Snapshots

Brian made sure Braden & Neelly had a safe journey to look at machinery.

"Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future. We make discoveries about ourselves."

Writer Gail Lumet Buckley

As the next generation of children enter the family picture, the noise level goes up. The space in the house seems to go down. The table needs more leaves. The laughter is contagious.

As families continue to grow and miles separate us and smart phone calendars fill up, it's a challenge to come together. For my birth family, Christmas Eve has been the time when we all try to gather. Christmas Eve is my Mom's birthday, so we celebrate birthday during the day and Christmas in the evening. But my parents' 60th wedding anniversary brought most of us together mid-year.

Here are a few glimpses of our weekend, beyond the pretty cake and the steak dinner.

A good snapshot stops a moment

 from running away.

Eudora Welty

It doesn't keep kittens from running away from little hands, though.

Benson wasn't quite fast enough to catch the kittens, though it didn't stop him from trying.

A chase can make a guy tired. A good way to recover is on Great Grandma's lap.

The kittens had plenty of attention on Saturday. They probably needed a rest at naptime, too.

Madison was the unofficial cat whisperer (and probably protector, too!)

If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange,

 a circle of sections, 

held together but separable,

each segment distinct.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin

When photographing five young children - all not-quite-3 and younger - it's inevitable that each child will look his/her best in separate frames. But I love these photos from the anniversary dinner anyway. Before the celebration, Braden, Neelly and Kinley had a wonderful time running around. Literally.

One of my favorite moments of the weekend was when Braden organized an impromptu dance party in the living room. (Too bad I was too busy dancing to take photos. Or ... maybe not!) He was persuasive: He even got Great "Pa" to dance.

Some of us had a Sunday "after-party" in a park in Hutchinson. Benson was corralled in a playpen. Holte had a snooze on a Wildcat chair that doubled as a "portacrib." Kinley took time out from swinging to try out a chair, too - briefly.

Swinging is a powerful draw. So is family.

In every conceivable manner, 

the family is link to our past,

 bridge to our future.

Author Alex Haley