Family reunions

Friday and Saturday:

I come from a huge family on my mom's side. No really - it IS a huge family. Our family has a family directory that has over 600 names in it. Yeah, a big family. But every year our family still tries to get together for a family reunion. I've been going to these reunions as far back as I can remember, and have missed probably less than 10 in my lifetime. I LOVE my family reunions. We have gone a lot of places. Most of the "family vacations" when I was growing up had something to do with a family reunion.

So this weekend we had one of those great family reunions. My uncle's family hosted the reunion in central Utah. We went up in the mountains (a long way. We kept climbing higher and higher!!) by a mountain lake and camped overnight. It was a ton of fun. My kids are starting to be able to enjoy these family reunions and the random second cousins and great aunts/uncles they get to meet there.

My uncle made a theme reunion this year. It was cowboy theme. So all the activities followed the cowboy theme. We had all sorts of activities going on. The first day, we decorated cowboy hats.

Then the kids rotated around 4 different activities:

1) they made and shot off rockets. (this was A's favorite activity. Her rocket seemed to go the highest).

2) they panned for gold (spray painted rocks that they raked into the sand volleyball pit).

3) they had target practice (used air soft pellet guns to shoot at tin cans).

4) they threw darts at balloons.

After the activities, the "bank" was opened where they could trade their gold for treats and prizes. Then during dinner, "bandits" came and robbed the bank - and took my niece hostage! The kids had to get sworn in to be deputies, complete with badges, and use rope licorice to get the bad guys. Then we had entertainment by a cowboy poet.

The next day, we went on a hike and skipped rocks.

On our way back to camp, we hunted for (gummy) bears. The kids were thrilled with finding the bears!

Then, while the adults when trapshooting, the kids got to go on a wild horse round-up (they had spread plastic horses around on the grass for the kids to find).

The final activity was family relay-style barrel racing (on foam horses).

All these activities, plus there were canoes available for us to use, and my uncle rigged up a zip-line. Believe me, we had a great time at the family reunion!!