Day 4--Leaving Bear Lake and Visiting Logan

Wednesday, August 12th--Today we packed up and left Bear Lake. There was SO much more we could have done at Bear Lake but we will definitely want to come back when we have more time to take off. Perhaps I will find the ULTIMATE Bear Lake raspberry shake. I am a huge fan of raspberries so I must, right? ha ha ha

I was sad to leave but we were also excited to get back to nice, comfy beds and a little alone/quiet time.

I wanted to stop in Logan to visit a few placed. Our first stop was Gossner Farms. Right before we turned in to Gossner Farms, the winding roads of the canyon had gotten the best of Elise and she was our car-sick child this time around. I passed Nate's mug back this time (I made sure to fill mine with pop before we left, for this very reason! he he he). Well, it didn't all make it in so we had to pull over and clean up and change clothes. Oy vey! Once she was cleaned up and feeling better we went into the Gossner Farms store. Let me tell ya, in my opinion, they make the BEST cheese curds! The kids enjoyed watching the employees make some cheese through a glass window and I picked out a few bags of cheese curds and some other fun cheese. Then we went over to the sample area and had a few or..........a lot! But hey, there were several people at the sample area stuffing their faces so we just went along with the crowd! ....ahem.

From Gossner Farms we went to City Hall and looked around then drove up to the Logan Temple. It was a beautiful day and the temple looked quite beautiful. I like to think about the history of the older temples and those famous Mormon pioneers who helped build them, it's quite fascinating. We took some photos and then we were off. I wanted to see a few more places and stop for a bite to eat but Nate wanted to get home so that's what we did.

We got home and it was nice to unwind. We had a great little vacay. We were suppose to go to Lake Powell this week but the house boat we were going on needed to have an engine fixed. We were bummed for a while but once in Bear Lake we had no regrets. It was a wonderful time and the weather was perfect. We hope to go back soon!

Bear Lake--Day 3

Tuesday, August 11th--This was a LOOOOOONG day! We all slept in, grabbed some breakfast, packed stuff for lunch and headed out on the boat again for an all-day trip. Once we got the boat launched the kids and Nate did some more swimming. Then Shad took us to the middle of the lake and turned off the engine so we could all have some lunch. As some of us were finishing up, Jacob decided to feed a few of the seagulls hanging around the boat looking curious. Eventually, everyone else got into the fun of feeding the gulls (don't know if that was legal or not!) and by the time the bread was gone we had almost 20 of them hanging around the boat. It was insane! Our tummies full, it was time to cruise. I asked Shad if I could drive the boat (it was my first time ever) and he said "yeah, sure". I was so nervous and excited all at the same time! I got it going, it was pretty bumpy and jerky at first but then I got comfortable and we cruised! It was so much fun! At one point, Shad saw something floating in the water and had me turn around to see what it was. Well, it ended up being a life jacket that must have flown off someone else's boat. Shad decided to grab it and take it as a finder's keepers thing. It was pretty funny. After I was done driving the boat Brady and Elise wanted turns and they did really well and loved it.
Then we met up with Shad's aunt and uncle and his aunt hopped aboard and Shad wanted to try water-skiing. It took several times for him to get up but once he did, he did a really good job. The other times were just dang funny to watch him biff it! (sorry, Shad, they just were!) Then it was time to blow up the two individual tubes and tie them up for some "bumper tubin'". Shad and Jacob were up first. Holy moly, it was so funny watching them! They both attempted, several times, to bump each other off their tubes. I was laughing so hard! Both flew off their tubes and then it was Jacob's and Nate's turn. They went a few times around and, once again, incredibly hilarious. Shad had a lot of fun driving the boat into various wakes and trying to flip Nate and Jacob. We all laughed and laughed! Then we talked Brady into going on with Nate for a little while. It didn't take long before he was done. I think he was worried he was going to fall into the water.

After 6 hours, we begged Shad to let us be done and go back to the cabin. Everyone was tired, cranky and some of us (me, specifically) had been holding our bladders for a few hours! We made it back to the cabin where we rested for a while then ate dinner. Shad BBQ'd up some yummy burgers and dogs. It was our turn for dessert so we drove up to Le Beau's for some shakes. Nate and I split a Snickers shake (so good, the best Snickers shake ever!) and then we ordered a famous Bear Lake raspberry shake for Shad. I had a taste and it was....okay. I didn't get the hype over raspberry shakes. I should have tried some of the other places too. It seemed like they were kind of skimpy on the raspberries.

We got back to the cabin and Shad built a fire in the pit. He, the kids and Nate roasted hot dogs and had a good time chatting. Since we were leaving the next day, I decided to get a head start in packing up all of our things. I got most of it and loaded a bunch in the car. My hope was to get everything packed and loaded so we could leave early enough to enjoy some time in Logan, since I had never been there before.

Once again, we all went to bed early---what a day! A fun day!

