Bear Lake Reunion 2010

For the last six summers, thanks to my parents, all of their kids and grandkids have met in Bear Lake (Garden City, UT) for a week of fun.  Each year is more fun than the last as the kids continue to get older.  While we are there, each family takes a turn making a meal for everyone.  My parents usually take breakfast one day, and this year my mom went all out and made scones with her amazing dough!  They were so good!!  My parents also took us all out to dinner one night, this year it was at the Pickleville Playhouse.  Ben and I (thanks to the wonderful family who watched our kids) were able to go to the play after the dinner and have an evening to ourselves.

While we are in Bear Lake, we stay at a resort that has lots of individually owned condos that are rented out.  We usually split up into three rooms, and we each pair up with another family or my parents.  This year, we stayed with my sister Julie and her family.  Julie is know for her crafts, and this year she had a number of good ones.  In particular, the washer necklaces we made were adorable!  My sister Lisa also did a fun craft where the kids got to make animals out of clay.  Oh, and of course there is annual pinata!

The resort has a number of amenities including: two different swimming pools, playground, tennis courts, mini-golf, boat/equipment rentals, a rock wall (this year only), volleyball nets, and beach access.  Obviously we do a lot of swimming.  This year we had a bit of a break through with Alex and Anna as they both finally got brave enough to let go of the pool wall and swim out into the  middle of the pool (with life vests of course).Happy day!  We also spent time on the beach.  All of the kids (Emily included) just loved the sand!  I suspect that it must have something to do with me (or Ben) not caring that they are getting dirty and making a mess!

One of the afternoons my Dad rented a boat and we took turns using it.  Anna and Alex were both brave and went out on the tube with Ben.  They both had so much fun (minus a few short moments of panic).  We then all went out to float in the middle of the lake.  It sure was cold!  But the water is so clear....I wish we could have stayed out longer.

My brother Stephen owns a four wheeler and a Rhino, which he of course brought on the trip.  He let us take the Rhino out for a bit of a ride.  Unfortunately, only a short distance away (and regardless of the fact that we weren't on any bumpy trails) Anna got scared and we had to turn around and take her and Alex back.  So instead, Katie and I road in the back together, and apparently it so so relaxing that it put her to sleep.

Ben as usual went golfing with some of the men.  Ben loves to golf!  The night before I jokingly suggested that he take Alex with....and he did!  Alex decided that real golf is a bit boring, and he much prefers mini-golf.  Anna also had a special adventure and got to go horseback riding.  Last year, she only road around the corral, but this year she did the full one hour trail.  At first, our guide had mentioned that Anna was a bit young to ride, but by the end of the trail the guide kept saying how impressed she was with Anna.  She wasn't even the slightest bit scared of the horse or the rough trail, and she also had really good balance (which apparently some children that young struggle with).  Way to go Anna!

Well, I believe that sums up our trip.  We had such a great time!  The kids are already looking forward to next year.  Thanks Mom & Dad (aka Grandma & Grandpa) for such a great vacation!

The Melting Birthday Cake

Three days ago we celebrated Ben's birthday.  To make his day special, Ben's parents came over for dinner.  I made Ben's favorite, beef ribs, and the dessert, while his mom made rolls, salad, beans, and potatoes.  I thought it would be fun to do something different for his birthday cake, so I decided to make an ice cream cake (part cake and part ice cream).  I hadn't ever done this before, so I kind of made it up as I went along....and as usual when I try to "make things up" they don't turn out at all like I envision.  I started by making two square chocolate cake layers, and after they had cooled I took out the ice cream to soften while I made the frosting.  When I was done with the frosting, I spread the soft ice cream between the two layers of cake.  Then, the idea was to quickly frost it to hold in the ice cream and then put it back in the freezer.  Well, since the ice cream was already soft, it had already started to melt by the time I started to frost it.  As hard as I tried to use the frosting to keep the melting ice cream in, it still seeped out.  And by the time it was frozen again, there were frozen puddles of ice cream on either side of the cake.  It wouldn't have been too bad, except the layer of ice cream left between the cake layers was extremely thin.  Oh well!  It's the thought that counts, right?!  Happy Birthday Ben!

Family Pictures

Over the last week, I have been taking the kids one by one to get their pictures taken.  Then on Monday we all went to get our family pictures done.  A stress only a mother can appreciate!  First of all, you have to keep all your kids injury free for at least a week ahead of time.  Then, there is finding coordinating clothes.  And of course, on the day of the pictures, you have to get everyone ready (more daughters means more hair to do) and keep everyone looking nice and happy.  Finally, there is the almost impossible task of getting the kids to all smile at once.  A good photographer can make a big difference...unfortunately we weren't so lucky.  Ben thought we should just go again another day....but there was no way I wanted to go through that all again.  Luckily we somehow got a few decent pictures.