Rick and I had our family reunion the second week of August. We had it at Downata Hot springs this year. We, plus Skylar and Sarah, plus Brach and Kendra each pulled a trailer to stay in. Skylar borrowed Sarah's uncle's trailer while Brach rented one from a trailer company. We were all very nicely situated. The kids had fun sleeping on the bunk beds!
Kaitlyn (and Gary) could not make it this year so Rick and I picked up Haivyn for her to come along. She stayed with us in our trailer.
We arrived on Thursday evening and got set up. Skylar and Sarah were just a few minutes behind us. After getting the RV"s set up we got started on some dinner. We were behind schedule and EVERYONE was hungry. We made hamburgers and hot dogs on Rick's new portable grill that he got for Father's Day. It was it's maiden voyage! It worked great! We had chips and salad to go with it. Brach and Kendra arrived just as we got started.
After dinner we had a get together to celebrate Skylar's birthday from just a few days earlier. Sarah made him his requested carrot cake. We sang Happy Birthday to him and had some cake. Then we gathered around the campfire. Some of us shared some family history stories. That was really nice. We then had a few campfire songs and s'mores to finish off. Everyone headed to bed at that point to get ready for the coming day.
The next morning started out with a fabulous breakfast from Skylar and Sarah. They made breakfast burritos with fruit. It was all very tasty!
Next on the agenda was a kids craft organized by Sarah and Kendra. They had the kids make fun designs out of craft sticks, paint, gems and stickers. It was a bit of a messy project but they had fun.
While the kids had their project we were over at the next table playing a game of Settlers.
Skylar won!😏
After the craft we all got sunscreen up and ready for the hot pools!
We took the shade which really helped us to have a cooler spot to hang out. I think we all had a wonderful time with the pools, slides, and splash pad. I thought it was perfect for all of the littles. It was fun because even Rafe and Henry were big enough to go on the slides! Scout and Haivyn were both tall enough but not courageous enough. Maybe next time! 😄
Here's some pictures of everyone....
After swimming we had a wonderful dinner hosted by Brach and Kendra.
They made pasta and there was plenty of food! Brach had stopped in Malad and picked up some fresh corn. It was sooo good!
While dinner was being made the kids worked on our family puzzle. With a little help from Skylar and Kendra they were able to get it finished!
Next was the family program. Grandpa Rick was the emcee and had some funny jokes to tell. The Phelps family did a cute dance to Spongebob Squarepants. They had cute shirts too. Grandma recited the poem "Who Loved Best?" and talked to the kids about helping their mamas. Lastly, the grandkids did little skit about an invisible bench. Even little Brady and Daisy joined in! It was really cute!
The last thing we did for the night was an outdoor movie. The family decided on watching "Aladdin". I brought out the popcorn and treats and we enjoyed the show. Only a few of us lasted until the end. One by one everyone kind of peeled off while kids fell asleep. Then it was bedtime after a long day!
The next morning we got up to a continental breakfast of cereals and doughnuts and milk and juice. The Phelps's headed out fairly early while the Bomans wanted to do a little more swimming. I decided that I would just get things packed up and ready to go. While doing so we got a surprise visit from Travis and Heather Gregerson who were there with their two boys. It was nice visiting with them!
The Bomans came back and got packed up and we left about the same time.
Overall, it was a great reunion! Downata was a great place to have it. The kids had a lot of area to run around and explore and we all felt safe. We may be back another year!
