Collier Family Reunion - March 22nd

Last Saturday we had a rare Collier family reunion. This is Joe's Dad's Mom's side of the family (I'm not snooty enough to say paternal grandmother). She had 12 brothers and sisters and then named her children after them, so it can get very confusing how everyone is connected (Which Uncle Tom?). We met in Nacogdoches, TX, and enjoyed a yummy potluck meal.

Joe and I had the fun part of the Easter Egg hunt - we hid the plastic eggs! Though I've done this many times, it was Joe's first time and he had fun. I only got action pictures of Peyton, the youngest child that can walk, because the other kids sped around like maniacs.

Joe hid three eggs under a pile of pine cones (yes, East Texas), gently placing each one for maximum coverage. A sweet little girl ran straight for the pile and with one swipe knocked the pine cones in all directions.

We met our newest cuz-nephew (what Joe calls his cousin's sons), Ethan. He's 2.5 months old and TINY! (I have small hands, and it looks huge in the picture!)Peyton was making funny faces at Joe.


Here are all the kids! Can you guess which 7 belong to the same mom and dad?


As has happened at every family reunion since December 28, 2001, I was asked when we were going to give the other kids another kid to play with. This time, the mother of 7 - all three boys in the picture, plus Harley, Allysa, and Peyton - asked me and the mother of Arian and Morgan (twins) about 3 minutes after I arrived. Before I even had to respond, the other mother said in a fairly light-hearted way, "Well, not all of us are as fertile as you are!" That certainly stopped that line of questioning! I had already planned to not bother people who I rarely see / hardly know with that question, but I hadn't thought of how hurtful it would be to someone who desperately wanted to be having a child but couldn't. I'm also glad we're in a family who aren't afraid to call each other out on that sort of thing.