Welcome to my first two-days-in one post. This is because we had a very late night last night at the Shepherd family party.

The party didn’t start until 2 so we spent the morning doing a tour of Stokesay Castle. It was yet another beautiful day and they had an audio tour, so everyone was happy.

We walked the grounds and pretended to be princesses, as one does when visiting a castle. The chapel next to the castle is still used today and we once again attempted to explain religion and prayer to Millie.

Millie was tired from the late night the night before and we knew she had another one ahead of her. She is at a tricky age where she won’t nap but will also completely lose it if she doesn’t have enough sleep. We decided to go for a long drive through the countryside hoping she’d pass out, but the excitement of the party was just too much to overcome. So, in reality with drove 1.5 hours home on a journey that should have been 20 minutes.

At 2pm, we walked over and the festivities began. This was the first time, maybe ever, that this entire side of the family has been together. These are all the descendants & their plus-ones (missing my sister and two other cousins) of my paternal grandparents. We really multiplied!

My generation of cousins:

Millie was beside herself with happiness playing with her “new cousins” that she had never met before.

We had a beautiful spread of food & cakes, thanks to my cousins.

As the sun started to set and those with longer journeys or less stamina left, we lit a fire and made s’mores.

We sat around the fire chatting, with Millie laid out on her new cousins’ laps, just in heaven. Finally at 11pm, the latest she’s ever been up, we walked home. Despite the late night and no nap, she rallied, powered by fun and love.

This morning we all woke up exhausted. My cousin Polly cooked a big proper English breakfast and we started to come back to life. We packed up and started the 3 hour drive to our next location, which somehow might be more beautiful than where we’ve come from.