Alexis here. Shocking I know. After our 4th of July trip, Josh and I got to talking about various traditions that our families have. Josh spent a lot of time in the summer with his grandparents and was constantly on the road doing trips, visiting family, and especially their family reunion. Every year (or at least they try), his family meets in the mountains at this beautiful, spacious, and pretty secluded campground for a week. His mom is the youngest of 9 kids, so there is a lot of extended family and it just keeps growing.
This family reunion is a week of camping where they fish, hike, kayak, river tube, tie dye, play 9 square, have water fights, etc. One thing I love is that you know its family. Ran out of ketchup, thats okay because someone here has some. Need someone to watch the baby while you go play in the water, there is someone else with a little one (or people like me that will take any opportunity to hold the littles) around that will help out. Out of sun screen? We got you covered. Its so nice to feel that connected to people. Plus you have days to chat and catch up with family members who live out of state because so many people make time to come visit, even if its just for dinner one night.
When I was a child, my mom worked a lot in the summer because she had winters off. It meant a lot of our summer was spent with our grandparents. Luckily for me, my grandparents weren't even 50 when I was born so they were young and able to do a lot more than typical grandparents. I recall a lot of baseball games with my grandpa or going to the cabin with him and my granny. We were always outside doing something, but we didn't have traditions like that. The closest we got was going to the state fair before school started with my mom and our "aunties" or on Labor Day we had a small family reunion that usually resulted in my great grandma and her sisters instigating a water gun fight.
I think a lot of the traditions we had when we were kids, the ones we have developed in our adult years, and the ones I want for my future children. Josh and I agree that we want to have traditions. Things that the kids can look forward to and expect year after year. Even if its something as small as a water fight or something as big as family camp. Its something that even now we like to look back on and holds a lot of our memories. I like the idea of my kids having the same sorts of things available to them.