Best Reunion Ever ... "EASILY!"

 

At the end of July we had a Morgan Family Reunion.  We have a reunion every 2 years and the siblings (and spouses...pretty much just the females) are in charge of it, two at a time.  This year it was my turn with Mike's sister Anne.  As Anne is a full time school teacher, the responsibility to plan most of the reunion landed on me.  It was super stressful, but I think it turned out really well.  We had so much fun.  But I am pretty sure even if we'd stayed at Mike's parent's house we still would've had fun.  Mike's family is awesome.  I really scored the best in-laws ever.  I love their family dynamic and how much love there is.  There was really no fighting or drama among the adults, and as far as the kids go, there was almost none there either.  I mean considering that we have 30 kids from Evera’s age all the way up to 19, I am sure there was some sort of bickering going on.  But nothing of note.  I’d say for 5 days in a secluded location all together, that is pretty darn amazing!  J  But really, that’s how it always is with the Morgans.

 

We had the reunion at the Beaver Creek Lodge in Logan Canyon, just about a 10 minute drive from Bear Lake.  It was a fun secluded area and we had the whole lodge to ourselves.  It was ideal because each family had their own room and bathroom and we had two additional rooms for the older boys.  We also had a nice large and beautiful common area with a big TV to watch movies and lots of space for puzzles and games.  And we had two kitchens with one large eating area.  There was a large grassy area outside and also a sand volleyball pit, a fire pit, and a playground.  Unfortunately because of the current fire restrictions in Utah we were unable to have a campfire, but it was ok.  What I loved most about the whole location was that we had it all to ourselves.  I never had to worry about my kids playing on the playground and getting taken by some stranger or wandering off into someone else’s cabin or camp.    

Evera absolutely loved the freedom to roam.

The location was gorgeous.  I loved the scenic views all around us.  It was nice to feel a part of nature.  One night my sister-in-law Heather and I were out late and we saw a huge majestic owl flying above the lodge.  He landed for a while on top of the playground.  We got really close and then he flew away into the night.

We also got to enjoy a ton of humming birds.  The night manager has a humming bird feeder out on the balcony in front of his door and the humming birds would just swarm it.  They were so neat to watch!

 He had to refill the feeders multiple times while we were there!

 The only drawback to our location were all the bugs!  YUCK!  I really didn't get many mosquito bites though, even though I forgot to bring any repellant, so that was a plus.  The worst of all the bugs were the moths.  They were enormous and would swarm around our doors at night because of the porch lights.  At first I was upset that our porch light didn't work.  It was dark and scary by our door.  But I shortly realized we had far less bugs than anyone else and that was the reason.  By the end of the trip almost everyone had unscrewed their automatic porch lights for that reason.

This is the giant, creep, vampiresque moth that was dead on Spence and Hill's screen when we got there.

A few days later, another large moth came to die along side the other one.

We don't know how they died stuck to their screen like that...it was really quite creepy.

On the trip Melia discovered a new love for Blow Pops.  Now she is obsessed.

 Evera discovered a love for cousins.  Or, I should say, they discovered a love for him.

Snugglin up to Caylie

Caylie has always loved Evera, but if he wasn't with her he was almost always with one of Dave's older sons. 

Playing ball with Davis

Chillin' out with Jordan

Here’s the schedule I put together.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

MONDAY

4:00 PM: Arrive and set up camp

6:00 PM: Dinner (Mike & Heather and Anne & Rhodri)

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Ham Sandwiches (easy to keep warm for late arrivers)

8:00 PM: Devotional & Dessert (Mom & Dad)

TUESDAY

9:00 AM: Breakfast (Mom & Dad)

10:00 AM: Treasure Hunt (Spencer)

12:00 AM: Break for lunch

1:00 PM: Horseback Riding (kids 6 and under free)

2:00 PM: Hiking (Rhodri)

4:00 PM: Minute to Win It (Morgan Teen Boys)

6:00 PM: Dinner (Dave & Kristyn and Sarah)

7:00 PM: Pinata (Mom) & Favorite Things Gift Exchange (Heather G.)

Each couple bring one of your favorite things (around $15) for our exchange. This will be done white-elephant style.

WEDNESDAY

9:00 AM: Head to Bear Lake / Ideal Beach Resort (Heather)

Everyone pack lunches for a day at the beach, pool, playground, etc. This is about a 10-15 minute drive from the lodge.

