Sometimes I'm In The Mood to Blog and Sometimes I'm Not.

It's official. I've received the maximum amount of crap a person can receive for not blogging. Hey, what can I say? Sometimes I'm just not feelin' it. And the more I got behind, the less I felt like it.

Let's go back in time, shall we? Ya know, when it was still summer. Before school started. Before the Christmas decorations were being proudly displayed at Costco.

It was the annual family reunion at Bear Lake. Ideal Beach. Or, as John likes to call it, 'Ordeal' Beach. Because after all, it is a family reunion. And there has been drama in the past. ER trips, broken toe nails, bawling, etc. But this year? It was surprisingly ideal just like it's supposed to be. I won't talk about the time a few years ago that I was rushed to the ER an hour away from Ideal Beach and when we got there, I was being video taped in all my agony and glory by a person who shall remain nameless. Heh heh. That's a funny story.... now.

Nope. This year was as close to perfect as it gets.

My mom and step-dad are very generous every year and provide us with a fun, comfortable condo to stay in. There are so many of us, that they usually have to get three every year and use up all their points. It makes it so worth it to have your space and a place to go to unwind and sleep after a long day.


There was lots of time at the beach. So much so that I tricked my husband into building all the sandcastles with the kids so that I could be a lazy slug and watch. Bat your eyelashes, ladies. It works every time!


Levi had an exceptionally good time this year. We stayed in a condo with my sister, Joyce, and her family which include their 4 boys. Talk about heaven for Levi! See how happy he is?!

Back when I was growing up, spending time with my cousins was a real TREAT. I remember trips to Lagoon and sleeping on my Grandma's floor the night before. And I remember the yummy 4th of July breakfast tradition that still continues to this day. I hope my kids have just as much fun with their cousins as I did with mine.
A few of the boy cousins:

Here is a picture of my beautiful sister, Charlotte, her husband, and her youngest child. Charlotte's fun times in life are few and far between. She has six children. One of whom is severely handicapped. It's so nice to see her taking a break from it all.

Faith found a plastic 'Little People' hippo on the beach. It totally made her day. I let her steal it because I'm a horrible example. Plus, I was pretty sure the owners weren't coming back any time soon. It was buried two feet down.


I love the beach. I realize that Bear Lake is sort of a sorry excuse for a real 'beach', but hey... I'll take what I can get! Water+sand=yay!

We had lots of time to hang out outside and play games and eat.
And I had time to practice my closed and open mouth smile.
Camera ONE:

Camera TWO:

Go ahead and laugh. I'll let you. This whole 'braces' thing is quite the DEAL. Sure, sure. I knew I would have braces on my teeth. I just wasn't prepared for all the gaps, and weird spaces and strange angling and shifting. And I am SOOOOOOO glad no one told me. And don't even get me started on the 'You look so different!' comments.

A reunion is not complete until all the boy cousins, strip off their shirts and start making fart noises with their armpits.

And armpit smelling. There MUST be armpit smelling!!

Also, what's a reunion without a really clingy toddler yanking and bawling on your leg all day long and pulling your shirt down so far that you show everyone your goods?

Don't even get me started on how fun it is to watch the three amigo cousins (all the same age) eat otter pop after otter pop. Oh, the sticky drool...

But hey... the clean up ain't so bad. And it's FUN! (I kept telling myself that over and over again. Sort of a mantra, if you will.)



Nothing and I mean NOTHING captures the moment of fun like this picture of Joyce and I. Just TRY holding us back from all the celebrating!! Just TRY!

Family Bonding. My brother Grant, cousin Heather, sister Laura, ME:

A few of the Girl Cousins!! (*ahem* and babysitters!)

The lucky individuals without little kids crawling down their backs got to attend the Pickleville Playhouse dinner and play. I heard it was really fun. Ya know.... HEARD.

One of the highlights was FINALLY meeting my future sister-in-law. She'll be joining our family in a couple weeks time. I can't wait for the BIG DAY!!

If you made it this far, I applaud you
To reward you, I'll give you two of my favorite pictures.
I don't know which one is funniest.

This one:

Or this one:


Next year, we're in charge of ALL the reunion planning. If you don't see me for a while, you can assume I went into hiding to avoid any and all responsibility of doing so.