The hollyhocks at Bear Lake are special. They came all the way from Panaca, Nevada. Seeds from my Great Grandma's yard. I always take pictures of them when we come to Bear Lake. I can't help myself. And this year, Kurtis wanted to learn more about using my camera... on manual settings. So together we did a little photography lesson and came away with these.
Sorry there are so many pictures, I just can't choose between them! We tried to get some different angles than the usual pictures I take. It was fun to spend some time with just my little brother. And since we did take these together, I'm claiming all photos that Kurtis actually took himself... I'm old and can't remember which ones are mine and which are his.
Not all the hollyhocks are pink. There are white, maroon, light pink, dark pink, and pink with a purplely center.
The sun coming through these two photos really makes the lines in the hollyhocks pop.
I really like the angle of these next three pictures. I wanted to try and get a picture depicting how tall the hollyhocks are. Not what I had in mind, but they looked good with the blue sky in the background.
I do know this one is mine. I thought this leaf looked like it was made of lace.
These ones are all Kurtis'. Bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles thanks to new bubble guns Grandma bought. 
I was trying to show Kurtis how to take pictures using a high aperture to capture the sun's rays. Apparently he figured things out.
Kurtis and I had so much fun that we have a plot for the next photography session! I buy a new, fancier camera and Kurtis buys my old camera. It's a win-win for everyone.
Having such a high water year has kind of put a damper on our beach going. We get used to meandering down to the beach a couple times of day, whenever we feel the need, without the distraction of people. But this year the beach has all but disappeared. There is a small strip of sand in front of the neighbors' properties and they weren't too pleased we were on it. They seem to forget that my grandparents have owned the Bear Lake property for over 40 years AND that the beach is public! Your property stops at the high water mark, which is basically the lawn. It's not our fault Garden City wouldn't let you clear out the willows, reeds, and muck from the beach for all these years, until this year! At least legally, anyway.
But neighbors couldn't stop us from enjoying some fun on the beach.
Cole loved the sand and rocks on the beach. He was covered from head to toe. It was in his diaper, ears, and mouth.
Emily reading her "nookie" as my Dad dubbed her Nook. I still think I would want to actually turn pages in a book, if I ever got around to reading anything.
Cole finally got adventurous after seeing his sister and cousin enjoying the water. First time he has ever touched Bear Lake! He wasn't too excited but the next day we couldn't keep him out. We had to bob him up and down over and over again, as he laughed and splashed his hands.
Jesse's shorts still crack me up! Only a few people could pull off those guns.
My sister decided to re-live one of my dumbest, college-aged, skinny body moments by risking the sun at Bear Lake for several hours, sunscreen free. She lost that battle. Ouch! Blisters on your tummy, yeah been there and it's not so fun. Of course I can't give her too much grief because on Tuesday I decided to fry the top of my thighs before we went home. But at least that was the first and only sunburn any of us have gotten at Bear Lake this year!
The puppies liked the water. Well, at least Rex did. Maddox doesn't like to get cold I guess because he would sit on the beach while Rex jumped right in to retrieve sticks. Rex reminds me so much of Sam! His mannerisms, enthusiasm for running, playing, and swimming, even the way he walks. I've even caught myself calling him Sam on more than one occasion. I miss my dog.
Kurtis is a good sport to put up with all of us. We can get a bit overwhelming. To relieve stress after being bossed around by his sisters for four days, he builds sandcastles. Which the puppies then destroy.
And I'll end the beach fun with these two pictures. Pearl has a fascination with goggles. I have a picture of her from last year wearing Kurt's other goggles and it always makes me giggle. She is such a funny kid.
We went to Raspberry Days at Bear Lake the first weekend in August. The kids and I are pretty good at distracting ourselves while Jeff unpacks - and packs for that matter. I tend to use the excuse that someone has to watch the dwarfs. It's a sacrifice, really.