6:00 PM: Dinner (Ben & Kirsten and Spencer & Hillary)

7:00 PM: Family Quiz (Kirsten)

8:00 PM: Game Night (Heather)

Including group games for us all to play together

THURSDAY

8:30 AM: Head to Minnetonka Cave (Heather)

a 45-60 minute drive from the lodge

be sure to wear good shoes along with long pants and bring a jacket as it is a 444 stair hike in 45 degree air—but well worth it

cost is approximately $28 per family, but smaller families will cost less

be sure to bring check or cash for payment

12:00 PM: LaBeau’s Famous Bear Lake Raspberry Shakes (on our way back

from the cave, whoever wants to can stop at the mouth of the canyon for shakes and/or lunch at LaBeau’s).

5:30 PM: Dinner (Amber & Nate and Heather & Kendall)

6:30 PM: Family Picture

7:00 PM: Kick Ball Game (Anne)

FRIDAY

Pack up & clean up to go home

Check-out by 11:00 AM

We didn’t stick to the schedule perfectly, it’s best to be laid back about that.  But for the most part we did everything we had scheduled, and then some!

We tried to keep things as efficient as possible, and even had a designated Lost & Found.

Luckily Kyle was not lost, but found.

MONDAY

Hangin out around the fire-less fire pit

Drinkin so milk and playin the harmonica

Digging in the sand volleyball pit--Taylor, Melia, Vienna, Evelyn (always in her swimming suit), and Eli

Enjoying the freedom to run and play with Daddy

Chillin out with the family--Ben, Mike, Amber, Dave, and Dad

HUMAN FOOSBALL

Mom and Dad brought all the poles and supplies to have a giant human foosball game.  The kids had so much fun.  It was such a fun idea, they sure have fun grandparents!

Human Foosball with Grandma and Grandpa

DEVOTIONAL

Each year when we get together Dad always does a special devotional.

Family Night with the whole family

Listening to Mom and Dad's devotional with Evy

Another thing I love about this family is that the kids are always with whoever.  We all take care of eachother and the same with our kids.  I mean of course we all take care of the important stuff for our own kids, but the kids are always with someone else and love everyone equally.  Everyone is always holding someone else's kid.

TUESDAY 

TREASURE HUNT 

Mike's brother Spencer organized a huge treasure hunt for everyone.  It was insane!

The first clue...

The kids were pretty dang excited when they discovered a cake in the kitchen telling them to eat it. 

Under the cake was a DVD.

Dr. Morgan explaining the next clue / task

Watching the DVD

Next the kids had to check under all the beds for a package.  The package contained a set of 8 puzzles...yes...I said EIGHT.

Spencer showing off the next clue

 After the puzzles were assembled we discovered messages on the back of them all.  Letters from A-G.  We discovered they were musical notes.  Taylor, using his musical skills, put them all together and discovered it was the tune to "My Favorite Things."

That lead to the DVD box of the Sound of Music which was up in the common room.  Next they had to find Grandpa Morgan's favorite candy.  We bought the box of Good N Plenty box out of the vending machine and in it were a series of questions for everyone to answer.  Some of the questions were incredibly hard scientific and mathematical questions.  Of course, who would expect any less from "Dr. Spencer Morgan"?  From there the hunt and clues reached total insanity and I was lost.  I was going to try to explain it here but upon having Mike attempt to explain it to me for me to explain here, I was once again, completely lost.  All I can tell you is that not only were there crazy out-there scientific and mathematical questions, there was also a variety of different languages, Morse Code, and a made up cipher that we had to put together in order to discover our next clue.  In the end the clues lead us to the forest south of the lodge and upon following the red flags along the trail the kids finally discovered the treasure!

Mason, Brennan, Jake and Spencer running to find the treasure

Walking on the trail to the treasure

Eureka!

The treasure was too heavy for the kids to carry

Our muscles--Grandpa and Jordan

 Grandpa opened the treasure and began divvying out the goods!

Gathered around Grandpa to receive their rewards

 In the box there was a special made bag from Grandma for each child.  The boys got green camo gecko bags and the girls got black floral bags.  They each had the kids names sewn on. 

 Each bag contained a drink--root beer for the older kids and Capri Sun for the kids.

