Audra's Going To State!

Audra ended up making it to state for THREE items! She was pretty excited, and surprised. Her pillowcase, skirt, and even her scones made it.

The got third place for her doll dress and pillow.

I'm also super proud of Claire. She did a lot of different sewing projects, learned how to use a sewing machine, and even put together a scrap book for the club to be on display throughout fair. Patience is a skill that she needs to work on (as any 8 year old needs), but she really did use a lot of patience to put together her different sewing projects. She's just awesome!

We went around looking at the animals, they each got to ride one ride, and we had a fun time seeing the Fair.

Piere Michele

It's officially a tradition: When family comes into town, we go to Pierre Michele to eat. The girls make sure we don't forget!

Broncos Training Camp!

Ben and I are on the fence about continuing to be Broncos fans. It is so exhausting! And time consuming. And I do feel bad that the players are basically modern day gladiators- killing themselves so that we can enjoy a good show.

But, Ben had never been to training camp, and he wanted to take Monday off to have a rest day before he went back to work after our vacation, so we decided to go. Lesson learned: Never take kids! We should have left them at home- they were bored out of their minds. But, Ben and I had a really good time.

Bear Lake, Part 4

Notice Claire's feet are off the ground. She was quite proud of herself for lifting herself up:

We were lucky that some friends of ours who moved to Provo last December were able to come up for the afternoon and play with us at the beach...and go and get some shakes!

Because of all the demo at the cabin, my Father-In-Law has gotten to know the locals a little bit. They told him that the best shakes in town were at the Chevron station- I'm not joking. We decided we had to try it out. I think they were right- those shakes are really good! They make the shakes out of real ice-cream, not serve, so it makes them a lot thicker. So, next time you are in Bear Lake, go to Chevron for a locally famous shake! There was no line, so the secret has not yet gotten out!

Then, we went for our last night at the cabin. Even though it was different this year because we weren't all staying together (Ben's extended family had to get a different place to stay), it was actually quite nice to have a quiet household. We would have preferred if we were all together, and especially if my MIL had made the trip, but it ended up being a great trip despite the odds. I'm glad we figured out a way to make it work. Hopefully next year it will be more seamless and there won't be any floods, but we I'm glad we took advantage of the opportunity to go this year, and now we are looking forward to next summer!

Bear Lake, Part 3

 After a long day at the beach the day before, we needed a day to recuperate. We had a lazy morning, then headed to the pool.

Then, to Le Beau's for dinner and Zipz for shakes! I love this picture of Camille eating this huge burger. We were all surprised, but she ate the whole thing!

Yummy shakes! But, not the best shakes (more on that later).

Bear Lake, Part 2

We LOVE the beach! We had a great time.

As usual, Ben commandeered the canoe.

"No, don't take a picture, mom!"

Fun with cousins!

A much needed break- his canoe finally couldn't handle him anymore!

Bear Lake, Part 1

Bear Lake ended up being quite dramatic this year. A week before we were supposed to leave I got a phone call from my mother-in-law that the basement of the cabin was completely flooded and the cabin was unusable.

The girls cried. It was very sad.

But then Monday we got another phone call saying that possibly, through a series of complicated maneuvers, it seemed we might be able to go.

Hope arrived! There was much rejoicing!

It was not easy, but we pulled it together and headed out.

Of course, we had to stop at Little America.

We finally arrived. We were all glad when the drive was over!

It always amazes me how beautiful Bear Lake is!