FINALLY_ really, information is so important when planning the family reunion- right? SO SO Sorry that I haven't passed on info as well as I should. I know that I have talked with each of you individually about many things. In an effort to get all the information in to one spot, here's the plan so far... subject to change. Sort of. Kind of. Maybe
FAMILY REUNION DATES
Thursday July 21- Saturday 24
**We know that not everyone can make it on Thursday- it just seems so short to see you Friday night and so I am trying to squeeze the most time out of you as possible**
Location- Chateau d'Piippo
3858 Marlene, Idaho Falls, ID 83401
We have reserved the ENTIRE bed and breakfast. This home boasts a "family feel", sure to make you feel like you are coming to your childhood home. All amenities are provided- clean bedding, towels, etc. Comes with a fully stocked kitchen and family pets to truly give you that "homey" feel. Each family will have their own room. We will have two tents for "child" over flow- one for boys and one for girls. There is also room in the family room for kids to sleep in, or on the trampoline!
Schedule-- Subject to interpretation, nap times and tornadoes
Thursday- Visit the beautiful Yellowstone National Park. We would like to leave Idaho Falls around 9:00, drive to Yellowstone and watch Old Faithful. Visit the Black Sands geyser basin and other favorites. We will picnic around Old Faithful, then have a hot dog BBQ in the evening. Head home around 7:30. Some families have Park's passes to get in free, so we will try to combine cars to cut down on costs.
Friday- Visit as families and let kids play through the day. Possibly go to Rigby Lake. Wait for everyone else to arrive. Yard Games and the candy guessing game that night... always a favorite.
Saturday- The traditional Grandpa's Bingo will be the first activity of the day, followed by some Family Feud, Let's Make a Deal and other wonderful family games. Water Slide/Bounce house- Fun for ALL ages. This will take the place of the make shift slip and slide... and hopefully keep Uncle Mike's teeth intact.
*Maybe not this exact one.. don't hold me to it*
** WE WILL Be taking family pictures (loud groans from the men and excited hand clapping from the wives). Not sure on day/time- kind of waiting to hear when everyone will be here and how naps go. It ALMOST seems like the evening might be better since we will have so many small babies with morning naps to work around? I would LOVE to do Friday evening, but will keep everyone posted. If you have thoughts- please share!! The first thought that all the women had was WHAT DO WE WEAR? Clothes. Preferred. Colors- Navy Blue, Gray, Coral, Mint and Mint Green. Of course white also is nice. We won't go with exact shades, it will be nice to have a variety! I am kind of leaning towards having this more of a "dressy" picture. Thoughts? Collared shirts for boys (doesn't have to be button up, but nicer?) OR is this just TOO MUCH. Cuz I am okay with what ever.
Now to all the fine points and what we are hoping you can contribute.
A) Can we ask each family to do a meal as we have in the past? Please text me with what meal you would like to do
B) Can everyone look around for stuff to bring for Grandpa's Bingo? ALSO- if this doesn't break your budget- PLEASE bring 2 gift cards of your choosing. Preferable one is a $20 card and the other a $5 card.
C) We didn't rent a house hoping to keep costs down, but we do want to pay for someone to come and take the HUGE family picture (I figure we have enough photographers to handle the smaller family and individual groups). If everyone can please chip in $50 for the photographer, bounce house, prizes, etc for the weekend that would be great. We know that budgets and traveling might not allow that.
This makes our total "input" cost from each family $80 + food... Hopefully This is okay for everyone.
D) We would like for everyone to go home with all the pictures taken, so I am hoping that on Saturday night we can steal everyone's camera card and put all pictures on DVD's for everyone.
Anything else I missed that you really wished I had put in here?
Love you all- can't wait to see you!!!
Yay, thanks for the info, Jen!
ReplyDeleteAs for my thoughts on the questions you asked:
As the mom of one of the new babies, evening might be a good idea for the photo because of naps, but on the other hand (and this is just speaking for my baby), that's also a very CRANKY time (though I can't promise that won't change in two months!). Morning is usually our happiest time around here! :)
I love the color idea! And I'm always a fan of slightly more formal photos (nothing too fancy - no need to pull out old prom dresses). Either way, Mike will probably be wearing a collared shirt, and I will probably be wearing a casual dress.
We will definitely do a meal! Preferably lunch or dinner, but let me know what you need and we'll do whatever!
Also love the gift cards ideas. Will these cards be only for the adults (I remember you commenting last year that you loved the idea of having part of it geared more towards grown ups), or should we also bring "kid-friendly" gift cards?
Thanks so much for all your hard work in planning this! So excited to see everyone!