Welcome to our new blog! This is very new for us. We have been reading blogs all summer to get pictures of the Cropper family for our Reunion DVD. It has been delightful to view all of the creativity and just so much fun to keep up on all the "happenings". However, I have learned that if I begin to look at blogs, I had better plan to be at the computer for a very long time. Everyone's blogs have links to other blogs that grab my interest. I am becoming a blog junkie.

Our big project for 2008 has been the Cropper Family 2008 Reunion. The picture is a composite of eight different photographs. The family members arrived and departed at various times during the five days of our reunion. (Our family is wearing the dark green t-shirts.)It took 30 hours to combine all the photos on Photoshop. Even then, it is not perfect. But it is a great attendance record! :)

When we began planning it almost two years ago, we decided to focus the Reunion on Max's parents, Kenneth and Leora Cropper. At this point, there are 133 descendents and six more are expected between now and February. Many, many hours were spent putting together fun activities and games that would highlight Grandpa and Grandma Cropper. We also tried to emphasize the needs of the children that would be attending and tried to make sure that every activity would include all ages. The reunion was held in August. We rented a cabin close to Grace, Idaho. For the most part, it was a success. We had 82 people attend and shared many fun moments together.

A big thank-you to all family members who helped out in so many, many ways, both before and during the reunion, to make it all work.

One of the activities was an informal talent night. Our family chose to sing a crazy song called, "I'm My Own Grandpa!" I will post a clip of it on here if I can figure out how.

We tried to upload the video of our family singing this song, along with the progressive pedigree chart that makes sense out of it. However, this blog will only support a video of 100 MB and our video contains 425 MB. This is likely because there are five verses with a chorus before, after and in between each one. So . . . this is such a fun song that I am going to post the words of the poem. You can also see the photo of our chart.

I'm My Own Grandpa

Many, many years ago when I was twenty three
I was married to a widow who was pretty as could be.
This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red.
My father fell in love with her and soon the two were wed.

This made my dad my son-in-law and changed my very life,
For my daughter was my mother 'cause she was my father's wife.
To complicate the matter even though it brought me joy,
I soon became the father of a bouncing baby boy.

My little baby then became a brother-in-law to Dad,
And so became my uncle, though it made me very sad.
For if he was my uncle then that also made him brother
Of the widow's grown-up daughter who, of course, was my stepmother.

Father's wife then had a son who kept them on the run.
And he became my grandchild for he was my daughter's son.
My wife is now my mother's mother and it makes me blue
Because although she is my wife, she's my grandmother too.

Now if my wife is my grandmother, then I'm her grandchild.
And everytime I think of it, it nearly drives me wild.
For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw:
As husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa!

I'm my own grandpa! I'm my own grandpa!
It sounds funny I know, but it really is so.
Oh, I'm My Own Grandpa!