Sun Valley Lake 2024

This weekend we made our annual trip to a lake with the Liess clan. A good time was had by all.

Hope and Mari
Lake Lounging
Des Moines Cousins
Susan and Rob
Lucia and Rose
Kathie and Gary
Liess Clan
Kathie, Gary, and the grandkids
Kathie, Gary, Susan, Erin, and Mary
Kathie being silly.
The Lieslands
Lucia and Rose
Rose and Lucia
Kathie in the hammock chair
Susan and Mary
The ladies

Birthday Week

This past week Mari and I celebrated our birthdays, with small parties on our birthdays and a bigger family party on the weekend.

Mari’s birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse.
Who is inside and who is outside?
My birthday, hanging out around the firepit.
Pool volleyball at the larger family party.

House on the Haunted Hill: A NYE Tradition

Every year the Reagen and Liesland men play Haunted House on the Hill after midnight.

We are halfway through the game at this point and The Haunt has started. Cameron is the bad guy and is off reading his updated rules for The Haunt. The five of us remaining at the table must figure out how to make it out of the house alive.

Christmas Eve

For traditional Christmas Eve Mass we attended St. Francis with Mimi and Papa and the Reagens. Andrew and Nate were both missing because they weren’t feeling well.

The cousins in attendance.
The cousins with Mimi and Papa.
Andrew joined us for a family picture.
Christmas Eve woudn’t be complete wihout our annual drive through Santa’s Rockin’ Lights at Living History Farms. We call it Hoi Hoi Hoi.

Solstice Spiral Walk

To celebrate the solstice, the Reagens hosted a spiral walk in their backyard. It was a beautiful evening and a good time was had by all. Special shout-out to Nate who quickly improvised some candles stands, and mother nature for bringing no wind.

CSB/SJU Visit

This weekend Susan and Erin took Mari, Cameron, Elliot and Hope up to St. Bens/St. Johns for a college visit.

Riding in the minivan.
Lucia, Rose and I went to the Valley football game.
Susan and Erin were glad to be back.