Bear Lake - Last Day

This morning we had to get up, wash bedding, dust, sweep, mop, wash windows, pack, eat breakfast, load the cars, make final checks to make sure we weren't leaving anything, wash dishes, clean all the rooms, vacuum, clean toilets, and leave.  Whew!  Can you believe we did all of that in 1 1/2 hours?  The saying is true, many hands make light work.  Actually, I think mom was up pretty early getting a good start on some of that.

We headed down the canyon and then home.  It was a fun week but I'm excited to sleep in my own bed tonight.  I stopped with the boys at Carl's Jr for lunch on the way home.  They were all really talkative on the way home and it made the trip go quickly.  They all had fun but are excited to get back home too.

As we drove up to the house, there was someone working in the front yard.  Sean had arranged for my birthday present to get the front yard done (or at least started).  It is looking so good!  Thanks honey!  I love you.  It was a great surprise to come home to.  They have been working on it all week while we have been gone.

Now, I just need to sell about 600 scrapbook kits to pay for what is done so far, so if anyone needs any scrapbook kits, head here.  LOL

Bear Lake - Day 7

Today is my birthday.  Not that I'm counting anymore.  We all got up, had cereal for breakfast and went to Sacrament Meeting in Garden City.  We went to the 9:00 am meeting and it was packed.  The chapel, overflow, gym, stage, relief society, nursery and primary rooms were all packed!  I bet their budget allowance is good with that kind of attendance in the summer months. 

When we got back, we had roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, beans, salad, and rolls for dinner.  It tasted sooooo good.  The boys watched a couple movies and played a few games.  Quite a bit of reading and napping was going on. 

Heidi wanted to make a kit for my birthday for a freebie.  I didn't want to do a birthday themed kit, so we decided on a kit called At The Cabin.  It is so cute!  Watch my scrapping blog in a couple days to get it for free.

Greg and Sean left because they both have to work tomorrow and Brett and Andrea headed out a couple hours later.  I think we are all getting tired and ready to go home.  I'm ready for my own bed and some good toilet paper!

Bear Lake - Day 6

Brett and Andrea and Greg made us waffles this morning for breakfast.  We have had quite a variety of food this week.  I think we all probably gained a few pounds.

For lunch we had sloppy joes and chips and then headed to the beach again.  The boys were good and wore sun screen and their t-shirts.  Sean played 500 with them with a water frisbee and they had a blast.  I sat on shore with Kirk and Heidi and I wasn't so good.  I didn't put sunscreen on and I got burned on my arms pretty bad.  Not fun!

Sean, Tyrel and Tyler spent the afternoon on the 4wheelers and had a great time!

We picked up the cabin because Sister Redd was coming up for dinner.  She is the lady that owned the cabin we stayed at.  My parents knew her from their mission.

We had barbequed Tri-Tip, pork tenderloin, dutch oven potatoes, corn on the cob and rolls.  My mom made these yummy fruit bars with ice cream for dessert.  I need to get the recipe. 

We sat around talking most of the night.  My dad told his conversion story and Sister Redd's friend, Robin, told her conversion story also.  It was a good one!  Kind of fun to hear my dad's story again.

Bear Lake - Day 5

We got up bright and early at 5 am to head to the sunrise. Trevin rode with me. Tyler rode with Derick. Kaitlin rode with Heidi and Tyrel rode alone.

We got some awesome pictures! On the way back, the boys wanted to stop at the "track" and have us take their pictures on the jumps. We came back and had omelets and fruit for breakfast. Then we got the dishes done and the house cleaned up.

The boys spent the morning filling balloons and having a water balloon fight.  They had one and then filled up the balloons to bombard Uncle Greg once he and Sean got there in the afternoon.  Not such a good idea.

We had left overs for lunch.  It is amazing how we can eat for almost a week and the fridge is still stuffed full.  We aren't making any progress on cleaning it out it seems.
 
