Stupid Bunk Beds

I was in need of some bunk beds. Cait is tired of sharing a room with Cora, because we have to kick her out when Cora naps, and so she has been sharing with Dawson anyway. So I went on the hunt for beds yesterday. I was just going to go to IKEA, but then I found this set at Liddiard Home Furnishings. I had the beds together in an hour, but two hours later I was still working. Huh? That doesn't make sense? The instructions were really crappy and the side rails were different for the top and bottom and the head and foot boards were crazy. So I had to take the top bunk apart three times. Yeah trial and error didn't work so well for me. But they are together and sleepable. The bottom bunk is mattress less for now. In the pic that is just the box spring from Cait's bed. Evan and Tim slept on it last night. I tried to make it soft with some camping pads, but it just didn't work very well. So there is the story of my bunk beds, and the reason that I am not so very happy this today. If you call and I'm grumpy you'll know why.

Camping

We were gone all weekend, again, so that we could spend some quality time with my fam. I love camping and all things associated with it. Here is my list of fun things and a pic to go with some of them.

Fun Things About Camping this year

• Gramps backing into a bush and putting a big hole in a tire.
• A large herd of horses took over out camp
• 8 kids on the 4-wheeler with Gramps.
• Riding horses off trail and seeing the beauty of the earth.
• Our brand new air mattress going flat in the middle of the night. (Okay not so fun but I had to throw it in there.)
• Everyone was there and healthy.
• I forgot the hamburger and scones for our dinner, so we improvised with sausage and bacon in the chili and used my sis-in-laws left over scone dough.
• We bought dutch ovens and got to use them, Yeah.
• Our new tent rocks.
• David found a passion for taking pictures.
• Getting messy and not caring.
• The wild flowers were in plethora this year.
• Finding out that Cait is allergic to horses (another one of those not so great things).
• Not loosing one child.
• Hot chocolate in the morning around the camp fire.
• The family trailer made it one more year. (who knows when it will finally die?)
• Dawson thinks crickets sound like Pumpersnickle (main character in Dave's stories).
• Dave getting skunked at Deep Lake again.

Getting away is great.

Has anyone missed me? Yeah I knew you would. We have been out of town since early Friday morning, came back for a short visit Saturday night and were gone again by Sunday afternoon. We got home last night at about 9 p.m. and are bushed today. We had a family reunion this weekend and our anniversary was yesterday.

The reunion was great. Dave's family is pretty fun to be around. We all camped out in his sister's back yard, had dinner, an auction, breakfast, lunch and tons of fun in the water. They set up a huge slip n' slide and used snow sleds to take a ride down it. All in all it turned out just great, we got a new tent and slept beautifully except for my mattress going flat.

Then we went to Bear Lake on Sunday afternoon. We have been married now for 7 years and we had gone to Bear Lake for our honeymoon so we wanted to go back. It took a lot longer than we thought it did 7 years ago, but back then it was just the two of us with no screaming kids in the car. And when we did finally make it, David had to run off and finish a couple of papers (so much for a stress free vacation right?). So the kids and I went down to the beach for a while to play. All of my children are like little fish in water. They love it, and Bear Lake is perfect because it doesn't get deep enough for a long ways out to be too dangerous for even Cora. We were only able to swim for about an hour and then went back up to our little cabin. The only problem was that David was trying to work and there was no TV or games for the kids to play, (and I was trying to read Breaking Dawn) so they were bored out of their minds. Luckily I have a great husband that can't stand to see our children bored so he stopped what he was doing and played for a while. Then he gave up too and turned the laptop into a DVD player and let the kids watch Peter Pan.

Yesterday was our busy day. We got up bright and early (Dave at 3 a.m. to finish his papers so he could play all day) went to the beach for a little morning walk, and checked out. When we went for our honeymoon, we went up to Minnetonka Cave and loved it so we had to take our children. We were a little worried about Dawson especially, because he is kind of a woose and we were afraid that he would freak out being in the dark (at the end of the tour they turn the lights off and you can't even see your hand in front of your face) but he loved it and just kept going on and on about the Cave being "Groovy". The kids did fabulous, there are 840 something steps in the cave and they didn't complain once. Dawson was smart enough though, when we got out and Dave said lets to it again, Dawson said no way.

Then it was off to the beach (Cait was about to die in anticipation). It was so much fun. Like I said the water is shallow and so I didn't have to worry too much. Cora loved it. We put her in her floaty and she was tall enough just to walk around. I was sure the feeling would make her want to just keep walking, but it didn't. We made sand castles and had a picnic and played in the water for a little more than 3 hours. No one even got severely burned, yeah!!!

The only bad part of the trip was the five hours it took us to get home. Since we started at the north end of the lake that was a half hour trip just to get to Garden City, then we stopped for gas in Logan and in Brigham to eat at Maddox, but it was closed, so we headed to Layton for our favorite restaurant, Famous Dave's, and then back on the road. But overall it was a much needed family break and Bear Lake was the perfect place. Out little home away from home.

Minnetonka Cave.

Kermit's Castle

The Three Sisters

The Seven Dwarfs

The Wedding Room. Notice the stalagmite on bottom (our guide is standing in front of it) and the stalactite up top. In about 5000 years or so they will finally get married and meet each other. This is at the end of the cave when they turn the lights out. It is a little disorienting.

The Stairway to Heaven. Clear up those steps at the white lights is Heaven and down where we are standing, in the red lights, is the Devil's Office. There is a hole there that you could, if they would let you, climb down and it drops 40 feet in elevation very quickly. We were on our way back up.

Cool family picture huh?

Look how pretty. The mountains and the girl.

This is Blue Pond Springs. Dave and I discovered it on our honeymoon (that time we saw a moose). I can't get enough of the clear water.

I need a boat like that.

And last but not least the house we bought while we were there, NOT. I wish. This is my dream home to a tee. I would by that no matter the cost if it ever went up for sale. I was in love at first site.

Gunnison Dragon!

I grew up in Gunnison and didn't know about this dragon until a friend (not from Gunnison, but now lives in Gunnison) posted it on her blog. But since none of you probably saw it on her blog I am going to put a picture of it on here. Now this dragon lives under the bridge and when you are down there and a car drives over it sounds like the dragon is roaring. It is pretty neat.

You know the dragon has to love it's mommy.

Happy Birthday, Cora Belle!!!

She's finally one. Finally? That is just too weird. But here is a birthday overload for the birthday girl. She was a little surprised that she got a cake all to her self. She wasn't quit sure what to do, but quickly figured it out.
She loved opening her presents. Her favorite was the bumble ball Aunt Dawn gave to her (yes Liz, it is a Crazy Dog Bumble Ball make fun all you want).

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Perfect Toy

As annoying as this parrot is, it was very entertaining to Miss Belle today.

New Pics

I had my sis-in-law take my kids pics today. I was having scheduling problems and traveling problems to get together with my regular photog (thanks Steph), so we took a trip to Kaysville today. Heather did a great job!! She was able to get some great shots of my kids. The first three pics have been edited. The others are just some of my favorite (she took the header photo too).*Note: The dress Cait is wearing, I made that last night in 4 hours with my new sewing machine. Yeah for me.
Notice the rock Dawson is throwing, and the water drops following it. Great timing if you ask me.