Idaho Reunion of many types

The Hunts had a family reunion this past 4th of July weekend at their cabin in Garden Valley, Idaho. We left after work on Thursday and stayed in a little cabin at Emigrant Springs campground just outside of Pendleton, OR. It was so nice to just have a place to put out our sleeping bags. The next morning we got up and finished the trip to Boise. I got to see my new neice Finley while we spent the afternoon with my family in Boise. She is so sweet! Like a little doll. For those of you who don't know, Ada LOVES her grandpas and cries like a baby when she's around them and can't be with them 24/7. Here she is with my dad.
That evening we drove up to Garden Valley to join Stephen's sister Emily and her family, his father, cousin Nathan and family, and later his twin Chad and his wife Julie. We missed those of the Hunts that couldn't be there for various reasons, but enjoyed spending time together. Here is Ada working the dinner system with her other grandpa. Wouldn't eat more than a bite until she sat on his lap. Oh brother.We ate that night and played Mafia- enhanced by Nathan and Colleen's creative touch. The next morning everyone but Colleen and I and our girls went shooting at the shooting range. We spent time on a nature walk and playing at the cabin. Stephen's mom and Nana joined us. After lunch everyone went canoeing on the Middle Fork of the Payette River. This was something I had been extremely stressed about. I have capsized while canoeing on the South Fork of the Payette River and it's a somewhat swift river that's not very deep (i.e. it has lots of rocky patches). Having 2 toddlers in our boat freaked me out, but we kept upright and even had a lot of fun splashing the other canoers. Our girls used sticks and their hands to help paddle us along. When I would sight a rock to navigate around, I would call out directions "go left!". The girls would pass along the message to Stephen in the back of the canoe "left, left!" they would yell. It was so funny. Due to the wetness of the activity, I don't have any photos, bummer.

That night we all went to the Starlight Mountain Theater's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Stephen was in Starlight shows for 2 Summers after his mission. I used to go up and watch him in the shows once in a while. The summer he (finally) started falling for me, he sang me the song he'd composed for me (with the help of a co-actor) in the theater parking lot after one of his shows. So I have fond memories of the theater as well. It was their 10 yr reunion and a lot of the actors and actresses of the last 10 years came up for the show and they all performed the last song together. I wish I had pictures of them, but they don't allow photography. The show was great, and Stephen and I decided it was better than the year he was in it. He played one of the 12 brothers.
When we came out of the theater, Crouch fireworks started. Although the show was small, the echoing boom of fireworks on the mountains all around us was incredible. We were all surprised how loud it was and how cool it made the show. Odessa kept shouting out "wow, that's SO AMAZING!!" She couldn't get enough. Hope everyone had a happy 4th.
We came home Sunday so Odessa could start swim lessons Monday morning. She loves them! Good thing, because they are everyday for the next 4 weeks!