Highlights of the Ebbert Family Reunion

Well, as many of you know, our house was swarmed with Ebberts last week. First came the Shane Ebbert family, with his lovely wife Sarah, and their darling, talkative Kathryn. Next came the Todd Ebbert family, with his amazing wife Deanna, and their two children, Alia and Lawson. Then, although delayed by a huge storm in Nebraska, Paul Ebbert (my dad) and his wife Nancy, along with with their dog, Akita (sp?), and the only other non-Ebbert, besides our family, my sister April Barton, arrived two days late. 16 people and a pet if you want the short end of things.

I just wanted to give you some of the highlights for me. First let me say it was AWESOME!! It was so much fun to be together. It was nice that we all stayed here most nights (except one night in Nauvoo) so that we had down time just to talk or play games or nap. I think it would have been harder if we were all in different locations at various hotels. So I guess that was one of the highlights for me. Just relaxing together. We all need a break once in a while, so in that regard, I think it was nice for all of us. We've all been busy this past little while, so it was nice to have Greg with us and to be with others that we loved. Also, just being in each other's space and eating meals together and seeing each other in our pajamas just made it seem so familial. It was great!

I have been gone from home now for almost 13 years now, so I kind of think of my sibs as well, younger. It was awesome for me to see them grown up and married with families of their own. My brothers are both good men, in different ways, who have married very well. Being older than them, I sort of felt this mother hen pride as I watched them, maybe something a kin to how I will feel when my own children have their own families. My sister too has grown up a lot, even in the 2 years that she has been married. It just made me intensely happy to see what kind of people they are, and I thought my mom certainly would be smiling down on us all.

We did a lot of fun stuff too, although, with the exception of going to the temple, that was all secondary for me. Being together was the best thing. We did enjoy trips to the family museum here, dinner at the Machine Shed (good down home farm meals), a trip to John Deere headquarters, John Deere pavillion, and an adults tour of John Deere Harvester works, along with a couple of days in Nauvoo. We also had a family talent show. That was great fun.

One thing I would have changed is being able to see my dad and Nancy more. They got there late, and then they were swarmed with grandkids. It was fun to see my dad play with them, though. It sure is nice for us weary parents to have grandparent intervention once in a while.

One last thing I enjoyed is seeing the relationships my children were building. My girls loved playing with their cousin Alia. I felt I hardly saw Anna all week because she was so engaged in play most of the time. Ben is the same age as Kathryn and Lawson, and for their age, their sure did great together. I hope they will become better friends as they grow older. I was a little worried that Adam would be bored all week since he didn't have anyone to play with. Boy was I wrong! My brothers took care of him. They played multiple, multiple basketball games, mock tournament games, with Adam commentating each play. They talked about basketball with him, even, much to his father's dismay, brainwashed him into rooting for Duke (a lot of good that did). My dad brought him an NCAA tournament hat and program, which he continues to pore over, memorizing the most obscure things. Adam was also able to coerce both aunts and uncles to play many board games with him. He hasn't had so much attention since he was an only child!

All in all it was a fabulous week. It made me remember what a great family I have. It also made me so excited that my brother Todd and his family are moving to Iowa City in just one more year. It will be good to share more of our life events with them. The Ebbert family Rocks!