Bear Lake

Bear Lake has become such a fun tradition.

Bear Lake was really fantastic this year. We stayed at a brand new place because we couldn't get our usual house. This new place was perched high up on the hill above Garden City. It was a steep climb up on a dirt road, and there was no lawn, but there was plenty of space. We really enjoyed the large deck, and all the cousins were there. 

The views of Bear Lake were lovely from this cabin.

But it did get windy!

The first night we played a crazy game where you held water in your mouth and slapped each other with tortillas until someone spit. 

Randy and Jonny were the best.

These boys were fun to watch, too!

We spent multiple days at the beach, and since Bob was there with the boat, everyone had a great time. We rode kayaks, swam, played football, baseball, and Frisbee, and didn't even get a sunburn!

Seth loves to dig in the sand.

Seth and Ben had fun playing together, too.

Audrey and Randy are always buddies at Bear Lake.

It was windy, so we had to take the shade down, but we still sat underneath.

Mom and Dad having a blast!

Mom trying to be fun and go out in the kayak.

Dax loves to splash!

We always get shakes after a long day at the lake.

Relaxing after a day in the sun.

Back at Bear Lake for day 2!!

Mark and Daniels paddled the peacock in from a very long way out.

Ben even convinced Grandma to get in the water.

Dax and Josh having a good time.

We are so glad that Bear Lake has become a big part of our summer.

The whole gang (minus Steph and Bob).

Dax and Ben are best buddies.

Hattie also loves to hang out with Randy.

There were a few highlights on this trip. First, we went to the Logan Temple. This was a first for all of us, as we'd never done baptisms there. While in Logan, we stopped at the park at the bottom of the canyon. Then we stopped for ice cream at the USU Creamery. On the way back up the canyon, we even stopped and hiked around the lake at Tony Grove.

Grandma and Grandpa with all their grandkids.

Grandma and the oldest girls. Brittany wasn't able to come this year.

We had some bubble ball competitions that were pretty epic.

Mark is always the group leader for Grandma Olympics.

Mark wiped everyone out in bubble balls.

We spotted this moose on our way through Logan Canyon.

Here is her cute little baby moose.

We love going to the temple with family.

Aggie Ice Cream is pretty good, but not sure it beats BYU ice cream....

We met back up with cousins after lunch for some adventures.

We made a stop at the Hobbit Caves.

They are a tight squeeze for Mark now.

We love taking the kids on adventures.

We walked around Tony Grove and it was beautiful!

We love the mountains, too!

We also visited the Pickleville Playhouse to see Beauty and the Beast. The show was really awesome, and the kids enjoyed it because they all knew the story. Best of all, though, Stephanie went to her ultrasound. Then she did gender reveal cupcakes and found out she is having a boy! Dad has already named him Merlin Ferlan. 

Mark and Dad missed the play last year, so they were excited for the show this time around.

We took up a whole corner of the theater.

Seth loved Lumiere.

We had a great time at the show. 

It is so exciting to be adding another baby boy to the family!

Good-bye to all the cousins until next summer.

The best family around!

Boys' Camp

There were a few more boys in the group, but they left the night before.

The Young Men planned four days in the woods this summer. We missed the first night because we were in New York, but we were really excited for the next two nights. Mark, Dax, and Dad, got to go to the Bushman's cabin in southern Idaho. The boys stayed outside in tents, and the leaders each got a queen bed in the cabin. It was really comfortable. 

This is the cabin that the boys were able to enjoy.

Dad's room for the trip. Not too shabby!

Randy texted Mom all the different meals so she knew what he was eating.

They loved walking around the property.

The boys were each responsible for meal prep and dishes. Dax and Mark worked hard and had a great time. They really enjoyed a couple of activities. The first was Bear Lake. We went down to North Beach and had a great time with the boys. Mostly the boys liked throwing each other off the kayak, sort of like playing King of the Hill. The second activity was shooting. Brother Hale, who ran the camp, brought some twenty-two rifles and taught the boys to use a gun safely. The group shot over fourteen hundred rounds. It was nice to see the boys learn something that will hopefully keep them safe. 

The boys enjoyed learning how to shoot safely.

Dad riding with all the kids in the big van.
This was before they started singing 99 bottle of Sprite on the wall. 

Dad in the shade at Bear Lake.

Mark had so much fun on this camp.

Dax had a bunch of friends at camp.

Brother VanCott helped Dax fly this huge kite that he brought.

Dax loved it!

The porch was a popular spot.

The neighbor's dog came over to say hi and attached himself to Dax. 

The last dinner before camp ends.

The dog was back the next morning and found Mark this time.

On the way home, we stopped and took a tour of the Paris Tabernacle. It was pretty fun to spend time in this part of Idaho because Brother Rich is a direct descendant of Charles C. Rich, who settled the area. It was a really great time, and we were glad to be back camping for the first time since scouting ended.

We have been to the Paris Tabernacle a few times, but it was fun to learn more about Brother Rich's history.

The whole gang at Paris Tabernacle.

We are so glad that Dad gets to go with the boys on all these camps.