1st Annual Hurst Family Reunion

Held at the CherryHill Campground in Kaysville, Utah; mom and dad had reserved 3 campsites

July 23
We all arrived at various times of the day and set up our tents
Mom and dad were first to arrive - they set up an area for the preparing and cooking of meals, an area for gathering and visiting, and several picnic tables lined up for eating and playing games.
Greg and Nancy were last to arrive because they had the farthest to drive.

July 24
We packed lunches after breakfast and drove into Salt Lake where we spent most of the day at the Hogle Zoo. We were able to watch the bird show, visit the Madagascar display, and ride the train. Before we left we made sure each grandchild got a small gift from the gift shop. Very little sleep was had by all due to the thunderstorm, but it sure cooled things off.

July 25
After breakfast everybody put on their swimsuits and headed for the water park, miniature golf, and the many other activities at the campground. Every one of the grandchildren got wore out and fell asleep as soon as their little heads hit their pillows that night.

July 26
Packed up camp and went our separate ways.
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We had so much fun! This was only the second time we have taken the kids camping (we borrowed a tent from Brian's parents). To see our family crammed into Brian's little car with all of our camping gear crammed in the trunk and around our feet was quite a sight. We took Brian's car because it has air conditioning. Brian and I both decided we would rather listen to the children complain about being squished than sweating to death, but to our surprise there was very little complaining.
At the zoo, the boys ran all over! They wanted to see everything as fast as they could. We had to keep reminding them that we had all day and that they needed to slow down. Parker couldn't wait to see the penguins and polar bear, but the polar bear died a couple years ago and they have not replaced it yet. Kaelee enjoyed watching the little monkeys jumping and swinging around their trees, she also got a kick out of watching the pelicans. Briton seemed to enjoy everything.
I think the kids enjoyed the water park the most. Briton wanted to go down all of the water slides and pulled Brian along with him. They really enjoyed the father-son time they were able to spend together. While waiting in line at one of the slides Briton turned to Brian and said 'I love you dad, this is the best day ever'! I stayed around the kiddie area with Parker and Kaelee. Parker loved playing pirate and climbing on the pirate ship. He ran everywhere and splashed everyone. Kaelee took some time getting used to the water. It wasn't any deeper than her bathtub water is, but there was so much more! She finally started splashing and pushing me onto my back, climbimg on top of me, and pretending to wash my hair like I do with her in the bathtub. It was fun and I enjoyed it too.
We played miniature golf as a family. Watching the kids play was the funnest part. Briton kept holding the club backwards, Parker got tired of all the swinging and missing so he finally started throwing the ball down the fareway, and Kaelee kept chasing the balls and bringing them back to you when they reached the green. Needless to say, we didn't keep score!
Briton tried climbing the rock wall and made it about halfway up! Brian and Briton both played aeroball; Brian played against dad, Thayne, and Andrea and Briton played against Ben and a couple other campers. Greg and Brett spent a lot of time at the batting cages and Briton asked Brian if he could watch him hit a few balls.

The time we were able to spend together as a family was enjoyed by everyone! It was fun getting to know each other all over again and watching the cousins play together like they have never been apart. I think mom and dad got to spend a little bit of time with each of the grandkids too and they loved it!

When I asked the boys what they remeber most about the family reunion, here is what they said:
Briton - going down the waterslides with my dad and playing games with my cousins
Parker - playing games with my cousins

I am thankful that I was able to gather with my brothers and sisters and their families and that we were able to pick up right where we left off, as if the time we spent apart and the distance between us was not a factor. I am grateful for the bond that our children have with each other and for the way they are able to play together so well. The big kids even made sure they included the little ones in their games! I look forward to the next family reunion.

Thank you to each of my family members and I love you all!
(I would like copies of any pictures you took over the weekend and I will send you what I took.)