Sprouting Sinnemas: Sinnema Family Reunion!

Feels so good! We're here! We made it!

Nothing like being with Grandpa.

Dad brought a game much like horseshoes. We all played it a lot!

This is part of the yard of the house we all stayed in, the four Sinnema families. It was much like a bed and breakfast - without the breakfast. It was beautiful and very relaxing. Very homey.

So good to be with everybody again! Jen graciously let me take this pic of her relaxing. We all spent a lot of time on this double tiered patio, reading, texting, visiting, playing games, drawing, watching the Olympics, and enjoying the beauty of the country outskirts of Kalispell. Hopefully someone will share some pictures with me. I did not take enough!!

Nothing like being able to make a baby laugh.

"Ha! Got his ear."

"Still got it."

"These are strong!"

"Ha. Got his nose."

"Still got it. I need to look at that more closely.

So good playing with Daddy again. He was in Omaha and Texas for a long time! Riding behind him in the car isn't the same."

Grandma and Grandpa both followed him around a lot! William really liked the flower beds...and the outdoors.

Grandma took some of us out to the Bible Camp where she has spent many summer weeks. It was beautiful and many of her friends came out to see her and meet us. It was wonderful to be there and let the kids play together. And it smelled so good! It was our first trip into the mountains!

Out to Flathead Lake.

Aunt Jennie let Matthew ride on her lap all the way out to where we stopped on the lake to swim!

There's Seth and Casey! They came all the way from Plattville, CO, just outside of Denver.

Right away, awesome Casey got a shopping list together and got a group together to go grocery shopping. Then she consistently planned meals, cooked, cooked, and cooked some more. Adam helped a little in the fun, big, gourmet kitchen. And everyone pitched in with clean ups. Thanks so much Casey for spearheading it all! It was so nice working together and having home cooked food. We Sinnemas work together, stay together, and play together so well!

We had the kids in life vests for a while. But it was a nice sized pontoon boat with eight adults. So we finally let William free.

Oh, I didn't see this coming. Aunt Jennie let all three eventually drive. So kind!

Out for a swim. Lance, Seth and Jen immediately jumped in as soon as we stopped the boat! Without any discussion ~ such good sports! So that helped the rest of us get our courage up.

It was work with the choppy water and kids! Phew.

Awesome Uncle Lance has William, here. He was so happy and relaxed that he almost fell asleep! Laying back in the water. But then a wave startled him...and he was ready to go back into the boat!

Kaitlyn and Matthew were all practiced up after swimming all summer in our back swimming pool with Daddy. Still, they're brave! That's a big lake.

Time to get the boat going and take some rides on the inner tube! Here is Lance and Seth going for a ride.

Such a fun day out on the water! Thanks everybody!

It was overcast the whole time. But when we were ready to head in, the wind had come up a little more and it was definitely cooler. Dad drove us in. But not before we took in some water! On the second wave full, he took it pretty slow!

Eating tomatoes.

A lot of time was spent outside our pretty Kalispell house!

Taking a hike up Avalanche Trail. Yay! Jackets in the summer! This is living. Our Nebraska friends are jealous.

Lance and Jen live in Spokane, WA. Lance is an artist and professor in two different colleges. Jen is a surgical nurse. We are so proud of you both!

Everybody was always looking out for the kids. Thanks so much.

Daddy always getting right out there in it!

Seth is a chief tech officer at Aleph Objects Inc. and Casey works in accounting and finance. And guess what!? A couple weeks after this Glacier National Park gathering....Seth and Casey are engaged. Congratulations you two!

Happy 40th Anniversary Dad and Mom! Thank you so much for getting us all together like this. It was a gift to everyone.

Dad and Mom work with Success N Fundraising and Butter Braid pastries out of Amsterdam, MT. They have been successfully renovating their home and yard. So wonderful! Look forward to seeing the latest!

Out looking for mountain goats : )

Computer work in massive windowless cubicle rooms can't take the 'grunt boy' out of Adam!

On the Highway 2 drive here, after Browning, Adam spotted the mountains first. And he must have repeated it about 15 times. "There's the mountains." And as we got closer, he quietly changed the phrase to, "There's trees." You can take a boy out of the mountains. But you can't take the mountains out of the man.

Taking a break.

A little place that felt like "A Midsummer's Night Dream."

Grandpa's still got it, too!! He's Superman #1. These kids are no featherweights.

Destination reached! (Minus Kathy, Kaitlyn and Grandma) Fabulous pure mountain water.

William went the whole way!...And so did Matthew...out in front of the whole crew, Daddy said. And it turned out to be a significant hike!

Uncle Seth is so great.

Skipping rocks after hiking around part of the lake.

Kaitlyn and Matthew were pretty weary little kiddies. After three weeks in Malta and now going on four with exciting family and fun - they're doing excellent, and yet, it's starting to wear a little on them. So Grandma and I happily turned to go back to the car, when Kaitlyn continued asking to be carried. The others continued on, and went to the lake. Five minutes into our hike back - "what was I thinking! I didn't bring William!"

But he is our awesome third child. Everyone going on cheered him on and he loved it. And had I known that it was still so much further to the lake - I wouldn't have let Matthew go....but is that true? He would have talked me in to it. No Way would he allow being left behind! And he did great. And out in front the whole way!? Wow. Kids are amazing. And they were so cheerful our entire stay. They were never overtired or over done, in any way. God is good. And there's nothing like family loving on them!

Just the girls, all in pink : )

Going to the Sun Road

After the hike some of us went up to the top. And some of us road in a park bus! It was wonderful and very relaxing not to have to drive. There was a lot of people, of course. But also some construction. But we're sightseeing! More time to see sights!

A little water at the 'Weeping Wall.'

Still a little water at these falls. Everything is so beautiful! It's nice to see the Park closer at the end of the summer. Last time Adam and I were here, it was spring, lots of water, very little people and chilly! Right after graduating MSU and before moving to Texas. So this is a very nice contrast!