Our Ireland Family Reunion at the Farm

By popular request, we held our 2017 Ireland Family Reunion back at the farm in South Dakota.  It was a big success with 59 of our family attending.  We were missing seven due to work (Judd and Amy; Todd, Taylor) and graduate school (Trevor, Megan, and Sadie).  A big THANK YOU goes to Brent and Tauna for all their preparations and for welcoming our group back to the farm.  Another big THANK YOU to Marla and Curtis for the planning and work done before, during, and after the goodbyes were said.

I always appreciate Beth being our official family photographer, but I did take some photos with my iPhone.  Beth and her family arrived Saturday evening, July 1st; so the photos I am sharing on this blog entry are ones I took before she got there. 

 Friday, June 30th

 

 Welcome to the farm!

 (Marla's photo)

 The reunion officially was to begin Sunday evening with a

Family Home Evening;

but Sam and I drove to South Dakota on Friday,

so we could have a visit with 

Randy (Sam's nephew) and Ashley (Randy's daughter), Philip, and Dakota.

Craig came with Bill and Karen (Sam's sister) from Scottsbluff on Saturday,
so they also could be there before Randy returned to California.

 Saturday, July 1

 Craig, Marla, Randy, and Scott

Randy, Ashley, and Dakota

 Karen, Randy, and Bill

 

 Ashley, Dakota, Philip, and Karen

 Craig, Bill, Sam (grandson), and Weston

 Sam and Randy

Craig and Tauna

[left] Brittney, Joe, Monty, and Trent;

[right] Rachel and Jenna 

 Bill, Sam, and Scott

 

 Marla, Barbie, and Karen

 

 Scott, Brittney, Trent, Monty, Joe, Shannon, and Jenna

 Matt, Karen, Grampa Sam, Scott, Bill, and Craig

Sam (our grandson) giving a tractor ride to 

Brittney and Matt's little boys, Monty and Joe.

 

Philip, Brent, Matt, and Sam playing Slammo in the shade

with others watching from the comfort of the shady porch.

Ryan, Grampa Sam, Craig, Karen, Bill, Scott, 

Brittney, Joe, Robert, Kristine, Monty, Tani, Tauna, and Marisa

Volleyball

 Randy, Scott, Ryan, Monty, Philip, Brent, Trent, Sam, and Matt

Grampa Sam, Jenna, Shannon, Kristine, Marla, and Jessica

* * * * * * * * * * * *

  We were fortunate to have sleeping places for all 59 of our family

with Brent and Tauna's home, Roy and Barbie's home,

Grampa Harold and Gramma Mabel's house,

and renting the hunting lodge nearby.

 Grampa Harold and Gramma Mabel's house

provided a good place for sleeping even though

the new carpets had not yet been installed.

The walls were freshly painted and floors were done

except for those waiting carpets.

There was no furniture except for a couple of beds and air mattresses

in the bedrooms, but the bathrooms were remodeled.

It did bring back a memory to see Gramma Mabel's 

rural pictures still on the walls in Grampa's bathroom.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

 Brittney and Matt arrived at the farm Friday night.

They drove from San Antonio, Texas, with their

cute boys:  Monty, Joe, and Robert.

Scott and Kristine with Jenna and Shannon also came Friday evening

having driven from Colorado in time to have a visit

with Scott's cousin, Randy, and Uncle Bill and Aunt Karen

who were there to visit on Saturday. 

 (Brent, Brittney, Joe, Matt, Bill, Karen, Grampa Sam, Scott, and Kristine)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

  

 

Saturday and Sunday more of our family arrived, 

and Sunday evening our reunion officially began with a Family Home Evening.

Blog entries will follow with photos and memories from those days.    

Memories Made with Family

Now that I have finished with posts about our recent China / Bali trip, I am catching up on events which we have appreciated being able to enjoy relative to the marriage of our granddaughter, Haley Smith, to Tyler Staten on June 3rd.

Tyler Staten and Haley Smith

at our home

for a family gathering

on April 14, 2017. 

Enjoying being together as family.

Curtis, Marla, and Maren came from South Dakota

on Thursday, April 13th, having come for a

bridal shower for Haley

that their dear friend, Susan Tjarks, 

 had come from Mitchell to host

in our home

on Saturday, April 15th.

 

Visiting together is always the best part

of family get-togethers.

(Maren, Maggie, Megan, Haley, Ty and his mother)

 Like father, like son!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 Haley's Bridal Shower

in our home

April 15, 2017

[top] Gramma and Susan Tjarks with the Lovely Smith Ladies
Maren, Megan holding Sadie, Maggie, Haley, Sarah, Narene, Marla, and Susan
[bottom] Curtis and Marla's Daughters, Daughter-in-law, and Granddaughter:
Sarah, Megan holding Sadie, Maggie, Haley, and Maren

A nice luncheon was served.

Eating and visiting.

The youngest guests at their own table.

(Brynlee, Anna, and Rebecca)

Susan Tjarks and her mother getting their food.

(Anna, Rebecca, Megan, Susan and her mother)

 An activity enjoyed was giving Haley a challenge to

see if her responses were similar to the answers

Ty had provided earlier.

They matched amazingly well!

 Anna and Rebecca helping Haley 

with opening the gifts.

Envelopes for guests to add their mailing address

to help Haley in replying with her "thank you."

A thank-you gift to the guests as they departed.

 

 Wedding Photos 

taken by Beth will be posted in a later entry.

 * * * * * * * * * * * *

May 18 - Legacy Farms Relief Society

Display prepared for the

Cultural Night at Relief Society

May 8th

when I was asked to share a few thoughts

about our living in Russia for 18 months  (November 2007 to May 2009)

while we served a humanitarian mission in the Europe East Area.

These are some of the special things we bought in Russia.

I didn't take my Father Frost because it is large and heavy. 

 I have found it interesting that the carved wooden nativity

has a horse but no camels. 

May 29 - Memorial Day

 Fun on the Trampoline.

(Rebecca, Paul, Anna, and Taylor's sister) 

  

Trevor and Megan's cute Sadie . . .

  . . . with Aunt Sarah

. . . with Grandpa Curtis

. . .  with Daddy Trevor 

(May 31)

Cornhole Challenge

Megan and Ethan

 vs.

Trevor and Joshua

Trevor and Joshua

Taylor has just finished a competitive game.

(Maggie and Taylor)

 Rebecca and Anna

Gramma Narene and Rebecca

May 31 - Enjoying our Pool and Backyard

Anna and Rebecca

Sarah and Paul

Haley, Paul, and Sarah

 Maggie, Haley, Maren, Trevor, Rebecca, Taylor and his sister

 Joshua

 Rebecca

 Curtis and Joshua

Maren

 Trevor and Joshua

More Photos in May

Amanda and Megan

 

Another tweak to the "riding bull" in the playground.

(Sam, Ethan, Todd, and Jared)

Our "Miss Kim" lilacs in bloom

are pretty and fragrant.

I like the dianthus when they are in full bloom.

 Ethan and Rebecca watching the neighbor's horses.

 We are not so excited about having the basements

dug for four new houses across the street from us,

but we can still continue to enjoy our big backyard overlooking

pastures with sheep and Maple Mountain in the background.

 (Sam)