Bear Lake

A few weekends ago we went to Bear Lake and had a great little vacation! Saturday night Dave and I took our kiddos to Pickleville Playhouse to see Bandito Rides Again. Very funny. It was a fun trip all around. I didn't get any pics of Natalie and Paul but they did come this time!

Dawson just liked to lay on the warm, warm sand.

Joshua, isn't he cute? He's getting so old!

Mom and Dad loving Bear Lake.

Baby G, Henry and Dave hanging out.

Isaac buried at Bear Lake

Naomi and Jonathan trading secrets.

My Sweet Baby James.

What was this bird called again Dad?

Alyssa and Dad negotiating... something.

Isn't that a gorgeous lake?

Annie and Naomi navigating the "warm" water.

Sophia and Naomi with Grandma Stevie with matchy swimsuits! Super cute girls.

Look at Sophia's sweet smile!

James and Naomi all ready to hit the water.

James and Jonathan. Not throwing sand at the moment.

Blogging?

So I've been absent. This summer has been crazy fun and busy. We've been vacationing and playing and swimming and just having a whole lot of fun.

I'm ready to get back to the blog. Soon ;)

I am thinking about starting a new blog, and closing this one. A new chapter of my life maybe requires a new blog! So, I am taking blog name suggestions! Really. I am.

Just for fun, here's a link I liked that I saw today on designmom.com for a really darling necklace with DIY instructions. Sweet. It's a Easy Peasy Pea Pod Pendant. I heart design mom. And my friend Kelly actually knows her. I want to know amazing people too. Kelly is amazing though ;)

Here's a few photos until I get back to blogging in earnest.

Naomi and James at Lake Powell.

Building towers to knock them down!

Trey's 3rd Birthday! in St George

Last Day of Powell, All the cousins together. So cute!

Boat watching

Naomi, Leia and Annie tearing it up on the tube!

Helping Grandpa drive the boat.

Girls on a boat.

water skiing at Powell!

My mom and a beautiful sunset cruise at Lake Powell.

Holly and me at Lake Powell.

Lavender Fields in central Utah. Young Living Farms. These were so gorgeous.

James playing at the sand dunes in St. George.

Independence Day fireworks in St. George.

Brooke, Me and Talia at boating at Sand Hollow. That day the wind blew the windshield of the boat closed. On my head. It was awesome.

Dylan, Naomi, Trey and James at the Champlin's

Please shine down on me

I have started blogging less and less. I don't know why for sure. I just go with my desire to post, and that ebbs and flows. Apparently.

We had been enjoying some particularly beautiful springtime weather here in the otherwise tundra of Cache Valley. Spring is like that here. Actually, any season is. Except winter. That's always just cold. We were up in the 70's and everybody had come out of hibernation, jogging, biking, walking, playing basketball. I even spied my neighborhood kids dressed in dark clothes last weekend for night games! Remember those, I loved kick the can. What were the other ones we played? Sort of drawing a blank on actual names of games.

But now, this week has been so stinking cold! Rain is fine, I love a good rain storm and thunder, etc. That's awesome. But it's been about 40 degrees. I already put away the winter coats. Tomorrow is May, I mean, come on! It snowed the other day too. Good inch or so. It melted promptly but I was considering pulling the boots out of storage. Naomi's not giving up, she's staying optimistic. Today, before I realized what she was wearing, she made it out the door in flip flops and leggings. Freeze. She insists she is fine.

Life is speeding up. Things just get more complicated and busy. It's inevitable. I feel like I'm watching the last few months of calm I have right now. Summer is always busier than it is lazy. It seems like that to me.
I have a month of bona-fide spring left, if the weather will cooperate! I am planning a little trip next weekend to St George to see Talia and Wes, and their boys! Then I am going farther South (see, if the sun won't come, I'll go to the sun), to visit Cassie and her kids while they are in California at her parents. SO nice of her to let us come visit. It's been a year since I have seen this girl! That is far too long. California here I come. We will hit the beach and probably Disneyland too. It's awesome, I'm a junkie now too. I also have a 5k race with my sister Ginger the weekend I get back from the sun. It's all good stuff, busy, but good.

This summer I have swimming lessons in June for Naomi planned and I'm teaching a Summer Camp group one week that month too. July will bring (my birthday!) family-get-togethers, and a Lake Powell trip. August, I'll be getting ready and starting school again. And Noami will start preschool in September. Me in school will probably be the biggest change for us. More structured mornings, more baby sitters, less mommy. I feel good about going back, I'm starting a graduate program that I am really excited about. But even as easy of a load as I will have, and how consolidated my schedule is, I will feel the time exchange. And I will welcome the change of pace, and scenery and challenges, but I will miss that time with my babies too.
So here's to a Summer of excitement and the beginnings of a new stage in life!

*post edit. One more awesome thing to look forward to this summer, Brook, Jesse and their boys are coming to visit, for a MONTH! hooray!

Last Days of Summer

Bear Lake is almost always cold. But that doesn't seem to stop us. We had a great weekend over Labor Day with my Mom and Dad and Erica, Dave and boys.

Friday was lovely and we braved the chill on Monday for the beach anyway. Blue lipped children and sweatshirts, but still fun.

My 64 year old dad was all skills knee boarding and wake boarding! I skied but no pictures to prove it. I did wear a wet suit this time, it makes me feel kind of silly. But I swallowed my pride and zipped it up. I wanted to ski without the Bear Lake hypothermia effect. The water (for once) was perfect.

Logan Farmers Market!

We stopped in at the Farmers Market today and made it out with one blue cotton candy, a Hip Mama's Lemonade, peach flavored, and a pillowcase dress for Naomi, yellow polka dots. Yellow is the new pink at our house.
I love farmers markets. There were some delicious looking peaches and apricots. The fresh produce selection was surprising good. The peppers looked the best.
There were endless booths of handmade jewelry, crafts, wood workings, dresses, baby hair bows (lots of those...), soaps, pedicures, etc.
And there was fresh salsa, bread, baked goodies, it's turning into a great little weekend market.
I've blogged before about how I love Farmers Markets, but I think I love Logan's the best.
(I'll add a picture of Naomi in her dress later)

Lake Powell

I'm finally blogging about Lake Powell. It was a month ago.
It was fantastic, and beautiful and hot.
Just Naomi and I went down, Zach and James stayed home. Zach was one week from the bar exam and I couldn't manage two tiny ones by myself down there. Linda (and Jeff and Heidi:) took care of my baby while Zach studied as hard as he could. Me and Naomi? We played!
Holly and Michael went with their kids and my mom and dad of course and Natalie too. Paul stayed home and worked hard, poor kid.
We spend a week out on the lake, I skied- slalom of course, for the first time this summer. I learned how to wake skate. Much more fun than wake boarding! No boots!
Naomi knee boarded again, she doesn't remember doing it last year. She was great, although I don't think she really loved it. My niece Alyssa (9) wake boarded this year!
We cliff jumped, got sunburned, but used lots of sunscreen too! We drank our weight in water, juice, gatorade and soda, and ate really well. Had sticky campfire marshmallows while my Dad told the story of Old Ephraim. I got blisters digging holes for the anchors, rode Holly and Michael's wave runners, knee boarded, and stood up on the board (that takes skills, only those of you who have done that know what I'm talking about).
It was a fun, relaxing, exhausting and beautiful vacation.


Cousins


Campfire Time


Natalie with most of the kids on her lap!


Sandcastles with Jonathan


Sisters Holly and Natalie

Watching High School Musical.....

Naomi and Annie "cliff jumping"

Naomi's only nap

Kneeboarding!

At the Marina, ready to go