

parker . . .

my grandpa (papa jim) is in a rest home not far from my parents' house. the kids love visiting him there, especially parker.

nana was actually in the same rest home while we were all there recovering from surgery, so the rest home visits happened quite frequently. here's nana with her stylish beret . . .

and our trips to california are never complete without a visit to the redwood forest and a dip in our favorite swimming spot.

and of course, headbands for all the girls!

next up, the "summer of dreams" continues on with our road trip to florida . . .