Day 3 we discovered raccoons in the campground dumpster. The whole family took turns looking at them. They looked terrified in there. By the end of the reunion, there was enough garbage in the dumpster for them to almost climb out. Yikes!
The weather took a mild turn and was cloudy and cooler, so we decided to explore and hike a little with the kids.
We loved playing on the rocks. But there was a lot of pronghorn and cow poop up there. Yuck.
The kids were ready to go to the beach, but Mommy wanted to keep going. So Daddy took the kids back to the beach for more water time. And Mommy got some quiet mountain time.
Mommy was rewarded with beautiful (but cloudy and smoky) views.
And a little bunny - which let me get really close.
Back at the beach, everyone was busy playing in the sand.
We didn't do as much swimming, but everyone took turns floating, boating, and building sand castles.
Amanda, Caleb, Tabitha
Drake
Sofie, Drake, Claire
Rosie got a little braver and almost walked out to the pontoon boat. But once her tummy got wet, she changed her mind and returned to shore.
The big kids helped Joey and Tommy build fun things in the sand.
Graham
Julie threw out her back and spent a lot of time trying to stay warm.
In the afternoon Justin and Julie put together a family water volleyball game. It was so much fun. Everyone was laughing and playing together.
Annie especially liked being on Daddy's team. They made a couple of great saves.
And a few good volleys too.
But things got complicated when Joey tried to play
Lily and Madilyn figured things out quickly and did a great job together
After volleyball, Daddy gave the girls a ride on the jet ski.
We tried to get the boys on the jet ski, but they didn't want to ride. Tommy way plenty happy making big puddles to jump and splash into.
The bigger kids took the pontoon boat out to a cliff jumping spot. They were gone for hours.
They said it was worth it. After some jumping and swimming, they tried to do a little wakeboarding behind the boat - it didn't work too well.
It felt good to shower and get warm clothes on that evening.
The boys loved "hanging" with the teenage cousins
Grammy had us make rocks for the Kindness Project. Everyone had a turn to paint a rock and put a pretty picture or uplifting quote on it. Some took it more seriously than others.
Claire and Tabitha painted their nails after painting their rocks.
Joey wanted an orange rock. It had five layers of orange paint by the time Joey was done.
Next was the human pinata. Grammy attached candy to tee shirts and had the big boys run for their lives while all the little kids chased them down for candy. Drake got tired and stopped running - he was the easy target and no one was complaining.
Look at those happy faces and candy filled hands
Once everyone had their loot, the cousins sat down for some serious candy trading. The girls traded for some Milk Duds and Tootsie Rolls just for Mommy - they really love me!
After the pinata fun, Uncle Jake did some egg races. It was hard for the little ones, but they loved the challenge.
Daddy was on Joey's team
Ready.......Set.......
Go!
Chelsea and Nolan took the lead
Tommy loved this so much
Then the bigger kids took a turn
Madilyn and Annie brought up the rear
Last but not least
Teens went last. Their race was the funniest.
We sure love this kids!
Once we finished painting rocks, eating all the pinata candy, and racing eggs, we were ready to toast marshmallows.
Seeing all these cousins together was such a wonderful thing. They have grown up so much in the past couple of years and we love the people they are becoming.
We stayed up until dark telling stories, singing songs, and just enjoying being together.
The next morning we cleaned up camp, loaded our cars, and got ready for family pictures.
Look at all these cuties!
We managed to get a good one - even the dogs were looking at the camera
And then we let our true colors shine through
The little gingers aren't so little anymore
Josh, Jake, Jeremy, Justin, Jared
Once pictures were done and goodbyes were said, a few of us traveled together to drive the Red Canyon scenic loop. We got out to explore in a few spots. The girls were excited to find this tree that had been hit by lightning.
The view was beautiful. But it was nerve wracking to keep track of the kids and not have anyone go over the edge.
The smoke really dulled the colors of the canyon, but the views were still spectacular.
It was amazing to see the cracks in the rocks. It looked like a big chunk was ready to just slide off the cliffside.
Signs like this always make my heart beat a little faster.
We let Grammy ride in our car for a little while. Annie started to get car sick in the canyon so she got to sit up front with Grammy.
The rock shapes and layers were fascinating. It was a beautiful drive.
And guess what Joey was most excited to see...the cows!
About half-way home, we were cursing Grammy's name for giving all the kids kazoos. We finally just had to take them away to have some quiet in the car.
We stopped to visit the Star Valley Wyoming temple. It is a small temple. The steeple spire almost looks too big or out or proportion to the rest of the temple.
As we walked the grounds, the wind started to pick up and we could see black clouds coming fast.
We hurried to the car and looked for a quick place to eat dinner. Then we drove under the world's largest elk horn arch. Perhaps the world's only elk horn arch?
We made it home and felt so thankful for a few fun filled days with our Hall Family. Thank you Grammy and Grampy!
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