Sorry for the long silence here. It’s been a whirlwind trip that doesn’t leave much time for writing. I’m really behind in reading blogs right now too.
We got into St. Louis last Monday (7/1). The travel day was great – everything felt quick and easy. We were at my uncle’s house by 4:30 and meeting with cousins at an outdoor beer garden by 5:30pm. We ended up staying there with people until after 8pm. It was a great first day.
Tuesday we met cousins at a community pool that has a water slide and diving boards. The kids played happily in the water for about four hours. My family showered there so we’d be ready for a BBQ with my mom’s (super giant) extended family. That evening was fun too; my kids really held their own despite the overwhelming amount of people that they didn’t really know but were really excited to see them.
Wednesday we spent several hours at the zoo before I picked my husband up from the airport and had dinner with my aunt and cousin. This is the cousin whose kids are my kids’ ages so that was fun.
We tried to go grocery shopping that night for the farm the next day, but the store was closing at 10pm so we didn’t have time. This meant we had to go on July 4th morning. Boo!
But we got there and grabbed what we needed and were on the road by 11:30am. This was an impressive feat, as we had to pack up our rooms entirely so my cousin could come stay at his parents’ house while we were at the farm.
The farm this year was so fun. It was just the best 2.5 days. Everyone had such a good time. I really do think we have a unique situation up there, where almost the entire extended family comes every summer on July 4th and enjoys each other’s company for almost 72 hours. There is no drama and no fights. We all just laugh and sing (literally – there is a giant karaoke night every year) and swim and eat and it’s such a good time. And I feel like every year that the kids (all the kids, not just mine) get older, it gets more enjoyable.
For those of you who are new to the blog, “the farm” is my uncle’s property about 1.5 hours west of St. Louis. It has a 9,000 square foot house that sleeps 23 people comfortably for three nights. There is a smaller house on the property that belongs to his eldest son, and his family of five stays there.
The house overlooks a 7 acre quarry lake that is 60-80 feet deep. It’s beautiful and serene and all ours to enjoy. It’s quite spectacular.
We spend most of our time at the farm swimming in the quarry. The water is deep and clear. There is a dock that the kids can jump off of and lost of floats and other fun stuff. There is nothing I love more than swimming in that quarry. It’s sublime.
The kids like to wear snorkel stuff and take pictures of the fish in the one shallow area. And we love to swim out into the middle of the lake and wave to the people at the main house.
There is also a creek on the property, and we always spend some time down there looking for cool rocks and artifacts. This year my cousin found a spear head! It’s not the first one that’s been found down there.
The whole area is beautiful, both the manicured areas around the house, and the wild expanses all around.
On the night of the 4th we set off fireworks by the fishing pond. My uncle buys hundreds of dollars worth of fire works and my cousin puts on quite a show. This year I helped set them off and it was a crazy time. I got to see how many there were and be right under them as went off.
We didn’t set off fireworks this year until July 5th, because a couple people came up a day late. They were worth the wait.
It’s hard to explain why I love the farm so much. I love seeing my cousins, who are good friends despite me always living far away. I love swimming in the fresh cool water. I love walking around the property, exploring the creek, gathering eggs from the chickens. I love the wonderful meals we eat (each of the three families makes dinner one night). I even love karaoke night, and I never sing! We just laugh so much and have such a good time. We all enjoy each other’s company, and have such a good time.
Each year I take over 3,000 photos and each night I go through them, finding the best ones. In the spring, I put them together into a photo book that I give to each family at our next get together. Every year we look through them, marveling at how little the kids were, and remembering the unique experiences that set each year apart. It’s such a special tradition, to come every summer on July 4th to be together and to have the very best time.
It’s truly my favorite weekend of the year. And it’s so bitter sweet when we leave.
What a beautiful property! Such special family time. I’m jealous. 🙂
I’m jealous of the cousins who get to go up there all the time. It’s an incredible place. I feel so fortunate to make memories there.
The farm looks absolutely perfect for a big family getaway like that! My immediate family (24 people!) is all gathering at our parents’ farm in MN this summer, and I wish we had that large of a property to stay at. 🙂 I love that you get to hang with so many cousins and aunts/uncles!
It’s so perfect. We all have such a good time. And I so appreciate seeing my aunts and uncles and cousins, and for my kids to spend time with their cousins, because we don’t get that at all the rest of the year. It’s just the best.
Thank you for taking us along to such a marvelous place of love and family! Always it is so special.
I’m glad you enjoy it. This is one of the few times I wish I posted photos of people, because it’s hard to do the weekend justice without our faces.