Anderson Family Reunion

There is not a better time of year than the *Anderson Family Reunion* for kids to be kids and to play with cousins all day long.  This is one weekend that our entire family looks forward to all year, its that one chance to get away from work and the thoughts of home.  I think another reason that we all look forward to camping is because summer seems so busy and every weekend booked that this is our one chance a year to get away to place we all love!   In fact, we are always the first one to camp and of course, the last to leave.  Plus, the kids have been so excited about going that they have actually had their bags packed for several weeks. 

 

Wednesday morning, we got up and finished packing the trailer so we could finally get on the road.  It was around noon when we finally got out of town and arrived at the Thousand Lake - Elk Horn Ranger station around 2:00.  Jeremy unhooked the four wheeler and travel trailer, grabbed a bite to eat and then he and Trey headed back down the mountain to get the horses.  With McKenna to girls camp for the week, this left Lottie, Ally and myself to do what we want for the few hours we would be here alone.  It ended up being about six hours that we were alone, but that time seemed to fly right on by.  The three of us stayed busy coloring and playing games in the trailer, we hiked up into the trees, and took Grandma's four wheeler for a ride.  It then wasn't long before Rod, JoAnn, Grandma Loraine, Maddie arrived with Jeremy and Trey following shortly behind. 

 

 

Thursday morning came and we were off to a great start.  More and more family started to show up which made it more fun and memorable for the little girls.  Ally and Maddie had a ball playing play dough, coloring in their journals, picking flowers and playing with Bryler and Adrie.    Jeremy and Trey saddled up the horses and rode for several hours up on top of the Geyser.  Lottie and I were more or less stuck to the trailer.  She has developed this fear of the wind this summer, so the mountains were definitely not Lottie's happy place.  Lottie and I spent a lot of time in the trailer coloring and playing games. 

Friday morning came and we were in charge of fixing breakfast for everyone at camp. We served the traditional breakfast burritos as well as fresh fruit, which of course was very yummy.  It wasn't shortly after breakfast was through that McKenna and Dillon showed up.  Camp has not been the same this year without McKenna here with us.  Jeremy and I mentioned several times how weird it is to not have her around.  However, soon after they arrived, she disappeared and was hanging out with Belle, Taela, and Samantha.  Jeremy, Dillon, and Trey had their horses saddled and their lunches packed ready to go on their big horse ride down around Billings Pass.
 

While the horse riders were gone, several of us were able to talk the kids on going for a walk outside of camp.  We were able to go where the kids could pick some flowers, find a small creek of water, and walk down the ATV trail. 

The hike was fun for all the kids to get away and look for the stream of water, make pretty bouquets, and even find huge mushrooms.  Everyone was excited to get back to camp to show off their cool finds from our hike.   The picture below of Lottie is her showing her true colors of the weekend.  She was fine the entire time on the hike, showed no signed of fear, but once we got back and starting visiting with family around the picnic tables, she started to get a little uneasy.  The picnic area is surrounded by trees, so every time we were around that area, she would pause and watch the top of the trees.  If there was the slightest of breeze, she wanted to go home.  With her bouquet in hand, not only was she watching the top of the trees, but a jet plane was flying ahead and was really loud.  She did not like either, obviously by plugging her ears and watching the tree tops, it wasn't soon afterwards that she was ready to go home.

 

Trey came back from their horse ride and was pretty excited out his finds, one elk shed and then two good sheds from a deer.  What a good day on the horse ride for the boys today.

 

 

Since tonight was one of big nights around the fire, Grandma JoAnn and McKenna started warming up for their big performance.  Grandma JoAnn had bought a set of home made drums and for the past several weeks, these two have been making their own garage band practicing for the AFR.  It was fun to watch them come together and sing so well together and include a little background music to it too!  McKenna also showed off her solo cup song that she had learned to play 'When I am Gone' that she had so diligently learned by watching a YouTube video.

 

 Saturday morning we got up and enjoyed a delicious breakfast put on by the Robinson family.  The horse riders got their horses ready and their lunches packed to go again.  Trey decided to stay back today, so he could hang out with his other cousins in camp.  Part of the Saturday fun is the craft that they have for all to make.  Each kid was able to personalize their own pendant banner how ever they want.  Everyone loved this idea and had so much fun being creative. 

 

Another part of Saturday that we look forward to is to have Eric, Jenna, Tripp and Krew show up to play for the day.  They brought their side by side, so they loaded up the kids and took them for ride and gave them a break from camp.    Poor Lottie was left behind and by Saturday night we were both ready to go home.  Needless to say the horses were back really late or on the rode we would have gone.  Later Saturday night, we ate a wonderful supper from the Blackburn's and then afterwards, we attended the family auction.  This has got to be on the of best nights of camp.

 

These two, McKenna and Samantha, have become quite the little set of best friends over the years.  With only one year difference in age, it has been fun for them to be able to get to know each other so close and have someone close to their age to hang out with while camping. 



 

Like I have mentioned before, we are always the last ones to go and in waiting for Grandpa Rod to show up so we can all go home, the kids did a good job at keep us adults pretty well entertained. 

 

 

Trey was excited to show me where he had slept the last three nights of camping, he was lucky enough to claim top bunk.  Chap, Parker, Carson, and Trey were the group of boys that stayed in Ranger Station's cabin this weekend.  They laughed and had so much fun being together in here.  Sure beats a tent for sure!

Grandma Loraine and Lottie kept each other entertained for quite some time.  If only I could have translated their conversation, both of them were giggling when the other took her turn speaking in their jibberish language.  They cracked me up!

Of course, Lottie wanted to show off, so knowing she had a captive audience, she did a fine job in keeping smiles on our faces.

 

McKenna and Trey spent some of the afternoon target practicing.  McKenna was quite proud of her shot, she more or less left her marking not only on the pop can but also the stump of wood that the can was sitting on.

Jeremy got creative and found a really tall later laying around.  He propped the ladder up against a tree and went to work carving his name in the tree.  He thought this would be fun to see years to come and to have people wonder how in the heck he got up there so high to carve his name in the tree.  Leave it to Jeremy, he has marked a ton of trees on this mountain over the years.

 

Lottie's entertainment was so much, she crawled up on the bunk with her bear and kitty toy and went sound asleep.  What a cutie!

 



 

 After shooting guns, Trey and McKenna made it up to the Ranger Station to roast some marshmallows.  Poor Trey was bribed to eat his burnt marshmallow, it was about all he could do.  These of course are McKenna's favorite kind, so they thought this was pretty entertaining.

 

 

And in Jo Jo's words, we are outta here! 

 

 

Not even out of camp and little Ally is out!  She has been one busy girl over the past five days!

I hate to say it, but the family photo pretty much sums up our weekend.  This has been what five days camping in a grove of trees with a slight breeze has done to Lottie.  Anytime we have wanted to get out and do something, we have pretty much had to peel her out of the trailer or truck!  Hopefully by next year, she will out grow this and we can actually be in the mountains to enjoy the mountains, not the inside of our trailer walls!

 

HOME Sweet HOME . . . here we come!

 

She couldn't be happier, knowing that we are on our way home!

 

Ooh and don't ya just want to squeeze her, she is so darn cute!