Family Memories

During our time in the states, God blessed us with some special time with our families. Wes enjoyed getting together with his siblings at his mother's home for the 4th of July in Carthage, MO. They shared a traditional July 4th meal together and had some games and of course lots of laughs. 

Laurie’s family reunion was a little longer than a weekend. From July 19-August 3, family members from Washington State, California, Bristol, England, North Carolina and of course Nebraska  came together for some great family memories like:  fun with nieces and nephews, a family fun day at the church, a softball game, trips to the zoo, and celebrating birthdays.

The hardest part was saying good-bye and realizing that it will be a long time and many miles that will separate us all, but we are so grateful that the Lord allowed us to have these very special memories.

It was a joy to meet my new niece, Christiana who belongs to my brother Jim (in the background).

He and Wes are the same age.

 Two trips to the zoo with my nieces and nephews was a special treat. Above, my six-year old niece, Anita, (from Washington) relaxes on a butterfly bench at the Omaha zoo. Below, my three nephews Augie, Dakota and Vanya share a special bonding moment.

Augie and Dakota are from Bristol, England and Vanya lives just a few blocks from my parents.

Nieces Amanda Gowen (from everywhere) and Ashley Heggi (California) share a private joke during an "Apples to Apples"game at our family fun day.

One of the highlights of our family time was a family baseball game. Above my parents prepare to hit a home run, or at least give it their best effort!

Fiftieth birthdays only come once, so we threw my brother Mike, from England, a surprise party. It was lots of fun! (From left to right: sister Pam, brother Mike, me, brother Craig and in the background, sister-in-law, Pru.)

For my birthday, the girls went out for a brunch, and my nephews sang happy birthday several times and gave me silly cards. It was a great day!