september started out with our annual trip to rancho cherpablo. we always have a blast up there with yummy food and tons of activities. this year was no different. we stayed busy, the kids stayed filthy and we were all sad to see it come to an end.
first thing's first- set up. as the family started to arrive, we all set up camp. cade and i were especially excited since we had not had the opportunity to use our new tent we got last christmas. here it is in full glory:
the kids loved it. they danced and played and danced and played. nothing brings out the kid in you like a big tent.
after set-up, it was time to get going on the games before it got too late. my mom and i were in charge of the first day's activities and we wanted to plan something everyone could relate to and would still get really into. thus, the CHERPABLO HUNGER GAMES were born.
here is how we played, each team was given colored water as ammunition. the goal was to get kills by getting your colored water onto an opponent by any means possible. each player was given 3 death tags. if you were "killed" by another player, you gave that player one of your death tags. once you had been killed 3 times and were out of death tags, you were out of the game. in the end, the last person alive wins- BUT to make sure the game kept moving, the person with the most kills (or who had collected the most death tags) took second place. the prizes were pretty sweet- so it was a big incentive to win.
is this making sense? i hope so- because it was a BLAST.
the teams were randomly selected at a reaping where they were also assigned a team color. since we were the ones drawing names, my mom and i got our capitol sparkle on, complete with obnoxious makeup (not shown, thankfully).
after teams were drawn, training began. the teams were each given a bag to help them get started. inside they found:
a plain white t for each team member
a butt load of items in the color representing the team (this was used to create their costumes)
an assortment of water guns, balloons, and sponges
food coloring in their team color
a set of rules
the teams split up and got to work creating their costumes and strategizing their kills. the costumes were important because the team with the best costume was granted the option to swap one weapon with another team (some of the guns were noticeably better than others...).
the main deck was set up as the cornucopia. there, teams could find more water to dye, swap different weapons, and gain information. there was also a picture of every family member pinned up for all to see. as players died, grandpa shot a gun into the air (like the cannon, right?) and the player's picture was taken down.
from here, i wish i had more pictures to demonstrate the madness that quickly ensued- instead, i got video of most of it. everyone got really into it! even grammy! even MY DAD! some teams split up in the woods, other worked together. some teams got out really fast.... but some were NOWHERE to be found. don't worry, we sent out muttations to round them back up into the main playing area. you can't hide from the capitol forever! grandpa had to shoot the gun off so many times and the dogs were losing their minds. there was a big fight that went down near the cornucopia leaving many players dead.
honestly, it was so fun!
the babies had the best seat in the house....
the winner, in the end, was natalie. she was sneaky- hiding herself well in the trees but ready to attack when she needed to. it was perfect because it was her birthday, so we celebrated the win with a big meal and some yummy cake.
i don't think that is the last you will hear of cherpablo hunger games....
the next day, we spent the morning playing cards, hiking around with the kids, relaxing, fishing and just enjoying the time away. in the evening, our next activity was a murder mystery dinner. we were all assigned a character before coming up to cherpablo and we were asked to dress accordingly. the kids especially loved this opportunity to get all dressed up. violet was part of the indian tribe, owen was a deputy sheriff, and addy was a town socialite. they made quite the team.
i was a crazy woman from the hills named ol' barr. as you can see, i really got into my part. its slightly embarrassing.
there aren't any pictures of cade- probably because we were all quite busy trying to play our parts and solve the mystery. he was a wealthy land owner with some shady goals.... the other photo i wish we had was my little sidekick, ivy. she was my crazy baby from the hills. wrapped in fur, she was as cute as ever.
it was a lot of fun. annie and mandy did a great job getting it all organized.
in our spare time, these three kiddos (as well as the others kids) had a blast. i love watching these cousins have fun together.
vi LOVES the four wheelers. every time she heard one start, she figured it was someone taking her somewhere so she would run for her helmet.
we love cherpablo. time spent with family is something we treasure- and cherpablo gives us plenty of opportunities to make memories.
1 comment:
I love those cherpablo memories! Hunger Games, what a blast! There is one error though, Heather was the winner of Hunger Games. Bryson had the most kill tags. Natalie was the next to the last one left, since it was her birthday, Bryson gave her the prize.
Love the post!
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