Family Reunion Part 1

I already know there will be other parts so I figured I just start out parting the posts.

Apparently I don't take many pictures even when I am not in charge of the family reunion.  Ya for you!  I just hope everyone else shares their pictures and actually took out their camera once in a while.   I know Emily and Mom got some good ones cuz I took some with their cameras. 

Emily did an awesome job for her year.  She was well prepared and everyone got to participate in alot of different activities that the families had prepared, most loosely based on the theme "Mission Possible".  Emily also had prepared for devotionals, FHE, temple trip and a talent show which led to more spiritual time/discussion with the family (so cool). We spent quite a bit of time at the house which gave the kids time to play and just spend time together (and stay up until 2am talking... naughty teenagers).  BTW, if I took ur fingerprints and you want them, I'll mail them to you.   I don't know why I kept them... probably for something nefarious.  One of the activities I had prepared was to try and lift some prints off of surfaces and identify them but I never got around to setting it up.  Maybe next time we get together, now that I have the flour, cocoa, brushes, and packing tape all ready.  Just call me prepared.

Also, kudos to Emily for a reunion with no fainting this year.  There was some hypoglycemic and not enough sleep grumbling but I'd say that just goes with the nature of the activity.

I made bags again this year.  Don't worry, it was at Emily's request.  This picture is what I sent to Mom and Emily for them to decide which color was better.  Ya, like that happened.  All I got was "Whatever is easiest" X 2.  I was going to do half and half but then I got carried away with the blue (old cut out jeans) so there ended up being alot more blue but it all worked out in the end.  Most people were actually confused when I asked them if they wanted blue or red.  I guess those triangles just aren't that noticeable.  I had wanted to try out different types of backpacks rather than these sports bags but ran out of time (read... too lazy to start early enough).  I did make a mockup of one of the types I was thinking about but it took a while to sew, let alone finish.  So I just went back, read the tutorial from last time (choosing to ignore my original suggestion to JUST BUY THEM!) and went from there.  What can I say, I needed a project to while away the hours before the reunion.

Oh ya, and thanks to Melissa, I got better at putting those triangles on at the end.  I was complaining on our bike ride about how squirly/frayey and thus hard to sew down when she suggested using "wonder under" or some similar product on them.  Duh!  I had bought a whole bunch of that stuff for my quiet book and didn't even think about using it.  I even unpicked all those I had done before... mostly because I had bought the wrong size of rope and couldn't finish 'em on the Sunday before like I had planned and so had time on my hands that evening.  I had to finish the rest of them up in Provo with the help of Emily and roommates.  Thanks!

So, the next pictures are of an activity I did on Wednesday.... or Tuesday afternoon.  Don't recall.  It was in the morning so it must have been Wednesday.  We had lots of fun on the other days and I enjoyed my weekend with Emily (one of my favorite activities of all time is stuffing the grab bags.  I tried not to buy too many things for it cuz I knew Emily would go overboard on it.  She's so awesome), but any pictures taken then were with Emily's or Mother's camera.

Here they are, trying to guess who's baby picture was who's.  It turned out alot better (ie, harder) than I thought it would, especially since a lot of the pictures were of the kids as they were older, like 1 yr old. 

I had added two extra baby pictures (thanks for the suggestion Emily!) of Fay and Kimball (Um... hope you don't mind Mandy!  They were the only baby pictures I had on my computer of family) which Mom and Emily figured out pretty quickly but stumped the rest (well.. Bethy figured it out after I gave her some hints).  Also, the one of Thorpe was rather easy to spot :)

I hadn't quite decided how to reveal the correct answers so when everyone was clamoring to know we went through them all together.  It was a good thing cuz I had mixed up Melina and Lauralynn, Nathan's youngest girls.  In my defense, Nathan didn't tell me who was who.  Bethanie and Neita won first prize. 

Funny story; That evening.. or maybe the next day Melina asked me to check her list and after I told her how many she got right, she said "that's better than the last time!".  I think she filled out an answer sheet a few more times during the reunion.

Jared did a geocaching type activity and while he prepared outside, we went downstairs for some minute-to-win-it games.   (trying to move the cookie from your forehead to your mouth without any hands)

Emily had a whole bunch ready but this was the only time we did them. 

That's one thing I've learned about Family Reunions... you end up with alot more activities than time.  But I think that's a good thing. 

We just enjoy talking and being together so much it doesn't matter if there are structured activities! 

Also, if you want to do the activity you planned, you just have go and do it.

Go boys go!

 Look at the faces of the people behind them.

 I think its funny how they are trying to help. (Dad's shirt is awesome :)

 Sorry Jared and Amy you had to miss this.

And Aaron finally got it.  I was actually surprised ad how many people got it into their mouths.

I was just glad I was the designated timer and made myself into the photo journalist.

I didn't get any pictures of Jared running around from group to group helping us figure out the right way to look at a compass (fail) but I know Amy got pictures of the group so I hope she'll blog about it.  It was a really fun activity... although Alec and I about died running back and forth.  We blamed it on the elevation... and no inhaler.

OK.  I started this a couple of days ago and I've decided I've just got to post this already.  So apparently there WILL be a part 2.  Ya for you!

Fun at the Riverwoods

I was trying to get this out before the end of the month what with all the posts to happen of the Family Reunion in June... SO EXCITED.  I have one more May one left that I'll post next week.  Better late than never I suppose, eh?

Back to the weekend I spent in Utah.  Friday night we went to The Riverwoods in Provo which is always a fun evening, especially after eating at Mu-Ha-Ha Pizza, or whatever the real name of my favorite pizza place is. We like to listen to whoever is playing in the square (hoping that violinist comes back) and wander around the stores.  We try out all the smells at Body Works (to the joy of the staff), looked at church paraphernalia at that LDS store (while the staff entertained the children with a scavenger hunt and lollipops), and try out all the fun games/activities at Blickenstaffs. Yes, a fun time is had by all... excepts perhaps the staff. 

We tried on the glasses...

And the kids rode around on the little bikes.

Some were better than others :)

Outside the "Called to Surf" store we of course surfed.

All except Angela... poor thing.

.

Unfortunately this time nobody was surfing on the indoor surfing machine so we didn't have the fun of watching people biff it and almost loose their shorts.  I guess that just means we'll all have to get together and go do it again some time :)