Oh Washington!

This years Allen family reunion was jam packed with fun and not so much fun! What a trip! It was so fun to see Ben's family again. We had a great time at Banks Lake, grand coulee dam, water skiing, slide shows, pinatas for both kids and adult, the annual talent show and great company with great food. Ben had fun hiking and boating with his fam and it was fun to see the laser light show at the dam- something I haven't seen since I was in high school. The kids had a blast with their cousins playing miniature golf and texting and just good ole' sittin' around. Owen felt like he had to defend all of his stuff from his cousin Courtney, and Riley just had fun following the big kids around. Jocelyn loved painting her nails with her aunts and cousins and giving hugs to everyone! Sunday was very special - we all headed to church in Ephrata where we blessed Will. All of ben's brothers were present- a first for one of our kids blessings. Afterward we headed to the cemetery to see Bens' dads grave and take family pictures. We also stopped in to visit Jamie- Ben's best friend. I warned my kids that Jamies mom was so sweet that we would probably be offered everything in her house to eat. Sure enough we left with bags of snacks, a quilt! and some lotions for me! My kids were impressed with how giving she was and what a great grandma she was. I don't think they would mind visiting her again. We had fun seeing old friends. Vacation-What more could you ask for? We actually got more than we asked for when a few of our kids became sick again. What is it with washington and the Allens that make us sick????!!!!! Owen was hit the hardest with severe stomach cramps and diarrhea. He was just plain miserable! The only good thing was he laid around and I was able to keep track of him! But oh did it stress Ben and I out- we were sure we were headed to the emergency room! The ride home was eventful to say the least. It's been a week and a half and he still is recovering. Poor guy! Why is vacation so exhausting??? Fun and exhausting! Now back to real life and work for me- yuck!

Ben and I survived on these......