John’s Family Vacationing at the Outer Banks, NC with Our Matching Shirts!

John’s family gathers quite frequently throughout the year, not only at the holidays but also at nieces and nephews birthdays. John's 90 year old uncle and 88 year old aunt always join in on these celebrations. Every year, John's cousins and their families get together for a golf tournament and a barbecue after that. Not everyone participates in the golf tournament, but everyone certainly joins in at the barbecue. John's family goes on yearly vacations. We always pick a different location each year; usually we head for the beach. We rent a house for the week, and it is always a great time. We enjoy going to watch our nephews and nieces play in the different organized sports in which they participate. They play baseball, volleyball, soccer, and water polo.

Sue’s Cousins Posing after to the Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Sue’s family also gathers quite a bit throughout the year including holidays and special celebrations. One of the traditions, with Sue's family is the annual Easter egg hunt. The kids can hardly wait for the time to go search for the eggs. It is always a lot of fun to watch the kids running around the back yard looking for the hidden eggs. The older cousins help the younger cousins find the eggs. It is so cute because I remember when I was helping the older ones find the eggs. A couple of Sue's cousins have pools at their homes and we go over for barbecues and swimming on warm summer days. This is always a lot of fun.

The Front of Our Home

We live in Missouri as does all of our immediate family. We live in a great neighborhood that is just the right size. There is a big open field at the entrance to the subdivision that kids can play in. The area also has a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a playground. We love to be outside going for walks and talking with the neighbors. There are always children in the neighborhood outside playing all the time, whether it is riding their bike, playing basketball, softball, or hockey. Occasionally, in the cooler weather we will gather with other neighbors around a fire pit and project movies on our garage door. The one year we watched the Cardinals in the playoffs. Even though they lost we still had fun. The kids always look forward to this and ask us when we are going to do it again.

Going on a Picnic with Friends. What a Perfect Day!

Within walking distance from our house we have the town center. This has a grocery store, coffee shops, ice cream shops, restaurants and other little shops. People of all ages walk to the town center, it has a nice small town feel to it.

Our town also has a paved path that connects the other subdivisions and also leads to the parks. People can walk or ride their bike on this path.

In the summer time one of our local parks holds weekly concerts on Thursday nights. Families bring their lawn chairs and picnic baskets. Everybody just sits back and enjoys the music.