Oktoberfest

A few weeks ago we went up to the Oktoberfest held at Snowbird.  We met Derek's parents and Grandma who were staying up there.  We walked around the center, the kids went swimming and we ate dinner together.

Fall is in the air.  The entire mountain is changing colors.

Beautiful flowers /Lovely girls

Riding the ski lift up to the alpine slide

Showing off the necklaces that they purchased at the booths.

The best part about dinner was the homegrown peaches from Judith's yard...topped with vanilla caramel icecream. YUMMY!

Alli's Garden

Alli took over the garden this year and planted just about everything you can imagine.  Pumpkins, spinach, beets, zucchini, tomatoes, watermelon, carrots, etc.  

I have to mention that every plant was started by seeds and organized in certain areas. She has shown great dedication with weeding and watering daily.  

Lunch with Grandmas

A wonderful time spent with Grandma Judith and Grandma Barber just before Kayli left for Hawaii.

Bear Lake with friends!

I love this lake! It is one of the most beautiful places. Although, I don't love the water temps...we manage to ignore the cold and still have a lot of fun.

The mud hole.  This is a common activity at Bear Lake.  Kayli and Haley used to do this back when they were this age. The gooey mud heats up with the sun; maybe that's why they like it so much.

He not only drives the boat, but anchors it too and he even puts skis on children repeatedly.  I try to help where I can, but basically Derek is a one man show.

Getting ready to create teams for Bocce ball.

Jake and Gray spent countless hours on the jet skis/wave runners

Linda Sullivan (my sister's mother-in-law) brought up her tandem bike and let us all take turns riding it around the resort.

Time in the hot tub is always a treat when the tempuratures start to drop

Madi and Kayli collecting shells to send to a special someone far away.

Sand creations by Berkeley and Alli

Kayli and Ashley
And don't forget...

the famous raspberry shakes. Madi tried a new shake on this trip called "Caramel Hot Fudge".  Everyone else loved it, too.

Sara got up on Waterskis!!
She's has gotten up one time before, but this time I was actually there to take the picture.
WAY TO GO - Sara!!

Longboarding on a Sunday afternoon...

Fort building and sand wars

SHRIMP BOIL, Anyone??

The wind started to pick up strong when we were just about to sit down for the cajun shrimp boil...we proceeded anyways.
Get ready to have all the food dumped in the middle of the table and we'll get ready to eat with our hands! This is the fun part that all the kids look forward to. The mom's love it because there are no dishes to do! After we're finished, we just roll the tablecloth up and magically throw it all away.

Two years in a row. This just might become our new Labor Day tradition with the Andersons.

a birthday sleepover

I just came across these pictures that I forgot to download from my other camera. All of these cute cousins are back home now, yet we still remember all the fun of that day when princess Dorothy woke up at our house as the 4-year-old birthday girl.
We had to celebrate by playing at the city splash park. It was a beautiful day, but the water was cold.
Dorothy, Sara & Molly
Kayli came along with me and we just enjoyed watching and reading while the girls ran around.
Amber and Madi trying to warm up on the hot cement bench.
Snowasis Flavored Ice - YUM!

Sisters/Girls Trip 2010

These women are amazing and if I weren't related, I would definately pick them as my best friends. I can't get enough time with them. We really enjoy our trips together. Thanks Dan for the airline tickets, Mom for the car and all of our nice husbands for taking great care of all our precious children back home.
Bahama Breeze (I love these vintage chairs)
FRRROZEN Hot Chocolate - Serendipity!!Tennis Anyone? Woops...someone forgot their tennis shoes.
We had so much fun playing and the weather was perfect!

These are some crazy PJ shirts Kathy bought us while we were shopping. We had a great time choosing the exact one we wanted.  Thanks Kath!Serendipity...again...
I really didn't drink this entire glass by myself, but I could have...it was so delicious!
The Venetian Hotel Shops -

Enjoying the hot tub in the late afternoon

Laughing together...sometimes my sides just ached. Can't wait to do it all again next year.

Jacob's Challenge

what does 31 donuts and 2 giant texas donuts (underneath) look like in one box?...sMAshEd.... and all for only $2.99? who would think to buy them any other way?

Summertime at Snowbird

Every July, Derek's parents arrange for condos for all the families up at Snowbird. We all enjoy many different activities together for a whole week. This trip has been going on even before Derek and I started dating. In fact, one of our first dates was hiking the tram together.
This was Sara's favorite part of the all day activity passes. She surprised me with how quickly she could climb to the top and ring the bell.
Darby and Madi show off their dance skills.

Cecret Lake Hike - The wildflowers were incredible this year.
Snowbird slumber parties are so sweet!

Grandma's tradition of making tie-dye shirts with everyone.
Hiking to the top of the Tram via the ridge trail. The views on both sides were spectacular.

We're happy that we made it to the top.

Many hours were spent enjoying the pool - Sara & Everett

Great walks out the the point
Back rubs and foot rubs (from Laura)
It's all good when you realize that playtime at the park isn't just for the little kids.
Michelle, me and Heather
Such cute faces!
Every night these three (plus Alli and Benjamin) would stay up late playing night games with a bunch of other teenagers staying here. Because we all come on the same week each year, those great friends they made will be here next summer too.