Melia with her Treasure

Mike congratulating Spencer on a hunt well done

The kids each had a "mailbox" (shoe storage compartment) with their names on it where they would receive two little "gifts" a day.  Grandpa and the kids enjoyed the bubbles I gave them.  :)

Melia and Lydia blowing bubbles

HORSEBACK RIDING

The lodge owners also own a Horseback Riding facility across the street from the lodge.  There, horseback riding (just a short little walk) is free for kids 6 and under.  Although Melia geared up, she was unfortunately too scared to actually ride.

Melia and Eli all geared up to ride the horses

Evera enjoyed his first horse encounter

Nicole was a natural

HIKING

Rhodri set up two hikes.  One for more strenuous hikers, and one for the little kids.  Here is Spencer and some cousins on the big hike.

Caylie, Taylor, Spencer, Davis, and Ian hiking

The big hike group

 Mike and I took Melia and Evera on the little hike (which proved to be incredibly BIG for Melia to handle).

Ev and Mike ready for the hike

All the kids--Vienna, Melia, Evelyn, Miles, Eli, Evan, and Luke

The kids loved all the big logs

This bent tree was a big hit with the kids.

Luke on the tree

Melia admiring her slightly older cousins, Vienna and Evelyn.

Our hike was the Limber Pine trail.  This is the tree we were hiking to.  Melia was so whiny and wanted me to carry her the whole way but I couldn't.  A ton of the hike was uphill and it was a loop.  For being a "mild" hike, it was awfully strenuous.  Well, actually we were told it was a mild hike but upon arriving, the sign said medium.  Anyway, the tree was pretty neat and although it is dead it is the home to up to 100 different species of wildlife!

The Limber Pine

Anyway, Melia was so whiny and Evera was asleep and Mike was so sick of listening to Melia whine he'd gone on a little ahead.  No one would pose for a picture for me, so I had to take one of myself in front of the tree.  :)

Me and the Limber Pine

Ev was out cold

PINATA

I didn't get any pictures of the pinata because I was too busy trying to get Melia to participate.  She refused to do so and just wanted to play alone in the sand.  Melia walked over right when the last person busted the pinata open.  Melia started whining to me that she never even got a turn.  Lol.  Because of her aversion to participating and her whining about not getting to participate, she missed everyone collecting the candy too.  Then she cried about that!  Luckily her cousins shared with her.

Little stinker eating a Tootsie Pop

 FOOTBALL

The girls were just lounging around and decided we wanted to do something more active.  So we picked up the football and started throwing it to one another in a circle.  We had fun laughing at eachother's pitching and catching skills, or lack thereof.  Anne, Kir and Heather were surprisingly good.  I was definitely the worst.

 Here we are being "tough."

The football team :) -- Heather, Heather, Anne, Sarah, Kristyn, Amber, Kir, and Hillary

And our silly shot... --Kristyn, Heather, Amber, Heather, Anne, Kir, Sarah, Hillary, and Miles

 WEDNESDAY

Wednesday was our beach day.  My parents were nice enough to let us use their Ideal Beach access to play at the beach, playground and pool. 

My little beach bum

We rented jet skis and a water trampoline.  It was by far my favorite day of the reunion, and also the favorite of almost everyone else.  I LOVE jet skiing and I feel so free out there on the water.  Spencer was brave and let me drive as fast as I could.  Well...he complained a little.  :)  But he let me go a lot faster than Mike would.  :)  Melia rode for a very short ride on the jet ski but was thoroughly terrified.

The trampoline and slide was a BLAST but that was probably mostly just because of the company.  By the time Spence and I were done jet skiing the kids his age were just finishing their time on the trampoline and it was the teenagers turn.  Spencer was told he could stay though because he didn't get a turn.  So I stayed with him.  It ended up being me, Spencer, Caylie, Jordan, Carter, McKay, Davis, and Taylor out there.  The boys were crazy and made up a bunch of silly games where they throw eachother off the tramp into the water.  Caylie played a bit but she and I just chilled out most of the time laughing at the boys.  Then the boys ganged up and threw me off too.  Dang kids!  :)  No one knew Justin was even coming to the reunion--he told us he couldn't but he ended up surprising us and flying out Wednesday morning.  Anyway, he came out to the tramp and played for a while too and one of the times he was thrown off he lost his glasses in the water.  Although the water was about 10 feet deep where we were, we were able to see the glasses through the incredibly clear water and get them back.  Even that was fun.  :)

Swinging with the best view

The last time we were at Bear Lake, about 3 weeks prior, Melia had come down with a terrible case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.  Because of the sores, she got big callous like blisters on her feet than began peeling off in giant chunks.  I tried to get Melia to wear shoes at the beach but she refused.  The sand got into her skin and it looked so awful!

