Meyers Family Reunion 2012!

The Meyers Family Reunion 2012 was a HIT!  (fair warning - I've uploaded LOTS of pictures.  It's hard to capture it all!)

This year our sweet Lisa and her family jump-started plans for a family reunion!  And thanks to them, and everyone else who participated...it was a huge success!  Mom and Dad and all the girls put in a lot of work to ensure we all had as much fun and relaxation as possible!

On the first day - Nana surprised all the grand kids (10!) with a home made quilt - tailored to each child's personality.  Each one was different and unique - and obviously made with love, long hours and sore fingers!  Thank you Nana for all your hard work - and thank you Papa for being so patient while she stayed up ALL NIGHT doing it!  They are BEAUTIFUL!

 Later on the first day it was time to get out a few fun activities for the kids.  Nana brought them all into the garage and taught them how to really finger-paint, without the mess.  This was a great way to jump-start the fun to had the rest of the week!

 The bigger kids finished painting, while Papa and Riley enjoyed some quite time!  

 After painting, Nana and Mandy took the kids outside for a scavenger hunt and to feed the horses.

Day two - Fishing ALL MORNING LONG!  :)  

Jett and Papa started early by casting in the yard for practice.  Then everyone else managed to get outside to join in the fun.

 Uncle Drew was able to catch several fish - but the really fun part was hooking just one - then throwing it back in - still on the line - and letting each little kid reel it back in!  This was a great way for everyone to have a turn "catching a fish".

 Tucker liked reeling it in - but wanted NOTHING to do with it after that!  

 Even Dallas got a turn!

 Jason and his boys, Jacob and Braden, fished on the other side of the pond and came up with one fish also! Jacob was very good at casting and could've done that all day - fish or not!

 Braden was content to play in the dirt and watch.  He made a very nice rock castle and then proceeded to "decorate" it with very fine powder dirt!  Even Nana got in on the action!

  Yay Jacob!

 An early highlight for the big boys (which includes Jett, of course) was the Trail-70 motorcycles.  The house we stayed in was on 23 acres and had lots of room to ride around.  Unfortunately, Jett was hot-doggin' and hit some big rocks and bit-it!  He was a raspberry from head to toe - front and back!  Poor kid - But he was a champ and only cried a little - I would've been balling all day!  

                                    Day Three - Discovery Museum and lunch in Julia Davis Park

Lisa had an incredible pass to the museum the got everyone in (20 people) for very little!  The kids went crazy for all the fun games and exhibits available to touch and play with.  This is the best place to take your kids - and not have to worry about what they are doing!  It's all hands-on and loads of fun!   After about an hour - headed outside for lunch in the park and were met by a few park residents!  Needless to say, the kids had fun feeding AND chasing the geese!

Day Four & Five - The Meyers - Taylor Reunion

On Friday, we gathered at Ryan Taylor's house.  We rented a bouncy house with a water slide and enjoyed food and family.  Then on Saturday, we gathered at Aftie's house for round two.  She has a amazing yard complete with covered patios, pool, basketball, sand volleyball, and a soccer field.  And they're not finished yet!  

Aunt Michele brought Grandma Afton to the party and Grandma Louise also came!  It was really nice to have the whole family together!  All the the cousins (young and old) played hard and had a blast!

 We noticed soon after we arrived that Dallas and Braden were missing from the group.  We soon found them in the front yard - happy as could be.  They found a tractor toy and spend most of their time playing together, tying it up, dragging it around and being great little BOYS!  SO adorable!

 Miss Riley was a doll-face!  

 That evening, Nana brought out her kid-fun box again and painted faces. 

Ava was a smurf...  

 ...and Brycen was Spiderman. 

That final night, Kimbre treated us with manicures and pedicures - with more nail polish color options than I think I have ever seen!  She also cut all of the girl's hair throughout the week - so a BIG THANK YOU to Kimbre!

I think my favorite part of the whole week was watching all the little cousins play together!  I thought we would need to have lots of stuff to entertain them with - but they played so well together, that we really didn't have to entertain them at all.

What a blessing to be able to meet together in Middleton Idaho and share this unforgettable week together!  Thanks to all of us for making it possible!