Rocky Mountain NP

On Wednesday July 26, we hit the road early and drove to an AirBNB in Albuquerque.  It was our first time using AirBNB and was awesome.  We had a 3 bedroom house all to ourselves and it even had a hot tub outside.

On Thursday, July 27, we arrived in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park and met up there at a group campsite with Ali and Ben, Ben and Eboni, Heather and Randy, and Mom and Dad A.  Ali was in charge of the reunion this year and when we told her we had decided to visit Rocky Mountain NP, she thought it sounded great and planned the reunion there.  We stayed at Glacier Basin Campground within the park.

Part of the group as we headed out on our first hike, Sprague Lake.  There were 38 of us total!

Randy and I with our baby girls on our backs.

Our family

Dan broke out his fly fishing stuff for the first time since we moved to Texas.  He loved it but didn't get to do as much as he hoped on this trip.  It was too hard to keep 5 kids entertained and out of the water so he could fish!

Cute cousin girls (Alyssa, Candy, Megan, Lily, Brooke)

Alyssa, Lily, Luke, Brooke, Megan, Whitney, Alonzo, Candy

There were such pretty views all around!  Even with clouds rolling in during the afternoon, the park was breathtaking.

After the hike we headed back to camp and the kids did crafts and played games while we waited on dinner to cook.

We were happy to have the shade tents in the evening to keep rain off.  We had fun that night, each family did a skit and we had dessert too.  We slept well and thankfully stayed warm enough.

Friday July 28, we all got up and did breakfast before catching a shuttle for our next hike up to Alberta Falls.  It was hard and had quite an elevation gain and the kids were getting hungry for lunch by the time we finished.  But it was also beautiful and we had fun being together.

The 4 Aird kids at this reunion, Ben, Dan, Heather, and Ali

All the kids loved climbing all over the rocks as we hiked.  Even Candy with her cast.

Emily was such a trooper in the hiking backpack.  We had the backpack for Emily and the ergo for when Jack needed a break.

Megan and Alyssa

The four families on the hike (minus Mom and Dad)

Playing around the campsite in the afternoon

We drove up Trail Ridge Road after lunch.  It is the highest road elevation in the US and it was COLD up there!  The views were spectacular and we had so much fun seeing it.

Don't Fall ;)

 Our family outside the visitor center...

There was even snow!  But we couldn't get close enough to touch it, there were railings to keep you up on the road and not sliding down the steep hillside

Back at camp we kept the babies corralled while we chatted and got dinner ready (Emily, JJ, Gracey, and Brayden)

Ali did pony bead crafts with the kids.

Heather and Randy working on dinner.  We were in charge with them that night.  It rained and we had to eat that dinner under tarps.  The wind made the dutch ovens take FOREVER but we all survived and ate and got to bed under our rain flaps in our tents.  Everyone was tired and in bed early that night.

Saturday morning the kids had a blast playing around the campsite while we all got up, ate breakfast, and packed up. 

Grace and Emily

We made one last stop on our way out at a visitors center.  It had pretty views and a little hike out behind it.  The kids played inside in the museum part too.

We stopped on our way out to document our family at the national park sign.  We have high hopes that we will get to visit lots of parks and make lots of memories with our kids as the years go by!

We drove all the way to Bountiful that day, arriving around 9 pm.  

Homecoming

It has been such a great week.
Last Saturday, July 15, Brooke was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She was so excited to follow Jesus and to celebrate this step in her life.  I hope she always remembers this special day.

Brooke (8), Emily (1), Megan (9), Jack (3), Candy (6)

Our whole family

Hayze and Brooke are ward twins.  Hayze's mom and I went through pregnancy together (her 5th child and my 2nd child) and were shocked when they were born the same day!  Hayze was born around 8 in the morning and Brooke was born around 2 in the afternoon.  It was fun to see them baptized in the same service.

Mom, Dad, and Brooke

Grandpa and Giagia came too

We had our Houston Hanis family along with Ali and Ben over for lunch after the baptism.

Apparently July 18th is a special day at IHOP.  A stack of pancakes was 18 cents.  So on Tuesday after going to the library, Ali and I were crazy and took our 9 kids to wait an hour for pancakes but amazingly the kids loved it and it was fun (I think).

After quiet time, the kids who don't have casts (sorry Candy!) played and splashed in the yard.  They wanted to swim but I felt too bad to make Candy sit out in the heat and not get wet.

On Wednesday we had to miss playgroup at the pool for the same reason, so I got my visiting teaching done and Kat Barney and her boys came to say hi for a bit.

 Thursday July 20 was the best day!  Tyler came home from his mission to the Czech Slovak mission.  It was so exciting to be there with Dad and Sally, Carrie, and Shad and Amy and their family.  It felt like FOREVER (but was only an hour) waiting and waiting for him to come through customs. 

We had a bunch of signs and were attracting a bit of attention as we stared at all the other passengers exiting.  We were live streaming on facebook and instagram which was pretty fun.  That way Baba, Jamie and her family, and anyone else who was interested could watch him walk out the doors.

Finally he came through!  It was so fun to see his smile and give him a big hug in person.  He was tired and had a weird accent but was so excited to be with us.  He couldn't believe how big the kids had gotten in two years.

We headed straight to Dad's house for some pappasito's takeout and time together.  Dan met us there after work.

Meeting Emily and getting acquainted.  She was born while he was gone so this was their first meeting.

 Talking all things buzz lightyear with Jack.  Jack was so excited.

My baby brother.  He's such a good kid.  I'm so glad he went and served and I'm so glad he's home.  It was a little crazy for him to come home to a house he'd never seen before but Dad had his room set up with all his familiar things to ease that transition.

My whole crew with Uncle T!

Dan took the day off on Friday July 21 and after an x-ray and new-waterproof-below-the-elbow cast for Candy we all headed to Shad's lakehouse together.  It was tight with all 25 of us but we made it work to squeeze in and we loved being there together.

Dan caught a fish

And Dan got up and did great wakesurfing

Despite his awesome farmer's tan, Tyler took right back to the water and was awesome at surfing

Even Carrie made it up despite her ankle break the year before

And I got a turn too!  So fun but I need more practice!

Megan and Brooke loved tubing with cousins

Jack and Emily were troopers and loved riding around in the boat

Ty, Carrie, and Zach

We boated and boated and played and laughed.  We were all there just Friday and Saturday.  

Sunday morning we met early at the park by Red Elementary school to take family pictures before church (thanks Jamie!)

Our Crew

The Fab 5.  I'm so lucky to have my siblings.  They all bless my life in distinct ways and I love them.

Dad and his kids

The whole crew of 25!

New headshots for Dan

Tyler gave his homecoming talk in the Maplewood ward and then we had a nice meal all together at Carrie's house.  Emily was loving Aunt Carrie's popsicles.