Huge congratulations to my brother Ian for completing a monumental personal goal he set for himself 15 years ago! Last Saturday, Ian and 7 of his best friends summited Missouri Peak in horrible weather conditions - it was the 54th and final Colorado 14er on Ian's bucket list. Their determination and endurance amaze me. I'm so proud of my brother! Needless to say nearly 60 family and friends came out to camp and celebrate with him! Kim prepared 3 types of chili for dinner the night of the big hike, breakfast burritos for all the campers the next morning, goody bags for the hikers and activity bags for all the kids. It was perfectly planned out and executed - if only Mother Nature would have cooperated!
My Cousin Gary flew out from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to surprise us! It was so great to see him. He and I formed the "B team" - hiking up to meet Ian and his buddies on their way down the trail. We were heroes bringing the guys a well deserved beer. They woke up at 4:30/5 o'clock to hike "misery peak" as Ian nicknamed it. They were ready for a beer by noon when we caught up to them!
We are so lucky, Kim's best friend Nichole was with us - and had her professional camera with her! She snapped several photos of the entire Hanou Clan together - and then delicately selected everyone's best pose to make one terrific family photo!
And she caught this "cousin-ly love" photo!
The 3 youngest cousins enjoyed throwing rocks in the river. The crummy weather didn't bother them!
The bigger cousins, hiked, played hide and seek, and explored the campground NON-stop for the whole weekend.
Lillian and Jak sharing a toasted marshmallow.
Lillian was proud of her Uncle Ian too.
Mom and her girls
Our only moose sighting...
Ring around the Rosie is Carolyn's current favorite game...her parents got a reprieve from doing the dance with her while her big cousins filled in!
Grammie & Opa came to the rescue on several occasions. Their 34 foot RV they rented had a living room the size of ours at home! We were able to take shelter in it when the wind, rain and damp weather got the best of us. The kids loved the front dashboard the best.
And though I hate to admit it, Mike and I introduced the kids to the portable DVD player on this vacation. I'm proud to say we were able to hold off for their first 2-3 years! It really did make for a quieter, more relaxing drive for us!
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