Reunion at KOA

So it was my year to organize the Houtz family reunion.  I had it all set to go to Bear Lake and thought we were good.  Then my dad passed away.  My mom and dad had always paid the lodging at our reunions, but my mom quickly realized that wouldn't be possible anymore.  We had been trying go get them to stop anyway.  So we decided to bag Bear Lake and go camping to a place that I remember going to with my parents when I was younger that we all loved.  My mom thought it would be good to use the trailer one last time before she sold it.  She loved going camping with dad at the KOA in Nephi.  So the fun began.

After many phone calls, emails and some confusion, I was able to get a weekend that worked for almost everyone.  The only one who couldn't come was....Jared.  So I sucked it up and booked the weekend, knowing I would be setting up camp, chasing kids, and swimming at the pool, all alone with my three kids.

The weekend turned out to be really fun.  We had some fun games and activities for the kids to play.  We spent hours at the pool.  I couldn't get Kennedy and Dylan out of the pool and couldn't get Alex into the pool.  Luckily, Paul and his family adopted Alex for the weekend while I supervised kids at the pool.  He ended up playing with pellet guns and chasing squirrels and I'm sure eating all of their treats.

The kids played baseball, rode scooters, played on the playground, had a treasure hunt and relay races.  They love being around their cousins and had a fun weekend.  We squeezed in a quick party for my mom's birthday!  The adults relaxed (well, some of them who didn't have tons of kids everywhere!) and played cards at night.  I missed the card games, as I would try to get the kids to bed and then I fell asleep myself.  

I think the trip was a success.  I had a good time but was exhausted by the time we made it home.  I was glad that we didn't give up on having a family reunion.  I think my dad would have been sad if we didn't try to keep it going.  So we all made an effort to get there and we had a great time.  I hope we can continue the tradition of our reunions and keep our family close.