Pictures from the Reunion

 We played a game where someone would toss up the frisbie and someone else would try to throw the football through the hole....pretty entertaining and challenging!

 Uncle Derek and Clayton spent some time throwing rocks into the river. Clayton enjoyed the river.

 There were swings right in our campground, so Clayton wanted me to swing with him.

 Jaxson, Porter, Maverick, Jayden, and Cassie...what great kids! I really loved spending time with them.

 Clayton and Grandma look so good in lime green with their red hair. 

 This is the river that ran next to our campgrounds. It was so pretty and calming.  We fell asleep to the sound of the river each night.

 Brad and Gracie are taking a spin on the tricycle. That tricycle had lots of miles put on it during the campout...by Clayton and all his cousins!

 While we were having dinner one night, I looked over and saw this cute little guy pouring sand on this tractor.  He played in the sand for a long time.  I love how he concentrates with his tongue out!

 I love this kid! He was roasting some hot dogs for dinner.

 The after reunion bbq at the Douglas home....relaxing, good food and nice weather!

Brandon, Jill and some of the boys enjoying dinner on the lawn!

Douglas Family Reunion

This year, our reunion was held up Blacksmith Fork Canyon at the Hyrum City Park Campgrounds.  It was the perfect place for the reunion.  When we arrived on Thursday night, we got our trailer set up and then the kids played in the river.  The river was low and kids had a great time walking up and down the river. Cooper said one of his favorite parts about the reunion, was when he lost his flip flop in the river and he, Amanie and Harlie chased it until it floated away. I think they spent more time in the water than on the land.

That night, we roasted hot dogs for dinner. There is nothing like a campfire hot dog.  They always seem to taste better when you are camping.  Bryce hooked up the computer and speakers down in the lodge, and the kids watch Alvin and the Chipmunks the first night.  Everyone was tired, so we all crashed early that night.

We brought an assortment of items up to to the campgrounds to help entertain everyone.  I think the big hit was the aerobie frisbie.  We taught the nephews how to throw it the first night and after that, they were constantly playing with it.  That was one of my most favorite things....having the boys come up and ask me to play frisbie with them. 

Papa brought up his crochet set and I played with Jayden, Maverick, Porter, Jackson, and Cooper one afternoon.  It was fun to tease Jayden and talk trash to him the whole time.  I ended up winning but he was close behind me the whole way!

The Hyrum Park has a huge field that is surrounded with mature trees.  The kids had a good time playing on the playgound equipment and Clayon enjoyed going back and forth across the green bridge. 

We also played kickball one afternoon.  We even had Papa out playing with us.  We went across the street to play on this perfect field, but we quickly got kicked off by the ground keeper.  We did not have reservations to use the field, so we moved to a different field.  We still had a great time and it was a good activity for all different ages.  Many of the cousins participated.  This is definately something we will have to do next year.

We brought Clayton's tricycle with us and he spend lots of time on that.  Our campgrounds had a little circle driveway, so it was perfect for him to ride back and forth.  He also had a great time playing in the sand box. 

On Friday night, we were able to listen to Roger and Marilyn tell us about how they met.  It was nice to hear their story and to learn more about their lives.  Brandon put together a slide show and we enjoyed looking at old pictures of the family. 

That night we had a small campfire where we roasted marsh mallows and starbursts.  Its always so nice and relaxing to sit around the fire and just do nothing.  Clayton and Cooper enjoyed the melted starburst.  After the fire, some of the family went to watch "Red Tails" on the back of our trailer, while the kids went to bed. The weather couldn't have been nicer.  It wasn't very cold at night and it was perfect during the day.

On Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early to run a couple of miles with Jill. It was a nice, easy run up the canyon and it felt so crisp outside.  That morning, we had the tradional Douglas' scones.  Everyone helped mash out the dough.  We also had fruit and Carrie's yummy chunky salsa to go with it.  My favorite scone is cream cheese smothered with jam...yum.yum.

We had to be checked out of our campgrounds by noon on Saturday.  We all went to Mom and Dad's house to hang out and enjoy the afternoon and evening in the backyard.  We grilled chicken, steak and hot dogs and just sat on the back porch visiting with each other.  It was a really fun reunion and a great location!

Fun In The Sun

We have had a pretty busy summer so far.  We have spent a lot of time outdoors playing in the water and sun.  We went to the splash pad in Riverdale a few weeks ago with the Gabrish family.  The water is always too cold, so the kids didn't spend much time in the water.  They played on the playground and rolled around, doing tricks in the grass. 

