rehashing the reunion

One month ago today the kids and I were flying to Chicago for a week long family reunion.

Yes, week long. My family likes to soak up as much time together as possible.

My sis and boys were also flying with us with our hubbies meeting us later in the week.

We headed to the airport early Monday morning and said a quick tearless (!) good bye to J.

Note: tearless is a big deal for us. We're all cry babies.

 

This was going to be B's first flight, which I hadn't realized until the night before.

I think it was his innocent comment, "Mom, will the airplane pull right up to our house and pick us up?"

Quickly I searched the bookshelves for any and all books on flying.

Obviously he is child # 3, I'm sure I'd prepped child #1 for weeks before her first flight.

I love the picture above. Amongst the hustle bustle of the airport and the planes landing and departing, B took note of a tiny ant which held his attention longer than the planes.

We spent the first two nights at a water park resort with cousins, aunts and uncles.

So. Much. Fun.

Essentially it was similar to the water parks at our resorts here in AZ but inside.

Which was a little....strange...very humid...but perfect since it was storming.

Now, I'm all for a big thunderstorm but not when you're staying at a water park.

Needless to say, we were thankful to be lounging on the lazy river looking out the wall of windows to pouring rain.

The kids enjoyed splishing and splashing with their cousins and they enjoyed the huge water slides with my cousins. And let it be known, there is nothing cooler than riding down slides with Uncle Todd.

We left the waterpark and headed to my aunt and uncles house for the night. 

En route to their home we stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory for a tour.

Such a fun experience with unlimited jelly bean samples. One of our favorites recipes was the S'mores combo. Our least favorite jelly bean was dog food. In fact, the Jelly Belly "bartender" warns you just how disgusting it is. We were extra fortunate to have a generous bartender. One of my kiddos ended up with an upset tummy that night. Hmmm, I wonder why?

We had a great day at my aunt and uncles.  I documented a bit of it here. My kids are still talking about what an awesome day that was.

We then headed to another aunt and uncles house where the actual reunion was going to take place.

We had themed days, in typical Schultz fashion.

Our first day was "Christmas in July," as it was G'ma Sweetheart's favorite holiday.

The second day was a cow theme as that was my Grandpa's line of work.

My aunt MK's house is a favorite for me. 

I spent many summers at her house with my sister and cousin Nicole. 

We have such great memories of being with her and my uncle without our parents. 

They were the "cool" aunt and uncle.  

This patio has housed many family reunions and memories.

Her home is located near a beautiful lake, surrounded by full greenery.

Can you see why I love it?

The next couple of days were filled with food, swimming, baseball in the park, laughter, card games, whiskey, cheese curds and time to just be together. 

A few tears were shed as we all sat together and shared stories remembering my grandparents but I'm sure they were giggling up in heaven at our funny memories.

 

And what family reunion wouldn't be complete without family pictures? 

LOTS of them.

And let's me honest, the goofy outtakes are much better than the final product.

 

Friday night all my cousins and I headed into Chicago to stay at my cousins house...kid free!

To say we had a blast would be an understatement.

You have to understand that I have awesome cousins who truly enjoy being together.

My cousin Chris made us a delicious meal that we ate on his rooftop while sipping cocktails.

The pictures below tell a story. A wild story highlighted by guitar playing by Eric,  lyrics about cheese curds, broken chairs, a midnight visit to The Drinkingbird,  followed by deep dish pizza, more drinks and a 2 a.m. dance party. 

One memorable moment of the night was a toast made by my cousin recognizing how fortunate we are to have each other.  (together now...awwwww) Oh, and another memorable moment has to do street side pizza.

So much fun.

So, until 2015 when we all meet again...