Reminder: I post way too many pictures, according to Gary, but remember that this is mainly for these grandchildren to look through later in their lives and to remember being little and being with their Hall family. Feel free to skip on....this is for the grandkids!
Monday started with pancakes, because grandmas and pancakes go together for my grandkids!
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| Niki--posing |
The house had a cute "diner" area with three tables which came in handy for eating, crafts, and other fun stuff.
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| Ben eating with Carter and Ezri |
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| Cooper and Scarlett with Gary |
Although I didn't get pillowcases made, Jessica made each of the cousins a pillow case with their names on them and a Christmas gnome. They worked hard coloring them with washable markers.
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| Alex |
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| Liam and Zander |
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And then Ezri joined in.
She was not yet two but thinks she can do everything the other kids do. |
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James made a globe on his!
Since I love maps and globes, I made me
very excited. |
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Scarlett is definitely our artist.
She spent the most time on her pillowcase
and was often drawing pictures at the tables. |
Some of us headed off for a walk. And where there is a gate--there should be a picture taken---
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| Scarlett and James |
Scarlett (our AZ girl) was delighted to find some snow to eat!
Hiking .....
and discovering treasures (mostly rocks) with your cousins....
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| Zander |
And where there are rocks--they must be climbed!
Never take the easy way if there is a dirty hard trail to follow....
The Reunion pjs appeared during the day and at night the whole reunion!
Air dough in the diner was also a hit.
The playground
The view from the deck. We saw a deer out there on Sunday afternoon and a herd of deer out the front.
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| Ava |
Before dinner, the kids were playing and the adults (it is somewhat weird to refer to my kids as the adults, but that is the stage we are at and they are all adulting) decided to play one of our newer games "Blank Slate." Soon after, several of the grandkids were joining us, each figuring out ways that they could play with us. It was one of my favorite moments from the reunion.
Hanging out in the Great room
The kitchen
AND the moment that didn't happen on Monday was our professional family photo. It was set for 4:00 pm. About noon, I got a call from her saying that she was at the ER having a CT so she might have to delay the photo until Tuesday. No problem, we could make that work.
After dinner, we sent Gary, Scott and Austen out to build a fire in the fire pit for S'Mores! It was probably 25 degrees but no one wanted to miss out playing with a fire and burning marshmallows.
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Scott's photo of the ghost story
Liam, James, Niki, and Scarlett with Chantel |
There is something magically about a fire...
For my Giberson family---the reunion classic with names on the paper cups!
From the balcony looking out to the fire pit----
The S'Mores were delicious and it was a great way to end the day together!
Except the day didn't exactly end that way for some of us---about 8:30 pm, Liam ran into the sliding glass door that he thought was open and broke his glasses and cut a gash across his eyebrow. It was one of those marginally cuts where they went back and forth whether it needed stitches or not. But finally they decided that it was better to have it checked out.
So Gary, Jessica, Liam and I headed to Heber Valley Hospital--about 45 minutes away. We got there about 9:30 and ended up being there until about 1:30 am. Gary and I were able to make a run to the store and get a couple of items that were needed. Liam ended up needing stitches and because of the location right above his eye, they had to sedate him. Then he got sick from that medication which made it all a much longer visit. Poor guy.
While there, about 11:30 pm, I got a text from our photographer. She was getting prepped for emergency surgery so no family photographer! With Liam's stitches and our late night, I was somewhat relieved about that, but also disappointed. I wasn't sure when the next time we would all be together again. Our last family picture was before the younger four granddaughters were added to the family.
However, since we didn't settle into bed until after 3:00 am, family pictures didn't seem that important anymore.
Adventures of all kinds!
We made chocolate chip cookies together---
Liam and his big stick
The zipline was a favorite....
even for the adults....not me!
After our "family photo" session, some tired kids......wearing their new hats. More about that on the next post.
We had our early Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday evening. Ben asked if he could help cook which was great.
Food and family.........
The kids got into the spirit of it
We didn't get a photo, but one of the highlights was when Scarlett, James, and Niki (I think) worked together to do a charade. They sat side by side all curled up. We guessed so many things and they started laughing so much. Scarlett started giving us clues and we finally got it when she said, "You recycle these." Cans! They were posing as cans--no wonder we didn't get it. That made us laugh so hard. Kids are great!