This past week, Cooper got to spend 3 days up in Smithfield with Addey and Jaden.  He had such a great time up there.  They participated in a sports camp in Logan.  They also spent time playing on the big water slide, playing board games, going to McDonalds, watching Madagascar 3 in 3D, eating snowcones, and taking their band to the nearby park to perform for money.  (Jaden and Addey on the drums and Cooper singing)

On Wednesday, I met Steph and Jocie up in Brigham City at the pool, so we could swim and so I could pick up Cooper.  It was a nice sunny day, but the temperature was only around 80 and it was a little breezy.  Cooper had a great time playing in the water with his snorkel mask.He spent most of the day under the water. 

As soon as Clayton and I arrived at the pool, Cooper ran out of the pool to give me a big hug.  He then spent some time with Clayton in the water.  Clatyon thought it was fun for a few minutes and then he would get out and say, "me cold". I wrapped him up in two towels and he just sat there and ate nachos, licorice, and pears. 

Cooper had a great time going down the slide.  It was a perfect day for the slide because there was no line.  He went down the slide over and over again.  He also got to spend some time playing with Ty and Jaden.  We ended up staying at the pool for about 3 hours before we headed home. 

While Jocelynn was trying to lay out and catch some rays, we were trying to get the seagulls to swoop down by her head and eat the nachos and pretzels.  We strategically placed them next to her head, but she finally realized what we were doing, before the birds had a chance to attack her.  Would have been so funny!!

Part #3

On Monday morning, we all got up and ate a yummy breakfast and then got ready to go out for a ride.  Chelsey and her boyfriend, Scott, came up for the ride.  We also had our friends, Nate and Julie meet us up there.  We had a group of 8 four wheelers and 1 razor.

The first trail we took was up the mountain. With all the moisture and cold weather the few days before, it didn't take us long to get into snow.  There were small streams running down the trail as the snow melted.  The snow got deeper and deeper as we climbed the mountain.  We decided to stop part of the way up, take pictures, and head back down.

The next trail we went on was out through the valley.  We stopped at the beaver dam and pond so the kids could run around a play.  Clayton enjoyed spending time with Brittney. She is always so good to spend time with him!

We continued on this trail for a little while.  There is a part on this trail that is a little dangerous.  It is an uphill climb, but the trail is uneven.  If you don't line up your tires just perfectly and have enough speed, you could very likely tip backwards.  Well, we came to this part and Bryce went up.  I stopped and waited.  Britt went up with no problem (she lucked out) and then Nate followed her with no problem.  Julie went up next and she almost tipped backwards.  She did the right thing by leaning forwards and she took her hand off the gas.  Bryce saw it and quickly ran down to grab the machine.  It was a really scary moment! I am glad everything went ok.  I know we had angels watching out for us that day, because it could have ended a lot worse.

We decided to keep going on this trail.  By the way, this not my favorite trail. It is somewhat dangerous.  It has a lot of places where it there are washouts.  You have to strattle your tires over the washouts.  Anyway, we didn't make it very far before we were in deep snow again and it was too dangerous to keep going.  We had a lot of inexperienced drivers, so it was best to turn around. 

We came to a spot that is a huge hole.  It is always full of water, no matter what time of year you come up there.  I have seen trucks and jeeps go through it.  Chelsey decided to try her luck and went blasting through it.  It completely soaked her but she had a fun time doing it.

We decided to try one more trail.  This one went out through the hills.  It was a safe trail, just not as long as the others.  This trail had  so many huge puddles of water.  We would all blast through the water.  I had Shaylee on the back of my machine and we had a great time riding together. 

 There was a spot on this trail that had so much water.  We spent a lot of time there while everyone went back and forth, over and over again, through the water. I am pretty sure this was everyones favorite part of the day.  We finished that trail and then headed back to camp. Everyone cleaned up, packed everything up, and went home.  It was quite an adventerous weekend.  We made so many memories and had a great time!

Memorial Part #2

On Sunday, after we got home from church, Bryce and I put together the food and prepared the bbque chicken, garlic chicken, and dutch oven potatoes.  As soon as Clayton woke from his nap, we headed back to Mantua. We were aiming to all meet back up there for dinner.  Bryce and I arrived around 4:30.  Bryce got the charcoals going and we preceded to start a fire.

We decided to bring up some firewood with us.  It was a good thing because all the wood that we had collected was soaking wet.  We set the chairs up around the fire so they would dry out.  We wiped down all the tables and started preparing for dinner.  Shortly after that, everyone started to show up.  The charcoals took a long time to get hot because the flames kept blowing out.  We also had a small rain storm come through.  Luckily, it only lasted about 15 minutes!

