Butler Family Reunion

First day of the reunion… “The Drive” (July 3)

Okay so I thought driving by myself from Phoenix to Draper was going to be the toughest thing on me… those 12 hours were a piece of cake compared to the drive to Idaho… boy my family likes to stop a lot! I think they’ve just forgotten how crazy it is to travel with kids! BUT… the good news is that we made it! Here’s some pictures of the car ride… thanks Travis and Milli for being so patient with my crazy, crying kids, you were such a great help…

Today we’ve just been settling in. The cabin that we are staying in is awesome. It has tons of beds so everyone is comfy, a huge kitchen, tons of land, and even a hot tub… complete with a million mosquitoes! On the drive to Idaho I told my sister “I hate camping so bad”… she just looked at my with an annoyed look… yeah, I call this camping, even though we have 2.5 bathrooms and air conditioning… so back off!

It’s been nice to see everyone that was able to make it. My aunt from Oregon with her triplets, we miss her oldest daughter Megan and her hubby Mark (okay not so much Mark, but Megan for sure!), my crazy aunt Sher and uncle Gord, Zac and Parissa, Milli and Trav, Scott and Kathryn and their kids, and the Butler kids… and of course, Grandma and Grandpa. We miss those of you that couldn’t make it… but really, after you hear about all the stuff we did, you’ll either be really jealous or really grateful!

Pro’s so far: Seeing everyone, mosquito repellant, being with family, getting here, speed uno.
Con’s so far: No diet coke, no internet, no phone service… wahhh!

Second day of the reunion… “Hawaii Day” (July 4)

Today the theme for the day was Hawaii! In charge was Sherry and Kathryn… they did an awesome job! Before Hawaii started we got up, ate pancakes and way too much sugar (I hate vacations for this reason!) then we loaded up the 4 wheelers and the Rhinos and headed up the mountain. I’d never been in my parent’s Rhino before but soon fell in love with it… they are AWESOME! Jack and Brayden fell asleep on the way up the mountain and missed some of the greatest scenery but I don’t think they minded much! Once we were on top of the mountain they woke up, and they weren’t very happy (as you can tell in some of the pictures). The weather had changed from 80’s to 50’s with a big wind. After awhile they seemed to warm up to the idea of being on a huge mountain and started to enjoy it. On the way down Jack drove on my dads lap, now he thinks he’s the man! We had a great time. Of course the best part was flying over hills and bumps… my boys are such boys!

Once we got back there was a crazy demand for showers… everyone was filthy! My boys and I were first up because I get a little crazy with dirt (if you ever played softball with me then you can attest to this!) Once we were all freshened up (which took about 2.5 hours for everyone) we put on our grass skirts and lays and were off to the festivities. We had the best roasted pork dinner. The pineapple was to die for along with the fruity drink (umbrellas included) and topped off with yummy cheesecake (I’m not sure what that has to do with Hawaii but I’ll take cheesecake anytime!).

After dinner it was time for the limbo competition (which I still hold the record for since our Yellowstone reunion when Brayden was 3 months old). Well since then we’ve welcomed a new girl into our family, Parissa. She’s 5.1 (almost) and was a cheerleader at Alta, plus she’s something like 21 years old… so I knew I had my work cut out for me. Soon adults started falling out of the competition, then some kids, and the bar continued to get lower and lower until Parissa and I were the only ones standing. Well, she won…son of a… I fell flat on my butt and she cleared the last limbo! Good job chica… until next time!

After the limbo competition and a lot more punch, we started getting pretty crazy. My grandpa was in charge of teaching us how to hula, lets just say there is a reason we aren’t Hawaiian! All in all it was a great night, such fun.

Pros for the day: Pineapple, rhino ride, warm showers, limbo competition, running with aunt Sue, Jack driving.
Cons for the day. Jack putting 2 socks down the toilet and clogging the entire thing up, yes there was a mini flood.

