Friday, September 7, 2012

Austin family reunion

Last year my grandma and grandpa bought a little house/cabin up in Star Valley, WY. My grandpa grew up there and we all just adore that area. Last year they invited everyone up for a reunion, but Kyle and I couldn't go because we were moving. They've been up there a bunch more this year, but we hadn't made it. They had planned to have everyone come up for Labor day again this year. We weren't planning on it, but last Thursday my mom decided we should go. Kyle and my dad had to work, so we made it a girl's trip. Me, my mom, my sister Megan, and the babies. It was SUCH a blast!! Seriously, Star Valley has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

The first morning everyone slept in, so a few of us took the girls outside for a walk. They sure love their great-grandpa!

 
 

My uncle Scott was so nice to Lucy. He played with her and hauled her around, and she LOVED it!


Lucy asked Grandpa to have a tea party with her. They invited a few other guests as well. 


For lunch on the first day, we decided to go on a picnic. It didn't quite work out, it started hailing, and raining. But we had a good time anyway. We ate standing up, then went on a little hike. Lylah especially loved throwing the "gocks" in the water with Gran. 




After our hike, we stopped over at a baby llama farm! They were the cutest ever! Lylah (my little animal obsessed lady) kept yelling "puppies! puppies! Moo!!" 


*Side note: Funniest story ever. A while back Lucy was sitting in nursery (I was there subbing). The kids got their pictures and crayons and were quiet coloring. All of a sudden Lucy said "So...do you guys like llamas?"

She might be a little obsessed with llamas. 



My mom put together the first annual Austin Olympics. It was seriously a blast! Each person competed individually, and each family was a country. We had different events and finished off with some closing ceremonies at the end of the trip. 

First event: Boat racing. Make your own boat out of anything, then see who's goes down Grandpa and Grandma's little river the fastest. :) I took second overall, thank you! 

All the competitors: 


Waiting to catch the boats. 


Everyone participated in the olympics, which made it so awesome!


Next event, golf! 

Yes, Lucy really really really adores Emily.

And Lylah's newest buddy is my cute cousin A: 

Grandpa helping Lucy golf: 

And Grandma competing:  

Lucy might have cheated. A lot. 

Such happy sisters.

Heather taught us this amazing new card game called golf. We may have got a little out of hand, playing it much later than we should have. :)

Doug, preparing for the closing ceremonies. Oops, didn't notice the velcro...

Boat racing:
Me (silver), Austin (gold), A (bronze) 

Bocce, Jr. Division:
Emily (gold), Lucy (silver), Lylah (bronze)

Bocce: 
Sandra (silver), Addie (gold), Heather (bronze)

Grandpa took gold in golf! He was pretty proud (and maybe a little cocky...)

Golf:
Taylor (silver), Grandpa (gold), Austin (bronze)

Croquet (possibly the most uncomfortable line-up on the stand):
Eric (silver), Scott (gold), Megan (bronze)

Volleyball silver team: 
Sam, A, Heather

Volleyball gold team:
Spencer and Reed

Olympic organization (or maybe the pity prizes?):
Julie, Grandma, Lauren, Kenzi, Mom

Doug receiving his gold for tennis from Taylor:

We also did glitter toes on all the girls! So much fun!

The older kids took the little guys swimming while we cleaned the cabin:



4 point buck in the back yard!


Headed home. Very very tired babies:

We all happened to stop at the same Wendy's on the way home. It was so funny to run into each other!

Weekly review

A few random things we've done lately. 

A lot of Lucy's little friends are starting preschool this year. I've decided not to, and I feel very comfortable with my decision. I want to enjoy another full year of her being home with me before I send her out. I know the research shows that sending her to an academic preschool is not going to give her any sort of advantage, and in fact can burn her out by 2nd or 3rd grade. I know that preschool isn't the right choice for Lucy this year because she's doing other social activities. But I still worry when I see all the other 3 year olds starting preschool. So, we've been doing a very casual preschool at home each morning. Lucy is LOVING 'school'. We've been practicing letter sounds, tracing letters, reading books, doing art projects, counting, sorting and all sorts of other fun things.

Megan and our cousin Brian came over to visit a few days ago. Brian was so cute and had 'tea' with the little ladies.  
My BFF got married about 2 weeks ago! It was such a perfect day! Here is a picture of us at her very casual bridal shower. I don't know what I would do without these girls! We're so much closer now than we were in high school! 

Going home late one night. They're so cute.

Lylah is totally her daddy's girl! She loves to figure things out, and will focus on one task until she's completed it. Lately, she's loving 'fixing' the tv for us. Lucy especially loves it when she's watching a show. :) 

These bathroom stall door chairs (at Ikea) are genius! 


Resting after being at Ikea forever with Aunt Megan, helping her get ready for college! 

$2 Tuesdays

We love fun, inexpensive activities around here (who doesn't?) So, August's $2 Tuesdays such a fun tradition for us. We always go with our cousins, Ellie and Tommy. This year we especially loved the Dino Museum (please excuse the crazy eyes from my iphone flash) and the Farm Land. 

 




Farm Land! 
 



 



Surprise party!

This August, my dad celebrated his 50th birthday. I decided to host a big surprise party. It was tricky, but he totally didn't suspect a thing! We had a great turn out! The absolute best part was that Mark (who had been in Oklahoma all summer) called me a few days before and decided to surprise everyone and show up! I helped him plan everything, and my parents and siblings were so surprised! 




I found this awesome idea on Pinterest: http://nothingbutbonfires.com/2011/06/sixty-years-memories. About 2 months before his birthday I started emailing, messaging and using any other means of communication to gather nostalgic letters for my dad. It turned out perfectly and he totally LOVED it!