FAMILY HISTORY

We finally made family history last night and got a picture of my mother, the oldest living member of her family, with all of her descendants. It took some doing, getting them all together in one place at one time, but we finally have it. We had to wait for Avery (in black) to get home from work, which made Gracie (front left) and Collin (front right) way late going to their dad's, who had them for the night and school the next day; he said "Have 'em ready for bed and send them over the minute they're done," so Gracie's hair is still wet from her shower and they're in their pajamas. Jon (back row), Abbie (on his lap) and Jamie had brought my mother for a one-day overnight trip 250 miles. They were leaving the next morning at 7 to make Abbie's twice-yearly appointment with her cardiologist on their way back. What a whirlwind! I wish the ones in the front row, especially me, had been able to be farther away from the camera. Why on earth didn't I have Abbie sit with the other kids in front and put myself on the sofa with the grownups? I look like a giant. And of course 9-yr-old Collin had to make dorky faces at the camera in every shot. But we finally got it: my mother, her only child (me), my 3 children, and their kids, all in one place.

ID's, left to right:
Front: Gracie, me, Collin
Back: Jon with Abbie, Avery, my mother, Valerie