Alright, wrap it up

So what was the best part of our vacation? 

There's so many 'best' things to choose from. 

Was it that Claire and Kate happened to wear matching clothes often?

 Was it meeting new cousins, and spending time with extended family?

Was it the fact that for the first time in Jonah's life he had more boys to play with than girls?

 Was this little face the best part of the whole trip? Yeah, maybe.

Almost every one in this group is looking at the camera. I'd call that a successful photo. 

I love these people. They have adopted me whole heartedly, and my children's blood matches theirs. If there's anything better than belonging to a family, it's belonging to two families. 

Even when... well. Enough said. 

Point proven? 

Do you like how Emmy's enjoying the fading sunshine much more than having her photo taken? I like it. 

We put the 'Fun' in disFunctional.

So, back to what I was saying. Was the sand the best part? The fresh air? The sunshine?

Zachary eventually won Claire's affection, which is an accomplishment. She's picky. I wonder if that was on his list of 'best parts of the trip'.

 Or was the best part of our week simply being together? Even if your three year old is a pill? Yes, we can be together at home, and at family dinners. Is it the same? Not quite. Spending a week in one house with so many families that combine to make one big family? That's something special.
I personally found new things to love about each of them. Things I probably wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

The drive was long. The laundry pile hasn't quite diminished. We're still recovering from all the energy expenditures. But was it worth it? Yes, silly. 

I'd leave and do it again right now.