You know how people ask, "Would your ideal vacation be on the beach or in the mountains?" Well, I think I figured out my answer this last week at the great Flake Family Reunion 2013. We stayed at my brother's house and had a wonderful time. Isn't Horseshoe Bend, Idaho beautiful?
The reunion started on Wednesday, June 19. We had a blast swimming in the pool and hot tub. Have you ever seen that many people in one hot tub?
The best part of the day was when my parents opened their mission call. I had three siblings who were unable to come, so my parents skyped two of them and called my brother who is currently serving a mission. We all cheered when they read they would be serving in "Panama City, Panama". So awesome! My parents will be speaking Spanish!
On Thursday we enjoyed a 'Getting to Know You' video that my sister made. It included every member of the family. I learned some pretty interesting things about my family...
Later that day we rode horses. A Flake reunion wouldn't be complete without them! In this picture I am racing Greg. As you can see, he is just a hair ahead of me but...
Not for long!
Riding horses was definitely a highlight at the reunion.
Even Emily tried getting on a horse. She's a natural!
Later that day we played some volleyball. We played the in-laws against the out-laws. As it turns out, my family isn't very athletic...
On Friday we hiked up a mountain. It was not an easy task, especially with a heavy baby and baby backpack. My sister, Cassidy pulled me up the steepest parts of the mountain. I couldn't have done it without her. It was totally worth it when we got to the top. Just take a look at the beautiful mountains!
That evening we went to an outdoor theater to watch a musical and of course stayed up late. On Saturday afternoon we all headed home, but it sure was an awesome reunion. I sure miss my family, especially my great parents: Elder y Hermana Flake!
It's always hard to get back to "normal life" after a fun vacation. On Monday we went to story time. It was Miss Heather's last day. After a year of faithfully coming to her story time, we took a picture of Emily's favorite (and only) teacher!
It is also fun to visit with friends once you return. Here is a picture of our friends Chris, Wendy, and little Bruce. Such awesome people!
AND I almost forgot, while in Idaho we visited my Grandma Emery. As you can see...Emily LOVED her! We sure love our family. Can't wait to visit again!
On Saturday, May 25 we drove up to Mt. Charleston (about 45 minutes away) and hiked to Mary Jane Falls. The weather was perfect and we loved being in nature!
It was Emily's first hike and she really enjoyed it. Maybe she liked it because Greg was carrying her the whole way...
When we got to the falls, there was hardly any water. It was more like a spring. I guess that's what we get for living in a desert!
We hiked a little further, past the falls and came to a cave. It was pretty awesome.
Now that we know Emily likes hiking, we'll have to go again!
On Memorial Day we went to the Springs Preserve. We saw some cool animals, a cactus garden, a ton of displays, and even got to see the Nevada State Museum at the end. It was over a hundred degrees that day...that is why we are both squinting in the picture!
Emily loved the moving rock. Look at how red her face is! Poor baby.
On Friday, May 31 Rachel came for a quick visit. We had some nice talks and ate some great food...including blizzards! Yum! Emily even warmed up to her before she had to go.
Emily loves 'balancing' on our cookie rack. She is so cute. She thinks she is so far from the ground. We love watching her stand on it. Don't worry, I washed the rack after she lost interest.
Our pretty little princess. Next week Emily will be 13 months old. Time flies!
