The Cousins Came to Visit

We had the best ten days of summer earlier this month when Mark's sister and her family came for a visit.  The weather was hot and sunny and the tides were low for the first few days, so they all went to the beach! (I stayed home with Jason because heat and rock eating).

One of the best beach event was The Toddler Races where you race piggy-backing a kid on your back.  Ian came in first with Daniel and Melanie came in second with Fiona.  Not too shabby!

Every seat was filled in our BWV!

Mark didn't bring a camera with him on these trips, so I'm going to have to wait until someone sends me pictures from their phones of Lula and her Stinky Crab from the second beach trip (hint, hint)...

After a day of rest, Mark ran them up Mt. Ellinor. This time Ian had to stay home with the three littles and I because of football.

This was Daniel's first trip!  He is so excited that he is now old enough for Cub Scouts.

Lynne and Opie didn't make it to the top of the mountain, but the rest of the kids did.  Yes, that makes Mark a kid.

You can see the famous goats on the snow field in the picture above.

The group reunited.

Sledding down!

At home, we just had a great time hanging out together.  The little kids loved their cousins and aunt and uncle so much!  Everyone connected with everyone else in their own special way.  Uncle Opie would tie knots and lift weights with Ian, the older kids would stay up late and play card games...

...Aunt Lynne would push Lula on the swing, Kayla would get Fiona and Daniel set up on her tablets playing Minecraft.... Shane got to go camping with them at the Ape Caves and go to Mount St Helens.  the fun went on and on and on....

Aunt Lynne getting a Jason snuggle

The Main Event was a Family Reunion.

The Barbecue is on its last leaning rusty legs...

Ami brought Charlie and Erik down!  That right there is a miracle!  I love those boys so much.

Erik and Great Uncle Opie

Olives on the fingers are a thing of the past!

Jason and his nephew.  Erik and his uncle.

Charlie on the Tire Swing

No Downen Family Reunion is complete without volleyball!!!  We have some seriously competitive people in our family and some super athletes as well.  And some not so super athletes too...

But the main reason for the reunion was to surprise Melanie!

Melanie graduated from high school just before they came out.  She joined with Air Force and will be the third generation of women to be in the Armed Forces. All us grownups had been planning the surprise party since before they got out here and the day of the party we were busy with cake and balloon hiding...

....buuuuut she was sent into the shed to find the volleyball net and found her balloon, so we all decided to surprise Mark and not tell him she already knew instead.

We just had too much fun and made too many memories to fit everything into one post.  Everyone misses everyone else and we wished we lived closer together so we could see each other more often.  I'm glad I had to go straight into a vaulting competition weekend to help me deal with the post-vacation blues.  Because we love them that much.