From June 24-28 was the Kulbeth Family Reunion. Justin's extended family on his mom's side (including Justin's grandmother, her ten children, and all their spouses and kids) get together every four or five years. The last reunion was in Sandy, Utah in the summer of 2010. Here are a few pictures from that reunion (and yes, that's Eli in the baby carrier)...
Hiking in the beautiful mountains.
Kennecott Copper Mine.
Justin and his doppelganger, Uncle Rick.
Fred, Patricia, and their ten children.
Justin playing drums for the band, and Grandpa Fred, who passed away in 2013.
This time around, the reunion took place near Woodland Park, CO, at the Farish campground. It is reserved for military families, but fortunately some members of the Kulbeth family have military connections and thus were able to reserve this beautiful and economical facility. In addition to Patricia and the ten kids and spouses, there are 40 grandkids and spouses and over 40 great-grandkids. Not everyone was able to be there, but I'd say a majority were. Dave and Teresa flew in on Tuesday and we all drove down to Woodland Park (which is about 45 minutes away from Colorado Springs) together. That first night I have memories (but unfortunately not photos, at least not until I raid Justin's phone) of the amazing Dutch oven cookout put on by James and Roger. They fed the entire family with their delicious dishes of chicken/vegetables and chili. There were even brownies for dessert. It was truly impressive.
Justin and the boys camped in a tent while Emmeline and I slept in a cabin nearby. Eli and Benjy liked sleeping in the tent, while it was much better for Emmeline to be able to sleep in her pack and play in the cabin. She has never been one to sleep in bed with us and it would have been a rough four days with her in the tent. The plan was for Lisha and her kiddos to join me on Friday after they arrived.
Thursday, Justin and I took the kids to the North Pole Amusement Park. Many other family members went as well, including Janice and Ron, Heather Wright and her family, James and Patty and many of their children/grandchildren, great-grandma Patricia, Roger, and others. The park WAY exceeded our expectations, and we stayed there all day riding the rides, seeing a magic show, visiting Santa's home (where the boys got to sit on Santa's lap) and other buildings in the Santa village, watching a glassblower, and more. We will definitely be going back in the future.
On Friday, we woke up and got to see Adriel, Lisha, Evan, and Lilia, who had arrived the night before. We had fun visiting with them that morning until it was time to head up to the Pike's Peak cog railway. A big group from the Kulbeth family, including Grammy and Adriel, rode the cog railway up to the top of Pike's Peak. It was a neat experience and the scenery was beautiful.
Emmie was fascinated by the sights as we sped by.
A nice shot of the mountains.
We got to see lots of bighorn sheep on our way up and down the mountain.
We sat near Spencer and Jen Shaw and their children, Zane, Mike, and Eliana. Our boys loved hanging out with Zane and Mike throughout the reunion. They had a great time being silly and adventurous together. It was definitely a highlight of the experience for them! Justin and I also got to know Spencer and Jen better and they are such a great couple. We would definitely be hanging out if we lived closer to one another.
Woo-hoo! At the top of Pike's Peak.
Teresa and Adriel in front of the cog rail.
We all made it to the top of Pike's Peak! Yay! Our first fourteener. :)
Saturday we went down to visit the Garden of the Gods. We enjoyed a beautiful scenic drive through the park before stopping at the visitors center and then climbing around a little on the rocks. Lisha got some great pictures I will add when I get them! :)
That evening we enjoyed a delicious cookout as our final evening meal. A few family members left that night after dinner to head back toward home, and many left early the next morning, so it was our time to say goodbye to some people who we might not see again for another four or five years. We had such a great time visiting with everyone at the reunion, and especially getting to spend time with Adriel, Lisha, Evan, Lilia, Grammy, and Grampy.
