Colorado Family Reunion

We had a wonderful time at a family reunion on my side this week. It was quite a drive up to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado, but so worth it. We were able to see some relatives I hadn't seen in many years, and it was great fun to get catch up and meet some new kids as well. We stayed at the YMCA in Estes Park, and it was super--lots of fun stuff to do.

On the way up, we stopped and stayed with my old college roomie Angie (Strong) Johnson. It was great to bond again and share mom stories.
Her daughter Cassidy is a cutie pie!
Then we were off to the reunion! Here are a few highlights from the trip--there are WAY more pictures that this, and many more events, but blogs are not photo albums so I am just giving a sampling here.

My brother Danny and his family live in North Carolina, so they had yet to meet Ella. Krisztina and Alexandra both had a great time showering her with attention. We were pleasantly surprized to see how well she took to people--she just LOVED all the attention she got all week. Here's studly Logan rock climbing.
Truth be told, Angie was the real stud--she climbed all the walls to the top--she is so fearless! (P.S. Sunny the dreamer opted out of this and decided to enjoy the beauties of the area and bond with her little cousin Alyssa instead.)
My Mom was REALLY intent on winning this game. Unfortunately, I can't remember if her team did or not--good work though Mommy!
Did I mention that Ella enjoyed the attention she got all week?
I love this picture of Becky and Danny because they totally look like brother and sister! This was at our campfire and song night.

Aunt Mel with Ella--how sweet!
Oh my--can it be any more precious--this is my Great Aunt Evelyn--she is still very perky and lots of fun! Obviously her and Ella got along great!
Oh yeah--what's a campfire without "A Tooty Tah!"?
Here's another one of the games we played--the classic toothpick and lifesaver relay race.
Horsebackriding was really fun--they actually let us do some trotting, which they normally don't on these kinds of rides. Of course, bums were very sore the next day, but that's all part of the experience right?

The kids had never gone before, so I was happy to see they weren't scared of the horses or going up those sides of the mountain--their mom, however, was a bit wimpy. The wrangler had to ride in front of me when we went on steep parts to make sure I didn't faint!
Keep those doggies movin' cowboy!
Here's a few more pics of the campfire and song night. This is my sis-in-law Krisztina.
Here's Logan with Mel's boyfriend Matthew--he SO wants to learn guitar now!
Here's Ella enjoying nature. It was really cool because our back door went right out into a little hill with grass.

Here's a few excerpts from the family talent show. My cousin Kelly and her family did a cute dance number.
My cousins Molly and Cinnamon did a really fun talent--they played songs with Snapple bottles! This is my cousin JR and Melanie's boyfriend Matthew jamming out on the guitar. It was pretty good--and they just got it together while they were up at the reunion together!
My brother Danny surprised us--or at least me--by reciting a Shell Silverstein poem "Sara Silvia Cynthia Stout Wouldn't Take the Garbage Out." The kids loved it!
We also did some talent as well--the girls and I sang "Matchmaker" and Logan and Jack did "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof. Yeah, have the video but no pictures. It was fun though--overall just a great time with great people. We also went on a beautiful hike, but I want to do a separate post for that because I'm pooped and ready for bed. Thanks to everyone that helped and came to the reunion--it was AWESOME!