Our summer road trip was birthed out of the long-standing plans for my family to get together. My parents generously rented this spacious vacation house at Eagle Crest Resort that held our lively crew. For most of the time, there were 15 of us staying under the same roof, which included eight children ages 7, 6, 5, 3, 3, 2, 1, and 8-months! Thus we dubbed our vacation home the "Cousin House".
Our first morning at the house . . . the kids' excitement for the hot tub could not be contained. This happened before 8:00am. My sister is a rock star!
Gretchen and Leo
The oldest cousin taking care of the youngest
Nana was able to come and stay nearby with my aunt and uncle so that we could spend time with her also! Here she is meeting her youngest great-grandchild!
We played lots of games. Uno Attack was a personal favorite!
My sister and I decided we would stick with our regular routine from home of having a daily quiet time. The kids worked each day to earn a sticker on their chart and were rewarded with a trip to the theater to see Minions at the end of the two weeks! A win-win for everyone.
We utilized the local library to satisfy our kids' love for books (and to help with quiet time!).
The adults found some good reading material also =)
For most of our dinners, there was a kids' table and an adult table. That did not prevent the kids from trying to join the adults, but it always seemed like a good idea in theory. What could go wrong with seven children ages seven and under eating together without direct adult supervision?!
Kaye K and Big Daddy afforded the siblings an afternoon together! They fed the kids lunch and managed naps/quiet time/afternoon fun while we enjoyed a yummy cafe and a movie.
Bridgette and Maisy were two little peas in a pod!
We spent a LOT of time at the pool! Bridgette has proven to be our most natural fish-in-the-water (she loves jumping in and being thrown!). But Rooke became a very good swimmer over the two weeks, and Gretchen was more comfortable with each visit to the pool.
Uncle Scott and Rooke hiked up a nearby butte.
We spent one morning exploring the nearby Lava Lands. There was a kid-friendly trail through the lava, and a nice spot for a lunch picnic afterwards.
Finnick (2), Gretchen (5), Evelynn (6), Maisy (3), Bridgette (3), Leo (1), Rooke (7)
I love my sister so much
Boys and sticks unite
The guys watched the kids one afternoon so the ladies could enjoy a lunch together, followed by pedicures, and a few thrift stores. Three generations in this photo: Mom, me, Aubyn, Nana, Aunt Karen, Tana, Kaylene (my cousin)
My brother and his wife with their youngest, Strider, who was the most easy-going baby I've ever been around.
We celebrated Nana's birthday! Here she is with her daughters:
Aunt Tana served as the make-up artists for the girls' dress-up playing!
There were some beautiful trails that ran along the Deschutes River
Our last full day together, we ordered pizza and spread out at a park. It was a relaxed way to enjoy our last meal together. But never again will my family let me be the one to order pizza for all of us. I thought I was getting four larges, but somehow I ended up ordering four of the most ginormous pizzas we'd ever seen - we barely finished two of them!
Looking at some photos . . .
. . . they were pretty amazing! =)
As our family grows, and continues to be spread out around the world, it's nice to have some photo documentation of our times together!
Almost all of our family . . . it was a wonderful, crazy, noisy, fun-filled two weeks of making more memories together!
