Dion Doyle Dash

One day Calvin and I made a quick trip to see Alice. Sara and Jack stopped by on their way back home, too. It was so wonderful to catch up with Sara's life and to get a good visit in with Aunt Alice + Carmen, too. These are pretty special people!

This is the Jack-approved photo of the afternoon. (Mom was disappointed not to see a photo with Alice, but I know how Ol' Spook feels about having her pic taken. And, I didn't want to push my luck!)



I think we made Amy jealous, but she'll have her day. (Hopefully, sooner than later!)

The Boys of Star Lake

Pre-lake week:
Jeff and Tory call to see if Calvin can walk yet. I mean, it has been three weeks since they've seen him!
@ Lake:
Jeff and Tory settle for teaching Calvin high fives and fist bumps. All is well in cousinland.

Nothing's better than seeing your brother in his element.
I LOVE this!

The Rockin' K Reunion

After washing our clothes and sleeping in our own beds, we packed up and headed to the lake.



It's been 20 years. Can you believe my family has been being this crazy for 20 years?!

Every year Dad's brothers and sisters get together at a resort near Pelican Rapids for a week in the summer. Some years we have themed weeks, some years not. But we have been getting together for two decades. Seriously.

This year we had a Keeling Olympics--each family had a flag, some families had matching t-shirts. We represented the Keeling Islands. Calvin missed the opening ceremonies because he was resting up for his events, but here's the fam:



Here's a link to some pics of the official games. Mom and Jeff represented us well. Dad and The Boys displayed excellent showmanship in all water sports. Calvin stole the heart of the spectators every time; he was the home town favorite. I managed the press. Obviously.
Check out the games here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/117815879016512159525/albums/5773633665773643665

Dan and I had decided to stay as long as Calvin could handle it. He did a great job sleeping in his crib in the cabin; we even hosted game nights chez cabin #3. He was such a good trooper. Of course it helped that there were lots of people to cuddle with!

Grandma Peaches was always warm and snuggly.

Grandpa Puddin' got a little Cal-Time, too.

If only we lived next door to this couple! (Of course, Calvin would probably be the MOST SPOILED baby of the bunch!!) We're really glad to see them every year at the lake, and we're grateful that they're willing to drive all the way up to see us. They've both been such special people in our family. We're fortunate to share all the joys of life with them.

We had a few Keeling drop-ins (as usual--our reunion has started attracting relatives from far and wide...one year "My Eddie" showed up with his Turkey Bingo girlfriend from Havre, Montana. That was a fun one!) This year Uncle Ted and Aunt Vivian spent a few days with us on their drive from Orlando. And, a cousin of Clancy's (and my grandfather's) popped in to introduce herself. Uncle Leo drove from northern NoDak, too. (By the way: Be sure to thank Marge for the delicious treats!!) There were even some Fetsch friends who stopped to hug us and talk about how Grandma was doing. (She had a heart attack and heart surgery the day before the reunion.) I think I can safely say that if you ever want to stop by to visit our family during the first week of August, feel free! We love family!

It was another great year at the lake and we look forward to many more memory making moments in the next two decades to come!!

The Puzzler

The last stop before heading home was to hug Great Grandma...and plop a few pieces into the latest puzzle.

Dan captures everyone in action in this series.

Photoshoot with Donald

I know there are a few photos in this series that might not seem that great, but I love all of them. The story telling here is really where it is.

On our way out of town, we stopped one last time to see Donald. He hadn't gotten to hold Calvin and wasn't in yesterday's photo shoot either. We didn't have to twist his arm too much to participate.

Grandma tries the ol'wrap trick.

Calvin gets settled in the crook of Donald's arm.

Oh, peace.

Joy.

Love.

Understanding.

Zen.

The photo shoot:

The best result:

Crazy Cousins

Out on the farm Calvin got to meet a few more fans. (Though I can't believe that we didn't snap photos of Peggy, Laurie or Brenda with him in their arms. Next time, people. Next time.) Someone was vying for time with him all afternoon!

If only Susan lived closer!
A. We'd hire her to nanny. B. She'd come over to hold him all day, every day anyway.

Mark refuses to hold Calvin. Angry Birds cannot be interrupted.

Brenda giving Dan the evil eye.

Denise finally gets a moment with Calvin. And what a beautiful moment it is. 

Irony is captured here...as well as Laurie, Brenda and Peggy.

Mark gives in.

I love this toothy grin.

These two know their way around babies! How fun get this picture of them.
(Michael and Amber, there might be a little pressure on you now!) :-)

As Lyle falls asleep, I think: what could be more relaxing than this?
Denise remembers that he used to do this with his babies, too.

 I think there are a few people who would like a little more cuddle time, too. Seriously, if we lived closer Calvin could happily be loved up all day long. What a great trip!

Calming Agent

We had another bawl out session during another photo session, so I wrapped our little guy up. One instant later, here's what happened:

Doesn't it look like his head is barely attached?

Mr. Bobblehead

Generation Photos

Here are two generations.

Should we add more?

Here's three.

Now, there's four.

Four plus Donald. I am sure the camera crew got a better pic than this one.
Maybe one where half of us are looking at the camera?! Here's one for posterity, not vanity.

Who would guess these four are related? ;-)

At the farm

Don't ask me how much time I spent in this chair during those two days.
I don't want to know.

Beth Ann came to visit, too!

Mother and Child.

Admirers.

The Admired.

This would probably be the last time he would wear his aunt shirt, so C wore it just for pics with BA.

Auntie and Babe. 

What a good lookin' crew!

Great Grandma Sherrock

Right after we rolled in to Albion, NE, we stopped in to see Great Uncle Donald and went to the nursing home to visit Grandma. She stayed up late just to see us (after 8:30)! When we got to the nursing home, she was practically in the hallway waiting for us. Then she held him as we paraded down the hall meeting the nurses and friends.

The next day, we headed to Denise's. I thought Calvin might slow our schedule down, but I was wrong. However, Dan was right to leave Calvin and me while he went to get Donald and Grandma buckled in. All the waiting was worth it!

More cuddle time.

This looks like quite the inspection.

I think she approves!

I think he approves.

Denise joins in on the admiration.