Family Day, August 2008

Every year in August around the time of our anniversary, we celebrate a family day. We arise to cinnamon rolls, cheese eggs and spend the morning together remembering the ways we have seen God's hand work in our lives over the previous year. Every year, we come up with more reflections of His faithfulness than I thought we would have and it helps us to write the story of the Clarksons year by year--giving us a heritage to pass on of God's faithfulness! Then we drive up to Mueller state park for a picnic of once a year home-fried chicken, baked beans, deviled eggs, fruit, Texas sheet cake and have fun.

Each year we have to take a family picture. Over the years, we have hiked, giggled, fed the birds, run through the hills and trails--and always 1000 pictures. First is the big family picture. Then we take lots of other pictures fun, wild, silly and so on, and of course since I think this might be our last family day when we are all together, I insisted on a lot of pictures. Here are a few!

All the kids being serious.

silliness.

Boys being boys--at 6'3 and 6'5, they are no longer my little boys! Nate, 19; Joel, almost 22!

The girls--Joy, 13, Sarah, 24 and Sally--ancient!

Running through the fields.

The Mama and Papa.