Kemper Family Farm Weekend 2012

The big happy family!  (Tony, Sandra and Brayden Kemper and Uncle Larry are not in the photo)

I look forward to this weekend every year.  At some point during the Summer, usually around Grandma Kemper's birthday, the family gets together at the farm, celebrates our heritage and also does a few odd jobs to help Grandma out.  You know, give her a little bit back for all she has done for us.  I so enjoy spending time with my aunts, uncles, cousins and others that come out for the weekend.  We get to catch up on all the happenings and stories of the last year and I can't explain how much it means to me that my kids get to experience their great big family in this way. 

Wyatt and Brayden going around in circles

Lorelai and Brayden headed to the park.

We arrived in town on Friday afternoon and got to spend some much needed time with the VanLaeys family and my brother and his family.  It was actually a really nice cool day in Western Kansas!  I had a jacket on for a while and as you will read below, the weather in Kansas changes as fast as the time of day.  We took the kids to the school park up the street and let them burn some energy stored up from the long car rides.  My Mom pulled a couple of them in the now old little red wagon and it must have been a great ride as there were arguments on the way home from the kids as to who got the ride. We had a great steak dinner provided by the Kemper farm and my brother's margaritas.  Yummy! 

Visiting Great Grandpa's Grave

My Mom had bought each of the kids a little flower arrangement to place on their Great Grandpa Kemper's grave for Memorial Weekend so we headed to the cemetery after dinner to pay respects and visit about those who are no longer with us.  The kids of course are now in their prime hour before bed so they were crazy but I am pretty sure my Grandpa thought this would have been funny and didn't mind a bit. 




Saturday everyone met at the farm bright and early for breakfast.  First order of business?  Feed the baby calf!  My Dad took all the kids out to the pens and they got to watch him bottle feed the little baby.  So cute!  The kids got right up close and some even got brave enough to pet it. 

Painting the clothes line poles

Then it was back to the house for more breakfast and to get started on our many projects.  The kids took off and ran and ran and ran.  And then ran some more!  Grandma's clothes line needed to be redone so they pulled the poles out, painted them, moved it to get it out of the walkway and cemented it back in the ground.  It looked so good and we definitely should have done this for her a long time ago!  Several people got busy cleaning her house.  Wiping down walls, pulling out her big rug under the dining table and just sprucing things up.  Nothing like a little Spring cleaning to brighten your little corner of the world!  We also hauled everything out of her wash house, aside from her clothes dryer, an old cream separator and an old washing machine (I'm talking about the kind with the ringer on top!) and cleaned and painted the inside.  I wish I had thought to take a before and after picture because it was pretty amazing how well it all cleaned up!  Lunch was provided by all the cousins and we did our usual grilling burgers/hotdogs and sides and desserts. 

Tony with all the boys on the Farmall

After lunch my Uncle Marc and Dad got my Grandpa's old Farmall tractor out and pulled out a dead tree from the yard.  This is a pretty special tractor and it got me thinking that someone (namely Sean and Ayston) needs to take the time to rebuild it to its former glory.  See, the tractor was the first one my Grandpa Kemper purchased by himself.  He bought it in 1941 for around $1100.  A lot of money back then.  Today it wouldn't even buy you the tires!  My Dad pulled it into the garage out of the wind which just happened to be blowing like crazy that day.  My Uncle Marc read a poem that my Dad said reminded him of my Grandpa and my Aunt Coleen, who is pretty good at keeping people and stories straight about the family, told us some facts about the farm.  There were lots of pictures taken with the tractor! 

Great Grandkids with the Farmall

Uncle Larry and Aunt Coleen

After the work was done, we were all pretty tired and beat up from the wind and dirt in the air and headed home for naps and showers before dinner.  We met at Uncle Marc and Aunt Tam's for happy hour (yay!) and pizza. My Uncle Larry and Aunt Coleen were celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary so we all surprised them with a cake and heard stories about their wedding day.  Holy cow our parents were all crazy back then!  It was a great ending to a really great day!

Happy Birthday Grandma Kemper!

Sunday everyone attended church and then we met for lunch at the church hall.  Ribs, meatballs and so many other yummy things!  We were joined by family from Arizona and Seldon, KS and they helped us celebrate my Grandma Kemper's 95th birthday!

Every year, I am reminded how special the family farm/ranch is to me.  It has always been a place I loved to go visit and I remember lots of holidays there with the very cousins I now get to spend this weekend with.  I love sharing it with my husband and kids too.  Hopefully they will too have some great memories to share like I do.  Thanks to all who made the trip out and I will see you next year!!!!