Family Reunion

This post is quite long with lots of pictures. Consider yourself warned.
July 5th, the kids and I headed to upstate New York for a family reunion that is held every three years for my mom and her siblings, and their children. Mom and Dad, Erin and her kids, me and my kids, and Tori went from our family. In all there were about 60 people there. I hadn't planned on going because it takes so long to get there (for us it was12.5 hrs one way), and Sam wasn't going to be able to go, but I decided that three years from now it won't be any easier so I went. I'm glad I did, but it was intense. We drove up on Thursday, spent Friday and Saturday doing reunion stuff, and drove home Sunday because Tori had Girl's Camp on Monday. The drive up was crazy. At the first stop I found that my monthly visitor had decided to come on the trip too, then Emmitt threw up twice in two separate incidences, and at nightfall a glow stick exploded in my face and eyes as I was cracking the inside stuff. If that has never happened to you, it burns like crazy so we had to stop so I could get it off my skin and flush my eyes out on the side of the road. I highly recommend covering glow sticks with a paper towel during prep. I'm just glad it didn't hurt anything. I can only imagine how mad Sam would be if my expensive, newly lasered eyes got burned up by a glow stick. Did I ever mention I got my eyes lasered? Well I did back in February, and it has been totally amazing. Anyway, my kids barely slept on Friday night, and Emmitt was sick all Saturday night so he cried most of the night. It took me a good couple of days to recover from the trip. It was fun, but I wish we all lived a little closer together so we could see each other more often in smaller doses without the wicked drive. Why not fly you ask? Because it takes almost just as long, and it costs much more. It's still at least a three hour drive from the airport, so then there's also the car rental issue as well.

We got to my cousin Chad's house late so it was dark. We stayed in the apartment above their garage that connects to the house with a deck. When I came out onto the deck in the morning to go to the house, this was the view. Gorgeous. Sunset was even better.

We held an Aldous Family Summer Olympics. We made up country names, decorated flags, and the kids had a parade.

 Mila and Brennae bringing up the rear.

We did a relay race that involved two people in one shirt doing a series of things--

Jumping rope

 Hitting a baseball

 Hitting a golf ball

 Kicking a beach ball back to the starting line alternating between the two players' legs. Then the next team of two would put the shirt on and go. It was hilarious!

We decided that this was the winning flag. My mom's dad was named Erwin so this was too clever.

The kids played on a water slide. Well, a paint tarp covered in water. My dad is giving Mila a little push. She was having a hard time getting going.

Mila and Emmitt spent tons of time in the sand pit.

Emmitt was totally covered in sand the whole time we were there. I had been wanting a sand box at home, but after this trip I stand corrected. It would be a big mistake. One night I was taking his diaper off to put him in the bath and literally half a cup of sand came out of his diaper. 

Roasting marshmallows for s'mores. Mila is eating a marshmallow while roasting another.

Em was SO excited to roast a marshmallow all by himself. He was actually too far away from the fire for any success.

Emmitt eating the marshmallow right off the stick.

Emmitt had to borrow one of Mila's shirts to sleep in, and he kept carrying around Tori's little make up bag. He reminded me of one of the Olsen twins with the platypus lips thing he has going on.  

We went to my grandpa's old farm. The people who live there now were so kind and let us walk around the property. They even let my mom take our family through their house so my mom was able to tell us all about where she grew up. It was really a neat experience. The house looks much better than it used to.
Mom, Uncle John, Aunt Janet, Aunt Sandy

For a couple of years when my cousin, Chad, was a teenager, his family didn't have a TV. He had seen the movie Return of the Jedi, and the idea to build his own Ewok fort was born. There were a couple of cedar groves on their property that he used to build on and get wood from.
Entering the Cedar Fort. 

This is just a tiny portion, but there are tons of levels. The lowest is about 15 feet off the ground. He used no nails to build it. Unfortunately, most of the levels are about 20 yrs. old so we weren't able to go up. There was one level that's about 10 yrs. old so the kids were able to go on that. As a child, this place was the most incredible play land.

Making grandpa's prize-winning chicken. A reunion tradition.

You could see so many stars where we were at since there wasn't a whole lot around. I actually saw a falling star while I was waiting my turn to look through the telescope. Gotta love Mila's hair .

On the way home, we stopped at the Hill Cumorah. It was so hot and everyone was hungry so it wasn't the most pleasant stop, but there was a really nice moment when we were standing on the top of the hill and Dad was telling the children the story about the plates being hidden there and the huge battle that took place there.

The view from the top. They were getting ready for the pageant so they have the stage set up.

It was so nice to be with family that I hardly ever get to see. It is amazing how big our group is getting, and I'm glad I'm part of it!