Puddle Jumping: Family Edition: Schillemat surprize

It is high time I write something about how all the Schillemat siblings were together this past weekend. It was quite an occasion (though we were sad Roland and Liam couldn't be there!).

But here is the long and short of the story. My sister Andrea and here son Landon came out to visit us. Poul was the only one who knew of her devious plans. I was surprised Wednesday afternoon when Becky B. brought her from the airport to the Coopriders.

The next day she surprised my mother at Girl's camp. She almost had a heart attack. To make things a little more interesting we had Karen (who was also at Girl's camp) bring Landon up to my mother, who thought initially that it was Lucy. Seconds after she had Landon in her arms she saw Andrea and Lucy (who was not in fact in her arms but in Jimmy's). She screamed so loud Landon began crying. It was maybe the most surprised I have ever seen my mother. She cried, she laughed and she smiled!

We kept everything under wraps until Gretchen came home on Friday night. Andrea and Poul went to the airport to pick her up late that night. She was extremely excited and happy. She leaves on a mission in September and would not have seen her and Landon for another two years.

Once Johanna showed up at 2 pm on Saturday all the Duane and Kathy Schillemat children were in the house. It was a little cramped actually but extremely fun. We had a delicious BBQ dinner with hamburgers, grilled squash and Zucchini and some AMAZING pico de gallo all fresh and hand prepared (with the exception of the hamburgers). It was good to be with everyone, enjoying a little rain and a nice breeze.

I was also fortunate to visit an old elementary school friend. We talked about our lives to this point and realized how quickly things change, but at the same time are the same. It was a very nice addition to the weekend.

This coming week is the last full week we are here in New England. It is sad, but at the same time exciting. All last semester I talked with my co-workers and friends about how much fun it would be to have a baby and now we have one. We are bringing back our fun little smiling girl to experience the Virginia yet another year. It has been a great summer, one I will never forget.

But without becoming overly emotional or sappy here are some pictures of this weekend's festivities.