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!

Deer Creek with the Cousins

Last week the kids and I met up with their cousins to go swimming and play in the sand at a nearby lake.  This was Emily's first time in the sand and she really liked it!  Anna, Alex, and Katie all made sand castles and had lots of fun the water.  Here are a few pics compliments of my sister-in-law's cameras since I forgot mine...

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.

Flip Flops and Noses

Emily is at the age where she is constantly discovering new tricks and ideas.  Aside from finally starting to walk around the furniture and climbing up the stairs, she loves to take any pair of flips flops that are laying around (usually Kaitlyn's) and puts them on her hands as she crawls around.  I guess she figured that since she can't walk yet, she might as well put the flip flops to good use on her hands until she has need of them for her feet.  She is so proud of herself when she does it too!  She has also discovered that her body has "holes"...she has been aware of her mouth for a while, but her ears and nose are new discoveries that she seems to find particularly interesting.  Funny baby!

Crochet...not just for Grandmas anymore! (Part 1)

I wanted to start documenting all the different crochet projects that I have done.  It has been a really fun hobby, and there are so many patterns and ideas out there.  Hope you enjoy!

This dress took forever to make, but it was a great first birthday present!  (Although it's a bit warm)

This is my favorite hat to make.  It's so modern and stylish!

Alex loves this hat.  He wore it when he dressed up as a snowboarder for school.

These are two different styles of head wraps.  The head wrap thing was very "in" this past winter.  I made the pink one first based on a pattern (the only one I could find at the time).  For the blue one I made up the pattern myself...it was a bit experimental, and it is still not quite finished...I was suppose to have added an outer edge in a different color.  But you get the idea.

These two were especially fun to make.  The one on the left is a bag.  You can make various sizes, but I chose to make the smallest size.  It makes a perfect purse/scripture bag for Katie.  The other is an bunny rabbit in the "amigurumi" style.  It's a great size for Emily...she loves to suck on the long ears!

Sweet Baby

I know these pictures are from a while ago, but I recently came across them and thought they would be fun to share.  Emily is such a sweet, loving, and mellow baby.  When she was younger she would hardly ever fuss.  I could put her in her bouncer and she would stay there for long periods of time.  This time she fell asleep before I could put her down for a nap.  Also, she liked to stick out her tongue and hold it there for the longest time.  It made us laugh.  We love her so much!

My Newest Hobby

Last fall a good friend and neighbor of mine taught me how to crochet.  My first project was a baby blanket, however, since then I have branched out and made all sorts of things.  These pictures are of the very first hat that I crocheted.  The kids were all excited to try it on and pose for a picture.  

My favorite place to find crochet patterns and ideas: www.ravelry.com