Camping

Every single year, Bryce and I swear up and down that we will go camping more that year.  It never, EVER happens.  This year, we felt lucky to go once.  Once!  How pathetic is that?  

In early August, we went up to the Uinta's with Kelly, Jeremy, JC, and some other fun peeps.  We had such a great time, which solidified our resolve to try and go more next year.  (We can do it!)

So, reasons why camping is awesome:

Kids love it.  We explored.  We built forts.  We found "caves."  We played in the dirt.  We swung on a tree branch swing. 

 Crafts are more fun in the mountains.  I swear, Bryce, Seanna and I had more fun doing crafts than the boys did.  Although Jack did love his pink princess castle quite a bit.

4 Wheelers.  Just love them.

You have to be creative.  When the cigarette lighter failed to get Kelly's birthday candles going, a torch will do the job.

Food.  It's just better.  Including these jalapeno poppers Jeremy made that were so hot that made me want to die...but only in a good way.

Together time.  It makes you remember why you love the folks you love.

Hidden sides.  Who knew that Jack was such a dog fan?  We got to see that on this trip, and these pictures are just adorable.

Nature.  You know that time right before dinner when the sun is going down and it cools off?  Amazing.  

 Being tired.  In a fantastic way.

Motion Picture Ending

For our final night with the New Zealand Thomsens, we decided to keep things simple.  We ordered pizza from The Pie and had a movie night outside in our backyard.  Everyone seemed to love just being able to hang out and relax.  

Despicable Me 2 and Popcorn

The Thomsen Clan

 A well-intentioned but in no way focused picture of the cousins

Maybe next trip we will make our way to New Zealand!

Bear Lake

With Ryan's family in, a trip to Bear Lake was definitely called for.  We rented a big cabin and had a great time at the lake.  

The weather was a little hit or miss, and so we ended up having the beach to ourselves. 

Cole and Jack loved being on the beach and playing in the sand.

Sand castle building was a big hit - Cole, Bryce, and I built a massive castle complex.

The rafts were also awesome!

We also enjoyed renting multi-person bikes and cruising around Garden City.

We took a visit to Paris, Idaho, where Bryce and I followed up our tour of the tabernacle with some lotto tickets.  We won a whole $15!

We also just enjoyed relaxing.  Cole was VERY excited to sleep in a "bonk bed," and did great.  

He also loved sharing tech toys with his cousins.

Jack enjoyed all of the little art projects his cousins made for him, including his "booful pony."

On the way home, we stopped in Logan canyon and enjoyed the trails, trees, and caves.

It was a great trip!