Roberts' Reunion

We had the annual Roberts' Reunion at the cabin this year. I think it has become the only place that can hold all of us these days. I was not very excited about this, because I was worried the girls wouldn't sleep with all the commotion, but I figured we could survive two days of anything. But we ended up having so much fun, and had a really great time. A lot of the group had gone out Thursday to do a hike to the grandaddy lakes, but my mom had scouts so she drove out with us early Friday morning. We left right after they woke up, and stopped in Heber for breakfast. The girls were wonderful and they gobbled up their pancakes. We got there early and Hal and Kathryn arrived soon after. They had pulled out the outhouse but Hal didn't get the hitch secured and tipped the whole thing over, and tore the roof off the outhouse. But it became the joke that everyone enjoyed the skylight and the custom ventilation he added. We got the food unloaded and set-up and then settled down in the sun to enjoy some relaxing and Hal took Braelyn for a walk. During lunch Grandma arrived with some cousins, and Braelyn was glad to have some more playmates. I put Berkley down for her nap, and she slept and slept, and ended up napping for four hours! She never does that, and I had to keep checking that she was breathing because I was worried about her. My grandma's brother and sister were supposed to join us, but because of health reasons they weren't able to, which was a disappointment to everyone, we had looked forward to spending time with them. We spent the day talking with Grandma and Norm, while Courtney watched the kids (it was so nice to have her) and then we got in a 4-wheeler ride before everyone got back. I had Braelyn and Danika on mine, and Danika did not stop talking the entire ride! I'm not sure when she breathes, she was sure full of stories. We picked wild flowers and headed back. Everyone started getting there and the fun really started. Braelyn loved wandering around with all her new friends and thought going in and out of the tents was such fun. She found Kal and followed him around endlessly. Kal is kind of the strong, silent type but he tolerated his new buddy pretty well, and even asked her the next day, "Braelyn, are we best friends or what?" So sweet!

We had a program around the fire that night, where anyone who liked could share stories or thoughts about our great-grandparents and grandparents. I really love things like this, and love hearing others memories, and hearing about people who I may be lucky enough to take after. We heard many wonderful stories about how they worked or church service, but the overwhelming theme of the night seemed to be how much grandparents and parents love their children, and their willingness to sacrifice for them. It was a great chance to share memories and remember those who have passed on before us.

We put both our children to bed, and then went to play night games with "the younger ones." We started with ghost in the graveyard, then moved onto sardines. Taylor hid first and it was so hard to find him! I finally got away from the group and heard a bird call, that I knew was him. I kept whispering to him to keep making the sound until I could see him. We laughed pretty hard watching everyone trip and stumble until they found us. We finally got to bed and the girls slept great, Berkley actually slept from 8:00 that night until 11:00 the next morning!

I laughed so hard during breakfast listening to my teenage cousins tell jokes and stories, if you ever need a good laugh ask Justin about making 20 bucks on an airplane or have Sam show you the back of his pants. After breakfast Taryn and I loaded up with Kel to take a ride on the ranger. Kel is absolutely one of my favorite cousins, I could listen to his stories all day. He was born blind and because of that has developed a wonderful sense for life and a very unique perspective on things. We ran into to baby fawns on the trail and a very nervous mother deer.

Grandma Roberts' always has something great planned for the kids, and this year she planned a pirate treasure hunt. Braelyn is so into pirates and knights right now that this was perfect for her. They followed the clues and found the treasure, and then they got to go in the field and finds rocks Grandma had painted gold. After Braelyn got the idea she was unstoppable with this. She really thought she was getting treasure, and she did not want to trade in her rocks to Grandma for candy. Grandma let us keep some too, so that we can play pirates whenever we go up there! I love a great-grandma who has so much fun with the little ones.

It started raining and with farmers that means it's a good excuse to get home and check the hay, so after some fishing everyone headed out. I had such a wonderful time, and I'm so grateful for the family I have been blessed with. They have always supported and loved me, and I'm grateful that even the kids let me play with them. I am already looking forward to next year.