moms and kids hit the road

we try every summer, at least once, to make a day trip to bear lake with the kids. i have guilt about my kids not being raised anywhere near the ocean and visits to bear lake seem to lessen that guilt. it's definitely the next best thing, sandy beaches, gorgeous water, sand castles, everything i love about the beach. unfortunately we have not been to bear lake for two years now, i think with the addition of ethan it became a little harder to make the trip, so everyone was excited that april and i finally resolved to do it this year no matter what.one of my favorite things about going is the drive. for about twenty five minutes or so it's nothing but winding rodes through the cache national forrest, nothing but trees and cliffs as far as you can see. it's such beautiful scenery but you feel like you must be far away from anything resembling a beach.then just when you think the road could go on forever, you round the corner and....BLAM there's the stunning blue color of the lake, it's surprises me every time and i LOVE it. once you get there you know it's just a short drive down the mountain and you're there. i love the small-town feel of garden city, all the stores and restaurants, even the grocery store all feel "local" and sort of old fashioned.

after the long drive everyone is anxious to do one thing...jump in the cool water and we all agree that it was worth the drive, everything was perfect.

as usual, this was a moms and kids trip, april and i have done it several times sans husbands. we always have a great time gabbing on the trip there and back. and even though she doesn't really love the sand getting into everything (she's a funny girl), she always agrees to come and makes the trip a lot more fun than going it alone. i'm so lucky!after everyone has a chance to play and splash and cool off for a bit, they always settle into their routine of digging, sculpting and shaping the perfect sandcastle. everyone has a specific area that they're supposed to work on and it's all supervised by, you guessed it, allie the boss.

the moms love the castle digging time because we usually get a few minutes to sit and relax. is there anything better than having your toes in the sand? it's one of my favorite feelings.

it's not however, one of ethan's favorite feelings. he ended spending a lot of time on the blanket jumping from towel to towel to avoid the uneveness of the sand, he was the same in winter with the snow. i did manage to talk him into standing (only with sandals on) in the shallow water on the beach, he loved to let the small waves crash on his legs and feet.after a long day of hard play and sunshine, we pack it up to head back home. a trip to bear lake wouldn't be complete though without a famous raspberry shake so we always pick these up to make the car ride home a little easier.

mmmm....raspberry shakes....it's such a fun tradition, i'm already looking forward to next year. maybe we'll even talk a few of the blogger moms into coming with us. hint.hint.