Badges of Fun: Badge 2, Hit the Road

The newest badge of fun to earn is the "Hit the Road" badge... which is very convenient since we had already planned to hit the road to attend the Hopkins' Family Reunion this past weekend.

The Magazine did provide some good ideas of how to keep the kids excited and happy while on the road, and that's how we earned the badge. (I have discovered that, ironically, as it is the kids that actually get the badge... it seems like it is the parents that do all the hard work for them... just saying!)

This weekend was the Hopkins' Family Reunion in Christopher Creek, Arizona. We were only able to stay for Saturday, but we definitely enjoyed our short stay. Here are some pictures of the family.

This is Brandon, Melanie, and Noelle, modeling the banner that we spend hours the day before making. That vinyl is neat stuff, but I have decided that you can't buy cheap vinyl. It's literally was a pain to work with, and then, once we got there, we realized that it was falling off. Seriously! (okay, I'm fully aware that was a complete tangent, but I just had to get it off my chest).

This is my Uncle Harvey, my Aunt Ola, and their youngest son, Jeremy. They have an older son named Erik (with wife Kim and son Wesley) that weren't able to make the trip. I had a lot of fun visiting with them. Jeremy is a crack up.
These are the Hopkins' Brothers and their beautiful wives. (They have an older brother that has already passed away)

This is my grandparents with their kids (oldest to youngest: Aunt Terrie, Uncle Timmy, and My mother).

And our family. My Grandparents, My mom, Me and my Husband, and our girls, My brother and his Girlfriend. CJ (my brother's son) was having a "moment" and didn't make the picture.

The entire Howard Hopkins' Family (Minus CJ, who was still throwing a fit, and Aunt Terrie, who was apparently trying to calm him down).

Me and my cute cousin Casey! She is a junior in high school and is very involved. I'm very proud of her!

Melanie, giving her Great Grandpa Hopkins Loves!

My mom and Casey down below, playing a game of washers. (That's a family tradition that I missed out on this time). They had a tournament, and if I remember correctly, my Uncle Timmy won.

It was a good reunion. Thank you mom for putting it all together!