Christmas in August

This year, my Grandparents decided to do something different for Christmas. They love making memories. And what better way to make memories than to do it with your family? So my sweet Grandma and Grandpa decided that they would rent a vacation home at Bear Lake as a Christmas present to the whole family.

Now when I say the whole family, I don't mean like 10 people. My family has 60+ people in it. My grandparents had 5 kids, who had kids, who have had kids. So trying to find a place that can house that many people (maybe not all at once) can be difficult and pricey. Mostly pricey.

However, they found this beaut. A 9 bedroom, 6 bathroom, three floor,  giant theater room, indoor gym and playground, sleeping 45+...... cabin. And let me be the first to tell you, it was a dream. (Note: since we have stayed, they have done the backyard, when we were there, the yard was still weeds).

One of the more fun features for the kids was a slide built into the walls to each floor.

Unfortunately, they needed a sign for some of us "older" children who pass as adults. "The slides are only fun for children. You may get stuck!"

And as one of those "older children" who tried, it was not fun. And it hurt. And you do get stuck.  

Ray and I were only able to come for the weekend, due to work conflicts. But both of us were so glad we were able to make it to at least a few days of the grand adventure and spend time with the family.

The best part about the trip was that there was always something to do. My uncle and cousin brought their boats and took people tubing, wakeboarding, wake surfing, kneeboarding, etc. 

Some of my other aunts and cousins drove kids down to the beach to play in the sand and water for a few hours.

And others went on hikes to amazing ice caves.

Of course, with the house my Grandparents chose, you didn't even have to leave the house in order to find something to do. This house had it all. Especially, for the kids. With an indoor playground, tramp, and basketball court, the kids were in heaven.  

But probably, the best part was simply, just being with our family. 

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Mady loved being with her cousins 24/7.

These three are were all born within a week of each other. And they are just too cute when they play together. Mady could not wait to wake up and play with her cousins. Sometimes, it was a fight just to get her in bed. 

But we lucked out with her sleeping arrangements; and with her going all day long, it didn't take long for her to be out cold. 

My kids don't lack for attention when my family is around.

Espeically, Carson.  

Which was fine by us - he is still quite the colicky child.

When we could pull Mady away from her cousins, she loved going on the boat. Especially, when Grandma came with. 

On one trip, Mady actually fell asleep on the boat. She is like the energizer bunny sometimes, she keeps going and gong and going. But when she crashes, she crashes hard. 

Ray and I were able to enjoy some kid-less time while on the trip. My family was always so willing to take the kids for us.

 

We had such a fun time getting to know my cousin, Kylie, and her husband, Chris, better. Hopefully, we can continue to get together, despite how far apart we live. They are so fun and awesome. We loved every second with them. 

Even though Ray and I weren't able to stay the whole time at Bear Lake, my Mom and Dad offered to take my kids for the remainder of the trip. Mady was way too excited to give us a proper goodbye and Carson as just happy to have Grandpa's attention. 

It really helped us out, since both of us are working, we have babysitters for the kids. This way, we were able to save some extra money, and the kids got to spend more time with my family. 

Words really can't say how much everyone truly enjoyed this trip. It was fun to see all the goofy personalities come out and to always hear at least one person laughing at all times. 

I loved making my relationships with my family grow deeper, as well as the love I have for each of them.

I am beyond grateful to my Grandparents for giving us this amazing gift and opportunity to spend time together. I'm blessed to have such wonderful examples of true love and charity. THey do so much for all of us. And year after year, have made it a point for all of us to get together a few times a year. 

There were times when I complained about having to go to the Wayman Get-togethers while I was young. But I'm so grateful for them now. I love the support and love I feel from each of my family every time we get with them. I love seeing the love that just fills the room each time we are together. My grandparents have taught me the true meaning of family and the love we share, and they continue to do so. 

We love you all so much. Thank you for the most amazing trip and the wonderful memories. We will cherish them in all the years to come.