Delaware Grammy

I neglected to take any pictures of the potato salad affair.  Donna and her two girlies, Laura and Amy, joined me and my Sweet Mama, my two beloved sisters, and my Oldest and Middle Daughter and we made five gallons of potato salad in about an hour and a half.

A little before five, they started to gather in.

Uncle David, Becky and Uncle Daniel

Lucy and Mama

Aunt Dottie and Aunt Gladys

Ralph, Karen and Steve

Melanie, Aunt Naomi and Judith

Becky, Uncle Jesse and Clint

Aunt Mimmie, Naomi and Rhoda

Laura, Donna, Jonathan, Annika and Danielle

Jonathan and Danielle have the newest Yoder of all:
(Though very temporarily — there are at least three babies due almost any time).

Meet Liv Joannamae Hoffstetter

Two weeks old

Linford and Liv

That Crabbing Picture was not just for fun.  The crew got three bushel.
Rob steamed them for us and they got to the school around seven — after most of us had supper!
These things were very popular, as the following pictures will bear out.

The table full.

Another shot of the table

Dee and Katrina

Carmen and Holly

Sarah and Mama

Jared and Amy

Paul, Ronda and Aunt Dottie

   
Polly                                         Judith

        
Johnny                                           Clint

And then there was some time for visiting and seeing the familiar faces.

My Certain Man and Aunt Naomi

Eldest Daughter caught me halfway throught the evening.

Judith (Uncle Paul’s youngest)

Uncle John’s Judi and Victoria

What I wouldn’t give tonight to see my Daddy’s smile.

Where ever you are tonight, Daddy dear, I love you.  And though it probably doesn’t make a hill of Delaware Lima Beans bit of difference to you, the planning, the work and the joy I feel at being able to be a part of this happy time has its impetus in that love that will not let me go — that shines ahead and behind me and makes me want to be strong.  I know you would love these days, and I see your face in the lined faces and smiley eyes of your brothers and sisters.  But even with all this closeness, you seem very far away . . .

Can you know that in a very real way, this weekend is for you . . . from me?

I look at the faces of the children, and there are so many different emotions and life experiences played out there.
My heart aches for so many of them.
I wonder how I can best serve them and their broken families.

But then there is incredible joy in my heart, too.
I look forward to time spent with my extended family.

We are getting ready to start a big Yoder Family Reunion tonight. 
And this is where I am called to serve for the next several days.
It feels like these sweet July days are filled to the brim with
Excitement
Opportunity
Adventure
Precious Times

The thing that always cheers me up is this little guy.
(His Mama is teaching, and his Daddy comes along to keep an eye on him.)



Ah, Sammy.  You can’t begin to know how important you are to our church family!

Today he was going through some things to take to his house and found his old eye glasses.


It did not bring out the best in him . . .

His pretty girl was not impressed.

Ah, Son.  You still light up my life!

Faces in the crowd:
     
Saloma                                                                                                Quentin

    
                                  Bethany                                                     Betsy

   Johnni with her baby, Jason, Jr.                                    Victoria

 
              Hannah, hanging upside down                                                   Josh

   
                    Sarah                                                                Maggie

The day was filled with so many things:
Soccer games:
    

Sack races:
   

And if you should fall down: . . .             Mommi and a friend can carry you through!

There were Horseshoes:
   

Water Balloons and Relays with spectators:  
   
     

There were train rides on The Jones Express with Certain Man and  Mr. Jones himself::

There were times for visiting:
       

For Playing Table Games:

For cooking hamburgers and digging in the candy basket and getting prizes:
     
       
   

For being on the hammock:
 

Being with Grandma (or talking to Grandpa)
   

For Holding Babies:

Signing autographs

Churning Ice Cream:

And then, at the end of the evening, when little legs were almost too tired to go any more,
it was great fun to get pulled in the wagon by Mommy or Poppi

       On another note, some people have wondered about our pavilion — why we built it, and if there is a story behind it.

. . .  Well, actually, there is.  You see, on July the 14th, Certain Man and I will be married 35 years.  We had discussed a big trip — like a train trip across Canada to see the Canadian Rockies and to just have some time away.  But then we decided to build the pavilion instead.  The wonderful thing was, we were in 100% agreement about it.  It seemed like something that would benefit us, our family, and our church in the years ahead, and it just felt “right” somehow.  So when I look at the pavilion, it is a symbol (in a strange sort of way) of what is important to us, and of our lives together.  Both of us feel like the pavilion and the memories made there are wonderful gifts to us in recognition of the 35 years we’ve spend together.  And we’ve been blessed so much already by the people who have enjoyed good times there, and we look forward to a whole lot more.

And if you or someone you know would like to use it for an occasion, feel free to call.  The more it is used, the better we like it! 

I will say that it was a wonderful day, and we had so much fun —

But I am quite weary, indeed!