Surprise!

I'm back!  We have had a wonderful August.  Really, the entire summer was full of fun, continuing family traditions as well as taking new adventures.  I will be posting some highlights over the next week or so.  Let's start with this one:

We were excited to go to our family's cottages on Lake Ontario for many reasons.  It's such a wonderful, magical place.  The kids can roam outside, and it feels so far removed from the routines of home.  Everyone is relaxed.  It is also full of family - aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters...  And speaking of siblings, I knew that several of mine would be there.  We expected to get five out of seven, which is pretty amazing.  Well, when my sister arrived at the lake, she had two extra brothers with her!  It was a total surprise to see them!  She had convinced them to come, including flying in my brother from Houston.  It was a very happy shock.  The seven of us hadn't been together since my wedding in 2002.  It was really, really cool for all of us to be together.  I hope we don't have to wait another 11 years to do it again.