Our summer vacation started on June 21st as we headed to Utah and then on to Denver. We made a few stops along the way. Here we were stretching our legs in the beautiful mountains along our route. Christian picked these for me. Isn't that thoughtful?
We were excited to stay and catch up with Ivan and also meet up with Annie since she was picking up a new kitty from our cousin Shiloh. We thought it would be more fun for the kids to drive to Colorado with cousins. We spent Tuesday shopping for clothes in hopes of finding more modest options. We also enjoyed visiting my cousin Natalie and catching up with Ivan. These hats were hilarious!
We stayed in Denver Wednesday and then we headed up to the "Barn" Thursday for the Sabey reunion. We had such a great time catching up with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and such! All of Matt's Sabey aunts and uncles were able to come at some point. Even though not all of Matt's cousins could make it, many were there, and they now have kids. It was fun to see the family expanding and there were lots of friends to play with. Of Matt's siblings, only Jeff and a few of his kids could make it, but we were happy to see them! We went on hikes, played 9 square, ate yummy food, shared news, and played games. We loved the beautiful mountain scenery.
We missed Matt and Sterling and hope that they can come next time to the Sabey reunion.
One not as happy event happened one evening when Christian must have eaten something he was allergic to. He broke out in hives. I am very grateful that it didn't become more serious and that Benadryl was enough to take care of it. Another challenge was a stomach bug that was going around with the small cousins and ultimately made it to some of the adults. Poor Sheri caught it and was pretty unhappy for a few days.
We spent the next week (June 27- July 2) in Denver visiting our Murray family.
On Monday, June 28th our family went on a hike with my dad, Annie, her kids, Hannah, her kids, and Scott and Jennifer. We were glad Jen and Scott could make it as they were traveling from Oregon and had to deal with some road closures. They arrived as we were waiting out the rain. It was a bit chilly, but so nice to be together again. We were able to pick up Sterling from the airport that evening.
Tuesday, June 29th we went with the Robinsons and Sullins to Boondocks. We enjoyed talking, miniature golf, bumper boats, go karts, laser tag, bowling, and VR experiences. We hung out at Jen and Scott's house afterwards.
Checking laser tag scores
On Wednesday we went swimming at the Parker rec center followed by Sweet Action ice cream.
In the evening we enjoyed dinner at Annie's house and were surprised to hear that Catherine is expecting baby #3! I loved her clever shirts to see who might notice "so" on her tummy.
Cute Cousins!
Sterling tries to make the little boys happy by playing light sabers with them. I think he enjoys it too. 😉
It was also fun to see old videos of Cat's wedding. The kids were so fun to watch!
That evening poor Mary caught the stomach bug. :(
Thursday we relaxed at my Mom's house and we visited with Catherine. In the evening I went to see Jen's new property that she and Scott are buying in Larkspur. It is in a beautiful setting!
On Friday we went tubing down the river. I love the sunshine, the water, and the time to enjoy each other.
We picked Matt up from the airport Friday evening and we left Denver on Saturday. We are grateful for my parents hospitality in hosting us once again. It was very nice to reconnect with them.
We drove to South Dakota that day and were happy to be reunited with almost all of the Smith family. There were just a few people missing due to missions or other commitments.
This is where the family stayed. It is so nice to find places that accommodate everyone.
On Sunday, July 4th we had a wonderful testimony meeting, tie dying, an egg drop competition, family pictures, and of course games and delicious meals. In the evening we drove into town and watched fireworks during lots of rain. Most of us stayed under cover but I'm sure no one stayed completely dry. I am definitely grateful that we have freedom that allows us to gather and celebrate together!
On Monday we spent the day 4 wheeling with ATVs. It was a ton of fun. Half way through the day it rained like crazy and it was very muddy fun! In the evening we had Family Home Evening including minute-to-win-it games.
Here we are trying to get Oreos from our foreheads to our mouths without hands.
We played Rook and Pool and other games the rest of the evening. It doesn't get much more fun than this!
On Tuesday we went to see Mt. Rushmore, had a pizza picnic lunch, rode the alpine slide and then went to a lake for swimming.
Can you spot the swimmers?
The kids had a great time jumping off this rock.
We left the next morning after breakfast. It was so great to be with all of our family (Sabeys, Murrays, and Smiths)! We feel so blessed to have been able to visit and spend time with them! It truly is treasured time!
On our way home to California we stopped in Provo to visit the BYU campus. It is pretty neat to see all the additions made since we left there almost 20 years ago. This is really the first time that the kids have seen the campus and we were all impressed.
We were able to see Ivan again and were grateful that he let us stay at his house!
Our three reunion vacation was wonderful! We are so happy that we could go and make fun memories!
