Orendorff Reunion 2007

Way back in December 2006 Mommy introduced you to my Grandma - Judy Adams (Orendorff maiden name). She was one of twelve children! Every year, the Orendorff's gather in Indiana PA (where my Mommy grew up and a lot of other Orendorff offspring). I had a great time meeting all of my second counsins (my Mommy's cousins' kids) and cousins once removed (my Mommy's cousins)(I think that's right?) and great aunts and uncles. Of course I got to see Aunt Paula and my cousins Kira and Marlon again.

The day of the reunion (Sat 6/23/07) it was quite cool in the shade. Here I am chilling on the great quilt Beth made for me.


Mommy and Daddy have been wanting to try out a swing with me, but thought they should wait until I can sit up all by myself. One of my Great Aunts - Patti - assured them I could do it (she should know, she has 5 children and 12 grandchildren and another on the way!) She was right - what fun!:


Then the T-Shirts were unveiled. My cousin once removed, Christy (or is it ie?) always gets these made for us each year and brings them with her all the way from Houston TX! Mine is more of a dress for now:


Then it was time for the photos! Every year we get in a big group to get a photo of everyone. Great uncle Warren is a photographer and takes the picture each year. Hope I get a copy of it eventually. Then we all get photos with our immediate family. Here is Grandma, Aunt Paula, cousins Kira and Marlon, Mommy, Daddy and Me! Wow, our family has grown!:


Here are the Orendorff "kids" from oldest to youngest. Starting from the left is Harry, JoAnne, Patti, Marybeth, Dick, Judy(Grandma), Tom's wife Kathy(Tom sadly passed away from cancer a few years ago), Cathy, Debbie, Bobbi, and missing next would be Jerry (who is in California) and Lori (who sadly missed the reunion due to an injured back):


To give you an idea of how BIG this reunion is, these 12 children produced 29 grandchildren (Mommy is one of those), those 29 grandchildren have produced 32 great grandchildren with 1 on the way. Factor in all of the spouses and you've got one big crowd! How lucky am I to be a part of this great family?! And it's going to keep growing because some of the grandchildren are still in highschool or college and not out there making families yet. Geesh!

After the pictures, we have a tradition of bringing a white elephant gift (something old or a re-gift type thing you want to get rid of at home) and doing a gift exchange where you can take someone else's junk/treasure or pick a "new" one from the pile. It is hilarious to watch it all unfold. Here's a photo taken during the game. From the left there's Jake (a second cousin), Kira (my cousin), Aunt Paula, cousin Marlon, great Aunt Bobbie, Abby (another second cousin), her Daddy - Kelly (my cousin once removed), and her Mommy - Kristy (not sure of spelling):


By the end of the day, I WAS POOPED!:


After going home for a short nap, we went to the hotel where a lot of people were staying and basically overtook the entire pool. Here I am in my first swimmers diaper. Can I tell you, I LOVE TO SWIM - what an exciting first!:



The next day we headed home on the long 4 hour trip. Well, now it's a 5 to 6 hour trip. I did pretty well, but got kind of fussy after being cooped up in the car. So we stopped on the turnpike and got some air. Here I am with Daddy admiring a tree. Did I mention I love to look at trees? I must say, I had a great time with the Orendorff bunch! Hope you enjoyed taking this trip with me: