A long post (with lots of pictures) about Cousins Camp

 The Mars family does a Cousins Camp every other summer or so.  This year, with the wedding and 100 other various activities, we had to settle for a quick weekend Cousins Camp.

We kicked it off with a trip to Wingfoot Lake to sail with Dan.  Not only did we get to sail, we also saw the Goodyear Blimp come in for a landing!

Wow.

 Playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house is always a treat.

 And cousin Asena make the cutest sad face ever...  she was faking the sad part.

 On to the main event...

 On Saturday, we all boarded a tour bus at 6am.

 Can you feel the excitement?!

 Our first stop was Niagara Falls!

 Did I mention we all had matching shirts?  We were easy to spot.

 Grandma and Grandpa took all 50 of us on the Maid of the Mist! 

 Emily rocked some sort of upward wind in her hair.

 Dad's signature pose... I give up.

 My man. 

 It was very misty.  And quite beautiful.

 The closest thing we got to a group shot...  who is that guy in the plaid?  Hmm.  Not a Mars.

 Feeding frenzy #1...

 In Palmyra, NY we stopped for a while at the Sacred Grove on the Smith Farm.  This is the place where Joseph Smith prayed about which church to join and saw a vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  The forest is gorgeous and there is a peaceful spirit there.

Don't you love family pictures!?

Attempt #2...

Alli and Ruby with the temple in the background.

Feeding frenzy #2 involved pizza!

We spent the evening at the Hill Cumorah Pagaent.  It is an amazing show with a cast of over 700 people!  They tell the story of the Book of Mormon, and it is performed right on the hill where Joseph Smith was given the gold plates.
 The actors come out and greet the audience before the show... which our kids loved!

Uncle Tevita got into it... with a few towels and scarves, he had a (somewhat) convincing costume.

The pageant was spectacular, and after the pageant ended, we got back on the bus and drove through the night.  The kids slept and the grownups did not sleep at all.  Overall, it was a great time for everyone.  Alli ranked it among her top three days ever.  Not bad.
Read more about Cousins Camp on my sister Emily's blog or on my sister Marissa's blog.
More to come on our summer adventures...