Bear Lake

Our vacation to Bear Lake was fabulous. On the way home we talked about our favorite parts and this is the top ten list (not particularly in correct order.)

1. Being with the family- we loved getting to know cousins better. Ethan was so cute and Caleb loved feeding him Cheerios. Our Oklahoma cousins are funny and interesting and it was fun to get to know their personalities and laugh at their funny jokes. Being with Grandma and Grandpa is always a treat, one that we are treasuring more and more at this point in time.

2. Pickleville- Jonah loved the steak (just not that night because he had allergies), we all loved the play, and Caleb loved getting up and doing the Texas Shuffle. We have added "Remember Rule number 5- the hero always wins!" to our list of quotes.

3. The boat and the lake- It was such fun to ride on the water, whether in the tube or on the boat. This was a new experience for us and we loved it. Jonah and Steve never got dunked, even when their crew mates did! Even though it was cold, it was still fun to splash and to play in the sand. Emma got the "fish" award since she could swim in it for hours and it didn't really bother her. I don't know how many times she went to the buoy. The rest of us found that it was settling even to just sit and look at the blue, blue water and read or nap or chat. Ahhhh. Plus, getting a little sunburn has led to hours of enjoyment in the task of picking off dead skin.

4. Bike rides- We took several bike rides and it felt good to just ride in the beautiful scenery and really appreciate the little flowers and the lilacs that were still in bloom. The air was fresh and clean and the path was nice and level. Ammon and Jonah would occasionally ride circles around us, but that worked out well too. We found out that we can do hard things.

5. The pirate party- Aargh matey! This was a big hit, especially with the costumes. Heather is incredibly talented and we were really lucky to benefit from her willingness to put together a party complete with games, prizes, and even a treasure hunt. Micah was baffled why all of the grown-ups didn't chase down to playground with them to find the missing treasure chest! What were they thinking?

6. The star party- We went down to the lake after dark and made (paper) space shuttles and fly and told the story of the Bear Lake Monster and watched for satellites. Jonah got freaked out, but it was still fun. What does "bloody hands in the coal (car) shed" really mean anyway?

7. The Olympics- We planned lots of camps for the vacation, but they kind of all rolled into one or two. It was fun to have the torch run and make rockets and play the games anyway. Ammon did a good job making sure that everyone was included and had a way to participate.

8. SpongeBob- This was on every time we turned on the TV! This was actually on some people's top ten and other people's bottom ten list.

9. Reading books- We read the book The Cave of the Dark Winds right before we went to Minnetonka cave and it made a really appropriate predecessor for our journey. Our imaginations were able to expand a little and we loved the cave even more. On the way to Tony's Grove on Sunday and on our way home on Friday we read Prince Caspian from the Chronicles of Narnia series. It was exciting and fun. Now we want to see the movie and read the next book. Ammon and Mom both read the I Am David book and were touched and impressed.

10. Playing games- We laughed so hard during our MadGabs game that we almost fell over. The girls definitely had the general ear for this one, but Caleb could come out of nowhere and save it for the boys. It was so fun to play games with Grandma and Grandpa and to play UNO Spin with all of the cousins.

We could probably create a top 25 list without too much trouble. Needless to say, it was a fantastic vacation and we are really grateful that we were able to go and especially to be with everybody. We love our family!