Utah in July Part 1

So, on Friday, July 10th we headed out at 4:00 in the morning for another trek to Utah...the last one until next March. The drive went very well...and you can't beat arriving at your destination by 2:00 in the afternoon. Leaving early in the morning is definitely the way to do it we've decided. We went straight to Bear Lake for loads of fun in the sun. Not only did we get to see all of my siblings up there, but my cousins were having a big family reunion at the same time as well. It was fun to be able to see some of my cousins that I rarely ever get to see.


And LucyMae thoroughly enjoyed any water/sand she could find!

Isn't that hat so adorable on her?

I can't get enough of this gorgeous little girl. She is so fun to take pictures of.

Here she is thoroughly entertained by a bag of rocks.

Crashing in her pac 'n play after the long drive.

It's fun to watch these two actually play with each other now.

They're trying to keep up with Howie's skills.

1st time on the boat! She had a great time.

Especially when she got to see her momma waterski! Oh, how I miss this passion of mine!

Yes, I am pregnant and waterskiing....but I wore a wetsuit (which I wouldn't normally do) to provide extra protection. It felt so good to be out there again, on my Bear Lake!

Covered in sand....

literally!

right about now was when she chucked a handful of sand right at the camera and into the lens. Luckily no permanent damage was done though.

playing frisbee in the water.


LucyMae's first adventure on the tube!

It started out really well....smiles and giggles and waves....

But the water was kind of rough, so Sam wanted us to go faster to get them more on top of the water....

We obviously didn't do such a good job....

and then this happened. Sam held this position, trying to get his balance back, for about 10 seconds, but he realized he was going to somersault backwards. And rather than make LucyMae somersault with him he tossed her to the side, which was a good idea....her life-jacket worked perfectly...she was just laying there with her head on the pillow-thing, safe as could be....but not so happy about being thrown in the water. As soon as I saw what was happening I tossed the camera aside and ripped my shirt off and jumped in, but Sam already had LucyMae in his arms again by then. She was totally fine....

But not so happy about it. We got her calmed down after a bit of snuggling with mom...

but then we tried to put her in the water again with dad...she did NOT like that at first. We didn't get any pictures of it, but we actually got her warmed up to the tube again, and on the water....just not behind the boat.

And what cheers a child more than playing in the sand?

She was great entertainment for all of us up there!

Warming up in the tub after her traumatic experience in the lake.

Isn't this the most adorable bath picture you've ever seen? My sister took it!

This girl is FULL of smiles!

waiting for daddy to take her on the 4-wheeler.

she's pretty excited about it!

someone on the balcony was making her laugh I think.

Although not smiling here, she LOVED going on the 4-wheeler with daddy.

How can you not just LOVE this place?

she was smiling and waving her arms the whole time.

chillin' with dad....I love it when she leans back and just chills like that.

oh, how I miss being at Bear Lake all summer...stupid responsibilities and adulthood!

Nothing beats a Bear Lake sunset in my book!

My mom found another cosmic orbiter, in memory of the one we had in our backyard growing up. I LOVED this thing as a kid. We'd spend hours on it, and never get sick. Sam, however, was sick before we even got around the first time.

So far, I'm glad to say that I don't think LucyMae inherited Sam's weak stomach.

But, waterskiing doesn't make him sick. My hubby is getting pretty good! I wish we could go more often....we WILL own a boat someday I hope!

I took many pictures of LucyMae and daddy just hangin' out on the beach...


she loves her dad! I wish I could capture the look in her eyes when she is looking up at him...I don't really know how to describe it, but it's the best look and I can never get it on camera!

baby footprints in the sand

We had such a fabulous time at Bear Lake. And my favorite parts are usually the things we never capture on camera: like playing games with all my siblings at night, eating delicious meals cooked by my mom and Don, playing volleyball together, sitting around the fire and roasting marshmallows and talking, just spending so much time together with my family, just relaxing.
After our adventures at Bear Lake (which also included a quick trip over to Logan to visit my gramma Ruthie and my dad before he left for a sailing trip in Greece), we headed to Salt Lake for a day to pay some visits to other friends and family. Our old landlords were kind enough to let us crash in their spare bedroom. And Tenille and Paul lived in our old apartment, so we got to have another cousin bath...

kind of looks like LucyMae is working on some bubbles eh?

And we visited friends, including the Denzers....LucyMae seems to be catching up to Lucy in size eh? And as soon as we wrapped up some visits in SLC we headed to Sam's family's cabin up Weber canyon.....that post to come next!

And here's a little video of the cosmic orbiter...not good lighting, but you get the idea!