Pitching in at the Reunion

Everyone helped to make the reunion go smoothly and happily. Anita was in charge of organizing and supervising cleanup. This time it was the boys' turn to do dishes in the dining hall.

Jonathan helped pull out huge, heavy casserole dishes from the oven.



Carrie flying about sweeping.

Anita keeps living up to her reputation as a "workhorse:" always busy working and helping, cleaning stove or whatever needs to be done.

Anna scraping pans after meals. 

Sisters (Dorcas, Anna and Kezia) laying a tablecloth.

More sisters, only younger. It was so sweet to see bigger sisters helping swing little children and keeping them happy so the adults could have a good time.

Kezia tuning her harp as Iva prepares to practice a bell song.

Jonathan is chief popcorn maker on Sunday evening, and the night before we left. We had to make HUGE quantities of popcorn!

Natasha making Carrie's hair before pictures on Tuesday, the big day when all of us were together for pictures and music in the morning.

The guys pushing the hay wagon into the picture or out of the picture.

This picture is clear out of order, but it shows one of the dorms where the clan stayed, and the girls carrying sheets down to make beds. Because our family got there along with Craig and Joella first, we got to help clean and make beds for most everyone ahead of time. The girls had so much fun working together while I ironed and laundered. Seems there is so much ironing to do if you travel with nine people and have to go to church services next day and have pictures a couple days later! 

Little fun details at Mom & Dad's 50th

Each family was responsible to decorate one table in the dining hall. We chose to use what we could find there at hand! Our girls explored all over the place and gathered daylilies, pine cones and evergreen.

The finished centerpiece, with extra flowers added in from Craig and Joella's old garden patch. (The girls found garlic in that garden, too, which came in handy for the pasta dish in the making.)

Gabriel's Elisabeth arranges the roses Dorcas and Ben brought while Iva practices bells in the background.

While the girls gather flowers....the boys clean fish! This fish literally jumped out of the water into the boat the boys were in on the river.

Iva's centerpiece, with wheat she picked by the roadside.

Fain and Regina's family centerpiece, Mexican style.

Joella's centerpiece--the one that got the most attention, due to it containing the ORIGINAL rolling pin and soup scoop from the ORIGINAL Morley kitchen of many eons ago.

Also included by Iva were several pages of lists of the goods our family canned many years ago. Iva kept a few of those old lists just for keepsakes.

We used to can up to a couple thousand quarts of fruit and veges a year. Here are some of the lists Iva kept.

Elon and Anita's centerpiece centered on Mongolian theme.

The ladies go through boxes of old books Mom brought to share.

A plate for the occasion.

Elon in one of those famous "Elon" moments. Not sure if he is trying to be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King Saul, or just Eagle-faced Elon...

Gabriel--not out to prove anything, just checking to see if the food is cooking??

More Pictures from the Reunion

My mother and us five sisters. This are pictures taken on the side while the photographer was having us all pose.

Now just us five sisters, in order of age, Dorcas to the right, Anna, Iva, Joella, and Kezia.

The four brothers and Dad (Elon on the right, Fain, Gabriel, Hoshea)



As many as possible crowding around the photographer's wife to choose the best pictures to burn onto a CD.

Mom and Dad, married 50 years in August.



They sang a song for the clan in the dining hall, "Side by Side." It was something none of us had ever seen before. Usually it was us children who sang. This time, Mom and Dad sang. It was very special and sweet and different.



In one of the verses about life's storms, Mom put up her umbrella!

The bell outside the dining hall that called us to meals and special events during the reunion.

Joella and Iva discuss meal plans with Kezia looking on.



Dorcas's family arrived Monday afternoon. All the sisters except Joella, who is probably in the dining hall getting the next meal ready, greeting Dorcas and admiring the beautiful bouquets she brought for the occasion.

 Kezia's almost 2-year-old Elizabeth.

Gabriel's little Brynn, celebrating his second birthday at the reunion.

Kezia has just let out her secret that she and Chris are expecting Mom and Dad's 49th grandchild!! Can't you just hear all the clapping, laughing, and celebrating??



My Parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary

Last week my family of nine siblings were able to get together for an early celebration of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It is the first time in seventeen years that all nine of us were together again. We lined up in order of age, with Dorcas to the right, then me, Elon, Fain, Gabriel, Hoshea, Iva, Joella and Kezia.

Here we are with my mom and dad. A friend of Chris and Kezia came to shoot formal photographs, but we shot some ourselves, too. I figured by the time I got a hold of some of the professional ones, I might not remember to post some on the blog. So I am doing some of our own--even though they include somebody's hand and camera!~.

Grandma and pa Morley with 40 of their 46 grandchildren (and two more on the way). Iva's husband and children were the only ones missing.

I always like to grab pictures of getting ready for pictures!

Like this one. Getting ready to look sweet.

We got a picture of each family with my folks. Fain's happened to be the first family to get theirs taken. After this, I am posting them in order of age. Fain and Regina have five children,  Nathaniel, Candace, Samuel, Natasha and David. They live in PA.

Dorcas is my oldest sister. She and Ben beat us by two children. They have nine: Peter, Annette, Henry, Jesse, Esther, Mercy, Ernest, Jenelle.

Well who ever is this family?

Elon and Anita have four: Amaris, Ezra, Nehemiah, ooops, not really Nehemiah, actually it is Jed (short for Jedidiah) and Pearl.

Gabriel and Elizabeth have Andrea, Bethany, Carrie, Gabey, Daniel and Bryn.

Hoshea's family came from North Dakota. He and Laurie have four: Joseph, Katy, Andrew and Amanda. 

Iva was thankful to fly in to St. Louis from CO for three days.

Craig and Joella have four (and a half): Susanna, Charity, Ethan and Jonathan. 

Kezia, the youngest and last married, with her husband Chris Jackman and little Elizabeth. Kezia made the announcement at the table one evening that a second little Jackman was on the way. You should have heard the song her relatives sang--"Happy Baby to You!" Those of us at the other table were quickly getting out of our seats to surround her table to hear the happy news.