bear lake 2016

Last June my parents, grandparents, and all of my siblings and our families headed up to Bear Lake for a little reunion. It was so nice to be together with everyone! My only brother had recently graduated from dental school, and had moved back closer to home right before the reunion, so it was extra special to have them there. We spent three days in a fun cabin. The weather was kind of rainy so we didn't do too much outside, but it was just nice to bask in each others company.

Shortly after we arrived some of the kids were getting ready to go swimming, so J was quick to go and get her swimming suit on to join them. The pool close to the cabin was outdoors, and it was a little chilly, but the kids just HAD to go swim! After swimming we just ate, talked, and played games.

M, K, and D finally together! These boys have a lot of FUN together.

The girls.

K-man, Caitlin (my brother-in-law's sister. We love having her join us!), Kenz, M, and Brett

Dad and J. It was cold water!

We were cracking up at J. She insisted on wearing the goggles, even though she was out of the pool. Ha!

The second day we just hung out, and ate more yummy food. Some of us went on bike rides, others explored downtown a little bit. Fun games and more talking was done.

Miss J can hold her own when it comes to playing with trucks and tractors (thanks to her brother!)...

One of many card games played over our stay.

We were so happy my Grandma and Grandpa were able to make it for the whole reunion! They're amazing and wonderful.

We went on what we thought was a short hike not far away. Ha, it wasn't! It ended up taking about an hour each way, by car, to get to the trail. It was clear up the mountain. When we finally got to the trail, the parking lot was covered in snow! We got out and decided to start the hike, but it didn't take long for some of us to go back and wait in the cars! Luckily the hike from the parking lot to the lake was super short, so some of the group went to see the Lake. M was incredibly tired. He could hardly hold his arms up.

On Sunday we went to the local church in Bear Lake, only to discover that they were having stake conference that day. We drove around and finally found where the conference location was. When we got there, we found out that Elder Quinton L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles would be speaking. So that was pretty neat to be a part of the meeting! The weather was beautiful this day so later in the afternoon we went on a walk down by the lake.

Here are the only pictures we got at the lake that day. Jake was the camera man. :)

The last day we cleaned up, said our good-byes, and headed our own separate ways. The weather was nice so we tagged along with my brother and his family to go play at the "beach" for a little bit.

It was awesome to be together as a family! We were all pretty tired by the time it was over.
It's a blessing to get together with these people. I am so thankful for their examples and love. Family is so special.