Final Summer Wrap Up

Wow...such a fun summer - that I am still trying to catch up in September. Just a few final pictures of the joyous days of summer.



I was able to take a girls trip to Vegas for a dance convention. Three straight days of taking class from amazing choreographers/teachers was so fabulous. The way my muscles felt after those three days, however, was not so fabulous.

I did come to a realization moment while there.... I LOVE DANCING! I don't dance anymore for anyone but myself. I am not there to impress, or be the best in the room....I am only there to let my soul rejoice in dance. And, I did just that! It was so therapuetic.

We had great fun dancing, drinking frozen hot chocolates from "Serendipity", shopping, seeing "KA", running into a club to dance to Michael Jackson, and "girl talk" until the wee hours of the night.



We took a trip to Lagoon. The kids love this place. And Kason loved going on the "skycoaster".



And, lastly we went to the County Fair. Pony rides (Ava loved it), holding tarantulas and scorpions (all my kids loved that), and petting lots of animals.

Whew....summer wrap up done! Guess it is officially time for fall....

Vacation Heaven

I have discovered my favorite family vacation spot.....the beach!

In August we took the kids to Newport Beach.

We have never been on just a "beach trip". We usually go to Disneyland - and hit the beach for a day.

This time we decided - no Disneyland - just the beach.

It was heavenly!

We did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING....except sleep in, swim, and play at the beach.

Perfect I tell you!

I wasn't so sure if my kids could be entertained all day long at the beach. They seem so high maintenance at times - and always need to be "going".

I was so wrong.



We had to drag them home from the beach - literally!



They dug, boogie boarded, searched for crabs (they had incredible tide pools), built sand castles, and did it all over again and again.



Brandon took all of the little kids boogie boarding on his back!



We even went to an Angels game - and made it through the entire game - including the fireworks! (After the first inning - I was sure we would never make it past the 4th inning....lots of hot dogs, cotton candy, slushies, and treats were the trick)



Went shopping at Fashion Island, rode the ferris wheel at Balboa Island, swam a ton - and relished in relaxation!

Favorite memories:

Kason: Looking for Ferrari's!

Jaicee: Finding crabs in the tide pools

Halle: Seeing the dogs at the pet store (funny huh...they were so cute!)

Braden: Playing at the beach

Ava: Filling my diaper up with LOTS of sand

Brandon: Boogie boarding with the kids on my back

Shalice: Sitting on a beach chair while watching my kids happily entertain themselves!


















Best vacation ever!

Lessons Learned While Camping

Being in a family with all girls - I never went camping much. I love the mountains, and we would always go up for dinner or maybe a night of camping. And, I always went to "YW girls camp". But I haven't taken my own family camping for an extended period of time.

Well, we did that this summer.

Here are a few important things I learned during that 5 days:

1. Not only do you have to pack your whole house (like I normally do when going on a vacation with 5 kids), but you also have to pack your entire KITCHEN!

2. Running water and electricity are huge necessities of life - especially when you have the stomach flu!

3. Having the stomach flu the first day of the camping experience makes you want to pack up and go home. (Especially when the only toilet is a disgusting out house down the path).



4. Having a country club within 5 miles where you can go swimming, golf, and take a shower is a life saver!



5. Even kids in this generation like to "boon-doggle"!





6. Eating "smores" and "woof-its" are the highlight



7. Singing around the campfire is the best way to fall asleep!



8. A 14 month old that wants to crawl and eat bugs is only fun for the first two days, then it is a little exhausting.



9. Hunting squirrels and having "air-soft gun" wars are a boy's heaven

10. Cleaning up after 2 sick kids in the middle of the night in a trailer is not simple (refer to #2)



11. Teaching your three year old how to shoot a bow and arrow is serious stuff!



12. Dinners never taste as good as when prepared over an open fire!



13. Kids really can have "the time of their lives" for five days straight in the great outdoors. No video games, TV, or ipods in sight!

14. There is nothing like looking at the stars at night - no city lights to disturb the brilliance!



15. Camping is SO MUCH WORK - but LOTS OF FUN! (I think once a year is good, however)

St. George

I have seriously got to get caught up on this summer. We had so much fun - I haven't had time to record it.

In between Bear Lake trips we made our way to St. George. We love St. George in the winter....and we always have to go once in the summer so that we can live at the pool. (That is all you can do when it is 110 degrees).




We swam, ate at In-N-Out (Ava was so hungry she was eating the table - so sanitary!), went to see High School Musical 2 at Tuacahn, golfed, and swam some more.

Reasons We Love Bear Lake

We love Bear Lake. My kids love it, my husband has wonderful childhood memories there, and I adore the peaceful, beautiful, crystal blue waters! There is so much to love about Bear Lake....hear are a few things we love best:




1. Mowing the lawn/weeds that haven't been touched for an entire year!



2. Making an awesome 4-wheeler maze from that extremely long grass/weeds.




3. Taking a family bike ride to get lunch. 7 miles roundtrip....and even Braden and Halle made it without complaining. So much fun!



4. The reward for our long bike ride....Bear Lake Raspberry Shakes at La Beau's!



5. The refreshingly chilly waters of the lake, crystal blue color, and beautiful scenery!



6. Digging endlessly in the sand



7. Hiking to the breathtaking Bloomington Ponds (I love my husband...hiking with three kids in tow!)



8. Being brave enough to go off the rope swing into the freezing cold water. (notice the snow in the background...and it was a long drop!)



9. Eating delicious food at the cookout



10. Seeing the best play this side of the Rocky Mountains



11. Cleaning the theater afterwards



12. Roasting hot dogs and marshmellows until 1 am



13. Getting up early the next morning for a round of golf



14. Learning to ride a motorcycle for the first time



15. Playing in the treehouse Dad made



16. Loving every minute we get to spend together at this heavenly place