Bear Lake Baby!

We got to go to Bear Lake this past weekend! It's an annual thing with my family, except this year it was just us and my sister Leanne's family. Michelle is in Hollywood for Braxton for the entire month and my mom is there to help her, so it was just us. It was weird having such a small group BUT WE HAD FUN!!! Baylor mastered saying Allie and almost has Cole. If they weren't right by him he would ask "where's Allie" "where's co" So funny. We had so much fun and Baylor had quite a few "firsts." It's always fun to see him try new things, I can just watch him and smile all day.

Here he is eating dirt. I knew it was inevitable, so I just watched as he shoveled it in... and spit it out :) Don't you just love his little swimsuit??? I DO. Russ and my brother-in-law were totally giving me crap that B is going to look back on these pictures in 20 years and ask me what I was thinking. I do NOT concur :) I think it's studly.

Just cruisin' the beach with Dad.

It was so much fun to watch him play in the sand.

Getting Baylor to sleep on vacation is never easy. He never sleeps like normal at night and naps are always sketchy, especially when you're at the lake!!! But thank goodness for the boat, because he would snooze right off and at least get a little rest.

Leanne and Buddy have a sweet boat and the icing on the cake, a tube! My niece Allie is quite the adventurer and we each got a turn riding with her. She never wanted to get off. Her little body would just go flying in the air. My abs hurt so hard from laughing and trying to hold on. I asked her what she was going to do if we got thrown off and she casually replied... "swim with the fishies" At that point I decided I needed to quit being such a chicken :)

I got REALLY brave and decided we could take B for a ride.

He loved it until the boat started. It was a short ride, but one that we will always remember. He liked floating in it better than actually being pulled- go figure.

He loved chillin' in his little beach chair. You know I couldn't resist when I saw a mini Toy Story chair at the store.

His ad for Baywatch.

But really, the water was high this year so we had a TON of lake that was only a few inches deep. Perfect for Baylor. He loved chasing seagulls, playing with the kids, and splashing in it as he walked.

They built some great sandcastles.

And B got to help Cole look for seashells.

And Russ finally got to wakeboard for the first time this summer! He always makes it look so easy. I however, prefer to watch from the boat :) especially at Bear Lake because it's FREEZING!

The 3 amigos

It's crazy how one little person makes life SO AMAZING.

Uncle Buddy let Baylor drive the boat! He was fascinated by it.

Me and my boy

(Brit, I totally copied your swimsuit cover-up, sorry!)

He loved feeding the fish. Over by the dock you can buy food, which he loved, but as we were leaving we just got out some bread. He just kept saying nemo nummies, nemo nummies!!! And then count to throw the bread in.

And occasionally he would feed himself. Good thing it was bread when he tried that.

I lOvE sUmMeR!!!

Red, White, and Blue

So... this picture was supposed to be at the end but I forgot to add it- my bad.

This is me and my sister-in-law Britnie modeling the stuff Debi bought for the kids. The kids wouldn't wear it, so we did :) Now it's like a movie preview where you see the end result first and then see how it got to that point... this is our wild and crazy :)

We had a blast this 4th of July! We started off the festivities with the Stadium of Fire. When Russ heard it was Carrie Underwood, he knew I would want to go. He was able to order tickets through his work before they went on sale. He ended up getting tickets for his whole family.

I LOVE Carrie Underwood. She's the one American Idol contestant that I actually voted for. I'm a huge fan, so it was really fun to see her live. And she's obviously amazing in person, since that is how she made it big. Some people just aren't that great live, but she was awesome.

Baylor lasted through the first round of fireworks, and then he decided they were scary and loud. At least I got to watch part of them. (and no, this is not my face when he decided he was done) BUT this is how much I loved the show.

After the big event and the miserable hour and a half attempt to exit the parking lot (Baylor threw up twice because he was crying so hard in the car)...we headed up to the Stein Eriksen Lodge. We finally got to sleep about 2 a.m. and then woke up to another fun day.

We FINALLY got to meet little Makayla. She is the daughter of our friends Rob and Ashley. She was born a month after Baylor and we have been so anxious to get them together. They live in Arizona and so we haven't got a chance until now, but she is a doll. It was pretty much impossible to get a decent picture and I got a small taste of what people with twins go through. Twins seem like so much fun until you actually have a baby. They kept me hopping.

Sunday afternoon we went to the annual 4th of July BBQ that the lodge hosts. It has the most delicious food, I always look forward to it. B was a huge fan of the watermelon carving station. Have you ever seen yellow watermelon? I tried to go outside of my box and try it and it tasted the same. Kind of fun.

Patriotic- I know :)

This is Baylor and his cousin Brooklyn.

Please look at their legs...

They were both holding the same leg up because they didn't like how the grass felt. It was so hilarious.

My little superstar. B would not wear any of the funny stuff Debi bought. Luckily I snapped this fast enough because after I put them on, they were on their way off.

Another highlight of the night was the band. At least Baylor thought so. He is obsessed with dancing. Anytime music comes on wear hear "dance dance" and he starts jammin. Every time I tried taking him back inside he would get mad and tell me "dance." So we would venture back outside and he would do his thing. The band would just smile at him.

B with "Ma Ma Debi and Papa"

The Olsen Clan minus Trevor and Amanda

The following morning we hit the pool.

The weather was perfect. We enjoyed splashing in the pool and just relaxing. It was a great way to finish off a fantastic 4th of July weekend.

Bittersweet

TODAY WAS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!

It's always weird when another school year comes to an end. Hard to believe I have been teaching for FIVE years. This year was a little bittersweet. I had an adorable class. There were a few boys that gave me a run for my money... but overall, they were so fun. It's hard to let a good group go. You never know what's coming next!

The truly hard part was walking out the doors for the last time with my best friend. Mekensy and I were roommates at SUU. We were on the drill team together and lived it up at "the mansion". After graduating, we both taught one year at different schools and then fate brought us to the same school, good old Butterfield Canyon. We have been teaching the same grade and track for the last 4 years. I have become so close to her. We have been through A LOT together. At school everyone knew that where one of us were, you could always find the other. We have done everything together. She won't be coming back next year. The happy part is that she is having a precious baby girl this October. For that I am ecstatic, but the fact that I don't get to see and talk to her everyday, I'm so sad :( School just won't be the same.

But don't let me fool you... If her dog Wrigley doesn't make her little lady tough, Baylor will, because we'll be visiting a lot :)

(These pics are way old, but it was all I could find :)

You're the best Mekensy!!!

On another happy note... did I mention IT'S SUMMER!!! I get to spend 6 weeks with BAYLOR!!! I can't wait. So expect lots of posts, we're going to live it up.