Family Reunion

This past weekend was a great (though busy!) one for our family. We headed up to the suburbs to visit both sides of the family. Friday night was spent at Grandma Eileen's house - I wondered how well Thomas would sleep considering that he slept the entire drive...but after some play time with Grandma, Mom, and Dad, he was wiped! After a good night's sleep, we all awoke the next morning to prep for the long-awaited potluck bbq. Several months ago, I talked with Eileen about the possibility of having a big family gathering in the summer...she is one of 6, and the more extended families don't see each other at all except at Christmas! Crazy! So, after a few emails and some organizing, 30 of us got together...and it was great! The night was filled with tasty food, games for the kids, some intense Cubs/Sox bashing, and was topped off by an oreo-eating contest. Yum! Thomas did really well with all the busyness and meeting so many new family members - it was fun to introduce him to everyone, and we're excited for when he's running around with the other kiddos! Looks like we'll have to wait for next summer's gathering for that! Here are just a few photos from the ultra-competitive oreo contest...and I'm proud to say that Drake was the big winner!

Sunday morning, we awoke very early to head out to Batavia for a visit with Nana, Grandpa, and Uncle Adam...we met up at mass at Holy Cross and went out for a nice breakfast before Grandpa had to work. We spent the next few hours at the Clifford house with Nana, Adam, and the pooches. Thomas was definitely the center of attention and showed off his rolling over, laughing, squealing, and overall adorable nature. We left in time to get back to Urbana for our family adoration hour and came back to the apartment for dinner with our dear friend Adam who has recently moved back to this area to start up a Masters program. We're looking forward to more time with family and friends in the upcoming weeks!