Reunion time

It's weird to think that my family has to have reunions to get together.  We've gotten large enough and spread out enough, that we have to get it on the calendar months ahead so that we can get together. Actually, we've never ALL been together.  There have been scout camps, EFY, work, etc.  This year we missed one hubby and my brother since he was meeting his fiance's sister that was returning from her mission.

We have so much fun.  The kids play, the adults visit and when we're not doing that, we're eating. 

What is it about our reunions that makes them so much fun?

1.  We're all friends!  We love and accept each other. 
2.  Candy cannon.  Seriously.  It's so much fun.  We all bring several pounds of candy, stuff it into this cannon thing, and shoot it out hundreds of feet.  And shoot it.  And shoot it.  It's a crack up.  Once in awhile someone gets pegged in the head, but it's worth it.  :)
3.  Mountains.  We love the mountains.
4.  Camping.  It's cheap and we can all shower when we're DONE having fun.
5.  Food
6.  Activities.  This year, there was a fishing pond where the boys got cowboy hats. 
7.  S'mores

8.  The kids build huts.

New to this year?

1.  We did a flag retiring ceremony.  It was very neat.  I love our flag and all that it represents.

2.  A slept on TOP of the suburban.

3.  G slept on a trailer bed that was there.

4.  We threw out our tent after the campout.  The door didn't zip closed.  That was an adventure.

5.  D got us alligators. 

6.  We swerved around an avalanche as we were driving up the mountain.  Seriously.  I was pointing out to the kids where an avalanche had been.  My finger pointing and all, when all of a sudden,we see a two foot boulder rolling down the VERY verticle hill.  It bounced OVER the cement barrior and on to the road.  I had to swerve to miss it otherwise it would have hit the front passenger side of the car.  It was crazy.  I was the first one at the reunion so whenever the next family member got up there, they would ask, "Did you see that huge boulder on the road?"  And we would say, "Yes, we had to swerve around it after watching it roll down the hill and bounce over the cement barrior!"  And yes, boulders DO bounce.  We saw it.  Anway, we felt very blessed that we hadn't gotten hurt.

7.  Watching my big boys be SO cute to the younger cousins.  They were good sports.  They don't have any cousins their age on either side, so it's been very lonely for years.  It melted my heart to watch them.
8.  Secret sibling/Secret cousin day

Thank you family for making the effort and being great.  'Twas fun.