Bear Lake--Day 2

Monday, August 10th--Today we started out with cooking a big breakfast. Everyone filled up on scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, and french toast. Then it was time to get ready and go boating for the day. Shad and Alishia just bought a fancy new boat and we were happy to be able to go on it with them and enjoy some time on the lake. The weather was a little chilly but it warmed up throughout the day. Shad took us out to the middle of the lake where Nate, Elise, Brady and Samantha had some swim time. It was cold at first and Brady's lips turned purple so we brought him in to warm him up. It didn't take long before he wanted to be back in the lake swimming. Looking at the depth guage and seeing we were in 100+ feet deep water kind of creeped me out in going in myself. I don't know why, but it did. Alishia brought the dogs for their first trip on a boat. We were curious to see how they would do in the water. Asia, did really well because she had experience but Brady's first time didn't go so well. He freaked out so both were brought back onto the boat to dry off--meaning the shook like crazy many times getting everyone wet.

Once the swimming was done we blew up the two-seater tube and all of us took turns on it, except Alishia. Brady and I got on and I noticed right away the tube wasn't blown up all the way so I kind of slumped into the tube. Once we got going I noticed it was hurting my neck pretty bad so we had to cut the ride short. It was a good thing because Brady didn't seem to like the tube this time around.

Shad got us going really fast and crazy when Nate and Jacob were on the tube. So much that Jacob ended up gulping a lot of water. Both flew off the tube and Jacob ended up puking a little (which all of us in the boat said "gross!"). Shad made sure he took the boat through many wakes and it was a blast! After about 4 hours, we were all done and ready to go in and take naps back at the cabin.

We had taco salad for dinner and then Nate and I went for a long bike ride. (we bought a bike rack and brought our bikes, I was so glad we did!).

It was a great day and we all crashed pretty early that night!

Bear Lake--Day 1

Sunday, August 9th--We headed out today and made our way to Bear Lake. The kids and I have never been to Bear Lake and Nate hasn't been since he was a teen. It was a LONG drive. About a 1/2 hour before we reached the lake we were on winding roads in Logan Canyon and Brady got car-sick. Luckily, I brought my big mug and we avoided a huge puke mess. Of course, I had to wash that thing out a couple of times before I decided to use it again. When we reached an area where we could first see the lake I was in awe. It was so beautiful and blue. I looked forward to the few days ahead.

We spent our time there at a KOA near the lake. My sister came with her family and two dogs (one being Bohdee, I miss that little puff ball!). We rented a two-bedroom cabin. Much to our disappointment the cabin was quite smaller than thought. The entire cabin was about the size of two bedrooms with one bathroom---and there were 10 of us, including the dogs. Needless to say, not much privacy but we managed. Nate, the kids and I were camped in the living room on a futon and an air mattress. There was a room with a full-size bed where Alishia, Shad and the dogs slept and a tiny room with bunkbeds where my niece and nephew slept. Cozy, indeed!

Our first day we got there in the late afternoon and unpacked. Nate took Brady to play at the playground and then the two went on a hay ride. The rest of us scoped the whole KOA out. It was a nice campground. Had we booked earlier there were even cabins with hot tubs (wow, was I jealous of those peeps!). We ate dinner and hung around the cabin.

FHE At the Mt. Timpanogas Temple

Monday, July 27th--One of our favorite family activities is a picnic at the temple. We usually go to the Mt. Timpanogas Temple and eat in a park across the street from the temple grounds. The kids eat pretty fast so they can run around. This time they made a new discovery in being able to climb many of the trees in the park. Nate played hide-and-go-seek with them for a little while while I stayed on our blanket and watched, giggling at how funny my kids are. Elise's strategy was to always hide in a tree and Brady followed whoever wasn't it. Then instead of waiting to be found he would pop out and say "Here I am!".

We all walked to the temple grounds and the kids asked some questions and brought up some memories they've had at the last two temple dedications we've attended (Draper and Oquirrh). It was a great experience on a very beautiful evening. When we were done we drove to JCW's for some ice cream cones (as hard as it was I resisted one of their delicious shakes, I wanted one bad!).

Pioneer Day Weekend

Friday & Saturday, July 24th-25th--Elise and Brady woke up Friday morning to the Days of '47 Parade on the TV. They watched it for a while and asked many questions about various themes of the many floats. It was a great time to tell them about our rich pioneer heritage and the LDS church and it's beginnings in the Salt Lake Valley. Friday evening Nate and I hosted a BBQ for my extended family. Alishia and her family were able to come as well as Aunt Maureen and her family. We had set up tables and our pop-up awning outside but it was pretty hot so we ate inside and then all came out and soaked in the kiddie pool while we waited for the sun to go down. It was great to visit and laugh as we cooled our feet. I went overboard with fireworks (again) but it made for a great show. The neighbors also came over and let off their fireworks. We laughed again and sang pioneer-themed songs from the Primary Songbook. I took pictures that evening but they didn't turn out for some reason.

