Apen Grove

Scott's family had a fabulous reunion at Aspen Grove (a family camp in the Utah Mountains).  It was a true vacation! The camp went from Saturday to Friday. The kids were each assigned groups by age that took them for 3 hours in the morning (we picked them up for lunch) and then 3 more hours in the afternoon.  They played games, went on hikes, went swimming, came back with crafts...pretty much kept busy the whole and then dropped into bed at night! Mon.- Thurs! They even took 1 year olds and put them down for naps! Heaven for all!  Meanwhile, the adults could be as busy or relaxed as they wanted.

Day 1, Scott and I went on the ropes course. Here we are getting ready...

You climb up a long log with niches in it that moves around a little, then switch over to a rock wall to finish the way to the top.  Then you do these wires through the trees. And back to the wall where you repell down.

I have more pics of Scott doing it too but they all seemed to be butt shots so I thought I'd spare you!

Day 1 also had the Aspen follies, where families compete in a bunch of random but fun games that are timed.  The goal is to be the family with the best time in all the vents so you can recieve a certificate at the closing ceremonies!  Now if you know the Howards at all, you know they are a very competive bunch and I was glad Tyson opted to play on the firetruck instead of "getting in the way" during the games.

During this game, the goal was to fill up this trash can with water (running water back and forth from another trashcan a few yards away).  The hard thing being that the trash can was full of holes all around, so everyone had to plug up some holes with their fingers to keep the water in. And then one person usually hops in to help the water rise to the top.  Pretty funny to watch the kids bail out of plugging holes because they were getting wet and the adults screaming, "Fill the Holes!! Fill the holes!" Pretty intense stuff going on!

This was trying to get a tennis ball through different hols in a tarp in a certain order. Tyson tried hard to particpate and I tried hard to protect him!

Scott and Gary performed in a water ballon catching contest and caught 3 balloons and were awarded a free 12 oz soda for their efforts.  I think it was worth it!

We had a talent show that night where the whole family wore matching shirts (it says Howards on the back with the number we each came into the family).

One day we went air rifle shooting. We look so legit I know!

One night was a western night full of fun pioneer games for the whole family.

Tyson roping a cow...

and panning for gold. He found a couple nuggets...we're gonna be rich!

And we got to ride a train around the park.

Tyson and Camille driving a stage coach.

Afterwards they enjoyed snow cones with their cousin Laynee who is just 1 month younger Tyson.

We all stayed in a family lodge that had 8 bedrooms and worked perfect for our needs.  Steps away was a building that had air hockey table, ping pong, fooseball, and pool.  The kids and us spent lots of time there!  It was so nice to the let the kids drift from activity to activity without worrying where they were! Tyson was in cousin heaven!

The boys played in a 5 on 5 basketball tournament and a 3 on 3 tournament and went to the championships in both.  They won the 3 on 3 in the morning but Scott left the game early when he landed on another guys foot, later finding out (by trip to urgent care) that it had a small break.  Nice to have happen right before he starts his new job!

Shuffleboard..don't know what game Tyson is playing though.

The girls played some double's tennis...which none of us really knew how to play and would probably have been really entertaining for others to watch.  Its a good thing nobody was around!

Sand volleyball Aspen Grove Family champions!

One morning we went on a hike to Stewart Falls which was really fun to do!

Each age group performed their group cheer and a song they learned that week. Tyson's group was called the "Trompers" and as you can see he was very enthusiastic about his song and sang quite loud. I love how him and Laynee are so much taller than the others in the group.

Cute kids (he insisted on keeping his hood on)!

Camille loved being outside and roaming around!

Here are all the grandkids/cousins (17 in all) in front of the lodge we stayed in.

We had a GREAT time and highly recommend it for families. It was just an easy week...every meal was provided in their dining hall, the kids just ran and played all day! I hope our family can go back in the future! Thank you Howards for a fun time!