Extended Family Time

Petit Jean 2009 Family Picture

My family and I returned home yesterday evening from a 12 day roadtrip between our home in Minnesota, Ben's parents' home in Oklahoma, and a rustic resort in Petit Jean, Arkansas. It was a VERY good trip and I'm SOOOOO glad that we decided to go for that long. It really made the trip worth it. The Petit Jean portion is a 3-day family reunion started by Ben's grandparents 26 years ago. It is amazing! Everyone has a great time and it has really been a blessing to us because there is NO WAY that Ben, myself, and our kids would stay in touch with the 70+ people in Ben's extended family if we didn't have this extended time together. Here are some pics showing us (mostly Madelyn) hanging out with the extended family. She really loved it this year and really started to understand the family dynamics going on. It was fun to watch!

Grandmother and Grandaddy Rhodes with Madelyn -

they started the Petit Jean reunion 26 years ago

The 1st cousins - one more is on the way!

The Rhodes Jr. Clan stay in a duplex together so we get a lot of time to catch up.

Madelyn likes to hold her cousin Sam.

Madelyn also bonded with Elizabeth (who would teach her spanish!).

Madelyn and her 2nd cousins, David and Anna.

For more posts and pics about this year's Petit Jean, go to Stephanie's blog and Christina's blog.