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.