Cheadle Lake - Day 1

Lydia and her ball.

Heather crocheting.

I looked over and Lydia was surrounded by all these cute little boys! Annie, like a good friend, was standing by to rescue her anytime she wanted away!

Anna made her dress and did a LOVELY job! Well done Anna!

The boys lined up for the first time this weekend. It was Josh's first battle! It was great to have him here! I think he is hooked! David, Taylor, Josh, Michael, Dad, and Mr. C are all in this picture!

Our boys at the fence. You can see David, Taylor, Mr. C and then Michael at the far right.

David, Josh, Mr. C and Michael.

Cooling down in the shade after the first battle. Those "cooling down" times are great fun because we are all together laughing and talking.

While sitting in the shade I decided to take some portraits without the victims knowing!

Taylor.

Michael.

"Kami, do you have cookies in there????"

David.

Josh.

Keslie.

Annie.

Mr. Hughes fighting in blue against "our" boys!

I don't know her name but I thought she was just darling! She was cooling her feet in a water pail.

Resting after a battle. They were really sleeping too. It was really hot in those wool pants and coats.

Then our soldiers and the kids decided that they needed to get even hotter, and play "Sharks and minnows"!

But Mrs. L and Annie decided to stay cooler in the shade and play Mancala.

Josh playing in the heat.

And Mike!

I thought this was a funny picture. Taylor looks silly, Ehlana looks like a pretty Olive Oil from Popeye, and Mike looks tough with his big fists!

Gracie taking care of Lydia.

Lydia resting with Daddy in the shade during the heat of the day. They looked SO cute together!

Where are you? Our little clown!

There's a good smile.

Gabe and Lydia playing together.

Yeah, that's Mike for you!

Playing with marbles.

Sneak peek into the next Fairchild Film. Oh wait, I didn't say that! "I know nothing!"

Ben and Ben getting ready for their reenacting tradition, wrestling.

Do we have a winner? They have so much fun with wrestling together! It has become something they look forward to with great anticipation. Oh! It was Benjamin C's birthday today as well! He turned 8. He is just 15 days younger than our Ben!

Cheadle Lake - Day 2

David and Josh around the campfire. It was the only time that we felt like sitting next to the fire!

For all you Fairchild Family Fans!

Confederates in the distance.

Our "boys"

Michael wounded and being helped by a fellow soldier.

Oh no! David was shot too! It's amazing that it really could have been my brother laying there if he had lived during the 1860's.

They're coming! Michael is second from the left Taylor is fourth.

Michael, David and Josh. Ummm, David looks a little...little short! What happened!

A man just lost his brother.

Rally round the flag boys!

"My Josh" as Lydia calls him!

Taps. Talk about getting goose bumps! Listening to taps played and looking at a field of dead soldiers and other soldiers with their heads bared really is most touching. It's hard to keep back the tears.

More soldiers mourning the loss of their friends.

Believe it or not, when you're a reenactor you learn to do things you never thought possible, like sleeping during a battle!

Family from San Diego and Oregon!

We were blessed with a lovely visit with my grandma's cousin, his wife and their daughter on Tuesday evening. Cousin Ralph and Dorothy live in San Diego in the middle of an avocado orchard! They were twice spared from fires in recent years. Their daughter, Sue, lives about 35 minutes west of us so when her parents came to visit her they came by here for the evening! They brought pizza, a veggie tray and dessert! Boy, was that a treat!

Greeting the family

Cousin Dorothy, Grandma and Cousin Ralph

Cousin Sue, Cousin Ralph, Cousin Dorothy, Grandma and Grandpa

Cousin Sue and mom, don't they look alike? :)

Before dinner we headed to Lacomb to see the house.

Daddy describing something to a captive audience.

This, believe it or not, is our back mudroom porch!

All the family who will live in the new house except David who wasn't home from work yet.

We were able to save this Camellia during all the logging and clean up. Now we are able to enjoy the lovely blossoms!

They were very interested with the Civil War Reenacting we do so David got out his musket and let them fire a couple of rounds from it! It was so funny to hear Grandpa yelling at the enemy when he shot the gun! It was great fun!

Cousin Ralph loading the musket with his daughter Sue watching.

"Make sure you get it all in!"

Even Cousin Dorothy was amused to watch her husband loading the musket even if she didn't like the noise it made!

Using the ramrod!

Everyone except David and Sue!

Thanks for the lovely visit! Can't wait to see you all again soon!