Each year our family gets together for a family reunion and we call it "Cousin's Camp." We want all of the cousins to know each other, spend time with one another, and be close. This is the perfect way. This year we went to Oro Valley AZ and used my parents time share points (or whatever it is called.) We had 4 different units. Each unit had 3 bedrooms and at least 2 bathrooms. My parents had the suite so theirs was nicest. I guess that's what you get when you're the boss:)
David (my husband) wasn't going to be there until the weekend, so I shared the unit with Daisy and Dave, and Dave's mother Jenni who was there from New Zealand. Somehow our unit ended up being the "hang out" unit where the kids were most of the time. I loved that they were in one place all together, but with many kids it was usually a mess. Daidre and I tried to keep it picked up so Daisy, Dave, and Jenni didn't want to run away and never come back:) Each night many of the cousins piled up in the livingroom to watch a movie and fall asleep, while the adults were upstairs playing games and eating Blue Bell ice cream.
We went swimming at least 2-3 times a day. The weather was perfect. I thought we were going to fry in the AZ heat, but it ended up being stormy and cloudy all week. PERFECT!!
I love my boy!!!
Here are the cousins doing crafts and projects. By the end of the week I was trying to peel hot glue off of the table. They had a ton of fun creating and I was happy that they were happy:)
Bubbles on the porch were a big hit!
Emma with her adorable craft...
One afternoon a lady in the neighboring unit brought out Popsicles for all of the kids. She was a great neighbor that didn't mind having many happy little faces running around.
One day Grandpa Dennis took everyone to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. We left early, around 8:30am and the weather was overcast and perfect. These are the kids looking at lizards before we entered the museum.
As we walked around the museum we would come across docents that would teach us about the animals, vegetation, rocks, and even meteorites. Here the kids are learning about a small bird. I'm sure they could tell you what it is called....I was busy taking pictures:)
Here they are learning about a beetle the chews up wood. Jess and Kyli are looking up at the terrace above us that has wholes from the beetles.
These are Emma's rocks that she collected. In one area the kids could find rocks and ask the docent what kind they were. Emma LOVED this part!!
Once again we are learning about another bird of the desert...
Look how big and beautiful this one is. The kids loved it. We also saw snakes, lizards, otters, and many plants. It was very fun and educational.
At the end of our day, around 1pm, we stopped in a nice air conditioned auditorium and watched an awesome bird show. They had the birds flying over our heads and it was fascinating to watch. I would say this was a very successful trip. My kids still talk about it and Alison even wrote a persuasive paper trying to convince her classmates to visit this really neat museum.
Just before we left, Jayden tripped and scraped up his knee. The gift shop called for first aid and this man drove up on a golf cart to bandage Jayden up. Everyone there was so nice. By this time it was getting pretty hot and most of us were ready to head back. Some kids wanted to tough it out and stay, but the museum was closing:)
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