Raspberry picking, cake floats, cousins and caves

Raspberry Picking
So after our reunion some of us stayed on. Hmmmm, let me see...120 degree weather in Phoenix or hanging on the beach at Bear Lake. Tough decision. I'm just mad that school starts so early here so we couldn't stay into August. But we lived it up while we were there. On Saren's birthday we went raspberry picking. It was actually tough to find a place where we could do it, but it was worth it for the tastiness of it all and the memories it brought flooding back from when we would go pick berries when we were young. The kids thought it was great, and I'm sure they ate more that we could stuff in our paper cups.
Claire got a little distracted and decided to spread
dandelion seeds around while we were picking...
Cake Float
We lived in Bear Lake every summer as we were growing up. My sister Saydi had a birthday tradition of always floating her cake at Bear Lake since we were always there on her birthday (August 12th). She would go take it out in the water on whatever floaty thing we had and swim around with it. Somehow it always made it out dry and delicious. So she's continued that tradition every year...even when not at Bear Lake (the reflecting pool in front of the monuments in D.C., in the bathtub on her mission, etc.) I know, kind of wacky, but it's been one of the really lasting, fun traditions in our family. So when Elle was born on her same birthday we jumped in on the tradition. It happens whether we're at Bear Lake or not (last year we had to do it in our swimming pool), and now that school starts so early we can never be there for the big day so we decided to start doing it early so that these two can do it together.
this was one of the windiest years yet...
Cousins
To Elle's delight her great cousins McKenna and
Allie came up for a few days. We sure loved having them.Elle wasn't too excited to go fast with the girls
on the Big Mable...Max was a little more daring...A trip to Minnetonka cave with the older kids for
Saren's birthday...fun times except that
I decided caves make me a little claustrophobic.