Family Reunion in Maine

We went to Maine on Thursday, and had an easy going afternoon visiting with Grandma. The trip up was tough since we did not use the DVD player in the car. B has been getting sick of all the complaining about who has to clean it all up when we get back home, so he put the cabash on bringing it this time. R sat in the back row of the van listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (yes, he is starting them all over from the beginning), and E tried to keep busy with the tons of activities I had packed for him. He actually did a great job.

That evening she had to go out, so B and I enjoyed some of Lost, on a DVD we had brought, while the boys slept.

Friday morning we took a tour of Tom's of Maine. The company moved to my mom's town a couple of years ago (which I hadn't heard till now) and gives tours of the factory.
I was really bummed that they wouldn't let us take photos, but here's one I swiped from their website. We couldn't actually go into the room where they were making the toothpaste, but we saw the enormous tubes it was squished through along the ceiling into the room we were allowed in, saw it being squirted into the tubes, and the tubes being crimped shut. Then the machine put them into the boxes.

They make toothpaste every day, but alternate days on their other machine, between mouthwash and deodorant. Unfortunately we got there at break time though, and that machine wasn't on. The factory is so close to my mom's house though, that we will go back and see them make deodorant another time.

Yeah, we got free samples. Toothpaste and floss. We also got to write our names on the wall of their factory tour visitor's room. Definitely a very cool (and free) tour, which we will do again.

After the tour we went to the movies at Smitty's, which is a movie theater and restaurant combined. We had lunch and watched Underdog, which was a riot.

After that we went and did some blueberry picking. Blueberries are just coming into season in Maine, and it was easy pickin's. It started to rain though, so we needed to cut it short.

We spent an easy evening at home, since we knew the next day would be busy. We had a really fun family day. B and I did comment, at one point during the movies, that it was nice to just be doing easy going, enjoyable things, out together as a family.

Saturday was our family reunion. It was at a park nearby my mom's house.
My grandmother likes to remind everyone that she is in her "90th year", I guess so that when she plans something people show up. She is concerned that the family will drift apart (she has eight children, 17 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren) when she dies, so she likes to get us together as often as she can arrange (and pay!) for it.

R and B started their day playing some par 3 golf with Aunt Debbie and Uncle Rob. It meant they'd be late for the reunion, but R really wanted to fit it in. So B took my mom's car and I took my mom and E, and all the people my mom always picks up for things like this. We were one of the first ones there and helped to set up.

I volunteered to provide the music for this gathering, and I have to admit, I did a great job. I got compliments all day. A little something for everyone. I put together six CD's worth of music, and more than one person asked me for copies at the end of the day.

Everyone had a fun time, and the boys didn't want to leave when it was over. Both boys love playing with all of their cousins. R was the first of five boys born into our family in 1997, so there's a lot of fun to be had. They had a wonderful time swimming in the lake and learning to play horseshoes, which E is totally into now.

Sunday we spent some time with Grandma (my mom) and Aunt Debbie before heading home. Grandma treated us to lunch at the Applebees which recently opened in her town (and which was surprisingly very good), gave the boys each their requisite $5 to spend at Dollar Tree, and we did some more blueberry picking.

A very enjoyable weekend!