The first thing we do to avoid unpacking, is turn on the sprinklers. Ok, so Jeff was the one who turned the sprinklers on. Then Cole takes his shoes off (I don't know why we even buy that kid shoes), finds the sprinklers and proceeds to get soaking wet. We end up taking off our clothes at this point. Wait, just Cole stripped down. Pearl was in her swimming suit about 3.5 seconds after arriving, and I remained fully clothed the entire time. Finally, we continue to avoid all chores by playing on the slide, dumping all the beach toys on the lawn, and filling up the pool.
Eventually my husband's gentle pleas to start cooking dinner before every starves to death get to me and I start pulling my weight a bit.
As tradition, the women and children packed up Saturday morning (bright and early... ha!) and headed into town for the craft fair. I must say, I was a bit disappointed with this year's vendors. I walked away with nothing. Pearl and Ruby on the other hand, each got an I Spy book (Pearl chose a fairyland themed one and Ruby a monster one) and then whined and pleaded their way into getting me to buy them both a puppet. Pearl picked a little dog, whom she lovingly named Maddox Aggie. I know, huh? Ruby picked a horse. The awesome thing about the puppets, and honestly, the selling point for me, was that you could take the strings off the wooden dowels to untangle them.
And as tradition stands, at some point the kids are DONE with the craft fair. I thought it would be Cole who couldn't take the shopping any longer but it was the girls. I don't blame them. Like usual, we got separated from my mom and sister about five minutes after getting there - they move a lot slower window shopping without kids than Emily and I do - and by the time they had gotten their loot they were done. Both wanted to go back to the parking lot because they had a climbing wall and bouncy houses. So we finally gave in to the screaming and went to the climbing wall. Ruby is all muscles. She didn't know how to use her feet so she simply pulled herself up the wall with shear arm strength. I was impressed. Pearl figured if Ruby could climb it, so could she. Uh... she wimped out, wasting my $3. Oh well.
Emily needed a Diet Coke, bad, after our meltdown at the craft fair. Don't tell Jesse... he gives Emily so much crap about "how many Diet Cokes have you had today?" He has seemed to forget that our own Grandmother had a Diet Coke in every room of the house, always half full, so she had one with her at all times. 
Meanwhile, the boys had plans of their own to stay entertained. Kurtis got left alone to babysit the puppies. Jesse went mountain biking with a friend. 
And my Dad and Jeff went 4 wheeling. My Dad must be stressed out because it was Jeff, not my Dad, who hit what we call "ugly hour" first. After exploring trails, dead ends, and finding a new trail to take me on, Jeff was starving. My Dad would have driven all over the mountain all day had they packed more than a granola bar and Gatorade between the two of them. They came back dusty and dirty, well mainly my Dad. He followed behind Jeff for most of the ride.
Lunch does wonders for too-hungry, too-tired, too-hot, and too-bored kids. Pearl devoured my Mom's sloppy joe's. She requested them for lunch and dinner for the next three days. I love her sloppy joe stained smile! 
Jeff said it looked like a giant, sad amoeba. Not Kurtis, the pancake. He was a good sport about it and even ate it cold once he got up. He laughed.
Kimmy's pancake didn't flip so well. Needless to say, she went hungry.
This poor mosquito wasn't so happy about breakfast this morning. He had a bit of a rough night.
The hollyhocks at Bear Lake are special. They came all the way from Panaca, Nevada. Seeds from my Great Grandma's yard. I always take pictures of them when we come to Bear Lake. I can't help myself. And this year, Kurtis wanted to learn more about using my camera... on manual settings. So together we did a little photography lesson and came away with these.
Not all the hollyhocks are pink. There are white, maroon, light pink, dark pink, and pink with a purplely center.
I really like the angle of these next three pictures. I wanted to try and get a picture depicting how tall the hollyhocks are. Not what I had in mind, but they looked good with the blue sky in the background.
I do know this one is mine. I thought this leaf looked like it was made of lace.
These ones are all Kurtis'. Bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles thanks to new bubble guns Grandma bought. 
