Mackrory Family Reunion

Jared and I had the privilege of hosting the Mackrory Family Reunion over the Thanksgiving Holidays...

In this BEAUTIFUL setting:

With these AMAZING families:

Granddad and GrannyLisa and Sean Anderw, Emily (we got to meet her for the first time), Cheryl, and Luke

Nathan, Jared, Kristen, and Brielle

(We missed you Mike & Ann and Andy & KaraLynne!)

Fun before the Reunion started:

Mom and Dad were able to come the Saturday before the reunion started, so we ENJOYED our time with them. On Monday night, they took us to Tucano's. SO, SO good!! They took the kids and I to McDonalds for lunch on Tuesday. I really enjoyed talking with them while the kids had a blast playing on the toys.

Playing hand games with Nathan

Reunion Theme: A Legacy of Faith and Sacrifice:

Mom and Dad worked hard over the last few months typing up some of the stories from their life. Jared compiled their writings into a book and each family received a copy. We read excerpts from this book each night after the kids had gone to bed. The spirit was strong as we read of the faith that was displayed and the sacrifices that were made. That faith and those sacrifices have brought us to the privileged life that we each lead today. We read the following life stories:

• Personal History of Mitch Mackrory
• Personal History of Carolyn Mackrory
• Courtship & Marriage
• Conversion Story
• Journey to the London Temple to be Sealed
• Emigration from Rhodesia to South Africa
• Emigration from South Africa to New Zealand
• Emigration from New Zealand to the USA

On the last night we finished with a beautiful slideshow that Cheryl created capturing in pictures the life stories we had just read. It was very touching.

Then, of course, we finished with a yummy dessert. :)

Gathering for our evening activity...cuddling cozily on the couches. Mmmmm.

Some of our DELIGHTFUL activities:

Hiking to Timpanogas Waterfalls: Sean starts off with a kiss from the 2 women in his life.

We reached the top! It was GORGEOUS. Half of the waterfall had frozen and half was still running...beautiful. The mountain was so peaceful and beautiful as well.

Hot Chocolate to warm us all up:

Sean and Lisa made the most delicious hot chocolate EVER topped with whipped cream and cinnamon, complete with Tim Tam straw. Yummmm! The Delicious Pot Itself

Brielle wants some whipped topping. Aunt Lisa is all fun! Nathan wanted some too. He didn't like it so much!
Enjoying the Tim Tam straw

Girly Time:

Mom taught the girls (except Baby Emily) how to make her gorgeous pressed flower cards. We also made magnetic boards and fun, glass magnets. Hooray for crafty time!

Foot Spa: Yes, all four of us were able to squeeze on the side of the tub at once! :)The boys play Ticket to Ride while the girls get crafty. Fun for them!

Gingerbread Houses: Watch those teams create: Lisa & Nathan (Sean helped a bit too...mostly sharing Nathan's job...eating the candy) and Brielle & Jared (I got to help a bit too).

And Cheryl and Luke Um, Dad, that frosting looks really yummy. Can I have some?

Our Final Product

Sean, Lisa and Nathan's final creation Nathan's contribution. Check out the styling on that yellow decoration. My personal favorite was the bright orange fire that they had blazing just outside their house (a pile of chewed pieces of orange gummy candy). Cheryl and Luke finish theirs! Isn't it cute. We aren't sure which kid won the candy eating contest. Luke made a strong showing.Nathan snitching from the final products.

Our Delicious Food:Mom is snitching a taste of her delicious pineapple dessert. Yum!Nathan and Lisa preparing the bananas for the fruit salad. (This is probably a good time to mention Nathan's crush on Lisa. He's gone over her. Who can blame him? Definitely not Sean!)What can we say? The kid has good taste!Dad was right there helping with every meal...even though it wasn't his responsibility. Thank you Dad!Andrew shows some ingenuity in a method of getting the last bit of pancake batter out of the pan. Pretty impressive!Enjoying the delicious Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pancakes that Cheryl and Andrew made. We ate like kings and queens THE WHOLE TIME: Pumpkin pancakes, lamb with mint sauce AND turkey with cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner, Cafe Rio tacos, and delicious eggs benedict with Dubliner cheese etc. etc. Can we say YUM!?!

Thanksgiving DinnerThanks to Lisa for the darling Thanksgiving paper plates.

(I was especially grateful as I was on dish duty! :) ) Happy Family

Cheese and crackers: another delicous snack provided by Sean and Lisa!

Starting the dishes. What great men. Thanks Andrew and Jared! They are even smiling.

Check out Mom on the Playground:

I'm impressed Mom!

Cousins!!!!

Brielle and Luke look SO much alike! We had a hard time capturing it on camera though.

The best cousin picture we could muster. Those are four delightful, but self-willed little children! Movie Time!

Mesmerized...

They both LOVE Thomas
Handsome kid!

Brielle and Emily became BEST friends! Brielle LOVED having a baby to play with and talk to and Emily loved having a CONSTANT friend (at least, we hope so!)

Smiles!

Sister and Brother having fun together on the BUNK BEDS! SO fun!

Emily and Brielle in PJ's

Coloring time!

Twinners! We didn't plan it, but they looked exactly the same. Too cute!
"Hiding...Y Cougar hat on" Flying airplanes

Morning cuddles on the couch enjoying the beautiful view. Aaaah.

Traditions:

Of course, no Mackrory Family gathering would be complete without Dad passing out scrumptious treats and without his amazing South African biltong. Heaven.

We finished our Family Reunion at the Provo Temple where we were able to do family names. It was an uplifting and wonderful experience. The perfect way to finish off. Thank you everyone for coming. We LOVED having you and are already looking forward to the next one. Good luck planning it Mom and Dad!

One last picture before Grandma and Grandpa go. Thanks for coming. We love you guys!