We continued the run with family with a visit from Aunt Amber. It was great to have her here - she got a taste of a busy week, with scout camp, doctors appointments, and Jared doing longer work days since we are between vacations. We appreciate her willingness to come out and visit so often!
We apparently didn't take many pictures, because this was the only one that I found!
We spent a lot of hours in this car over the past few weeks! We had our normal car sick incidents with Kate and added the stomach flu on the way home with Jacob, but aside from those, it was a great drive - our kids are great travelers!
At one rest stop, an older couple came out, commented that they could take Liam home with his cute red hair, and he was ready to leave with them and was heartbroken when they left without him!
On the way to Island Park and then down to Aspen Grove, we listened to the first Harry Potter novel with the kids. Claire was really pretty into it, and as the book went along, Jacob got more and more into it. We listened to the second book on the way back to Portland, much to Liam's frequent displeasure!
This little guy was such a great trooper the entire time!
We took advantage of being in Utah to visit a few friends. We visited with Jarom and Katie in the hotel room - they are excited to welcome their first daughter in the coming weeks and are very cute together now!
We visited James and Ashley, and Billy came over, too. We had a fun picnic and played on the trampoline. It was great to catch up with great friends!
We visited Kylie and introduced her to Torin and re-connected.
After visiting BYU, touring Provo, and seeing the Mount Timpanogos temple, we made our way up to temple square to tour the square with our cousins. The kids enjoyed looking at the Christus statue.
We got some cute pictures of the cousins in front of the temple.
We took a tour of the conference center, giving the kids a tour of the inside and the rooftop. We were pretty worn out by the time we were done, but it was fun to show the kids around.
After Aspen Grove, we took the family to BYU to show them where their mom and dad went to college. We spent a while in the bookstore picking up BYU gear (we think of it as an investment for lower tuition in the future!) and showed them the buildings we spent so much time in during college. We walked through the library and on some of the open grassy areas and talked a little about college.
We took a short tour through Provo, driving by our first apartment (which is more of a wine cellar, though they had improved the outside, at least!) and over the gazebo in the park where Jared proposed to Dani nearly 11 years earlier!
Just 11 years later, we were able to take a moment (but no more - we had 5 kids in our car!) to enjoy and reflect on
We took a drive to the Mount Timpanogos temple, where we were married 10.5 years earlier. We looked a bit ragged, with our fully-packed car, so we stayed at the far end of the lawn, but the kids all wanted to have pictures in front of the temple that their mom and dad were married in.
It was special to reflect on the day 10.5 years ago when we were married, to think of the sparkle in Dani's eyes as she knelt across the alter from me, and watch as a couple came walking out of the temple and think of the joy we felt at the time and have felt even stronger in the years since. I am grateful to have married my best friend and companion in the temple of the Lord.
The Walters family reunion has been happening every other year for over two decades.
We arrived at Aspen Grove (with only 1 'incident' on the way) right as the entire family had gathered to play games and to share some of Granny and Grandpa's history. It was neat to see around 100 people gathered as part of a celebration of their lives. The kids shared memories of Granny and Grandpa, and then Grandpa addressed his family and shared memories and expressed gratitude for the Lord and for his family and how we have stayed close. It was a special moment for everyone.
We introduced Torin to Granny and Grandpa. Granny was sweet with him and commented about how chubby he is (he is chubby). It was special to see how they still care for one another. They were at the reunion for nearly the entire time, and Grandpa would take Granny on walks in her wheelchair.
There are almost always activities going on at Aspen Grove. During the day, the kids all go to their age group activities. Kate and Liam were Rompers, and they played with their leaders, went swimming, and made little crafts. On Pirate day they came home with their buried treasure.
Jacob and Claire were Wildcats, along with their cousin Clayton and some of their second cousins. They had theme days, including Star Wars day, zombie day, and Harry Potter day. Fortunately, we had listened to the 1st Harry Potter book, so they understood what was going on. Claire was in Ravenclaw and Jacob was in Griffendor. They had a Quidditch match, which involved broomsticks (of course) and the kids trying to throw the quaffle through the hoola-hoop. Jacob and Claire were chasers, throwing the bludger at the other players. Then, in Claire's game, Jacob got to be the golden snitch, running away from the seekers. They had fun and energetic counselors and had a great time.
There were also big family activities in the afternoons and evenings. On Monday, the Aspen Follies had the family playing funny games like rolling a giant ball through an obstacle course up a hill, the human centipede (which ended up with everyone falling out before the finish line), throwing rubber chickens off of a parachute, filling a leaky bucket with water (and Jared in it - he almost got stuck!), and other fun games. Everyone had a great time playing! Granny and Grandpa were able to watch as Granny wanted to stay outside to watch the fun.
Following the follies, the kids made paper rockets that were launched with an air compressor. Kate and Liam loved chasing after their rockets. Jacob's had a unique design and didn't shoot as well, so he tried again. Claire was meticulous about her pink rocket's design.
