Clark family reunion 2009

At the beginning of this month we attended the Clark family reunion in Island Park. It was only Darren's parents and siblings with their families. Just the perfect size. Pat used some of her inheritance to rent a "cabin" (someone's summer home that is much nicer and bigger than the one I currently live in). We stayed there for 3 nights and spent one day in Yellowstone. The house was on the Island Park reservoir and had a private boat dock so we brought canoes and spent a lot of time by the water. The following pictures might not all be in order but they tell the story.















The last night we were there we (meaning Curtis and Sam) built a fire in the firepit and roasted smores. This is one of the only pictures I have of Jacob sitting calmly.















Kevin, Curtis, and Carson roasting marshmallows (actually Shandy is the third one roasting marshmallows but you can't see her in the picture).















Dexter came upstairs one morning with his giraffe shirt on. Jake was wearing a different shirt but as soon as he saw Dexter's shirt he had to put his matching shirt on.
















Headstand competition between Camilla, Curtis, Courtney, and Kevin. Dexter and Jacob were attempting it, as well. I think Courtney won but someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
















Uncle Mike and Curtis kept the boys entertained one evening with a little fun rough housing.















I had to take a picture of Carson's shoes because they look so much like my own boys' shoes. Boy's shoes do not last very long.



















Ethan managed to find bugs even in Yellowstone where there were so many other things to see.
















Darren, Carson, and Jake looking down at the bottom of a beautiful water fall and canyon. We had to take a nice little hike with switch backs to get there. It was hard to keep Jacob from running down there but it was even harder to get him to walk back up.




















The canyon at the bottom of the falls. I found a cool puzzle in West Yellowstone with this same place to take home as a souvenier.



















Picnic lunch in Yellowstone.















Another lunch picture.















Dexter, Ethan and Jacob at the mud pots.















A bat we saw flying through the air and then crash landing in the water. Darren rescued it with the oar and let it go on dry land.















This picture amazes me and gives me a new respect for Sam. He has his 1 year old son, Cameron, my 4 year old son, Jacob, and my 6 year old son, Ethan, in there with him. And the only help rowing is from the 6 year old. No one forced him into doing this, either. Pretty amazing Sam.



















Jacob on the dock. Most of the kids jumped off the dock into the water. Not Jacob. He wasn't brave enough. But we had a rule that any kid by the water had to wear a life jacket. I knew one of the kids would fall in the water without trying and Jacob was the one that did it. Thank goodness for life jackets and for Uncle Sam being there to pull him out when he was crying and sputtering.

After the Clark family reunion in Island Park we were home for one night, went to church in our home ward and then headed down to Utah. We first stopped at Curtis and Shandy's house for some yummy fish and chicken tacos -- and good company. Then we went to West Jordan. We hung out with Darren's family and had family pictures taken. Tuesday morning we went to Fayette. Darren went fishing up in the mountains and the boys and I stayed in Fayette. We spent the morning hanging out with my mom, playing with leggos, catching grasshoppers and trying to find chickens. Fayette is overrun with grasshoppers this year and Ethan loved that. My mom gave him a glass jar and lid and told him to catch as many as he could. She wanted him to catch them because she hates them. He wanted to catch them because he loves them. I would have taken a picture of 20 grasshoppers stuffed in a pint jar but it was pretty disgusting with everything grasshoppers leave behind. You'll just have to use your imagination. My mom had to leave in the afternoon to take care of Rose's kids up north. But we had a little time with her before she left.

The boys and I also took a walk down to my grandparents house. They were out on the porch so we all sat out there and talked until the boys started to fight and I could tell it was getting to grandpa. I didn't have anyone to run interference. But it was a great visit while it lasted. And I got a cute picture.
















When my dad got home from work we ate dinner and then went to the Fayette Spring. I grew up swimming at the spring. This is also where the town of Fayette gets their water and one of the main reasons my early ancestors settled here.




















I had to wade into the spring to get this picture.
















My dad on the four wheeler and the boys getting used to the water. The dragonflys and bugs on the water made them a little nervous.



















The spring is not very deep but Kevin found a short rope swing that he had to try out. (This is the deepest part of the spring where kids sometimes get baptized.)



















Letting go.















Because the Fayette Cemetary is on the way home from the spring I wanted to stop by and check it out. It's been a long time since I've been there. I have a lot of ancestors buried here but my great grandpa and grandma Lyman I knew so I had the kids pose by that tombstone. Kevin had fun checking out the dates on the tombstones and seeing that there were children buried there.