california trip part 2 - the reunion

We made it to Camp Alta just after dinner, which Outi saved for us (thankfully). We participated in some getting-to-know-you games & then had some time to explore & unload the car. The boys were excited to be out in nature & found a lizard right away (with some help from the bigger kids)!

Exploring with Uncle Brian.

Finn wanted to sleep on the top bunk in his new sleeping bag! Cedar liked being up there too, but he slept in his portable crib.

After getting our room set up, we went down to the fire pit to roast marshmallows & sing songs by the camp fire.

Getting ready for bed.
We got a private room, since we have small children. It was REALLY nice! We even had our own bathroom & shower. Other people slept in private rooms or in big rooms with lots of bunk beds.

Saturday was Marylee's 75th birthday & her daughter, Sharon, presented her with a photo book (made by Outi) full of photos of her children, grandchildren & great grandchildren, as well as letters that they had written to her.

The dining hall.

Cedar & Papa, playing frisbee.

It was a hot day, so we went to the pool before lunch! Cedar loved checking out the caterpillars that we found & even let one crawl on him for a bit.

Finn's ready to swim!

Tristan & Finn
Finn really loved playing with his second cousin Tristan. He thinks everything Tristan is into is cool! :)

The pool was quite cold, but it felt good on this hot day.

After lunch, we gathered for a group photo.

I couldn't name everyone if I tried. :\ But our family is at the top near the center, Kevin & Outi are on the bottom right & Brian is in the second row from the bottom near the middle. :P



Kenton showed Tristan & Finn how to play one of his games & got Tristan hooked!

Cedar napped while Finn, Kenton & I swam (Outi stayed close to our room to listen for Cedar).

Then we all gathered to have cake!

People brought digital photo frames or computers to share family photos. Such a good idea!


Cedar leading Mummi around the camp.


Pretty tree

There were a few cool chairs carved out of stumps around the camp.


Horse shoes.


Photos with Nana Lee!

Busy boys.
I was really touched by all of the family gathering together to celebrate their mom/grandmother/great grandmother. To see Marylee surrounded by all of these wonderful people was really, very special for me. She has done such an amazing job of making each member of the family feel uniquely important to her & I really want to learn from her. There is so much love & respect amongst all of the family members & I feel very honored to be a part of the Henry family. The relationship my boys have with their great grandmother is so valuable & I am so thankful that they've had the opportunity to build that relationship. What a blessing!

Aunt Deanna, MacKenzie, Tristan, Finley, Sydney & Melanie.

Playing with sticks.

More games with Tristan.

Grown-up games after the kids went to bed.

On Sunday, MacKenzie & Cedar played together for a bit while we packed up. She is just about 3 months older than Cedar. :)

MacKenzie lives in Arkansas (too far!) with her mommy, Sabrina (Kenton's cousin), daddy, Tor & baby brother, Brock. We wish we could be closer to all of Kenton's family. We had so much fun catching up & playing together. It was very sad for us to say goodbye to them all. We look forward to the next opportunity to gather as a family!