Summertime = Family Reunion Time

Last month we had our annual Peterson Family reunion in Payson at the house where my grandmother Elayne Peterson Rich was born and grew up.  My grandma was the youngest of six siblings and is the only one of her family still here with us.  I think this reunion is the highlight of the year for her as she gets to surround herself with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as the descendants of her siblings.  The family has grown to point where I don't recognize all the faces and can't place everyone with the branch of the family they belong to and they don't really feel like my relatives, but it's different for my grandma because to her they all are a part of her family.  We had good weather, great food and the kids got soaking wet what more could you ask for from a family reunion?  

Here are a a few cute shots of the kids at the reunion.

Nathan, Barrett and James, 

with James giving me the stink eye.

Hannah and Brynne climbing a tree.

Hannah and Blythe taking a break from the heat 

outside by playing around on the organ.

The infamous stairs.

When my great-grandfather originally built this house in the early part of the 1900's it had a normal staircase but the house didn't have indoor plumbing so there was no bathroom.  My grandma's brother Deke finally added a bathroom sometime during the 1950's and installed this space saving staircase in order to make room for the bathroom.  I can remember being terrified to come down these stairs as a child and my kids now get to experience the same thrill.  My mom's cousin Ken who now owns the house tells funny stories about the difficulty of trying to get up the stairs to his bedroom as a teenager after a wild night on the town, and sometimes not being able to manage it at all.  

Blythe at the top of the stairs.

Barrett headed down the stairs face first.

Barrett bravely hanging on to the railing

 with James close behind.