I was trying to show Kurtis how to take pictures using a high aperture to capture the sun's rays. Apparently he figured things out.
Kurtis and I had so much fun that we have a plot for the next photography session! I buy a new, fancier camera and Kurtis buys my old camera. It's a win-win for everyone.
Having such a high water year has kind of put a damper on our beach going. We get used to meandering down to the beach a couple times of day, whenever we feel the need, without the distraction of people. But this year the beach has all but disappeared. There is a small strip of sand in front of the neighbors' properties and they weren't too pleased we were on it. They seem to forget that my grandparents have owned the Bear Lake property for over 40 years AND that the beach is public! Your property stops at the high water mark, which is basically the lawn. It's not our fault Garden City wouldn't let you clear out the willows, reeds, and muck from the beach for all these years, until this year! At least legally, anyway.
But neighbors couldn't stop us from enjoying some fun on the beach.
Emily reading her "nookie" as my Dad dubbed her Nook. I still think I would want to actually turn pages in a book, if I ever got around to reading anything.
Cole finally got adventurous after seeing his sister and cousin enjoying the water. First time he has ever touched Bear Lake! He wasn't too excited but the next day we couldn't keep him out. We had to bob him up and down over and over again, as he laughed and splashed his hands.
My sister decided to re-live one of my dumbest, college-aged, skinny body moments by risking the sun at Bear Lake for several hours, sunscreen free. She lost that battle. Ouch! Blisters on your tummy, yeah been there and it's not so fun. Of course I can't give her too much grief because on Tuesday I decided to fry the top of my thighs before we went home. But at least that was the first and only sunburn any of us have gotten at Bear Lake this year!
The puppies liked the water. Well, at least Rex did. Maddox doesn't like to get cold I guess because he would sit on the beach while Rex jumped right in to retrieve sticks. Rex reminds me so much of Sam! His mannerisms, enthusiasm for running, playing, and swimming, even the way he walks. I've even caught myself calling him Sam on more than one occasion. I miss my dog.
Kurtis is a good sport to put up with all of us. We can get a bit overwhelming. To relieve stress after being bossed around by his sisters for four days, he builds sandcastles. Which the puppies then destroy.
And I'll end the beach fun with these two pictures. Pearl has a fascination with goggles. I have a picture of her from last year wearing Kurt's other goggles and it always makes me giggle. She is such a funny kid.
Eventually my husband's gentle pleas to start cooking dinner before every starves to death get to me and I start pulling my weight a bit.
And as tradition stands, at some point the kids are DONE with the craft fair. I thought it would be Cole who couldn't take the shopping any longer but it was the girls. I don't blame them. Like usual, we got separated from my mom and sister about five minutes after getting there - they move a lot slower window shopping without kids than Emily and I do - and by the time they had gotten their loot they were done. Both wanted to go back to the parking lot because they had a climbing wall and bouncy houses. So we finally gave in to the screaming and went to the climbing wall. Ruby is all muscles. She didn't know how to use her feet so she simply pulled herself up the wall with shear arm strength. I was impressed. Pearl figured if Ruby could climb it, so could she. Uh... she wimped out, wasting my $3. Oh well.
Meanwhile, the boys had plans of their own to stay entertained. Kurtis got left alone to babysit the puppies. Jesse went mountain biking with a friend. 
And my Dad and Jeff went 4 wheeling. My Dad must be stressed out because it was Jeff, not my Dad, who hit what we call "ugly hour" first. After exploring trails, dead ends, and finding a new trail to take me on, Jeff was starving. My Dad would have driven all over the mountain all day had they packed more than a granola bar and Gatorade between the two of them. They came back dusty and dirty, well mainly my Dad. He followed behind Jeff for most of the ride.
Lunch does wonders for too-hungry, too-tired, too-hot, and too-bored kids. Pearl devoured my Mom's sloppy joe's. She requested them for lunch and dinner for the next three days. I love her sloppy joe stained smile! 
