Sunriver, Oregon

Kyle's mom and step-dad generously booked a beautiful home for the whole family in Sunriver, Oregon, for our first ever Garvin family reunion. It was 15 hours of driving, all while Tangled played on repeat, but it was so worth it! For five days, thirteen cousins played from sunrise until way past their bedtimes!

Juliette was Kennedy and Sydney's
 doll for the week!

Each morning began with a special devotional prepared by an assigned family. We talked about faith, service, kindness, and love, and it truly set the tone for our time together.

We spent our days riding bikes, going on family walks, relaxing at a tiny water-park, and playing at the park together. We had two special outings: one to Bend for school shopping at the outlets, and the other to the Sunriver Observatory for stargazing. We also drove to the breathtaking Crater Lake for an afternoon.

The highlight of the trip was a game tournament, where we all played a round of Happy Salmon, Memory, Chutes and Ladders, and Candy Land. The tie-breaker, which I was lucky enough to be a part of, was the game "Pie Face". You rest your chin on a little contraption, turn a handle the prescribed number of times, and wait for a handful of whipped cream to hit you square in the face! And though I made it to the final round, I was finally pied in the face for the first time in my life, but probably not the last.

Other memories include a talent show, where the kids played the piano, sang songs, performed stand-up comedy, and magic tricks. Then Kayla put together a playlist of everyone's favorite song, and we had to pick which song belonged to each family member.

There was a lot of laughter and teasing and practical jokes, but mostly, there was love. And that's why family reunions, I'm convinced, are a tradition we Garvins will continue for years to come.