family vacay photo dump.

this past weekend was spent with family. family from near and far. from michigan, colorado, and florida. the main purpose of the reunion was to say our final goodbyes to my uncle denny and grandma june, who were both laid to rest at a beautiful little cemetery in orchard lake. we also had the opportunity to attend my great aunt's surprise 80th birthday party.

and in between all of that, we found time to:

visit my dad's childhood home. he says it looked nothing like this when lived there. hmmm.

squeeze baby cheeks...

and thighs...

and buns...

and to marvel at all around cuteness.

we found time to soak...

to bond with the guys...

and chat with the ladies...

to reunite with cousins...

and do manly things, like assemble a canopy.

we did our darndest to communicate between three different hotel rooms: mom and dad, richie and lindsey and norah, and matt & me. communication was a challenge.

we managed to make time to shop. this photo was taken from my hotel room. hello, outlet mall.

we ate. and we ate well. uncle kevin, i've eaten a lot of food in my life, but those were the best ribs i have ever had.

there were yard games aplenty.

we managed to find time to pack into the back of pickup trucks.

and head down to the lake.

we piled onto the pontoon boat...

to see if any fish wanted to join our party.

it looks like one wee fish wanted to join the ray family chaos.

but the best part of the trip was spending time with family.

what a great weekend.

let's do it again.