Later in the week was Frontier Day, with games and activities near the frontier village. The kids all went on a train ride around the lawn. There were other activities, like archery, and other small crafts.
The activities were fun for kids and adults. Jacob got really into the knife throwing, and the men took turns throwing axes. Jared sunk two, which he was pretty proud of!
Andrew did the pie eating contest, which was pretty hilarious. Near the end of the games, a huge rainstorm came through and soaked everything, and most people huddled under a small shelter while the Aspen Grove counselors cleaned up the activities and splashed in the puddles.
On hike day, Jared went mountain biking. Dani was recovering from having a stomach flu over night, so unfortunately, she couldn't join (we packed 4 bikes to Island Park and Aspen Grove, and Jared was the only one to use one!). There are incredible views from the trail. On the way down, he saw some of the Walters family hikers who had summited Mount Timponogos.
The high ropes course was a fun adventure for the adults. After climbing a log and a climbing wall, there was a course with cables that led between trees back to the climbing wall for a final rappel.
One day, they set up a giant waterslide down the hill. The adult cousins (including Dani and Jared) all got turns sliding down, and then the wildcats got a turn. It was a lot of fun!
There were lots of sports tournaments that we participated in. Jared and Dani found a new skill participating in the mixed doubles badminton tournament and nearly winning it! There were some days that were so windy it was almost impossible to play on one side, but it was a lot of fun!
One tradition of Walters family reunions is to play lots of games, especially super long ones. With that in mind, we thought it would be an appropriate setting to introduce the 8-year-old cousins to Risk! Claire was nearly eliminated in the first game that the dads were playing, and that was almost very traumatic, so the dads did a quick pivot of strategies. The kids all had a great time, and since we limited it to a short time period, so did the parents!
With so many activities and no naps for the 3-year-olds, the kids were exhausted! Liam randomly fell asleep a few times, including once during Granny and Grandpa's time with the entire family and once at dinner!
It was so much fun spending time with our cousins at such a fun and beautiful place!
2014 was another Streeter family reunion on Island Park Reservoir. This meant another long drive, but fortunately, we made this segment of the drive without any stomach issues. On the way, we also visited Kaci's house, where Kate, noticing a mounted deer head, asked where the rest of it was! We love the time with our family and kept busy the entire time!
On the Lake
We had lots of things to do on and around the dock. One day, Vicki rented longboards, so everyone took turns riding, even Vicki! It was a challenge at first (especially when multiple boats would go by), but everyone got the hang of it. We brought the kids on them and took them around the lake.
We also brought down the canoe and took rides around the lake with the kids.
Grandma brought some floating toys (some of which held air better than others), and the kids enjoyed floating around in them. It was funny to watch the kids try to paddle together. Claire and Brighton ended up spinning the boat in circles!
The dock had a slide, and the kids had fun sliding into the water. Jacob was the waterslide champion, going over 50 times (he counted) on the last day! Heath was the best picture on the waterslide champion with this picture.
Rocks
The day we arrived, the kids (and Jared) started throwing rocks into the lake. That was the beginning of a lot of play with the rocks. Claire directed the kids in building a rock fort to keep out the water. Over the course of the days we were there, the rock fort grew. At the same time, the reservoir's water level went down a few inches in the time we were there. As a result, the entire rock wall wound up out of the water by the end of the trip!
Around the House
It was a great trip to have some time talking and relaxing. Grandma Pat came down for the entire trip and enjoyed being around the kids. Torin and Grandpa spent some quality time bonding.
We also had great food and constant snacks! Liam always managed to find the candy and chips that we had left within his reach!
We are a happy family
Family pictures ended up going pretty well with almost all smiles and eyes looking at the camera. In the family one, all eyes but Grandpa's (and Torin's) were on the camera!
Boating
We had some great days for boating while we were there! It was awesome to have 2 boats and to be right on the lake. We went skiing a couple times per day and took tube rides a couple times per day as well. Dani can still ski longer than anyone else, Heath puts up the prettiest turns, and Jared crashes the most spectacularly!
The kids all had a fun time on the tube. Kate and Bentley had an especially fun time. From the first time they got on, the were looking at each other and giggling almost nonstop.
Gone Fishing
Uncle Travis brought his fishing rods, so the kids all spent hours on the dock and on shore casting and reeling back in. Liam especially loved it - he and Kaci bonded as she helped him cast. I don't think anyone ended up catching anything, but everyone had fun trying!
Exploring
Grandma brought up her kids' 4-wheelers, and the Jensen kids in particular got lots of rides. Jacob and Liam took lots of turns riding. Liam was funny to watch - he got lots of coaching from Grandma along the way.
Kaci took the 3-year-old girls on a flower-picking walk. They got lots of pretty flowers that served as decorations for dinner one night. The girls were really excited about it!
The Campfire
We made good use of the campfire on the last night, cooking delicious tinfoil dinners and making s'mores, which everyone enjoyed (and some wore on their faces)!
The Babies Treyson and Torin had a great time on the trip, too! Torin was pretty mellow the entire time and slept very well.
