Bear Lake 2011

We had so much fun at our family reunion in Bear Lake this year! We had a lot of the cousins there and it was so fun to see everyone. The lake was up so high! I haven't seen it up this high in a really long time. My aunt owns "beach front" property and finally it looks like that! You walked out of the cabin and you barley had any sand to play on and then you were at the water. It was so fun. The last time I saw it that high I think I was 8! I could even hear my sisters chatting in the water while I was sitting on the cabin deck. I couldn't believe that we could have a conversation while they were swimming at I was hanging up clothes! 

It was weird swimming amongst the "trees" in the water. Because the lake has been down for so long, a lot of the weeds are under water. (Not to mention the water looked very green!) The water was cold! Isaac would put his feet in and wasn't sure if you wanted to get in.

We waded out to our knees... once you are that far, you finally feel numb and the water doesn't phase you. (Until you start going deeper!)

Dax loved being by the water, but in the water was a whole different story! Brett would help him touch his toes into the water and Dax would pull his legs up so fast. I loved it, it was so funny.

Because the water was so high, it was more of a challenge for Isaac to find seashells, but he managed!

He loves shells.

I got brave and was determinded to swim this year. I didn't care if I was going to be blue. (Which I was!) So Rach stayed on the beach with Dax and played with him.

I suckered Brett into coming into the lake with me. (It was his birthday and I wanted him to be adventurous!) Even Isaac was brave enough and swam out there. I was so proud of him! Acacia came with us too, she reminds me of Liz. Gutsy and willing!

I won't lie, it was cold. Really cold. But I got used to it. (Or I lost all feeling, either way.) After Brett went back up on the sand, my cousin Lyndsay and I swam around together. My Aunt Lori brought her boat again. She is always so nice to cart us all around. I went out with Isaac on the flat tube. We laid on our stomach and bumped along in the water. I was really proud of him for being so brave and holding on the tube to try something new. My cousin Maren talked me into going out with her. We went fast and jumped a lot of waves. Holding on for dear life had a whole knew meaning. Though I learned, wearing a tank-e-nee while tubing is not the best idea. I wasn't the only one who opted to let go of the rope and drop in the water when our bottom half decided to slip off! Fun times! Bear Lake maybe should be re-spelled to "Bare" Lake! It's always a common theme there!

Dax loved Isaac's goggles. He thought he was so funny wearing them on the beach.

On Saturday night we had a dinner with the extended family. It was fun seeing everyones kids and how much they have grown.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Joshy and Isaac sitting together in the cabin playing a game.

It's no secret Bear Lake is so dear to my heart. I'm thankful Lori lets us come every year so my kids can experience what I loved and grew up with.

And the biggest news of the trip, Isaac mastered the monkey bars! He has been trying forever. Zander taught him how and he monkey'd across them in no time flat! I was so proud of him!

Bear Lake Reunion!

Earlier this Summer I got voted to plan our first Sealy Family Reunion. I'm not sure how that happened, but I managed to do it and planned it in September of this year. Since my parents sold Bear Lake we haven't been up there too often. It's sad, because I love that place. Luckily, my Aunt Lori still owns it and it was her idea to let us all come and stay up there. It was so much fun to see cousins that we hardly ever get to see anymore. But just to be back on the beach, letting my kids enjoy what I did every Summer growing up, meant a lot to me. Brett even says he loves to see how happy that place makes me! I really can't help but smile when I'm there. The smells, the scenery, the memories... it's the greatest place.

I had to tell Isaac about all of my families silly traditions that we did. First was the guessing mountains. When you go to Bear Lake, you wind through a serious of mountains. And just like the name of the game, you guess if Bear Lake is behind that mountain. It was so fun when I was little and I remember it was always such a surprise which one it was behind! But then you see the Lake and it is just gorgeous! Isaac loved the game and had a blast guessing when he would see the lake.

We got to stay in my old cabin. Lori had done a lot to it to spruce it up. It looked very pretty. Though you can't help but miss the unfinished portions of the cabin I was so fond of, like the ceiling wires that were exposed, the side of the house that was cinderblock inside and the carpet that was laid over a hard cement floor! And I really did miss the "handprint room" that my parents let me and my sisters paint! But it looked amazing and she has put so much work into so it can be a really nice beach rental. 

Daxy figured out the steps the minute we got there. It was trouble all weekend! He just couldn't resist the freedom of crawling up them. Lucky for me, I had my sweet niece Hannah who adores babies and had her eye on him the entire time we were there.

The weekend was so great! The weather was so sunny and the lake was so calm. The lake stayed true to tradition... it was cold! but not unbearable. Once you jumped in and got over that initial shock of freezing, you could relax and swim! Lori was so sweet and got out Dev's boat. We all miss Dev, Bear Lake isn't the same without him, but we have a lot of great memories of him there. Like, he taught us to wash our bodies with the lakes sand. He always said it was a natural exfoliant. But she got out the boat and the kids had a ball. We took them for rides and she let Isaac steer the boat. He thought that was pretty cool. I got to ski, which I hadn't done in a while! It took a few times of getting the right ski to help me get up, but I did it! And jumped the wake! My cute nieces and nephews (especially Hannah and Cayden) were very concerned about me skiing. They kept asking me if it was safe, if I knew what I was doing, if I was scared, if it was too cold, if it hurt when I fell... and the list goes on! I'm glad they are watching out for me. (But they should really know about there dad, my brother Cordale who was such a waterbug on the lake!) When they realized it was okay to be pulled behind a boat, we talked them into riding on the bullfrog.... and they loved it!

It was just fun to play on the beach and let the kids build sandcastles and run in and out of the water. It was so fun having the great-cousins meet each other. We have so many the same age! Maren's little girl, found a water-snake and couldn't resist chasing her mother with it. It was funny, but probably not as funny to Maren since she was running while holding her new baby Brock.

Dax didn't seem to mind the sand... until he put it in his mouth. I'm sure it tasted awful! And it was hard to get out of his mouth.

The wind picked up and we flew a kite with Isaac. The seashells were a big hit with the kids! They all collected a ton. We then ended the weekend by going to Le Beaus, shake shop in Garden City... one of my favorite places! I love the lemon pie shake, mmmm, makes me want one now. We then had a big dinner with all my cousins and just enjoyed catching up and chatting. We are going to try and make it a tradition and hopefully get more and more cousins there! 

I had told Isaac about the "Penny Candy Store" I used to go to as a kid. Every place should have this. But sadly, The Old Rock Store isn't there anymore. But I did find a little gas station with some penny candy and they even put it in a brown paper bag. So I couldn't resist and got some for Isaac on the way home. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go back!