Lion Oil reunion

On Memorial Day weekend, the weekend after Will's last day of school and our visit to Guy and Julie's we went to Hot Springs for our annual "Lion Oil reunion". This is a group of several families that get together each year in the summer. The husbands in these families - and one wife, Melissa - used to work together at Lion Oil. We are the only family still in El Dorado, but when they all lived here, we used to get together often. This get together has become an annual tradition and we look forward to it each summer. We've been to New Orleans, Heber Springs, Memphis, Many (La). . . this year we went to Hot Springs. The families who were able to come (there were 2 or 3 who were not there) were the Strattons - Brent, Holly, Phillip and Thomas; the Lees - Brett, Melanie, Nicholas and J.P.; the Myricks - Melissa, Kenny, Evan and Ella; the Aikmans - John, Annette, Lexi and Matthew and us. Five families in 2 condos. The Lees and Strattons have older boys; Will and Lexi are 5; Evan, Matthew and Ainsley are 2; and baby Ella is 5 months old.

Nicolas Lee, Ainsley, Will, Evan Myrick, J.P. Lee

Will, Lexi Aikman, Matthew Aikman, Ainsley

Ainsley and Evan Myrick

Ella Myrick

Somehow we didn't get any pictures of the Stratton kids!

It was quite an experience keeping the kids from going out the front door (to the parking lot) or out the back door (to the lake)! One time we missed Matthew and he had gotten out and was down on the dock (which did not have a rail). Not exactly relaxing, but fun. We all went to eat at Doe's Eat Place Saturday night and then we went with the Aikmans to get ice cream. We ate in the rest of the time, with each family responsible for one meal. There was a pool that we went to several times. It was Will and Ainsley's first time to swim this summer. Will LOVED it!! He got pretty good at jumping off the side, he put his face under without a problem, he kicked and moved his arms better. We're thinking this may be the summer for swimming lessons. Ainsley was unsure at first, but she had a good time. She tried to jump like the big kids, but she just jumps in place, she doesn't really jump "out", so you had to help her.





The kids had a good time playing together. Lexi kept Will and Ainsley entertained with "learning lessons", as she called them (she brought some flashcards from home and they played "school" where Lexi was the teacher), reading books, swimming, and eating snacks (even Will ate some goldfish crackers with the other kids!). The adults had a good time visiting, swimming, trying to keep up with the kids, eating, drinking, eating some more, etc. Who knows where we'll go next year?!