Hand, Foot, and Mouth aftermath--left foot

Hand, Foot, and Mouth aftermath--right foot

Me and all my kids at the beach

Even with all those cousins around, Melia's best playmate is Grandma Morgan.  She absolutely adores her.  Probably because Grandma always gives her undivided attention and does whatever Melia wants.  Grandma Morgan will play with her for hours at a time. 

Melia's favorite playmate

Total adoration

My little man played in the sand all day and fell asleep as soon as I nursed him.

Little sleepy man.

THURSDAY

MINNETONKA CAVE 

Thursday was our day to go to Minnetonka Cave.  We arrived early and hung out for about an hour before going on our hike.  I think the little girls' favorite part was the water spigot.  You know how Melia loves water! 

Here we all are ready for the cold 444 stair hike in the cave.

The whole crew coming down the stairs

The cave is full of pretty amazing stalactites and stalagmites.

The Seven Dwarfs

Even Evera had fun in the cave

We even had fun outside the cave chatting and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Dave had a captive audience as he told his fart joke

FAMILY PICTURE

After dinner we all put on our matching shirts for a family picture.

 I think everyone liked the shirts I designed from CustomInk.  On the front they said Morgan Reunion 2012 then there was a bear claw and underneath it read, Best Reunion Ever."  Then on the back it says, "EASILY!"  Justin and Sarah came up with the Best Reunion Ever--Easily!  Slogan because "Easily" is a commonly used response to anything on the family website.  :)  This year we got cotton poly shirts so they were even softer than last year, AND we had shirts small enough to even (almost) fit Evera!

 

 

Colton rockin' his reunion shirt

Rhodri rockin his reunion shirt in Colton's wheel chair

Grandma and Grandpa Morgan in their shirts

 NAIL PARTY

Melia insisted we bring all our nail polish so we had a big nail party and I painted a lot of the girls' nails.

Kennedy, Nicole and Morgan painting nails

Kate showing off her awesome nails

 ULTIMATE FRISBEE
It wouldn't be a Morgan reunion without some Ultimate Frisbee.

MINUTE TO WIN IT

Dave and Kristyn's boys organized Minute To Win It games for the family.  We all split up in teams and did a bunch of different tasks including making a golf ball tower and balancing a broomstick on our hands.

FRIDAY

Friday was Spencer's birthday and Mom and Dad made a big pancake breakfast for everyone.  I put candles in Spencer's pancakes and we all sang him Happy Birthday.

Spencer blowing out 11 candles

Happy Birthday Spencer

Spencer was one of five kids born in the Morgan family in 2001.  That is the biggest number we have of any single year, although we got close the year Melia was born with 4.  We call the kids Spencer's age "The Class of 2001."  (Technically I guess they should be the class of 2019 as that'll be the year they should all graduate from high school.)  They're all born within six months of eachother, Spencer being the youngest of the group.

 Here they are from oldest to youngest, Ian, Brennan, Nicole, Parker, and Spencer--all 11 years old!

The Class of 2001 in 2012

At the reunion shortly after Spencer was born, they took a picture of all the babies together in birth order.

The Class of 2001 -- Ian, Brennan, Nicole, Parker, and Spencer

And here they are trying to reenact their original Class of 2001 portrait as they remembered it.

Class of 2001 reenactment in 2012

The kids all had fun playing on the playground for one last time while all the parents cleaned and packed up.

Melia was cracking me up swinging in her pajamas while rocking her bedazzled hot pink sunglasses.

I finally called her in to get dressed and told her it was time to get ready to go home.

She was devastated and told me she wanted to stay there at the lodge forever.

Broken hearted getting ready to go home.

Here are some of our big group photos!

The Morgan Family 2012

Silly photo--apparently only the right half got the memo

All in all it was a fabulous reunion!