Easter weekend beach trip

We had another really great trip to the beach, this time to Carolina Beach where we found a reasonably nice dive motel right on the beach. Our room was nice and roomie with two queens, and it looked right onto the sand. We enjoyed watching the sun rise twice. We drove down Thursday evening and checked out Saturday morning and were back in time to catch conference. The weather was absolutely perfect, but the water was still a bit cold to enjoy all the way. I did dive in Saturday morning after Collin took me up on the “you go first and I’ll go” challenge.

Click to see more photos:

From Easter weekend 2010 Carolina Beach trip
From Easter weekend 2010 Carolina Beach trip

This is the view of the sunrise from our room Saturday morning:

From Easter weekend 2010 Carolina Beach trip

Bear Lake 2009 and baby news!!

I’ll get to the news first: We’re having another baby! Aubrey is 13 weeks along, and baby #5 is due around February 13, 2010! We’re obviously very excited. It was fun for Aubrey to surprise all of our family in person during our trip. Aubrey made a cute t-shirt that said “bun in the oven” and she walked into the room wearing it. For some others, we had Wesley spread the word and he did it very cute, saying, “I have a surprise for you! We’re having another baby!” then running away while they processed what he had just said. Fun stuff. I’m very happy! And yes, I would be happy with either a girl or a boy 🙂

From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

We got back late last night after a very bumpy ride from SLC to RDU and a long and tiring but very fun vacation to Idaho and Utah. We spent the first week on the eastern shore of Bear Lake on the Idaho side, where we rented a huge 7,000 sq. ft. house that easily accomodated all 26 of us (11 adults and 15 kids).

Here’s a shot of all of us in the t-shirts that I designed:

From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

It was pretty posh with a climbing wall, ping-pong table, movie theatre and all the luxury accoutrements and styling of an upscale lodge cabin. My mom and all my siblings were there along with all the grandkids.

Matt brought his boat and we borrowed my uncle Brad’s two jet skis, so we spent every day down on the lake in the water. The water, by the way was crystal clear and bright blue, and was shallow for about 100 yards, making it easy for the kids to play in the water. I made a few runs on the wake board — I was feeling pretty comfortable and even got air a few times (right before face-planting usually). Boats are fun. Maybe in a few years it would be a fun pasttime for my family with all the lakes around Apex.

From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip
From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

Grady wants to go out to the boat:

From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

We also had a fun bingo game with prizes, outdoor olympics, morning calisthenics, karaoke and talent show, pinata, ping-pong tournament (Drew was “run-around” champion. I was traditional champ.), a surprise impromptu birthday cake for me (OK, it was a stack of creme puffs) and lots and lots and lots of food. And we had a lot of food. Did I mention food?

From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip
From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

We went to Garden City during the Raspberry Days festival and got the famous Bear Lake raspberry shakes.

After a full week at Bear Lake, everyone took off and we drove straight down to Park City (on my 36th birthday) and went to the Olympic Park and Museum and training center. We watched the US National aerial acrobatics ski tream training on the aerial ramps in the pool. That was very cool. Then Collin, Owen, and I rode the alpine slide before heading out.

We spent the rest of the 2nd week staying with Beth and Bryce in Pleasant Grove, in Bryce’s parents’ basement. It was relaxed and we made some fun day trips from there.

We took the kids up to “hike the Y” and they were troopers, as the temperature started soaring and it was very steep and dry and long, especially for our poor little 4-year-old Wesley who hiked in his Crocs with no socks. Owen seemed to be feeling the effects of the altitude (6200 feet at the top of the Y) and the heat the most, and I carried Grady up and down the whole way. Hopefully they will have good memories of the event. Afterwards we took them to the BYU Bookstore for some school gear and the Cougar Eat as an early BYU recruiting trip. We’re pretty sure Collin would hardly consider any other school. Nice.

From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

I also got to go golfing with Bryce, which was fun, and we had FHE with Aubrey’s grandma Smith, where Grady knocked his front tooth back. Aubrey pushed it back in place and it seems to be doing fine.

We also spent time visiting one of Aubrey’s friends from college, more time with Grandma Packham, and a picnic in American Fork canyon where we were lucky to get free rides on a zip line that is set up for church camps.

From 2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

Other highlights for our family:
2 bloody noses, 2 hornet stings, 2 bad blisters, 1 pinata crushed, 1 tooth knocked back (on 2-year-old), 1 legitimate lost tooth (6-year-old), one Y mountain climbed, 9 zip line rides, 2 alpine slide runs

Here’s a link to all of my photos from the vacation:

2009 Bear Lake Packham Family reunion trip

Outer Banks in July

Some friends invited us to crash on the floor of their beach rental for a couple of nights, so we took them up on the offer and headed to the OBX. The house was in Southern Shores, just south of Duck, and not far from Corolla, where we visited the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. We went to the beach three times in two days and had a blast. It was in the upper 80s with warm water the whole time.

From 2009 July – Outer Banks

Owen loved just being in the waves, like a fish letting each wave go over his head. Collin had a couple of great boogie board rides all the way in to shore. After each ride he looked back at me and held his fist in the air – the fist of victory! He obviously loved it. And Wesley was Mr. independent, just strolling up and down the beach exploring every which way and playing in the sand.  Grady also loved the sand and just being out of doors and exploring in the open breeze.

The Currituck Beach lighthouse was really fun to visit too. The boys love visiting and climbing new lighthouses. The old-school rails weren’t quite up to today’s width standards, so it was a bit nerve-wracking to take Grady up there.

We got back to Apex just in time to buy a box of fireworks and light them off in our driveway with some neighbors. It was a really great and relaxing week.

From 2009 July – Outer Banks
From 2009 July – Outer Banks
From 2009 July – Outer Banks
From 2009 July – Outer Banks
From 2009 July – Outer Banks
From 2009 July – Outer Banks
From 2009 July – Outer Banks

See the rest of the photos.

Wrapping up 2008 — At the beach

After spending Christmas week at home vegging out and just relaxing around the house, we were ready to get out, but weren’t quite sure where to go. Then we remembered that we had always wanted to go to the USS North Carolina battleship memorial down in Wilmington. So we booked a hotel in Carolina Beach for a couple of nights and headed down.

The battleship was very, very cool. The scale of the parts was amazing, from the links on the anchor chains to the 16-inch gun barrels. And the interior of the ship was cool too. The kids loved exploring. Collin started getting anxious when it seemed like we were going in circles down in the underbelly. Perhaps its a sign that he won’t be joining the Navy.

From Bald Head Island and Carolina Beach Trip

The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise from our hotel room:

From Bald Head Island and Carolina Beach Trip

Then we headed over to Bald Head Island via ferry. On the island there are no cars, so we walked up to Old Baldy Lighthouse and climbed to the top.

From Bald Head Island and Carolina Beach Trip

Then we rented a golf cart and toured around the island, stopping at a few remote and beautiful beaches. It was a gorgeous, sunny, warm day.

From Bald Head Island and Carolina Beach Trip

One scary thing was when Owen fell out of the back of the golf cart while we were doing about 12 mph (top speed) and rolled a couple times. He seemed dazed but only came out of it with a few decent abrasions. He’s a tough kid.

From Bald Head Island and Carolina Beach Trip

A few other recent highlights:

Aubrey’s 31st birthday:

From Fall 2008

Wesley’s 4th birthday:

From Fall 2008

Halloween:

From Fall 2008

And even more scarier Halloweeeen!!! Bwah-hah-haahaa:

From Fall 2008

Collin’s 8th birthday and flag football party:

From Fall 2008

Collin’s baptism:

From Fall 2008