Originally Grandma and Grandpa Cooper were going to come join us for dinner, but it ended up being too cold.  Jocie, Tawni, and Ty came up for dinner. Before dinner was served, Britt and Tawni went out for a ride in the razor. A few minutes later, I got a phone call from Britt.  She had rolled the razor over on its side, but both her and Tawni were OK.  It scared them a little bit, but they were fine.  The men went down the road to help them.

All the kids had a great time playing on the hill again.  It was still really wet and muddy, so they had to be careful about where they went.  Clatyon and Landon had a great time playing "Hop Scotch" in the mud.  Jacqui drew the boxes with a stick and they jumped over and over again.  During the prayer, I looked over to see Clayton jumping with his arms folded.

Dinner ended up tasting so good.  The chicken was very tender and the flavor was great.  The potatoes were really good.  I have a problem with dutch oven potatoes...if they are not cooked all the way through....and normally people don't cook them long enough....Anyway, I didn't add enough soup to them before they cooked, so after they were finished, we added milk. 

Later for dessert, we had smores, cookies, and dutch oven apple cobbler.  It was really good and there was way too much food.  We had a great time sitting around the fire, roasting marshmallows, singing songs, and doing little skits.  The smaller kids did a bunch of skits and they had a blast!  Cohen did a great job.  He just got passed from person to person and only cried when he was hungry. After the kids went down for the night, we all sat around the fire visitng before it was time to hit the sack and get some rest for the coming fun packed day!

Memorial Weekend Part #1

Growing up in Texas, we didn't really celebrate Memorial Day because we had no family down there.  My mom and dad grew up taking flowers to grave sights on that day, but that tradition did not continue with me and my siblings.  In fact, I probably really didn't know what it meant until I got to Utah and my Grandma Cooper "gently" told us what we should be doing on that day!

Although we still do not go visit cemeteries, I am grateful for those who came before me.  I am thankful for those who paved the way so my path could be easier.  I am thankful for those early pioneers that sacrificed every thing they had to gain religious freedoms.  I am also thankful for those who have fought for our great country so that we can enjoy life and be free to choose.  I am thankful for my Grandpa Coopers willingness to not only serve our country, but to be a great example to those around him during his time in the military.  He was a beacon of light to many people and he still is today.

For Memorial weekend, we went camping up to Mantua.  The weather here has been pretty nice for the most part....that is, until Memorial Weekend.  Every year, there is at least one day that seems to be cold and rainy over Memorial Weekend.  Yet, we continue to go camping year after year.

On Friday night, we arrived up at the campgrounds around 6 pm.  We actually took the trailers up early that week so we could reserve the best spots.  The Merrills and Gabrishs' came up with us this year.  We had a great time the first night.  The kids had fun going for rides on the razor.  They also helped Bryce find firewood and drag it over to the pit. 

We were located near the mountain, so the kids had a blast running up and down the hills.  They also made themselves little hideouts.  They tried to make a zip line out of rope but it couldn't quite hold their weight.  We roasted marshmallows and ate smores that night as we sat around the fire! 

It was such a beautiful evening, but we knew the "inevitable" was moving our way.  We all hit the sac that night tired and ready for a good nights sleep. The kids slept really well.  Bryce and I woke up around 3 because it was warm in our camper.  Yoda was down by the heater and she was panting like crazy.  All three of us went out for a crisp morning bathroom break. 

We got up on Saturday morning and started getting ready for breakfast.  Steph picked up some cinnamon roll bread from Kneaders and we make french toast with it.  They were very tasty.  We also had omelette's (Bryce's favorite), bacon, and more bacon. By the time breakfast was finished and cleaned up, it was starting to get very cloudy and stormy. 

We decided to take our chances and go for a small ride.  We got the kids all bundled up in their snow jackets and boots.  Bryce and I had our rain gear on.  It was in the 50's and the rain was moving in quickly.  We made it pretty far up the trail before stopping to let the kids run around and eat a snack.  We decided that we better turn around and head back to camp.

Right when we turned around, the rain picked up and it started pouring.  We tried to ride and quickly and safely as we could.  Bryce and Clayton were in the front.  I was worried about Clayton's face getting pelted with the rain, but Bryce was blocking it with his one arm and driving with the other.

 We finally made it back to camp and everyone piled into their campers, stripped off their wet clothes, and tried to get warm.  It continued to rain and rain and rain.  We ended up heading home for the night.  Its nice that Mantua is only 40 minutes from our home.  We got home, cleaned things up, did some laundry, and got showered and cleaned up for church on Sunday!