Family Reunion and Jackson's First WV Trip

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

This past weekend we visited West Virginia to attend our Smith family reunion.  It was fun to see family that I have not seen since I was a little girl, to be re-introduced to folks and to watch everyone eat and be merry!!  This was also Jackson's very first trip to the Wild and Wonderful state of West Virginia.  He was able to meet many of his relatives, including Uncle Pickle Mike for the very first time!

Jackson with Pickle.  (How cute is this hat?--That would be Jackson's hat, not you Pickle!)

Dustin had a great time too!  Here he is discovering golf clubs for the first time.

The clubs quickly became this little guy's obsession.  (Sound familiar to any ladies?) 

 He was easily distracted from those clubs when daddy took him to the creek at mom's house.  This Little Man just loves to throw rocks into water.

The trip to West Virginia was a great opportunity for Jackson to receive lots of love...from his Great Aunt Kathy,

From his Grandma Pickles Pickens,

From his Grandpa Pickens,

From his Great Grandpa Smith (whom he met for the first time with Great Grandma supervising in the background),

From his Great Grandma Smith (whom he also met for the first time),

From his Great Aunt Vickie,

and from his Aunt Erica.

Dustin was able to play with his cousin Landon.

He also drove his first car.

We all had a good time visiting our family and look forward to another visit in just a few weeks!