All Together...Finally!

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Yesterday, my sister asked me for a copy of a family picture we took a couple weeks ago. It made me realize how amazingly far behind I am on editing and blogging (and facebook posting!) all of my pictures. So, this is just a quick post, but after opening up the picture last night, I remembered how much I absolutely love it, and I had to blog it.


A couple of weeks ago, on Friday, April 22nd to be exact, our whole family was together for the first time, EVER. There are no words to describe how much we had ALL looked forward to this day, and it went by too quickly...but we know there are many more to come! So, how is it that we have never all been together? Well, let's see...in the past couple of years, we have added 3 new members to our family, and let me just say, they are a PERFECT fit. Since all 3 came into the family, however, there has always been someone missing from our family events and get-togethers:

Annual New Years Nags Head Beach Vacation (we like to beat the crowds): This 2009 vacation was right after Dan and Mandy started dating (and really, right before they got engaged--yes, it was that quick!), and almost everyone was able to go...but Jarrett ended up having to work, thus leaving the family total at 8.

Mary and Jarrett get married! Mandy flew out from California to come to the wedding as she was already part of our family, but her fiance Dan was deployed in Iraq during this time. Although he was able to Skype in to the wedding, it just was not the same...thus, leaving the family total at 8. (Well, 9 if you count Grandma)

Photographer, Kim Wilson of Wolfcreek Photo

Dan and Mandy get married! We all flew out west (well, the parents RV'd it across the country) for California's biggest wedding of the year! Unfortunately though, brother Ben was now deployed in Iraq and could not even join us through Skype...thus leaving the family total at 8.

Photographer, Karri Koenigs

And then comes April. Brother Ben gets his 2 week leave from deployment, and we all plan around him. It was a short evening, but oh it was wonderful...we were all together...the family total was at 9. Life was good. :)

We took a couple family shots that evening to capture this momentous occasion! 

This first one is totally a Christmas Card picture...the "us" that people think we are. :)

Who am I kidding...THIS one is totally the Christmas Card picture! This is the real us! Crazy, weird, fun, a whole family. One of my favorite shots ever!

(Even our 2 pups made an appearance in the picture!)

I love my family!