Hatch Family Reunion 2010

With 14 cousins, it's guaranteed fun and memories to last a lifetime. This is one great family to be a part of.

Our reunion started with a temple session at the Monticello temple.


Then we continued on our way (a 2 hour drive from Monticello, UT) to Durango, CO where we were hosted so well by Lucy and Jay. After getting situated in their beautiful new home, we headed out for a really fun dinner at the Bar D Chuckwagon.

First the kids hopped on a miniature train ride.


Then we waited patiently for the dinner bell to ring. We grabbed our tin plates and filled them with all the traditional chuckwagon fixins.
Connor and Alyssa are only three weeks apart and have always been such good buddies. They don't get to see each other too often, but when they do, they're pretty much joined at the hip. So cute.
Natalie and Sam were having all sorts of goofy fun.

After dinner we were treated to a delightful show by the Bar D Wranglers. Not only were they talented musicians, they were really funny, too. Such a fun night.

We got home late and tucked the kids into bed. Sleeping together in this tent was the most terrific kind of fun. They were packed together like sardines as they told stories late into the night.

That's eleven of the fourteen kids in that tent!

The kids had stayed up so late that they all slept in quite late the next morning. I think it must be a first in our reunion history that all the adults were awake before any of the children stirred.

Once we roused the kids and dressed them in their matching reunion shirts, we headed off to Mesa Verde National Park. It's a really neat and facinating place that is home to ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings.

We did all sorts of hiking and ladder climbing to view the archaeological sites.

The kids got lots of attention in their baseball-themed shirts. Each one had their name and number (their birth order number) on the back. Caleb is 2, Alyssa 6 and Natalie 12. Attempts at getting pictures with all 14 is never all that successful. Here they are lined up in order with number one in back and 14 in front.

Once we got home, the kids decided to try making mortar out of mud so that they could begin building their own Puebloan homes.

Lucy and Jay have 10 fabulous acres of wilderness for the kids to explore.

Dinner that night was catered so none of us had to lift a finger after our long day at Mesa Verde which included a fair amount of time in the car. It was a delicious Navajo taco spread.

We took it easy the next morning (a stomach bug was spreading through some of the family) and then went to a nice little park for lunch. The boys played football and others played in the creek.

We ate a pizza lunch and then visited the candy factory on Durango's Main street. The kids were, well, like kids in a candy store. :)

I got time to do two puzzles which is something I love. Jay helped me with this BYU one.

At one point, Caleb came out dressed as Mr. Incredible. What a funny kid.

But he proved his incredible-ness by hoisting me in the air. Not bad for an 80 pound wisp of a boy.

I'm not sure what the story is behind this next picture, but I love that it captures a moment between Natalie and her adoring Grandma.

Next up was family pictures. We tried. But with a thunderstorm blowing in and Brendan coming down with that dreaded stomach bug, it wasn't a very fruitful endeavor. The matching clothes were adorable and the setting perfect but unfortunately, we weren't able to capture that shot. Oh well.

We came inside for some individual family shots.

And we tried to get a shot of Grandma and Grandpa with all the kids. Not only is it impossible to get them to all cooperate at the same time, but Brendan was too sick to be in the picture.

The original Hatch family:

The original six siblings reinacting the pose from our wedding day:

After a wonderful BBQ dinner, we had a little birthday celebration for Maureen who turned the big 4-0. What Hatch birthday would be complete without a crazy Chinese candle?

Then it was time for the traditional family talent show. There were lots of great acts with piano playing, singing and dancing. Owen was especially adorable as he followed his dad in dancing Thriller.

Maureen helped Natalie sing God Bless America. She'd learned it at school but had noted that they didn't sing it as loudly as Maureen's choir.

Alyssa did her floor routine as best she could.

Jay presented us each with a really neat handmade key chain for his talent and Sarah showed off her polynesian dancing. Grandpa made some closing remarks...

And then the dance party could begin.

So much fun!

The next morning we drove up the ski resort for all sorts of high-altitude outdoor excitement. The kids and I got adventure passes which allowed us to do a bungie tramp, rock climbing, alpine slides and mini golf.

You simply must enlarge this picture so as to fully appreciate the look of terror on Caleb's face.

We sure enjoyed the beauty of Durango and loved experiencing a new place but we loved being with family even more. These reunions are definitely memories to treasure.