Bear Lake Birthday Bash

With a family as big as mine, it is getting harder and harder to get everyone all together. Everyone's own families are growing and life continues to get busier for all of us. With my Dad having a milestone birthday to celebrate this year, my mom decided it was the perfect excuse for a real, good old-fashioned FAMILY REUNION!! It had been 5 years since we had done a retreat like this, far too long!!

My mom found an amazing cabin overlooking Bear Lake and it could not have been more perfect!! A 9000+ sqft playhouse... fully equipped with indoor and outdoor slides from one level to the next, a theatre room, indoor sport court, putting green, trampoline, playhouse, swings, teeter totters, pool and ping pong tables and nearly everything in between. It could not have been more perfect for the 35+ of us and it could not have come equipped with a more incredible view!!

Leah was is heaven with the constant attention of all of her favorite people and things to do all.day.long. She loved all of her playtime with cousins and spent all day every day going full force... whether it was practicing her golf swing, playing with the bazillions of balls, swinging on swings, sliding on slides, jumping on the trampoline or just playing with her little besties and new to her toys.... she loved every single minute of it!

  

As for the rest of us... we took full advantage of the kiddies being pre-occupied and did plenty of lounging, pampering, eating and game play ourselves. It was so much fun to have everyone there, totally relaxed and settled in with no where else to be.

Of course the highlight of the weekend was celebrating the guest of honor.... 

my awesome dad!!

My mom, sisters and I had spent several months leading up to his birthday putting together a special book in his honor. It included submissions, memories, letters and tributes from all of his siblings, kids, grandkids, even great grandkids and my mom, of course. It was a look back at all he has accomplished in his life and the impact that he has had on all of us. It was a ridiculous amount of work, but so incredible to have a life sketch of such an amazing man. It is a book that I will treasure forever. I was so excited to finally give it to him and see his reaction. I was not disappointed. :)

 And here he is with all of his littlest admirers... his 3 youngest grandkids and all of his great grandkids. 

This picture makes me so happy. 

These little people are so lucky to have such an amazing grandpa and papa!!

I hope we don't have to wait another 5 years before doing this again!! It was perfect in every way. 

Happy Birthday Papa!!

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"The love of family is life's greatest blessing."

-unknown

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."

-Desmond Tutu