"The place of fun"

That's my new name for the lake house in Pacific City where we vacationed the past 4 days  with my husband's entire family.

(Or at least that's the name I came up with a few seconds ago, after I started to title this post "we had a beachy time" and then realized that's the exact same title I used last year to recap our first visit there. Looks like I'm as corny now as I was a year ago.)

The new title works just as well though because, people, did we ever have FUN! I didn't think it could get any better than our trip last year, but it did... for these main reasons:

1. We did not break down and require towing to get there. 

2. We had excellent sunny weather as opposed to last year's mist and drizzle.

3. