Camping at Bear Lake

We loved Bear Lake so much with the Daniels crew that we had to go back again for seconds so we joined the Heath family for a long weekend there.  It was amazing, of course.

We spent a couple afternoons and days at North Beach, of course and the kids loved it so much.  The adults played Slammo for hours on end and we got pretty good!  Teagan and Eli went on adventures out to sea on the rafts and laid around in the hot sand.  Eloise and Jordan and Adeline just played in the shallow water and sand with all the toys.  We love the Heaths and had so much fun with them!

We all brought bikes and rode the bike bath really far, clear past town.  We ran into a really cool park that had so many fun obstacles to climb through and over and around.  We had to make several competitions and try to beat each other at various feats.  It was a blast.

They all fell asleep on the way home, I guess we did our job on wearing them out!

We found out that it was free root beer float day at A&W so we stopped by one on the way and had floats.  Everyone had pretty much had it by then, we should have just kept going, but we couldn't resist free floats!

It was the first of many Bear Lake camping trips in our future, it was perfect.

Bear Lake Reunion

We had such a great time at our reunion in Bear Lake this year, as always!

We started the trip early with a trip to Lava Hot Springs.  Teagan went off the platforms and gave me a heart attack every time.  He and Taylin love running around together!  Not pictured is Eloise developing a stomach bug and clearing the kiddie pool area.  She had an accident that she had thought was just gas and they cleared the whole pool for an hour to treat it.  oops....she felt really bad about it and so did I.  That was not a very fun way to start the trip for her!

We made sure to go out to eat a ton and enjoy all the super fun diners that they have there.  Teagan is turning into quite the little man with a big appetite!

Eloise loves baby Quinn and just wanted to hold her and play with her the whole time.  It was so sweet.

The first full day there we split into two groups, the boaters and the sand players.  We took our kids and Zoey to the North Beach and had a blast playing in the warm, shallow water, while the other adults and Tay enjoyed an adventurous day boating at South Beach.

We seriously love North Beach!  The water is so shallow that we just don't have to worry so much and it's fun for even tiny Adeline.

We played catch and played in the rafts and built sand castles.  It was seriously just the perfect day on the lake.  The kids were so happy and so were we!

We went to the fun play at the local theater...I honestly can't even remember the name right now but it was pretty funny!  The guy in the purple coat (Juanito?) was the main character and was pretty hilarious.  The girls are probably still too little because they got so restless, but Teagan loved it and was cracking up throughout!

Then we went to our favorite restaurant on the golf course for dinner that night.  Teagan and Eloise with their  beach blond hair are killing me, they are so beautiful and handsome!  Adeline politely(ish) declined having her picture taken.  The view is gorgeous too!

The kids table at dinner, they got super into their coloring and chocolate milk.  These kids just love each other so much!

It is so fun to go spend time at the lake!  We didn't get any pictures, but this year we brought bikes and took them down the bike path and it was so much fun!  That is definitely something we are going to want to repeat in future summers.  Overall, we had such a fun time together, games at night laughing until we cried, food that was so amazing, and lots of fun activities.  We're excited for another one next year!

Summer Time

Summertime is our favorite time of year around here!  We love to be outside and enjoying the heat and time together.  We do plenty of chores and work keeping the house and garden going, but we definitely make plenty of time for fun.  I have been busier with life and trying to enjoy living in the moment more so I just haven't taken as many pictures lately.

The girls practically lived in their swimming suits all summer.  They love to play in the water and sprinklers and pools and mostly just run around in fluffy girly swimwear. 

 Teagan, Eli, and Mason are always super sweet with Eloise, Jordyn and Adeline.  They have already taken on the role as protectors for their little friends.  They were trying to pull them all over the yard together.  It was pretty darn sweet!

We had a lot of lazy mornings hanging around inside.  I didn't like how much time the kids were spending with their friends instead of each other so I changed our job rule.  They couldn't play with friends until their jobs were done, but they could play with their siblings anytime.  They chose each other over chores (which was part of my master plan, cue maniacal laugh) and had quite a bit of fun playing together and destroying the house.

Cookies and milk for breakfast??? Or maybe right before bed, I can't remember.  haha

 Eventually, we would make it outside.  The raspberries were amazing this year!  We picked about 15 gallons worth!  The kids were so helpful with the picking.  Especially Teagan and Eloise.  Adeline mostly just followed us around and stole raspberries out of our buckets.

This was at Haven Ivin's baptism.  Reese Ivins, Adeline, Boston Davis, Jordyn Heath.

The kids played in the water pretty much everyday that they could.  Teagan and Adeline especially love playing in the water.  Miley Newell, Adeline, Teagan.

When the newness of summer was wearing off and I was hearing the words "I'm bored" floating around, I gave the neighborhood kids a challenge.  I zip tied a hose to the trampoline and told them that if they could get water to flow from the trampoline to the pool they would all get an otter pop.  There were about 10 kids working on it together and they spent an hour or two making it work.  They found leftover PVC pipe and used chairs and slides to get the water about halfway there.  Then they made a pulley system with a bucket to get the water the rest of the way there.  I was so proud of them!  It was a great team work and critical thinking activity.

 One day Teagan decided to make giant bubbles.  We had a bubble wand that we'd never tried that had a recipe for bubble solution.  Teagan went outside to measure his 12 cups of water.  Addy wanted to help.  So every time Teagan poured a cup in the bucket and turned around, she would dump the bucket out.  He figured out was going on pretty quick and had to give her a stern "no," which she didn't listen to at first.   It was pretty hilarious to watch from the window.  Eventually, he got the point across and she let him fill his bucket.  The bubble wand and solution were an unfortunate fail...darn.  Maybe next time.

Addy loves to be out in the garden with me and loves to pick and eat carrots, strawberries, raspberries, green beans and raw corn.  She also loves to pick seedlings when we are weeding.  I always plant extra, just in case.  And when she succeeds in pulling out all of them I take deep breaths and remind myself that I love my children more than my garden.

Lewis Cousin Visits and the 4th of July

What summer is complete without multiple visits to the Lewis's house?  We love going there at least a few times every summer and playing.  

There is always lots of play time in pools and sprinklers and splash tables!

Grandma Packer was there during one of the visits and she brought a ton of glow sticks that were really fun.

Sometimes the kids just all grab a book and read for the hot afternoon while babies sleep.

We also love to head to Seven Peaks if we get a chance.  The older that the kids get, the more fun we have there.  Eloise is turning out to be quite a little daredevil!

It's no surprise that Teagan is a thrill seeker.  He loves the fast waterslides, especially the ones with tubes!  Adeline likes to sit on my lap in the kiddie play area, but I bet by next year she will be all over it like the other kids.

We did fireworks Saturday night for the 4th of July and it was so much fun.  Julie must have bought 50 parachute guys and the kids all raced to catch them.  So fun!

Scott needed some help with his tie and Teagan offered to help, I love that they are matching and that Teagan is being so precise.  How did he become such a big boy who can tie ties??

We drove home Sunday after church and got there just in time for the Juniper Court Firework show.  It was super fun and it is always a treat to spend time with our neighbor families!

Summer just wouldn't be the same without friends and family!