Bear Lake and My Family That I LOVE!

  Going to Bear Lake was such a needed little trip!

We sat, we talked, we laughed, we ate, we swam, and paddle boarded, and were lazy, lazy, lazy!!!

JUST what we all needed for just a minute...:)

Kesslyn loved playing with Lexi, and I think the feelings were mutual ;)

 (although we really missed having Kierra there...;)

  Gavin LOVED the water too! It was 78 degrees and very comfortable :)

 Clint naturally mastered the paddle board...of course;)

  Carew had fun, and of course loved to tease;)

 Kambriella was a FISH and tried everything!

 The paddle boarding was Gavin's FAVORITE! ;)

 Even us big kids enjoyed getting in the water...Tiffany and Kambriella XO

 Dallin and Gavin on the paddle boards...

 Colby hiding from the sun in his GIANT cowboy hat! :)

 Carew trying to tip Dallin off the paddle board...

 and ME! The paddle board really was fun and a good little exercise, especially paddling against the wind. :) Tiffany, Kambriella, and I all went out together :)

We all had moments where we would just crash and nap...but this picture of Gavin napping on the cot on the bed was priceless! ;)

 The domino Mexican Train game was the biggest hit...

 Next to the fun in the sand of course!

Dallin dug a hole deep enough to stand in, and then the boys covered his legs and had fun pushing him over and watching him pop back up! It was hilarious!!!

 Kissy Kess was in heaven playing in the sand and the water. She could have stayed ALL DAY!!!

 Sweet little baby hands and toes in the sand!!!

  Kambriella worked hard with me trying to build a sand castle...

 ...and Kesslyn worked hard at trying to knock it down!!!

Beach Hair and the girls don't care! ;)

  Just DON"T eat the sand!!! :)

Cute Dallin got buried in the sand all the way up to his head!!!

  ...and then sweet little Kesslyn took advantage of the moment and gave him a big "Kessy Kiss!!!"

She's so sweet!!! And so is that Dallin... :)

(He looked like the Sand Monster when he got uncovered!;)

And here's the whole crew! We all had so much fun together at Bear Lake! :)

 Gavin LOVED the paddle board and kept on going back out...

 I love you sweet little buddy Gavinator! ;)

 Gavin picked up his buddy Dallin and went back out on the lake...

they are such good brothers, just like best friends...the way they should be. :)

 ...then their cousin Xaxton joined them too!

  They paddled and played and had fun until the storm blew in so quickly that we all had to hurry and pack up and leave...

It was so strong, and still so beautiful. :)

 After we finished at the lake, we got cleaned up and headed into town for dinner out on the town...

Kesslyn ran around and played and thought Colby made a hilarious reindeer...;)

  ...and I thought Tiffany and Colby made a cute couple... :)

 But this cute guy is my very very favorite!!! ;)  ;)

 He's such a fun dad...

 ...and such a good husband!!!

 He loves me soooo much and makes me so happy!!!

 ...and THESE are some good good kids!!!

 Carew is enjoying every last minute before he leaves on his mission soon...and THIS little sweetie is at the top of his list of all of those who he will miss for the next 2 years!

 Have I said how much I LOVE this sweet family of mine???

Bear Lake was a SHORT little getaway...but one worth it's weight in gold...

It came so quick and was gone so fast...

but the memories are going to last FOREVER!!! 

(Just like this family of mine! XOXOXOXO)  

 The beauty that surrounded us the entire time made me so grateful once again, and each time I see the majesty of God's creations I feel His love so much...the picture right below was of the night before we left. The moon was so amazing and when I took this picture I tried to get all of the beauty incorporated into one shot...The moon, the sky, the clouds, the trees, the mountains, and water's edge of the lake. Everything about this trip was so beautiful to me. :)

I can't wait to do it again!!!

Minetonka Cave

Here we are at the Minetonka Cave up at Bear Lake!

 The perfect thing to do and the perfect way to end our little getaway...

Isn't it beautiful??

We hiked the cave and saw some of nature's most spectacular treasures...

Like this little cave formation that the rangers affectionately call "Elsa's Castle."  :) 

 The sights were spectacular, but these 2 are still some of my MOST FAVORITE views!!! ;)

 There were cave columns...

 ...and cave bacon... :)

 ...and Kambriella's favorite...Snow white and her 7 dwarfs, and Casper the friendly ghost! :)

 We ended up at the "Wedding Room" which is where I always want to be with my sweet, cute hubby! This little getaway was super fun...but way too short!!!

I can't wait to go again! :)

(More details to come;)

The New MTC

 Yesterday I took the kids (Xaxton in place of Gavin since he was still at scout camp) and we went to the new MTC open house!

The missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter~day Saints all go to the Missionary Training Center for a period of time for up to 6 weeks where they live, study, learn, and prepare for their 2 years of service as full time missionaries!

The church has just recently completed some new buildings that we got to go inside of and take a tour.. it was awesome to see and helped me to better visualize some of the things that my son will be doing in just one short month from now!