Third day of the reunion… “Game Day” (July 5)

Today started out with the yummiest crapes EVER… complete with homemade jam and Nutella. My kids couldn’t get enough… and neither could I… diet starts once the trip is over!!! After breakfast we had Kathryn (our certified pilates instructor) give us a class. It was hilarious seeing everyone sprawled out on the floor doing pilates! It started with everyone joking and laughing and making farting noises but after 30 minutes into it we were all pretty serious… and sore! Kathryn is an awesome teacher and wasn’t going to let us be done until we were all sweating, it was fun!

After our rigorous workout most of the clan headed out on the 4 wheelers and rhinos again. My mom and dad took Brayden and Jack so I’m sitting here, trying to catch up my blog (with no internet) listening to Jack Johnson and enjoying the mountains. It’s so peaceful here, so recluse. I’m enjoying the company of my grandma and grandpa (they stayed behind with me) and it’s actually QUIET.

Once everyone got back we put on our swimming suits and headed for the river. We were hoping to go river rafting but all the rafts were rented out. So we decided to swim in the river for awhile… well once my big toe touched the water I decided I was good and that was enough swimming in the river for me… it was FREEZING! However, there are always brave (or stupid) souls that have to swim no matter the degree of water, this time it was Travis and Olsen… crazy boys!

After the river we got back and ate my grandma’s fabulous Puerto Rican food… yummy! And then the games began. We played Bunko and I have no way to describe how fun it was playing bunko with my crazy family. We were shouting, jumping up and down, stealing candy bars from each other, it was a mad house! I wasn’t able to pull off the limbo win but I did pull off the most bunkos! Thanks Grandma and Sue for such a great night of fun!

Pros for the day: Pilates with the family, having a break from the noise, winning bunko!
Cons for the day: Calling Roter Rooter to get the toilet working again, finding out it was going to cost me $95 for the trip from Roter Rooter and $85 per hour to fix the dang toilet… JACK!

Fourth day of the reunion… “Vampire Night” (July 6)

This day was a strange day… (that is my way of saying it sucked!) First of all, the Campbell family went to Yellowstone so we missed them. Then at around 10:00 am Morgan and Aubrey had a rhino accident and tipped the thing. Aubrey ended up breaking her arm in 2 places and Morgan had a nasty road burn… so the Butler family had to leave abruptly to go to the hospital.

After the drama had settled my dad and I along with Milli, Trav and the kids went with my grandpa and the triplets to feed these huge fish. Well on the way there my grandpa got a flat tire. We were able to feed the fish but the trip was so long due to the tire.

Vampire night was fun though. It was our theme night. Milli chose the theme and it was such a great idea. All the kids had caps and vampire teeth, they all decorated a balloon, and they went on a scary scavenger hunt!

For dinner we had blood (red sauce), guts (spaghetti), brains (meat balls), bones (bread sticks), and of course red punch for more blood! The dinner was a riot, it was fun to take the kids orders on what disgusting things they wanted to eat! After dinner the kiddo’s decorated cookies and then the Cottle’s hit the road for Oregon. We were sad to see them go, and even sadder to hear that Sue hit a huge elk on their drive… (told you this day sucked!). After dinner I started feeling sick and ended up getting the flu which had already gone through Aubrey, Morgan and Travis. Once I started throwing up my mom decided that we were leaving a day early so we loaded the cars and were off!

Pros for the day: Vampire night ROCKED! Finding out the maintenance guys at the cabin could fix the toilet for FREE!
Con’s for the day: Aub’s arm, Morgan’s leg, Susie’s Elk issue, my flu, grandpa’s flat tire, and the port-a-potty trip that Jack had to take while we were feeding the big fish… YUCK, leaving early!

So now I am back in Utah and I’ve heard through the family grapevine that Gordy, Sherry, Parissa, Erin, Aubrey, Morgan and in this home Me, Brayden, Jack, Milli, Travis, my mom and my dad all got the flu!!! Nice!!! A not so great way to end a wonderful family vacation… my family is da bomb!