On Saturday morning we got up pretty early to make it to Nate's brother, Dustin's, house in Salt Lake. He and his wife, Crystal, hosted a breakfast and then swimming at their community pool. Dustin and Crystal put on a delicious spread of food for the whole family. It was great to chat while we ate. Then it was time to head over to the pool. The kids and Nate had a great time swimming. I was too tired to swim and, once again, didn't want to get my hair wet as we had errands to run (if you only understood my hair before you roll those eyes, people!). Elise was looking like she was ready to take her water wings off and try swimming without them. I had to her come over to the 3 feet deep side of the pool and she took the wings off and started pushing off and, eventually, she got it. I was jumping up and down, screaming cheers for her. She figured it out on her own, without lessons. It was very exciting! And just like so many other things, including riding on two wheels, it had to be in her own time, on her own terms. I was very proud! After that she was swimming all over the pool without the water wings. I made sure Nate was staying close to her. She found a pink weighted ring she would throw and then dive down in to get it. What a character!

After we left Dustin and Crytal's we traveled to RC Willey where I FINALLY was able to get a new dryer. They had great deals on washer and dryer combos so we got both. I'll be excited to get them on Wednesday and it'll be SO nice not to have a load of laundry take 5-8 hours to dry anymore. Yippee!

Boating at Deer Creek Reservoir.......Again!

Thursday, July 23rd--Another fun boating experience! This time Nate was able to come with us and he absolutely enjoyed it! We met up with my aunt, Maureen, her daughter, Catherine, and my other cousin, Cindy, at the resort on Deer Creek Reservoir. Today was incredibly hot so we put the shade thingy (sorry, don't know the real name) over the boat and it helped tremendously. The water was perfect! Not once did the waves get so high that we had to come in, which apparently never happens. Usually, by around 2:00 the waves are high enough that all the boats have to come in. First, Maureen took the boat out a ways and everyone jumped in to swim and cool off for a bit. Elise and Brady were a little scared at first but once they were in the water they seemed to enjoy it. I didn't go in because I didn't want to get my hair wet (yeah, a little vain and pathetic but we had errands and a date night before we would go home that night).

The first on the tube were Cindy, Elise and Nate. They had a great time. I could tell Elise was much more relaxed this time around. We noticed the tube was losing air very slowly, which would make getting off and on a little more of a challenge, but it held out for as long as we used it that day. Nate had a great time! Next it was Catherine, Brady and I. Because of the holiday weekend, there were many more boats out so we ran into wakes quite a bit more which made things pretty crazy on the tube. At one point I thought we were going to fly off (crud, my hair! ha ha) but I gripped the handles tight and made sure Brady was secure as well. After we were back on the boat it was time for Maureen to do some crazy drivin' while Cindy and Nate rode on the tube. It was hilarious to watch them jump and splash and then, finally, fly off the tube! Something we didn't think could happen with this particular tube. It was so funny! Cindy hurt her back a little but bounced back quickly. As she was resting, Catherine and Nate got back on for another crazy ride. Nate decided to sit in the middle in fear he would surely fly off again with the weight being disproportionate. The faces the two of them made are priceless! They both managed to stay on, just barely. Next was Nate, Elise and I. Once again, plenty of wakes and at one point I accidently elbowed Elise in the arm while, at the same time, Nate accidentally elbowed her in the head. We fully expected her to scream bloody murder either while still on the tube or right after she got back on the boat but she never did---is she growing out of her "drama queen" phase? Please, yes! She was brave and she said it didn't hurt all that much. Phew!

After a few hours we were ready to go back to shore and have some lunch. One final thing Cindy and Nate tried were knee-boarding. It was a funny sight to see, as neither had ever done it before. Both biffed it every time and realized the knee board was probably a little too small for them. From there we headed into shore with Catherine out wake boarding. She's pretty good at it. I can tell it takes a lot of upper arm strength.

We had a wonderful time! We ate lunch at the restuarant there and then we headed into Salt Lake to drop the kids off at my sister, Alishia's house so Nate and I could end the day with a much-needed date night. We have season passes to Desert Star Theater so we went and saw the current show there. It was hilarious!

What a great day! It was long but wonderful. Maybe this will get Nate thinking about a boat of our own? Hmmmmm..........just like Disneyland, I wish!

Hooray, We Got Dad In the Kiddie Pool!

Friday, July 17th--In the evening, I filled up the kiddie pool. It was a perfect night for some water time and the kids were thrilled that daddy said he'd get in and play too. I ran my watering wand through the basketball net, which was next to the pool, and turned the water on. It created a great shower! The kids had a blast splashing daddy and he had fun doing the same. Then they sat down and threw a ball to each other. And finally, they used the "noodles" to pretend they were riding Disneyland's "Splash Mountain". Perhaps it's time for another Disneyland trip? Hmmmm..............I wish!

Nintendo DC Maniacs---Take Two!

Wednesday, July 15th--Brady and Elise's cousin, Kayla, spent a few days with us and while she was here I think the three of them spent about 75% of their time playing on their DS's. It was crazy but they totally enjoyed it. I did get them outside for a little while but it didn't take long before they were back playing. They got a kick out of being able to send messages to each other through the DS.

I figure, meh, it's summer break and at least I know where all three are without having to look very hard. Many times I would catch them underneath Brady's bed, which has a huge amount of space. They liked going under there because it was dark and it helped them to see their screens much better......or so they claimed! Crazy kids!