Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tucker Family Reunion - 2012 - Island Park, ID

The Tucker Family Reunion was held this year in Island Park, Idaho.  Jan and Bruce were in charge and did a great job.  There was just the right mix of down time and organized activities.  Since our family lives on the other side of the country from all the rest of these good people, we are so grateful for the opportunity to get together with them and become reacquainted with one another.  We played tons of games and ate tons of food and just plain enjoyed ourselves.  It was wonderful!!  Since I have a ton of pictures, I will let them tell the story.

Spencer, Olivia, and Hannah with their "welcome pack" that Jan had put in each of the cabins.  The Strobels and Bruce Tucker family were in one cabin, the Egberts and Brian Tucker family were in another, the Himes family were in their own cabin, and our family stayed in a cabin with Grandma an Grandpa Tucker.

Brian, Bruce, Stephanie, Geoffrey, Emily, an Megan soon after our arrival at the cabin.  Mom and I were in charge of the first dinner on Sunday night so everyone came to our cabin for dinner.

Matt, Olivia, and Katie play with James

Jennifer, Bruce, Grandpa, me, Megan, Emily, Grandma, and Frank after our dinner

Jennifer and Lauren chillin' after dinner

Jan (the planner) using a plate for paper as she figures out the totals for horse back riding 

So, there is a story that goes with this photo.  When these grandchildren (the oldest five) were little we got a photo of them on a log up at my parent's cabin.  It is one of my mom's favorites.

 She wanted to recreate the photo with the kids as grownups.  So here they are....Stephanie, Joshua, Janelle, Austin, and Geoffrey!!

The Foulk girls and the great-grandsons....on the same log :)

Some of the boys found a field to play football.  Evan and Steve didn't make this photo because Evan fell on some rocks and scraped his knee pretty bad.
(L-R  Spencer, Nathan, Jimmie, James, Scott, Bruce, Matt, Geoffrey, Brian, Frank, John, Austin, Coulsen, Luke, random guy who joined the game, Chase, Jake, and Ben)

Evan getting ready for the trail  ride

Grandpa and Stephanie on their horses

Megan on her horse

Emily is excited to go

Even Grandma joined in on the fun

Two moose we saw on our ride

A photo of the front of the line

Jeri's family after the ride...Frank, Jeri, Olivia, Spencer, and Hannah

 James and Alan get a ride, too...can you tell that James is enjoying himself.  When we tried to get him off he just batted our hands away.  He was not ready to get off.  

Grandpa, the horseman

A close-up of the little ones.....so happy!!

Uncle Bruce checking out Evan's injury

This is a shot taken before the final shot.  We took this photo just before we headed to the two different rivers that we were going rafting on.  Geoffrey and Rebecca had to leave right after the rafting so this was our only chance to get a photo with everyone.  There are people looking sideways in this one, but I wanted to put it in since you can actually see Grandpa over at the far left side.  In the photo below (the posed one) he somehow managed to disappear behind John.  :(  The only members of the family missing at the reunion were Jan's son, Nick, who is serving a mission in Toronto Canada and Stephanie's husband, Marc who was working in Alaska.  

Here we are......QUITE A GROUP!!!!

Heading out to go rafting...Jake looking out the window

Most of the men an older kids went on a more adventurous rafting trip through Box Canyon.  I wasn't on that one, so no photos...sorry.
Most of the women and little kids went on the gentle float.  Thank you, Grandpa for finding a good place to put in and also for rowing the boat most of the way.  We had a blast!!

Evan getting ready to float on his tube

James in the boat with his Great-Grandma Tucker

The girls making a bridge for James to go under...They had so much fun with him and I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual!!

After riding horses and floating the river...we had some tired kids....Nate, Emily, and Jimmie

Getting ready for Family Home Evening    
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for sharing some of your memories of your parents and for letting us share some of ours, too.  The slide show afterwards was awesome!!!  Thanks to Bruce for putting it together.

Samantha, Spencer and James.....(notice the hair)

Grandma sharing her memories

Bonfire and marshmallow roast.....so much fun

Cousins enjoying the fire

Emily, Jimmie, Megan , and Katie

More fire fun

James and Evan....only about a month apart in age

Lauren, Caitlin, and Jennifer

Morgan, Hannah, Olivia, and Evan in the hot tub
(not sure what is going on with Evan's facial expression)

Jeri's family in their Tucker Family Circus shirts
We all wore these to the Playmill Theater where we saw
The Drowsy Chaperone

 Brian's family in their shirts
 Abby, Brian, Morgan, Annjennette, McKay, and Samantha

Brian and Jeri's kids with Grandma and Grandpa Tucker
(check out Grandma's gangsta pose)

Yes, the boys even found time for a game or two of  Poker

On the last day of the reunion we stopped at Mesa Falls on our way back down to Idaho Falls.  
This photo was taken at the lower falls with some of the family represented.
Unfortunately, just moments after this, Evan slipped on the side of one of the trails and cut his lip very badly. We were very thankful to Uncle John who checked out the lip and decided he should probably put a stitch in it.  We continued down the mountain and stopped at Warm River to feed the fish and went to Big Judds for lunch.  Then we took a trip to John's Rexburg office where he stitched Evan's lip and X-rayed Jimmies chest to make sure he did not have a punctured lung.  He had fallen during the football game and had possibly broken a rib.  Since we were stopping there for the stitches, we got a two for one.  Thank you Uncle John!!!

Brian's Family at Lower Mesa Falls

Our remaining family at the lower falls

Steve, Megan, and Nathan at the Upper Falls

At Warm River....notice the ice bag 

Picture taken in the Dr. office back in NJ two days after the fall.......

....and one week later....hardly noticeable!!!



A big thanks to Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) Tucker!!!
Thanks for making this all happen and for being the great examples to us that you are!!
We love you!!  Can't wait until 2014!!