Heaton Family Reunion -- SLC

I love being with my family. We have a fun way to plan family trips by having all of my siblings involved. Each year one sibling, and their family, plans the trip and then it rotates to the next sibling the following year. They are usually not too expensive and involve A LOT of fun! I suggest it for any large family -- that way, the planning gets pasted around and the activities are very different from year to year.

Anyway -- here is a string of pictures of out fun trip "up North" that's what I've always called provo/slc my whole life. Thanks to Lonny and Tara for planning it! First, we all met and Hiked up to the Mount Timpanogas Caves.


My oldest Brother Kirk is a real outdoorsman. Below is a picture of him leading all the grandkids (4 and under) up with a long rope that he tied little handles in for each of the kids. Talk about patience and strength. :)

It was no small hike for the 23 grandkids and parents to be making. It was pretty much straight up hill. We actually saw paramedics evacuating a young kid on our way up because he had heat stroke.
The hike was strenuous for some, but for others quite cozy! Watching all the other kids hike really tired Luke out!



Here is a view from the top -- I was panicked the whole time that some one was going to fall off the edge. I think I have a little of my dad in me with regards to that! Don't you think they should have some sort of fence!! :)

Once we got to the top -- we went into the caves. The temperature dropped to below 60 degrees inside. It was pretty amazing. We saw all sorts of "treasures" as the guides encouraged us to look around and discover different rock/water formations.
Me and my sister with her 2 youngest that are just the same ages as my 2. We all love playing together.

My cute family inside one of the caves.
Me and Taylor. Nothing beats the mountains of Utah -- there is not a one here in Ohio, and we just couldn't get over how beautiful it was!

After hiking the caves, all 30 of us went to eat at the Mayan Restaurant in Salt Lake. We were all there except my brother Kelly and his family -- they had just had baby a couple days before and weren't up for the trek. I announced I was PREGNANT! I don't think too many people were surprised, Luke will be 3 this summer! 12 weeks and counting!!

The next day (the 4th of July) we spent at Lagoon. You'd think it would be packed for the holiday, but it was perfect. The kids loved it!

Jake is not the real rollercoaster type (you'll understand how bad he hates them if you've ever tried to push him on a swing). He thinks he'll love it and then screams until it's over! He did however, really enjoy the carousel. Luke on the other hand couldn't get enough. They both really enjoyed themselves, mostly because they could run around with cousins!

We went home Saturday and were able to get to St.George in time for my nephew's baptism and then had a family dinner afterwards. Sunday my new nephew Shane was blessed and so the entire family was there for that too. It was such a great weekend. We love our family.

Here are more pictures of the family in St.George:


All the kids love to go to Grandmas -- in St.George you have to have something to keep you cool and my mom has a great portable pool that the kids LOVE. My mom also trys to do all sorts of things with the kids that mom's (mom's like me) never do. Like hiking the red hill, making clay potery after a storm, painting rocks, lying in the grass and watching the stars. The picture above is of her letting all the kids help her make taffy.

We love you Grandma Heaton!

A bonus for our little family now is that Taylor's parent's are in St.George too. They have a little pool in the back yard of their house that My sister and I took advantage of. This is a picture of Gavin and Luke (Jake's best cousin). What cute boys huh?