K&K Reunion

Every year, my dad's side of the family has a reunion.  It is not just any normal family reunion, it is a bucket load of fun reunion!  The reunions used to be a week, but now they are three days.

There are 12 of my dads siblings and spouses there, each of their kids, each of their kids, and even some of their kids as well.  The reunion is huge to say the least.

It all started with my grandparents, Kay and Karma Belnap. Hence the name "K&K" reunion.

Our family is a close one. It is rare and it is a blessing I don't take for granted. There is an amazing feeling of power, unity, love, caring, and eternity at the reunion, and I love to just bask in it.


My parents, siblings, in-laws, and my sister's date. Just one small portion of the giant Belnap family.

The reunions are almost always at some place where there is water. We are a huge waterskiing family, but as the numbers have grown, we have had to adjust accordingly.

This year, the first day of the reuinon was at Lagoon. My kids have never been there, and they have ben counting down the days for months now. They were so excited. It was great.

Lagoon did not disappoint. The kids and Ben and I had an absolute blast. It was so much fun!!!!
It was even better to have my parents and some of my siblings there to share the day with. We ran into aunts, uncles, and cousins throught the day, and had a great time.

I wasn't sure how my kids would handle the rollercoasters, but they ended up doing better than I thought. Mary even rode Wicked, Samuri, and the Rocket. Those are some very big and very scary coasters. I couldn't believe it! She was a also a great sport, and did some rides with her brothers as well.

Sam loved the white roller coaster, the bumper cars, and especially the Scrambler. I think he did the scrambler about 6 times. He kept saying over and over, "this is the best day!"

William loved any ride he could go on. He would just grin and grin and grin.

Grandpa "Bop" was a great sport and did the Merry Go Round several times with the grandkids.

Luke did amazing. He slept most of the day, or just hung out. He did great.

Ben and I were able to go on some of the bigger coasters as well. Ben brought his Go Pro and videoed some of the rides. Pretty cool.

It was really hot, but there was a lot of shade throughout the park. Thanks to aunt Jessica, we were able to partake of the biggest snow cone we have ever seen!

By the end of the day, we were all exhausted and happy. We ended Lagoon with a serious game of "Whack a Mole."  I am proud to say that I whacked those moles with the speed of a mother who doesn't want to waste her money, and Mary and Sam both rode happily home with stuffed animals. Go me.

We stopped off a Sizzler for a yummy dinner with everyone, (where William dropped his ice cream cone and then decided to smash it into the carpet on the way out) and then we all came home and crashed.

My family stayed with us, which made it even more fun.

The next day we all went to a gorgeous park in Provo Canyon. My aunt set up carnival games and also hired a magician to perform. It was a full day, but a fun one. It was nice to visit with so many cousins and relatives during the day. I loved the feeling of closeness and kindness there. There was a little river at the park, and Sam and William spent most of the day in it. They loved it.

 The carnival games were also a big hit. Mary loved the face painting booth, and Sam listened to the "pirate" tell stories over and over again. He was completely convinced that he was a real pirate and he followed him all around the reunion. It was great. 

My dad was in the "kissing" booth and was hilarious! He handed out candy kisses to those who dared go over there.

My dad wore his High School clothes and a great wig.

We all came home and crashed again.

On Sunday we all met at my aunts house for a family testimony meeting. This is always my favorite part of the reunion. The spirit is so powerful and the feeling there is amazing. I have very fond memories of this, and I know it played a big part in the growth of my own testimony.  There is something so amazing about a huge family all together in spirit sharing the thoughts of our hearts.

We all have number shirts that we wear on this day. My dad and his siblings wear red shirts and they are numbered according to their place in the family. My dad is the fourth kid in his family, so his shirt is red with a number four. My mom's shirt is red with a 4A. The spouses all have an A on their shirt.

All of the grandkids have a blue shirt. I am blue shirt number 13, because I am the 13th grandchild. Ben is blue shirt 13A.

My kids and all of the great grand kids have green shirts. There are now 61 green shirts in our family! Luke is number 59.

It is fun to see a big huge family picture with all of the shirts and numbers. Love it!

After the meeting, the reuion was over. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone and the fun weekend, but we came home happy and with full hearts. I was reminded what it feels like to be so loved, cared for, accepted, and part of an amazing thing. It was a good boost for me. 

I am so glad my kids are getting old enough to enjoy these reunions and to feel what it is like to be close to family. It is so important to me.

What an amazing weekend. I feel so blessed. Thank you grandma and grandpa for setting the bar high and for starting such an amazing legacy that still blesses us all every day.