The 1st Ray and Freeda Costner Family Reunion 2009

A while ago my aunt Christine suggested that we have a Costner Reunion for my mom's side of the family. My sister Mechelle and I agreed, but that was the last I heard about it. Sometimes I can't stand having an idea in my head and not doing anything about it. So, since no one else was doing anything about it, I took it upon myself to plan it. Let me tell you, that was a lot of hard work! It was so nice to see it come to fruition though. I was able to get all 7 Costner siblings to come and participate. We got a nice place reserved to meet at, had lots of good food, fun games and activities and everyone got to visit and catch up. I'm so glad it was a success. The next one wont be for another two years, so I have some time to relax. :)

(collage courtesy of Mechelle)

A small portion of my mom's family.

The brothers and sisters and the sister-in-laws.

The brothers and sisters and a portion (if not all) of their families.

My grandpa Costner lives in a home, so everyone took some time while we were there to go and visit him. My girls don't have very long attention spans, so we didn't stay long, but I thought it was important for them to be able to see him. My sister named her baby after him, so it was nice to see them together. His name is Ray Lee and my niece is Raeleigh.

My Brothers

A couple weeks ago, my brothers came to visit for a couple days. It was so fun to have them around. The visit was definitely too short. They both stayed a night at my house and we had lots of fun visiting and playing games.

We all got together at my house for dinner and took a few pictures. All of my siblings were there except Brianne. She was definitely missed. From L to R is Mechelle holding her new baby Raeleigh, Marc, Me, Alisha and Brant. As you can see, my brothers are mutants. Brant is 6'4" and Marc is 6'8". None of us girls are over 5'6". Crazy.

This is Marc with my girls. Hes a nuclear engineer. Most kids love Marc. Hes very funny and hes lots of fun to climb on and he can put kids up to the ceiling. Even so, he couldn't even get close to Taryn until about 10 min before he left, and she was still a little wary. Marc came without his wonderful wife Candace, sob. She had to work and didn't have the time off. Shes a special ed teacher specializing in autism.

My brother Brant is great. Hes one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and hes got male model looks and style to go along with it. Hes going to school to become a counselor for kids. He married one of the best girls out there. Nadine is fabulous and shes a great hairstylist. They have two of the cutest kids ever!

This is Eli. Hes very shy, but you can tell hes really smart! I think it runs in the family :)

This is LillyAnne. She is one of the prettiest babies Ive ever seen. She is so cuddly and she'll let anyone hold her.