Summer Ends

I have been meaning to add a few more highlights of our summer. We went to Oregon for a family reunion in July. This reunion is sentimental to me because it has been a family tradition since I was a small child. I now am able to take my family to it. However, I have not been able to attend for many years, since Matt and I have lived on the other side of the country until recently.

The setting of the reunion is beautiful. It is held at Catherine Creek State Park. We stay in a church owned lodge with great amenities, though many family members sleep in tents. There is a basket-ball court, volleyball  sand pit, horseshoes, fishing, biking, and hiking.There were around 100 people in attendance which I think is a record.

Much of the children's time was spent playing in the creek and catching minnows, playing in the volleyball sandpit and playing on the slip and slide with cousins. It seemed like after each meal all of the children would scatter until the next meal. It was very relaxing for everyone. It is a family tradition to spend the evenings visiting and playing games. This year there was a talent show including karaoke. It sure made it an interesting night. I loved having my family there including my parents and all of my siblings except one brother.  We look forward to the next reunion.

A few days before the reunion we celebrated Seth's 6th birthday. We did a beach party for him which was similar to Abigail's though the children cooled themselves off with water balloons. It was quite a site as the children were chasing each other around with the balloons. Once the balloons disappeared they grabbed buckets of water and drenched each other.

Seth  had fun playing with his friends and enjoying the day.

We had a family party that evening and Seth loved having more cupcakes. One of the things he received was Cars pajamas. He couldn't wait to put them on at bedtime. He is a fun boy! Happy Birthday, Seth.








Sometime before school started, we drove to Diamond Fork and took our children camping. We kept our meals simple with foil dinners and cereal and fresh fruit for the morning.

Matt and I love to camp, but it seems like over the years haven't been able to do much of it.

 I think their favorite part of camping is 'keeping' the fire going. We didn't have much to burn. The children were collecting whatever they could scrounge up.

I loved the area where we camped. We were surrounded by open fields of sage brush and sunflowers. It was a very peaceful place. I especially loved watching the sun go down and breathing in the fresh air.