Bear Lake Fun & Herb Reunion

We woke up early on Monday and said our goodbyes to the Allreds. Then we drove up to Bear Lake to meet up with our good friends, the Mattsons. We were pretty excited to get to see them because we only see them once a year and this happened to work out for both of us. 
They graciously provided all the fun stuff and the sun shelter. 
We brought things for lunch, drinks and snacks. 

We played all day at the lake and had so much fun. Bear Lake is super strange in that it is shallow for a really long distance. It made it really nice for the kids because they could paddle really far out but not be super deep. 

 

Tucker, of course, was happy digging holes in the sand.

But he did float and play in the water too. 

Bailey mainly sat in the chair in the shade reading, but she did talk and hang out with Emma for a bit too. 

Michael, Heather, Chris and I got to chat uninterrupted for the most part and it was super nice. 

Bear Lake was beautiful and we had a great day with the Mattsons. 

Afterwards we drove down to the ice cream shop and grab something to cool off with. 

Then we had to say our goodbyes to the Mattsons. Until next time!

Then we drove the hour and a half over to Malad to stay at the Allred Family cabin with all of the Herbs. 

I had reserved the Cabin about 8 months earlier and Uncle Johnny's parents gave us a really great deal on it. It was a massive cabin with lots of room and we were excited to spend the week with all the Herbs. We all arrived at different times and we arrived right after Mimi and Grandpa.

The last of the family arrived late and the kids were so excited to be together the next day. 

Tuesday was spent just hanging out around the cabin and exploring. The kids loved getting to run around outside and the Allreds have spent so much time making the cabin perfect for families. It was awesome. 

The younger kids made a fort out in the woods and spent hours playing out there. 
There was already a swing over the creek and they had the best time. 

The kids worked really hard on this cute mud factory. They crack me up. 

I went for a run in the morning and thoroughly appreciated the beautiful views. 

We took turns making dinners and breakfasts, for lunch we just had easy items like sandwiches and pizzas. It was super nice to not have to cook every night but to still have good food. 

Tuesday night we took family pictures. We had hired a photographer that Natalie knew and she did a great job. It was so nice to not have to take the pictures. I love how they turned out. 

We have a lot more, but these are just a few of my favorites. 

The pictures went really well and most everyone had a great attitude. It was really nice to have them done and the setting could not have been more beautiful. 

On Wednesday, we packed up a picnic lunch, got dressed in our swimsuits and drove over to Lava Hot Springs. It was way too hot for the actual hot springs, but there was also a huge pool, diving boards, water slides and more. The kids were pretty excited.  

Benson loved this rope swing. Tucker, Paige and Benson had a great time running around and playing together.

Meanwhile, Tanner and the older boy cousins conquered the high dive. 
They started out on the low dive and then worked their way up. I couldn't believe it. It was super tall and I wasn't brave enough for it. 

They were all so brave!

We all relaxed in the main pool and kept cool. Benson loved having his dad there to play with him. 

Tanner and Benson also enjoyed diving for pennies in the pool. It was pretty funny to watch. 

We also got to pull off any epic surprise for Benson. 

Back in March Benson's best friend, Wesley, moved to Idaho and left Benson totally desolate. It was so sad. We absolutely adored the Priebe family and we were sad to see them go. 

Then when I realized how close we would be to them in Malad, I texted Wesley's mom, Jenny, and we decided to surprise the boys with a surprise playdate. 
We planned to meet up at Lava Hot Springs and not tell the boys and let their reactions when seeing each other be a total surprise. It was worth the wait and because everyone else, except Benson, knew what was happening, it was even more special. We were all so excited for him when Wesley walked over. 
The joy and excitement on their faces was priceless and the reunion was so sweet. 

They happily played for hours and Wesley's little brother, Max, played with them too. 
They had the best time together. 

The other kids played and hung out near us just because everyone enjoyed watching the boys play together. 

The rest of the Herb Family went back to the cabin before us, but Paige stayed to play with Tucker. 
I didn't want to make Benson and Wesley cut their playdate short so we stayed for a couple more hours. 

Tanner really loved climbing the rock wall. It was harder than it looked and he enjoyed the challenge. 

We all had a great time playing at Lava Hot Springs and it was the perfect summer day. 

Eventually we said goodbye to the Priebe family and headed back to the cabin. 
Benson was sad to say goodbye, but it was such a great visit that he was still in a good mood afterwards. 

After getting back to the cabin, the kids immediately went outside to play and hangout while the adults rested and relaxed. 

Benson and Naomi loved painting and coloring together. It was pretty cute!

We ate dinner and then we all went down to the firepit to make smores and hang out together. 

 

On Thursday we had a relaxing morning and then we went for a little hike. 

Malad is a gorgeous area and there are lots of pretty hikes near the cabin. 

We found this little waterfall and it was from a spring. The water was freezing. 
I told all the kids I would pay them $10 each if they would lay down in the water for 1 minute. 
Surprisingly, only two of them took me up on it and even more surprising, the two kids were Maureen and Paige. 
They each pulled it up and I gave them each $10. It was pretty impressive and worth every penny. 

 

I sure love this girl of mine. I was unsurprised that she didn't want to lay down in the water. She is not one to feel uncomfortable. 

 

We all enjoyed the hike and although the trail wasn't always super clear, we still had a good time exploring together. 

After our hike, we went back to the cabin and ate lunch. Then the kids just wanted to play and hang out.

 We played and relaxed in the afternoon and we were planning to head to the lake but then a huge thunderstorm blew in. The wind was absolutely insane and we all sat around the windows watching the wind and rain. 

Naomi decided she wanted to snuggle with me and watch the rain. She is such a little cutie. 

After the storm a beautiful rainbow came out and it was such a beautiful sight. 

The sunset was even more beautiful that night. We all loved the beautiful country and the amazing cabin we got to stay in. I'm so grateful to the Allreds for allowing us to stay at their amazing cabin. 

Friday was spent at the little reservoir near the cabin. Sadly, because of the rain, the shore was pretty muddy. But the kids still had a great time. Uncle Brad brought his boat and took the kids out tubing and skiing. Bailey and I mostly just hung out under the sun shade and enjoyed the view. 

Paige and Tucker loved paddleboarding together. There wasn't much of a current because it was a reservoir and not a river, but they still had fun. 

After taking his turn tubing, Tanner relaxed in a tub drinking soda and eating. Then he passed out and slept most of the afternoon. 

This mud was insane and was more like quicksand. It would easily suck your foot in and you would lose your sandals in the mud. But that didn't stop the kids from playing in it for hours. 

I was ready to go earlier than usual because I was tired of walking around in the mud and couldn't wait to get showered. 

That night was "Pioneer days" in Mendon and Aunt Natalie had asked the adults to help with judging the food. 

The kids didn't really want to go, so they stayed home with Grandpa and the rest of us drove the 40 minutes over to Mendon to help Aunt Natalie. 

Chris enjoyed catching up with some friends and we enjoyed some delicious food. 

It was a great way to end our week together. 
The next morning we had to get up and get packed. We also wanted to make sure to leave the cabin as clean as possible. So we all cleaned and washed our sheets before checking out.

It was such a great week together and we all had a blast. 

Before leaving, we took some pictures in front of the cabin so we wouldn't forget. 

We said our goodbyes to everyone and then started our long drive home. 
We had to hurry home for Tanner to attend band camp and for Chris to start his new job.

We had a wonderful reunion with our Herb family and hopefully we will get to see them again next year at some point.