Family Reunion in Zion

I basically suck as a blogger these days. There are lots of things I think about blogging about, but just never get around to it. In the spirit of my laziness, I am going to show our trip to Zion (with about a bajillion pictures) rather than tell it...I'll do a little telling I guess. This year my family decided we were big enough to have a family reunion of our own with my parents and siblings and their respective families. Everyone was able to make it to some part of our 3 days there excepting my sister-in-law who had just had a baby the week before so she was excused with good reason and also missed! Everyone else was there, but my pictures will not show that. I realized when I got home that I don't have any pictures of quite a few members of my family. Oh, well. Here we go:
Seeking shade as soon as the sun was up. It was HOT! We were getting ready to go up for a hike.
Trying to pet the lizard.
On the shuttle to the top of the canyon.
Lucas & Lizzie (and Buck) on the shuttle.
Nicest dad ever! I always loved when my dad would give me shoulder rides growing up.
stopping at the top to enjoy the cool water.

We had to stop on our way back down for Grace to climb this rock.
making it to the top.
still on our way down. Grace has started this raised hand thing. I don't know where she got it, but she keeps doing it in pictures.
playing in the virgin river near our camp. It felt good to get wet but it was VERY cold water. I was trying to capture the look on Luke's face here 'cause he was scrambling out of that water as fast as he could.
LOVE this boy!
rescue mission.
Buck gave Grace and Luke crocodile rides.
Trouble maker! Chris was throwing the cold water at those on the beach, in the shade, with no intention of being wet.
Grandpa gave some croc rides too.
Warming up with Nana.
taking a minute to prove I was there too.
Grandpa teaching the lost game of Marbles to everyone.
They started parallel to each other, but Lucas is a restless sleeper and this is how he ended the night.
It was Ian and Derek's birthday. Ian had a dinosaur party. This is everyone give their best ROAR!
There were dino races.


Grandpa had all the grandkids dig for change in saw dust.
Grace's loot.
Luke's loot.
Another hike.
At our final destination of the hike.
Another HOT afternoon spent cooling down in the river.
Someone rounded up an abandoned tube (probably because it kept going flat) and Lucas had fun floating in it.

Playing in the sand. This was some kind of waterfall project I think.
On our way home!
It was so much fun to be able to see everyone all in the same place. We seem to get busier and busier each year and it's harder to do that. Here's hoping we can pull off another reunion next year!