Brett, Andrea, and Jaron arrived a little bit after lunch and Sean and Greg got there a little bit after that.
 
For dinner, Brett and Andrea made pork chops, baked potatoes, and salad and Andrea made a yummy trifle for dessert.

Greg showed us a few new card games and Andrea and I (between the two of us) remembered how to play another game.  So, we had another fun night of cards.

Bear Lake - Day 4

The Nielsen's are in charge of food today. We had breakfast burritos, orange rolls, and grape juice for breakfast.

I feel like I'm saying the same things everyday. We eat, we play cards, we eat, we ride 4wheelers, we eat and then we eat some more. Then we sleep and start it all over again.

For lunch we had grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup and then headed to the lake.
It was about 85 degrees at the lake but only 78 at the cabin, so quite a bit cooler up on the mountain. The kids played in the water, chased the seagulls and tried to build a sandcastle. Trevin and Tyrel got sunburned on their necks and shoulders a bit, but not too bad.

For dinner, we were in charge again. We did pizza and it was yummy! We had 7up cake and homemade ice cream for dessert. The ice cream recipe wasn't the best, but it was okay. We watched The Blind Side and then went to bed early because we wanted to get up to drive the 4wheelers to the ridge and watch the sun rise.  

Bear Lake - Day 3

The kids treated us to breakfast this morning. Trevin cooked the sausage. Travis cooked the pancakes. Tyrel cooked the scrambled eggs. Derick set the table and "made" the juice and just helped out. Tyler and Kaitlin cleaned up when we were done.

We played more cards and went on more 4wheeler rides this morning. Then the boys helped Grandpa build the fire pit.

For lunch we had hamburgers and hot dogs and then we rode down the canyon a ways to see Rick's Spring. It is a big cave and was kinda cool. The big boys got scared of a bat and Trevin got "stung" by some stinging nettle.

We drove back up part way and took a road that went to Tony's Lake and the boys skipped rocks for a while.

When we got back to the cabin, the 3 older boys went riding the 4wheelers to a track with some jumps they found when they were out exploring and the rest of us played Double Down and watched a movie.

For dinner we had tacos and burritos and then we all sat down to watch Forever Strong. Right near the end of the movie when the big game was about to start, Trevin brushed his arm and felt something on it. It was a bug and he brushed it a couple of times and it didn't come off. I jumped up to help and when I looked at it I knew it was a tick. Dang it, I should have taken a picture but we were all too panicked. We smeared it with some peanut butter and let it set for a minute then Grandpa wiped it off, but not before Trevin almost hyperventilated.

After the movie and the tick trauma, we played another game of Encore, which the BOYS won again. They listen to music too much I think. Or, they are really good at remembering random lyrics.

Bear Lake - Day 2

This morning we woke up to breakfast casserole from Kirk and Heidi's family.

We discovered that the boys froze on the deck. Travis is the only one that gave in and came inside. The rest of them stuck it out on their cots on the deck.

We kind of all just chilled most of the day going for a few 4wheeler rides, taking pictures of scenery and flowers, playing cards and visiting.

There was this funny chipmunk that ran down the side of the house, saw all of us on the deck, flipped over and played dead.  It was hilarious.  It's little heart was beating very rapidly, eyes were open, but he was on his back with his legs in the air.  It held very still for probably 2 or 3 minutes.  After we took pictures and went back to ignoring it, it ran off.

Bella (the Marchant's dog) ate a chipmunk and then puked it up later. It was disgusting.  Not sure if it was the same chipmunk as above or not, but I think it probably was.

Dumb Schmuck seems to be the card game of the week. The kids are having a ball playing it over and over.

The Marchant's made us grilled chicken sandwiches for lunch along with melons and chips and salsa. They were yummy!

For dinner we all made our own HOBO dinners and cooked them on the grill. They were yummy too.

We played Loaded Questions after dinner, then had family prayers and then played Don't Eat Pete.

The temperature up here is great. We miss Sean but we are having fun.