Family Reunion 2009 Lava Hot Springs

Bryan & Ky having a game of catch
Ko playing his version of Golf Lasso

Jeff helping Libby with a little golf lasso

Claire and Frank playing a little catch 3 & 4 year old style

Ky playing golf lasso with Jeff

This is our 6th year going to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. Our first trip was in May of 2004. It was the weekend of Memorial Day. We had all planned on attending but Ky, Jen and family ended up moving to their present home in Murray that weekend so we were all there but them. Phil and Alesha were just dating and I guess Phil decided he could stand all of us because the very next weekend he asked Alesha to marry him. That year it rained the whole time but we still had a great time in the hot tubs. Whitley was just a baby and she let us know she was around. Whitt and Bryan didn't come up until Friday when Whitt got out of school. This is Whitt and I with 3 of our 4 children. Alesha gave birth to their #2 son on Tuesday just before we left on Wednesday. They are all doing fine we really missed having them with us but we did take Koen and he had a really good time and was a good boy.

Bryan, Lynae and girls Whitley, Claire and Libby

Jeff, Kirstie, Henry, Lucy, Frank and Lydia

Ky, Jen and Boys Zach, Dillian (Bob) Dylan Grant and Eli

The whole family minus Phil, Alesha and Brigden.

I really wanted to make this a special year as I was thinking it was our 5 year Family Reunion. Really it was as Ky's family wasn't with us that 1st year. I bought these great Lands End swim bags at the close of the season last year and I have been collecting things to go in them for the past few months. It was fun to get some things to play in the water with and of course new water shoes. The hot tubs as well as the river requires water shoes. The kids all got new swim suits and water toys. I really enjoyed doing this and I think they all enjoyed their surprise bag as well.

Jeff, Kirstie and family and myself left early afternoon on Wednesday June 17th. We arrived in Lava and checked into our hotel. We have stayed at the Tumbling Water Hotel every year. This hotel isn't the nicest but it is right on the river as well as being across from the Hot Tubs. We also have a huge lawn area that makes it great for playing games and eating. The weather this year has been exceptional wet. When we went to dinner at the Wagon Wheel they said this was their eleventh day of straight rain. It did rain that eveing as well. Ky and Jen were not coming up until Thursday morning but when we left on Wed. afternoon they had changed their mind and had decided to come that evening. Ky pulled dad's trailor up with all our belongs. When you plan for food for our whole family as well as Shannon Swensons family you need lots of coolers.

Shannon and her kids have joined with us the past 3or4 years and we have enjoyed having them. We have a lot of fun with them and all our little kids love Ashley and Kegan as well as Shannon.

Ky, Jen and boys arrived around 10 p.m. and we unloaded the trailor then we all went to bed. I had my own room since Whitt didn't come until Thursday after he got out of school. I enjoyed my alone time and watched "So you think you can dance" and worked on some plastic canvas project that I am doing. I slept until around 8:30 or 9:00 and Ky came to see if I wanted to go for breakfast. We always have to frequent the Wagon Wheel for a couple of meals just for fun. I ordered oatmeal as that is one thing I can usually get down in the mornings. It was the real thing not instant and I could only eat a few spoonfuls. It was really good but I could probably have gotten a go box and eaten it the whole weekend. It rained pretty hard while we were eating breakfast then shortly thereafter it stopped and the rest of the day was quite nice. Lynae, Bryan and girls brought Koen up with them and they got there about 12:30. We played lots of games on the lawn out back of our hotel. Ky has a game called golf lasso and he and Jeff were playing that. Koen thought it looked fun and could hardly wait for them to be through so he could play.