Ackerson Family Reunion- Bear Lake!

This really is the highlight of our summer!  Vanessa had her turn to plan it this year and did an amazing job!  We had the same camp sight 2 years prior, so we were all very familiar with the layout, except I forgot which shower was the best.  Not like I had time to shower or anything like that.  I had a hard time relaxing at all.  I’m thinking in maybe 2 or 3 years, I won’t have to worry about any of my kids.  Tommy kept me moving.  That baby doesn’t know how to hold still.  He can’t even hold still while eating! 

The party started Thursday night and we were not the last to arrive (for once).  The kids were bouncing off the walls until almost 11pm.  That was pretty much the same story for all 3 nights.  I think I got about 8 hours combined!  There’s no stopping the fun.

Friday was “lake day” and Vanessa got us a sweet spot up on the north shore.  It was better than Rendezvous Beach and not even a bad drive.  The kids could wander out into the shallow water forever.  The lake floor was soft sand, the waves were tiny, it was perfect!  $5 worth of Dollar store sand toys kept most of my kids entertained.  Tommy wallowed in the little ponds they dug.  The sand was very workable with a little bit of water and soon they had sand creations everywhere.  The sky was overcast, which didn’t stop sunburns from happening, even on my kids!  We stayed until the bitter end and every last morsel of dessert (3 cookie sheets worth) was eaten!  After dinner were the family skits and it’s always amazing what everyone comes up with.  The prizes were vintage DI treasures, but the runner-ups got Little Debbie treats.  Everybody wins!

Saturday started out a little bit rainy, but cleared out enough for our excursion to Renegade Raceway Go-Karts!  We had the track for an entire hour and the go-karts were a hit!  Dallin got to drive one, with Bevan beside him of course.  We slipped baby Tommy in with Cousin Allie for a turn.  Drew stayed with his new “best friends” Brock and Ellie Rae most of the time.  After lunch we headed to Bloomington Lake for some rope swinging.  2 years ago, I was very pregnant and couldn’t do the rope swing, so I’m glad I got another shot.  It’s pretty terrifying the first time you go, but was such a blast.  Even Anna did it, without any peer pressure.  Dallin swung out on the rope, but wouldn’t let go, so he came right back in and Bevan caught him and pulled him off.  Phew!  The fun lasted longer than expected and our dinner wasn’t ready until 8pm, but it was still a good day.

On Sunday, we hit up the Laketown Branch at 9am and went back to break down camp and eat 2^nd breakfast.  It was sad to see the fun wrapping up.  Aside from all the sunburns, mosquito bites, lack of sleep, greasy hair, and a very tired baby, it was such a fun weekend.  Props to Vanessa and Trent and making it all happen! 

A Day (and a half) with the Thackers

I love it when Sharon comes to visit!  It's never long enough.  They were staying at Mom and Dad's in Francis for a bit so I had to make the most of it while they were so close.  We pow-wowed for dinner on Friday night with pulled pork and cowboy caviar.  We also made a plan for the next day: a hike at Deer Valley and swimming at the Kamas pool!

We met early on Saturday morning for a hike to the top of Bald Mountain.  Parking is almost non-existent at Silver Lake Village, but Bevan said we could park at the maintenance shop, since few people worked the weekends.  It was brilliant.  After a quick potty stop (that took about 20 minutes) were were on our way.  We had so much fun scoping out the wildflowers and crazy dare-devil mountain bikers!  I'm not quite used to anything "uphill" at Deer Valley so the hike was a little strenuous for me and the kiddos.  But we made it eventually made it to the top, where we feasted on pistachios, graham crackers, and string cheese.  The best part of the hike was the way down: chairlift!  I love "downloading"!  It's the only way to travel.  Anyway, we headed back to Francis for lunch before leaving for the Kamas pool.  I love this pool!  It's so worth the drive!  The kids had a blast and I actually had a positive pool experience for once, since we left a napping baby Tommy at Mom and Dad's house.  My arms have never felt so free!  I still had to keep an eye on the littles.  Dallin is still afraid of water, but Drew has absolutely no fear, which is not a good thing if you're not paying attention.  Thank heaven for puddle jumpers!  After swimming, we ate pizzas and went home.  My kids were exhausted, except for baby Tommy, who enjoyed being carried up the mountain as well as a long afternoon nap.  He was ready to go!  I think we definitely got "our time" in with Sharon and her kids.

Tibble Fork Reservoir and party with Trisha!

As if the 4th and 5th of July weren't enough, we then got the regular weekend to continue the fun!  We traveled over the Alpine Loop Highway to Tibble Fork.  They recently renovated the reservoir and "beach" area with a thousand truckloads of sand and a new parking lot (that was definitely not big enough)!  We got there in the nick of time to get one of the last spots at 10am.  It's a non-motorized lake so it was covered with colorful kayaks, paddle boards and inner tubes.  I tried to relax, but had to keep Tommy from dumping sand in his hair, on our food, and in my purse!  The kids were happy with just playing in the wet sand as well.  The floaty tubes we brought did not really entice them, but our kind neighbor let us borrow his 2-person kayak, which Bevan took all 3 older kids out on.  It's amazing what a paddle can do to keep things moving!

After lunch, we stopped by the new visitor center at Timp Cave and said hi to some old friends of Bevan's.  They just opened the new visitor's center and it was all very nice and modern.  We keep meaning to get up there for a cave tour, but by the time we think about it, it's always sold out!  We continued on to American Fork so baby Tommy could rest up before the family dinner.  Trisha and her family are moving to Botswana for 10 months!  Jacob is on sabbatical there and the whole family is going along for the adventure.  I was jealous.  I could live anywhere for 10 months.  Well, as long as my kids were a little older and it was only temporary, but I could live anywhere!  It was so good to spend some time with their family.

4th of July

For some weird reason, we had nothing planned.  How did this happen?  Isn't every 4th of July supposed to be packed to the brim with fun?!  I'll take a low-key holiday for once!  The cannons went off at 6am again, calling all residents to the town square for a sunrise patriotic program.  We usually sleep with our windows open, so the cannons are extra effective.  I usually send Bevan to the program to represent the family, with whichever kid happens to be awake by then.  This year it was Drew.  I stayed home with the sleepy heads and made pancakes and bacon!  Afterwards, we decided to take bikes to the Provo River trail for some exercise/ family time.  We borrowed the family truck and loaded all the bikes and the chariot.  This is why people own trucks!  Oh, the space!  We started at Nunns Park and rode up to Vivian Park.  The kids wanted a treat while they played and a boy conveniently came around advertising snow cones being sold next to the park.  When I told him I had no money, he said you can pay with your phone.  Did he mean venmo?  I was intrigued!  This is modern cottage industry!  Obviously more people carry their phones than wallets.  I think their snow cones stand is going to be a success.  It got our business!  After we ate snow cones, we rode back down to the car.  It was so much easier going down.  It doesn't seem that steep, but when you're pulling 2 kids, everything seems steep!  I met my exercise quota.

After lunch at home, including a nap for the baby, we headed to Nora's for some desserts and fireworks.  The show consisted of several boxes of sparklers, some fountains and flowers, and 2 very large boxes of aerials, courtesy of Grandma Christy.  We stayed way too late and got home around midnight.  We missed the fireworks show off Memorial Hill, but I'm glad we celebrated with family instead.  I love our country and our amazing town!