As we got on the bus, I read the names on the missionary tags of the cute couple sitting across from us and realized they had the same name as one of my dear friends in the ward...sure enough!!! It was her parents! :) Small world! (Full of really really awesome people! ;)

 Carew ran into a friend he knew from school...meet Elder Kochevar :)

...ANNND...Carew got to point out where on the world map he will be serving his mission..

Rome, Italy!

 The tour was about a 3/4 of a mile walk around the different buildings.

There was definitely a tangible spirit there. You could feel the goodness all around you, it was such a good feeling and I felt happy and excited fr the amazing opportunities that await Carew and my other children that want to serve missions as well...

 The grounds were beautiful...(Kesslyn kept saying "bum" although I'm still not sure why...)

She is getting so close to potty training and I cannot wait!

 Everyday at the MTC there are different flags that are flown to represent hundreds of countries throughout the world..and sure enough, we found Italy!!!

 Sweet Dallin of course LOVED the artwork of what reminded him of the beach! :) Even though the picture was to teach about Moses parting the Red Sea and NOT the beach. It was very beautiful and made me want to find out who it was done by, but no one seemed to know...

 We watched a short film with testimonies from living prophets and apostles and the spirit testified to me that this work is sacred and true and it is hastening and I'm so grateful to be a part of it.

The world really does need His truth...

When our tour was over we rode the bus back to our car, went to Cold Stone for ice~cream, and then headed home. It was a fun day. :)

 When we got home Clint and I went to visit Brad and Susan to see how he was doing...he was sooo much better and progressing a little each day.
We then went out to dinner and to the grocery store for our date night. We rolled in around 11:00p.m. and then I started in on making Lorelei's homemade granola recipe for taking to the cabin at Bear Lake for our little get away...It was easy to make and tastes YUMMY AND it's pretty good for you too! Yes. :) 

Soooo excited for today! Time to get away and PLAY!!!

Happy weekend!!! :)

Summer Mornings

I love summer mornings out in the beautiful fresh air, when we are all care free and can enjoy doing things together.

 All the kids came with me on a bike ride while I ran and pushed Kesslyn in the stroller...

Everyone had fun and I kept on laughing to myself when Kesslyn would put both hands up in the air as if she were on a roller coaster ride. :)

 I know that these are some of the happiest times of my life and I don't want them to ever go away.

That's one reason why I am writing this all down. I know it's the little things in life that all added up together make the big things, and I'm just so very very grateful. 

I really do have the best family in the world and I love them all so very much!!!

I also sent Gavin off to scout camp yesterday!

He went for the day and then was able to come home last night.

 But he left again this morning but this time all packed up to stay the night!

Gavin the Great...you are one amazing dude and I am so blessed to be your mom!

Have a great time and I will see you tomorrow afternoon just in time to head to Bear Lake for a little family vacation!!! :) I LOVE you little buddy! XOXOXOXO

My Drier Died ;(

When  you have a family of 8 and your drier dies, you CRY!!!

And then when your hunk of a hubby buys you a new one, you SMILE!!!

Thanks Clint for the new dryer! This mama is GRATEFUL!!! :)

A Date With Dallin

Dallin Clint Trickett, you are an amazing son. Your selfless service to me WITHOUT being asked always amazes me! You never pass me by without recognizing a way that you can lift or help me and I love it! Whether it's doing the dishes, playing with your baby sister, giving me a hug and a kiss, (or a massage when I seem tired), you are ALWAYS serving in our family and I love you for that! Thank you for just being you, a remarkable young man, eager to do so much good in the world...

Thanks for the fun date at the mall doing your school shopping! I can't believe you're going to be in the 9th grade and starting seminary!!! 

You are really growing up and you make your mom sooo proud!

I LOVE YOU!!! XOXOXOX

Things I accomplished yesterday:

International Driver's Permit for Carew

Birthday gifts for Relief Society Sisters/ Presidency meeting

New Glasses for Gavin for school

Ice cream at Arctic Circle for all the kids!

A play date for Kambriella and Gavin

School shopping with Dallin and little Kissy Kess :)

A phone call with Kierra :)

Crock pot dinner for the fam...

Cuddles with the my favorite peeps ;)

Paint to paint the kayaks

Planning for Gavin's priesthood party and Carew's mission farewell...

What an AWESOME day. :)

Too bad I had to go to bed with a migraine. :(

Glad it's gone this morning! Time to roll up my sleeves and go to work!!! :)

Little Mommies

My girls are like little mommies to each other. :)

Kierra was amazing at it when she lived here, and now Kambriella is filling that same role, and has been ever since Kesslyn was born.

Last night, Kambriella wanted to put Kesslyn to bed so she read her scriptures to her, said her prayers with her, and cuddled and rocked her until she gave in.

They are going to be the BEST moms one day, I just know it! :)

Sweetness. Pure sweetness. :)