Family Reunion = BORING? Not THIS family!

So, I posted a blog last week describing my family. To remind you; We're BIG, loUD, & We love each other so much. [After this weekend... I'll add competitors]
Yaddi, Yaddi Yaddi...
So, FIVE years ago we threw reunion  in HONOR of my Cancer Battling Grandmother! To read how WONDERFUL she was.. [yes, I used past tense] Go read - Family, Family, Family! 
I vote it being the best blog i've written... mainly because it was about Ganny- When you read it... You will see why!


ANYWAY - This year we've dedicated this reunion to my Grandpa

- Richard Donovan


My entire Life I've lived here in Georgia, while he stayed up there [as in NEW YORK (parents are orignally from) and remarried] So, I don't have the relationship with Grandpa as I did with Ganny! SAd to say... Yes it's true! In the past few years [about 4] I've gotten to know him a little better.
I do know he LOVES Westerns. That being said... Super Woman [MAMA] and her badself went along with it and made this Reunion a Western Theme.




Donovan Family Reunion 2010
July 8th - 11th
At my Parents House in Georiga

[This is the Immeditate Family. No 2nd Cousins, 3rd Uncles, or Great Aunt Sallys]    
 

We had two teams

The Red Team

&

The Blue Team

Divided Equally

The Team that Won

 Picked from the Gift Table

[You will see each person wear red/blue bandana

somewhere on their body while playing games]

Gift/Thank You Table

The Center Pieces

Thursday - July 8, 2010

We were still waiting on LOTS of family members to arrive so we basically hung around,

swam, ate, and caught up on lost time!

The Heart of this entire weekend...

Although lots of family members are credited hard work...

This Woman is the Root of everything...

This is my Mom, Ellen!

My Grandpa &

my youngest niece, Emily Grace

I was in charge of the games the whole weekend...

YUCK = NEVER AGAIN

It was pretty stressful.

Not sure if you caught were I called my family competitors or not, but...

it can get rough...

Put it this way... I lost my voice for THREE WHOLE DAYS

trying to talk over them.

Let me explain how I did it.

I bought red and blue pom-poms from the craft section.

Besides the Childred 13 & down

Each Member drew a color pom-pom out of a big...

this way no one picked teams...

Okay, so it was the only way to be fair!

I did this on Thursday, so Friday Morning the Fun could start!

This Next Photo is Me & My bro in law organizing...

Each person got the colored bandana they chose and a GO TEAM #1 hand to wear on their finger!

Each game had a total points

Which color team won...

Won the Points.

 

                            Friday July 9th,2010                

Let the GAMES begin!

Meet the RED TEAM

[Minus - My Aaron, Chelsea, & Zach]

Meet the BLUE TEAM

[Minus- Kerri]

We started off playing

The Egg Toss

Red -Won

Simply how it sounds.

Choose a partner [on your team]

Stand Three feet apart

Toss the Egg

Step back a foot

and again

and again

until the last person stands with the egg they started with

NO CRACKS!

The Kids First

Then the Adults

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Red - Won [kids & adults]

Simply how it's usually played

only blind folded...

[Stole this from Ellen Degeneres]

Sweatshirt Relay

RED - won [by 2 seconds]

So - The last reunion I skipped out on this one...

I didn't this time and wish I would've...

I literally thought I was going to die! [die = drownd]

Rules:

Jump in FEET FIRST

Relay

Your hands and head have to be in the sweatshirt properly

AND SHOWING

Must be out of the pool when exchanging sweatshirts

The Watermelon ContestBlue Won - Kids & Adults Basically..Who gets to the rind first!You're about to witness SERIOUSness in the Blue team.We have NO points && It's killing us!

Winner = My Niece Chloe

Although there were CLOSE calls

[She actually finished her waaay down to the rind

AFTER the comptetion was over]

The Adults

[You fixing to witness my competitive side....]

The Winner - My Brother Brian

 

Later that night -

My Aunt Amy & Aunt Irene Mastered in

Swing Dancing!

I know right.. A little scarey!

Docey-Doe???

If you knew my family you'd understand!!!

We're ONE OF A KIND

I tell ya!

Aunt Amy made ALL the Skirts by hand

&

Aunt Irene spent many hours putting together the dances

and learning how to Docey-Doe!

Although we ended up kinda just doing our own thing...

It was HILARIOUS!

Hand Clap for Aunt Irene...

Clap Clap Clap

This is Grandpa

&

 his Children minus Aunt Sue...

She was Sick an

d couldn't make Square Dancing!

Saturday July 10, 2010

I had some of my cousins stay with me..Rachel, Michele, & KaitynThey are Sisters...Kaitlyn & Rachel went to Disney before coming to the Reunion.We had a little fun with their gifts before headed to my parents... 

AFTER getting ready

Off to my Parents...

Bobbing for Apples

Blue Team - Wins

There are coins [$$] in the apples

whatever team collected the most money

wins!

There is no skill...

This game is a LOT harder than it looks...

Just get any apple!

I LOVE the way my niece Ashlyn is watching me...

Below: My Aaron

The Obstacle Course

RED won

It was based on whoever had less time combined!

1. Limbo

[My Aaron]

2. Run the Tires

3. Find YOUR TEAMS bandana in the pool full of toys/bandanas/soap

4. Kick the Ball between the Sticks

5. Wheel Barral Race

6. Basketball

7. Run the Stairs to grab 3RD bandana

8. Swim the Pool

The time is STOPPED when the THREE bandanas are placed on the diving board

  SHOOT THE CANSblue team winsThere were soda cans filled with rocks...using the water gun...you had to shoot the cans downThe Team with lowest time..Wins! 

  Donovan DerbyRED TEAM WonJUST like the Sweatshirt Contest...Only No Sweatshirt... You had to ride your horse [A Pool Noodle] 

This is the LAST two from each team..

That's how close it was...

This was the LAST game before Family Trivia...

Which I don't have any pictures of..

 FROWN!

But the RED TEAM won all weekend...

Blue team gave it their best and were CLOSE behind...

In the End it was fun & made LOTS of memories!

My family is truely amazing and NOTHING more I love than to be with all of them together!

Wouldn't you???

Here are other Random Photos from the weekend -

Up Top -

My Aunt Teresa created a Family DVD [1.5 hours] that had Grandpas ENTIRE life.

From beginning to end. All NINE children && their families!!!

It was AWESOME. She and Uncle John put in LOTS of time and LOVE!

Happy Birthday

Uncle Chuck & Aunt Jeanie

It was an AWESOME WEEKEND!

Hope you get HALF of what I got after reading and viewing my love for my family!!!!

Have a HAPPY Friday!!!