Datwyler Reunion

We had our Datwyler reunion on Aug 15-17 this year. This is just my immediate family. So there are 17 of us right now, 8 adults and 9 grand-kids. We went to Heber Valley Camp. Doug and I were in charge this year, so we picked this spot since it was close to us, and we'd been there before with Doug's family. Monday:
We got there around 11:00 or so and started getting things set up. My parents arrived 20 minutes later and we got the food unpacked and lunch ready. Richard and Marcus and their families arrived a bit later and we all have lunch and got settled in. We were in Hinckly #3. It only had two cabins, which was plenty for our small group.

The kids all had fun with the bunk beds.

Christopher pushed this stroller around most of the time while we were at camp. Thanks Marcus and Annie for bringing it and keeping our toddler entertained.

After lunch we played around camp with this ball and sticks game, sorry I'm not sure what it's called. Then we played a bit of volleyball and the kids played in the sand. The mosquitoes were a bit annoying that first day, Tyler always gets the most bites. Two on his leg swelled up a lot during the night and were like goose-eggs the next day. I had some crafts ready for the kids to do too. They decorated some sippy cups (with straws) that had their names on them.

Doug and I were dinner that night, Doug was the best helper, he did almost all the cooking and warming up while I got the plates and stuff ready. We had Cafe Rio pulled pork salad. It was yummy, but not the most camp friendly. It was just a lot of warming things up, so I had to bring a lot of pots- but it turned out great.

Fun to be with cousins!

We had a treasure hunt after dinner and then got ready for our special FHE. Mom and Dad always prepare a special message for the kids and then usually some family history stories too. They talked about baptism since Stefan is going to baptized this fall. We also had the assignment to make up a song about our families. We sang them to the tune of "Follow the Prophet." They turned out great and of course were very funny and entertaining. We were also celebrating Ian's and Grandma's birthday. They got some presents and then mom was super nice and bought all the kids a foam squirt gun and all the parents iPads! I've been thoroughly enjoying mine.
After the kids finally got to bed we read our family memories and mom and dad talked about 9 tools of Civility: 1. Attention 2. Listen 3. Be Inclusive 4. Don't Gossip 5. Show Respect 6. Be Agreeable 7. Apologize and Be Cordial 8. Give Constructive Criticism 9. Take Responsibility. They are always trying to help us be better people.

Mom and dad went to bed and us siblings stayed up and visited for awhile before we all tried to sleep. It's hard with the cabins because they are echo-y and the kids wake each other up. Ian woke up, then that woke Chris up, then he woke up Tyler. Anyway, it will be nice when our kids are a bit older and can sleep on their own more.

Tuesday:

Richard and Tannie fed us a great scone breakfast with eggs. Then we went on a hike to an overlook. Everyone did fairly well. Damon and Tyler seem to be the biggest complainers. We went back the short way, and the others went on a different trail back, that ended up being longer than they anticipated. The kids did some more crafts, coloring puzzles, while we waited for the second group to get back.

After lunch and hanging around (braiding bracelets and coloring book-marks) we went to the lake. I didn't expect to see so many people. It really was bumper boats out on the lake. Doug and I took Tyler and Chris on a paddle boat. Grandma and Grandpa took Stefan and Damon. Richard and Marcus were in canoes with their families. We were allotted 1 hour on the lake, and it was hot. We were all relieved to get back into the shade under the pavilion. The kids played in a sand box there afterwards, then we hiked back to camp.
Marcus and Annie fed us a nice Chicken Salad for dinner and then the 6 of us siblings went to a challenge course while Grandma and Grandpa watched the grand-kids. I think their job was more challenging though. Another family was grouped with us and they went on the zip-line first, then it was our turn. I was first from our group. It was a little scary, getting on the bridge and walking across was the hardest part. Then we did the other activities. We did one where you were with a partner and one was blind-folded and the other had to give directions. There was a rope one where we all had to help each other get across. One was called opposites where we had to all cross a log. The last was were we had to get through a spider web being passed through the web. I was last and had to jump through the hole and they caught me on the other side. It was fun, but a little harder landing than I anticipated. It was a fun break from the kids, thanks mom and dad for watching the kids. They were happy when we got back. :)


After the kids went to bed we played the Farming Game. Doug won, but it was a weird game with some bad rolls. We eventually just called it a game when Marcus skipped harvesting his cows.

Wednesday:

Mom and Dad fixed us a great french toast breakfast and then we all packed up and cleaned up. Everyone was great to pitch in and clean the cabins and our pavilion. Marcus and Annie were driving all the way to California, so they left first, they didn't get home until 11:00 that night. We all left around 10:30 or so. We just drove straight home too and ate lunch there. It was a great reunion, but it's always nice to get home.

Thanks for the great times everyone.