Kohlenstein Family: Family and More Family

An Easter weekend packed full of fun! It started with early morning travel to Charlottesville, VA with Aunt Kathy, Uncle Rich, Conor & Aschton. We boarded a private plane out of Concord, NC and about an hour later landed in Charlottesville, MUCH better than a 5 hour drive. Erik was our co-pilot (yeah, I know... seperate blog will be created).

We went straight to our hotel to meet Aunt Kimmie, Uncle Marc, Angelina & Gabriella. We all headed to Kings Family Vineyard for an afternoon of fun and relaxation in the sun (and wine of course). We were greeted by (Fanella relatives) Aunt Denise, Uncle Larry, & Conor (flew in from WA); Grandma Tina; Aunt Linda & Richard; Cousins Heather, Anthony and their kids Matthew, Emma, & Luke; Cousins Natalie, Dan, and their kids David, Brayden, & baby King due in September; and Grammie joined us later in the day. A total of 16 adults and 12 children running loose in the fields, kicking and throwing balls, watching the horses, eating food, and lots of wine! It was about 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky... B E A U T I F U L!

After our beautiful afternoon, we headed to cousins Heather & Anthony's house for the evening. Pizza, subs, snacks, and more wine... the kids played outside and we talked and laughed. Poppy was soon to join the party for the evening. It was awesome to watch all the kids interact and the different personalities and they are certainly different.

This was an extra special weekend for me and Erik, as we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary with family. This is the same family that was with us on the day we got married, so extremely appropriate for them to help us celebrate... anniversary cake and more wine! As I looked around at everyone and especially Aunt Linda, I clearly remember my last visit with Uncle Dave before he passed. He made one last trip to NC to our wedding, this trip for him was so much appreciated and the moments spent with him stay very close to my heart. We miss Uncle Dave dearly and he is so very proud of Heather, Natalie & Ryan and all his little grandchildren!

Friday went super fast and we hoped Saturday would go much slower! We met Kim & Kathy's families for breakfast at the hotel - I'm sure they loved us, 6 adults & 6 children. Erik & I went our seperate way and met up with Aunt Karen, Uncle Allen, Burt & Tyler (Kohlenstein family). We spend time at a local park to let the kids play and interact with Erik's cousins. It was another beautiful day. We enjoyed a great lunch and then headed back to the hotel for quick naps. Back to Heather & Anthony's house for more play, dinner, and wine. Aunt Dawn & Cousin Dustin joined us for the evening as we played, laughed, and shared lots of stories. Poppy & Grammie also spent time with everyone.... 19 adults & 12 children - C R A Z Y.

Sunday morning... Easter Bunny visited Owen & Cammie in our hotel room and left baskets full of goodies. Cammie loved the little snacks of course and Owen mostly played with his watch and car keys. We headed down for Easter breakfast with Kim & Kathy plus families. This was more a breakfast for Erik, Rich, and the kids as we were going to Aunt Linda's for brunch. We spent about 2 hours with everyone Easter morning for brunch. All the same gang, except we were joined by cousin Ryan and Jesse (his fiancée). We learned that Natalie & Dan are moving to Charlottesville over the summer... yeah! We took lots of pictures and enjoyed another beautiful day together.

Time to say goodbye - for the Fanella's that could take 30 minutes with all the hugs and kisses! We boarded our plan with Kathy, Rich and the twins and in a very quick 1 hour.... touched back down in Concord, NC. We wanted to see Bubba before heading home, so off to Huntersville. Erik was able to squeeze a quick boat ride in (to move the boat to a different cove) but it still gave him the chance to power up the boat as it was 80 degrees in Charlotte. We spent an hour with Bubba and then headed home for dinner, bath, and early bedtime. Owen & Camden were extremely well behaved and had a great weekend playing with all their cousins. We miss everyone already and look forward to doing this again!

Enjoy a few of many pictures that were taken over the weekend. I apologize if someone is left out, I grabbed a handful to show how much fun we had and how great everyone looks!