Bear Lake - Saturday: Fun Family Hike

We wanted to do something fun to get everyone out of the house on Saturday morning.  It was pretty windy and a little chilly so we wanted to wait to go into the lake.
Boyd found a hike that was about 1.5 miles and looked very family friendly.  So we all got ready and went out for a family hike.  It wasn't very far to drive to the parking lot of the hike, maybe 10 minutes.
It was a beautiful mountain hike.  It wasn't too steep on the trail and was a perfect hike for families.  Allie did really good for most of the hike and just asked to be held a few times.
Megan complained a little bit about walking the whole time, but generally only when she saw Allie was on Tony's shoulders.

The boys loved every minute of it.  They love doing anything with their cousins, but being in the great outdoors where they can explore and be noisy is just the best thing.
It started out a little cool, but quickly warmed up.  It was a big difference in the shade versus the sunshine.  Allie and I took off our sweatshirts after about 15 minutes.
We read the signs that talked about the trees and plants and then Grandma Kim pointed out even more about the trees and plants.  It was a fun hike and I am glad that we all did it together.

Bear Lake - Friday: S'more Time

You gotta do S'mores at Bear Lake.  The men made the fire and the kids had a wonderful time making and eating S'mores.  A fine tradition that everyone enjoys!

Bear Lake - Friday: Boating Fun

Boyd came up Friday afternoon with his boat.  He got it into the water and then took turns giving us all rides.  I got to go with Julie, Kimball, Hayden, Tyler, and Allie.  Allie was so excited to ride the boat.  Josh and Megan didn't want go on the boat, so they stayed back.
Allie told Boyd that she wanted him to go fast and then when he did she laughed and squealed with delight.  She had such a wonderful time, we all did.  Good times on the boat with Uncle Boyd!

Bear Lake - Friday: Fun in the Park

Some wanted to get burgers and shakes for lunch so they went and picked them up and then we all met at the park.
We had food at the house so our family ate there and then we met up with the others at the park.  When we got to the park their were a few booths with fun activities.  I asked what it was and they said it was free activities for kids so our kids were super happy about that.
They had a bounce house, face painting, fishing for prizes, bubble machine, and a huge Jenga game.  All the kids loved doing all these things.  Allie, Megan, and Josh got their faces painted, but Tyler didn't want to.  I never pay to do this since it just washes right off, so they were happy to finally get it done.

Tyler loved playing the huge Jenga game.  Megan's favorite was the fishing for prizes game.  I had to cut her off after so many times.
Josh loved the bubble machine.  He started out just getting his legs covered in bubbles but by the end the kid was soaked from head to toe.  He loved rolling around in the bubbles.  It was pretty funny.
The library was having a rummage sale in the pavilion and we checked it out and found us a few good finds.  We got Megan a necklace (.25). Allie some bubbles (.25) and me a case full of CD's for $2.00.  Some good deals.
The kids did play on the playground at the park for a while (the reason we went to the park) before we went back to the house.  The kids were ready to play in the water again. 

Bear Lake - Friday: Wet Sand Play

We woke up on Friday morning to a very wet backyard.  The sprinklers were on and totally soaked the sand volleyball court.
Julie, Kevin, and I decided to go on a walk/jog before everyone woke up.  It felt so nice and cool and it was so nice chatting and getting exercise with my siblings.
When we got back Tony had breakfast all ready and the kids all fed.  It was perfect timing for us.
After eating breakfast the kids thought the wet sand looked super fun to play in so they all went out and started the messy fun.
The older kids made mud babies and even started a sand baby orphanage.  Julie and I loved this because we used to make mud babies when we were kids.
The kids got wet and dirty and had a wonderful time.  It was a lot cooler this day then the day before but the kids didn't seem to mind and it actually felt really good to get a break from the heat of Salt Lake.  It was the perfect way to start the day before playing in the lake.

Bear Lake - Thursday: Sand & Relaxation

After swimming and showering it was pajama and playing time.  We started off the playing an awesome game of Left, Right, Center.  We used starburst and everyone had so much fun.  The kids loved being able to play and eating the candy.  While playing Rich brought in two big trays of cookies and that was the after game dessert.

We decided to all go outside where it was beautiful.  The boys played some sand volleyball while Allie and Megan played on their scooters on the back deck.
It was perfect weather and we loved sitting on the porch watching the kids play while chatting with our siblings.
Us girls then decided we wanted to go for a walk before it got too dark.  So everyone went inside to play and us ladies went on a nice walk.

We ended up going further then we thought we would because we thought we were taking a short cut that ended up being a dead end.  I was glad because I wanted to go on a long walk and it was perfect weather and great conversation.
It was getting dark by the time we got home and the boys were surprised how long we were gone for, but they did a great job putting the kids to bed for the night.

Bear Lake - Thursday: Travel & Swimming

After the kids last tennis lesson we loaded up the car and started our trip towards Bear Lake.  We first stopped in Logan and went to Gossner's Dairy to pick up some flavored milk.  The kids liked trying the different cheeses and picking out a variety of different flavored milk.
After the dairy we headed to the Pepperidge Farm factory in hopes of finding some cookies and/or fishy crackers.

We lucked out and found a big bag of princess fish crackers (pink cheese crackers).  They didn't have any big bags of cookies, but they did have some smaller bags that the kids wanted.  It was a successful trip to the cracker/cookie store.
After we got our goodies we went to the ice cream factory (Fat Boy Factory). The kids each chose their ice cream flavor (and Tony too) and then they all enjoyed their yummy cool treat.  I enjoyed watching them eat it and dreaming of the day that I will eat ice cream again.

After our ice cream trip we had one more stop before going up the canyon.  We needed to go to Sam's Club to pick up a few things for our trip.  After Sam's we then headed through the canyon and made it to our house in Bear Lake.
Julie and Kevin were already there when we got there and so we were all unpacking our cars together.  We got everything in our rooms and put away in the kitchen.

I then started getting dinner ready for everyone.  After we all ate a yummy dinner we got the kids in their swimsuits and let them play in the water that was right up to our property line.
It was fun sitting on our lawn and watching the kids in the water.  They had a wonderful time playing in the water and didn't want to get out.
But they finally did and we got them cleaned up and put in jammies.

We then let them played for a while before sending them off to bed.  It was a great first day at the house and we were all excited for the next few days of fun with family.

Candy Necklaces

Around Easter I bought a candy necklace making kit.  I had been saving it for a special day and this day was the day.
I had a project that I was working on and I told Megan that I would get her something special to do after I was done.  She was patient and I got out the candy kit.  All four kids had a great time making (and eating) their necklaces.

Tennis Lessons

I put the three older kids in tennis lessons for two weeks.  They all really loved it and it was fun to watch them play.
There was a park close by so Allie and I spent most of our time playing at the park with some other little kids while the older kids played tennis.
I am glad that they did it and I think that I will have them do it again.  It was the perfect summer morning activity!