But here's what we did for the 4th of July!
Family reunion in Park City, Utah with the Hamilton family!
It started with our first big road trip all the way across the barren desert of Nevada into Utah.
First, we stopped in Sacramento to hit up the state train museum.
best picture I could get.
I got the kids little play cameras for the trip. There was a lot of this going on.
a dream come true for this kid
Then we had our first stay in a hotel as a little family in Elko, Nevada. Middle of nowhere. The kids were way too excited to sleep and after many attempts to get them down, we finally split them up. So Mom got to sleep with Ellie and learned that she is a terrible bed hog.
The next day we pulled into Salt Lake City to meet up with all the cousins. We dropped the kids off to play with Uncle Jason while we went to the temple for Ryan and Tricia's sealing. It was a very special event and we were so glad to be there! And the kids had a blast with Uncle Jason at the aviary.
Then it was all about cousin time.
Jude learned about shooting guns and bad guys, thanks to these little guys. Kinda wish that knowledge had stayed in Utah, but oh well.
Eleanor watching fireworks. It was the LONGEST fireworks show I have ever sat through (like 45 min!), but at least the kids liked it. Eleanor thought it was awesome (for at least the first half, then she got bored) and Jude hated the noise, but liked the lights and glow sticks.
Hanging out on the deck of our awesome cabin in Park City.
We also got the chance to take family photos. Of course, it kinda poured through them, and there were the usual screaming kids, but I think they turned out fantastic!
snapped a quick photo for proof of pregnancy, since I actually looked a little decent
some photographic proof that Eleanor liked Grandpa, at least a little
playing with cousin Evie!
We went to the lake one morning for some boating and relaxing, but of course, it started storming after about an hour and didn't let up at all. But it was super fun while it lasted!
all huddled under the easy up, trying to wait out the downpour.
playing in the house with Aunt Heather. If Mom wasn't available for some reason, Aunt Heather was deemed an acceptable substitute by Ellie.
We took a little trip out to the ski resort to ride the Alpine Slide and Coaster. Sadly, no pregnant ladies allowed :( But everyone else seemed to have a lot of fun!
waiting in line. I'm still a little surprised that Jude didn't freak out
riding up the chairlift
while Mom and Ellie waited with Grandma & the babies, we got a treat. Thanks Grandma for the french fries!
I look down for one minute and I miss them coming down the slide :( But at least I grabbed this shot. Pure joy for this little boy after riding the "train slide."
And I planned the now annual family olympics. Just some silly games but I think everyone enjoys them!
Gotta get through the hula hoop!
balloon toss
water relay
Grandpa was a little confused
Caton took matters into his own hands when it became obvious I had under-estimated the size of the buckets
I'm disappointed I didn't take more pictures, but we had a lot of fun! We ate lots of good food, relaxed, played, swam, and just hung out. Jude and Ellie had a blast playing with their cousins; this was the first year they actually interacted with them! Jude loved them so much he got very upset when others weren't around to play. Ellie mostly loved Emma, or as she called her, "Ma," and baby June and baby Jasper. This girl loves babies.
On the return trip we stopped in Reno, NV for our overnight stay. The casino we stayed at was shady at best, but it was cheap and the kids loved it.
we somehow got the room with the train yard view. nothing better than that! Jude kept running to the window to watch them move and would yell "Ellie! Come see the diesel!"
swimming in the questionable pool. They had these funny little "spa beds" you could lay in. The kids just pretended it was their dingy.
And somehow we made it back to Danville in one piece! Crazy little trip, totally a blast. Next year, Outer Banks beach time!!
It was a great week together despite the rain. It could of been miserably hot, so cool is good! Thanks for all that you and Peter contributed to the family reunion. Loved the fun olympic games and the great food you made! Wish we had more times to interact on a one to one basis with each family, but our goal was to get Ellie, Noah and Emma to like us! Ha Ha! Loved that you had the picture of Grandpa and Ellie! Yeah!
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