Bear Lake August 2014

Last Bear Lake Trip

Last Saturday before school starts calls for one more family trip up to Bear Lake.

Celebrating this baby's first birthday a few days early at Bear Lake. See her tiny tooth?! Yeah, it's her first one that finally decided to make its grand apperance.

Love the feeling of sand between my toes :)

Our Dome Castle Construction Expert

Katie kicking back at the beach

The building of the Sandy Ward Empire complete with some castle, pool, hot tub, soccer arena.

Bear Lake Day

We started a couple summer reading programs this past week.  We told the kids if they read 20 minutes everyday last week, that we'd take them to Bear Lake on Saturday.  They were really excited and met their reading goals.  So yesterday was our family fun day.

Just prepping for the beach by getting a pink mani & pedi #pinklover

Traffic delay for 30 minutes right before our last turn to North Beach.

We listened to the radio and enjoyed the nice breeze as we waited.

We surprised the kids with some water toys and spent the afternoon playing at the beach!

Katie loved the water (a first for her).  The water was really shallow for a long ways out... just perfect for our kids to splash in and play catch.  We even found several tiny sea shells.  Sam helped the kids make a sandcastle.  In the middle of their castle, they were trying to dig a hole all the way to China.

That hole kept collapsing and the castle never reached its completion.  Oh well, there's always next time.  I'm sure my little engineers will figure out the perfect plan.

Katie helped build the sandcastle.

Perfect end to a family fun day #bestraspberryshakesintheland #bearlake

"Patiently" waiting for food #bearlake #dinner #my3boys

Words of Wisdom

"If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place."  -Lao Tzu

"The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood."  - Voltaire

"If you're depressed you're living in the past.
If you're anxious you're living in the future.  
If you're at peace you're living in the present."


"One of the best influences a person can have in this wold is to influence a child."  -Rosemary M. Wixom

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."

Fun Times With Uncle Ryan at Bear Lake

Words of Wisdom

"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for extraordinary destiny."  - C.S. Lewis

"As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more.  For that, good intentions are not good enough.  We must do."  - Deiter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Regrets and Resolutions"

"It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest star."  - Richard Evans

"Hard times don't create heroes.  It is during the hard times that the 'hero' within us is revealed."  - Bob Marley

"Happiness keeps you sweet, trials keep you strong, sorrows keep you human, failures keep you humble, success keeps you glowing, friends and family keep you going."

"Art is not what you see, it is what you make others see."  - Edgar Degas

Words of Wisdom

"Choose light to live bright."

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. ~Helen Keller

"I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us."
-Anne Lamott

"By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is beyond the winning." - Lao Tzu, was a mystic philosopher of ancient China.

Words of Wisdom

“The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.”  - Elder Joseph B. Worthlin

“The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.”  - Elder Joseph B. Worthlin

"We need not worry if we can’t simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. He has spoken of a time and a season for all things. In response to our sincere prayers for guidance, He will direct us in what should be emphasized at each phase of our life. We can learn, grow, and become like Him one consistent step at a time." -Elder Richard G. Scott

“Every man and woman who serves the Lord, no matter how faithful they may be, have their dark hours; but if they have lived faithfully, light will burst upon them and relief will be furnished.” - Lorenzo Snow

Words of Wisdom

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” ~John Lennon

"Freedom is in the capacity to pause between stimulus and response."  

"The details are not the details.  They make the design.  - Charles Eames

"Your journey has molded you for the greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be.  Don't think that you've lost time.  It took each and every situation you've encountered to bring you to the now.  And now is right on time."  - Asha Tyson

"Don't compare your CHAPTER 1 to someone else's CHAPTER 20."

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."  -Martin Luther King, Jr.  

Words of Wisdom

"Don't let people pull you in to their storm.  Pull them into your peace."  - Kimberly Jones

"Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears."

"Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are."  - Malcolm Forbes

"Worrying is stupid.  It's like walking around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain."  - Wiz Khalifa

"For every minute you are angry, you loose sixty seconds of happiness."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to."

Grandpa Hallstrom and Uncle Ryan's Visit

My dad and youngest brother, Ryan came all the way from New York to visit us over spring break.

They arrived at our home on Easter afternoon.  My Grandma Hallstrom and Uncle Calvin joined us for a nice lasagna dinner that evening.  We had a nice time visiting and Ryan played the trumpet for us after we ate.  

The next day, we were planning on going to go to a nearby park, but it started raining.  My dad (Grandpa Hallstrom) totally spoiled us at The Fun Park and then lunch at McDonald's.   Later on, the kids showed their Uncle Ryan and grandpa how good they are jumping on the trampoline.  Our guests totally hopped on and jumped too!  My dad showed my kids some of the home videos he brought of him jumping on the trampoline as a kid.  My kids liked seeing the old silent home movies.

My boys loved the fact that Uncle Ryan is amazing at playing video games.  They'd wake Ryan up some mornings to play Super Mario Bros. with them on the Wii.  Ryan got all the way to the final level of the game by the time he left our house.

On Tuesday, my dad spent the day with his mom.  Katie had preschool in the morning.  We packed up a nice picnic lunch and planned on going up to a nice spot near the mouth of Logan Canyon to eat lunch and walked around.  But after picking up Katie and seeing what a beautiful day it was, I spontaneously decided to go to Bear Lake for a couple hours.  Ryan isn't use to seeing mountains, so the hour drive to the lake and back was fun for him.  We picnicked at the Scenic Overlook.

Then we drove down to Rendezvous Beach and played by the lake.  We even saw some people in the distance ice fishing or something.

Katie insisted on staying in her stroller.

The boys loved grabbing rocks and throwing them at the ice patches.

I have a nice rock throwing video to add soon!

Brian and Ryan became great buddies.  Brian totally looks up to his Uncle Ryan.
I love the relationship they are forming.
Sidenote:  Brian is 8 years younger than Ryan and I am 15 years older than Ryan.

Dad and Ryan were gone on Wednesday and Thursday, touring Salt Lake and Provo.  They went to several museums and walked around the BYU campus.  They stayed with Laura and Brant.

On Friday, this crew made homemade Mint Oreo ice cream.  

My boys' played their new favorite board game, Don't Feed the Gators with their grandpa.

(Thanks, Mom!)

I will add a video of them playing the game soon!

Ryan was great to babysit my kids for a couple hours late that afternoon so my dad and I could attend the Logan Temple together.  We completed the temple work for some of my dad's relatives.  We had a nice time.  My dad and brother had never had Jamba Juice before, so I treated them to their first taste of Jamba Juice.

Brian and I attended General Conference with my dad and Ryan on Saturday.  

On Sunday morning, the New Yorkers flew home.  We loved having them visit!

Family Day @ Bear Lake & Tony Grove

 North Beach Baby 

This girl was content just sitting on her towel and using that purple shovel to fill the purple pail with sand.  

New Discovery: I think we may have a LEFTY in the family!

The boys favorite thing to do was play catch with their daddy in the water.

Bear Lake 2012 from Lisa Ward on Vimeo.

Tyler patiently waiting for his raspberry shake.

 On our drive up to Tony Grove

 The boys got bored waiting for me to meet up with them by the lake.  

Katie had some fashion emergencies that had to be attended to. 

 The water was cool and refreshing.

We walked around the whole lake and made it home with dinner from Pizza Hut.

 Logan Canyon