We had a beautiful Memorial Weekend up in the mountains with Steve’s family – our annual tradition – and each year it gets better and better as our kids get a little bit older and they have a little more freedom to play and roam with cousins.
There was pool time – we would play all morning (tennis and playground) – work up a sweat and cool off in the pool. Or sweat on the sidelines watching kids in the pool! Fortunately the weather was 25-30 degrees cooler than back home or else we would have been melting on the sidelines.
We spent Sunday going to church and spending time as a family. With the size of Steve’s family, we’re spread out over several cabins. But each year on Sunday, we come together in one cabin to eat, hang out and play games. This is always my favorite day of the trip. There is something about being under one roof with all these people that is deeply gratifying. It is anything but peaceful – but it’s comfortable. I enjoy sitting back and being a spectator to conversations and games. And the great part is you can talk and participate as much you like. For me, sometimes thats a lot and sometimes its a little. I enjoy being in it as much as I love watching my family being in it. Like watching Steve with his nephew doing a magic trick!
Eight of the nine siblings with their spouses. These people are amazing…and they are witty and fun and completely selfless.
What made this year a little different than the rest is one of Steve’s sister and her family from Utah joined us in the mountains for the first time. They add a whole new level of fun and life to our already large party! They are sending two kids, a daughter and son, on a mission this summer so we spent part of the afternoon hearing from them about the countries they’ll be serving in. My kids are surrounded by such good examples in all of their cousins – they’re fortunate in that way.
We closed the night out with some s’mores – nothing says mountain living quite like a sticky, burnt s’more!
The other highlight of the trip was tennis. Saturday and Monday morning were dedicated to family tennis. Two courts – 40 people – and a game of live tennis. (fast-paced points that rotate quickly and lets everyone play – all levels continuously.) We played for hours. And after a while, the adults started to putter out and yet the cousins kept going. This family is made of talented tennis players and it’s fun to watch old and young play together. Hallie has been taking lessons for a while and this was her first time playing with the family and she totally held her own. The youngest one on the court and she didn’t back down. Lessons are finally paying off!
