Bear Lake

When Jeremy joined us in Utah we made the annual pilgrimage to Bear Lake.  We stopped in Brigham City on the way up, attempting to find one of Jeremy's Young Men who is on a mission there.  We didn't have any luck finding Elder Montierth but we did get to drive around the temple under construction.  It is startlingly beautiful!

After winding through Logan Canyon we always love to catch the first glimpses of sparkling Bear Lake.  We all had to stop to get out and take pictures.

One of the first things the boys wanted to do was play tennis!  They wanted to spend hours out on the courts with their cousins.

Saturday morning usually brings the Laketown Ward fundraising breakfast.  They serve good food, and lots of it. 

Since Jacob's football is surgically attached to his hand (grin), a pick-up game is never far away.  Pretty soon Papa, Jeremy, Cameron, Jacob, and Isaac were running plays on the big grassy field.

King Family Pictures

King Family pictures are always while we are at Bear Lake.  It's always fun to "dress up" a little after being so beach-casual all weekend.

All of my boys are growing up.  This is Spencer:

Noah:

Jacob:

and Isaac:

Their cousins are growing like crazy, too!  We realized that Collin is almost a year old and we hadn't even met him in person yet.  This is Cameron and Collin:

And Kaitlyn:

And Kallie Jane:

This is all of us at the beach:

All of us, again:

Nana and Papa are so proud of their children and grandchildren.

Allen Family Pictures

We try to do family pictures (on both sides of the family) every time we are able to get us all together.  This year the Allen family reunion was at Fish Lake and we were all there except Jeremy.  My mom and dad are so proud of their (growing) posterity!



I love this picture except for the fact that my sweet husband is missing!

Aunt Katy, Uncle Dan, and the Bean kids: Grace, Liam, Clara, Henry, and Emmett.



Aunt Emily, Uncle Jared, and the Carr kids: Calvin, Ethan, Austin, and Eliza.



Uncle Joe, Aunt Kelli, and the Allen kids: Grant and Luke.



And this is everyone, standing on the deck of the Lodge with the beautiful lake in the background.



Geronimo!

Noah spent a week at Camp Geronimo with his Scout troop in July.  They spent so much time earning money and preparing merit badge prerequisites that they were happy to finally just GO!

Their patrol is the Ninjas and they had some awesome looking patches, neckerchiefs, and slides.

The early-morning, last-minute scramble.  Everyone was so busy I didn't even cry this time.

I love the sight of Scouts in uniform!  There were around 20 boys from our ward who went.  What an undertaking!

Once at camp, Noah worked on Astronomy, Leatherworking, Environmental Science, and Wilderness Survival.  This is the shelter he had to build and sleep in as one of the requirements.

And look!  Noah did survive!  (Isn't he handsome?)

The Scouts had the opportunity to ride horses on a trail around the camp.

Noah especially liked the ceremonies and skits at the evening campfires.  The whole group had a great time and earned tons of merit badges.  What a memorable and worthwhile experience.



Haboob

ha·boob noun \hə-ˈbüb\ : A penetrating sandstorm or dust storm with violent winds.

On July 5th I was in a Stake Council meeting and came out to what looked like Apocalypse weather.  Thick dust had coated everything and driving through the streets was eerie.  The air was filled with dust and it looked like a foggy night back home in Utah.  I arrived home and the boys were so excited to tell me about the dust storm that had passed through.  Everyone was safe and sound, just a little dusty. The pictures and video Spencer took were unbelievable!  Dust storms here in Phoenix are officially called "haboobs" and the media have a heyday with the name.  So funny.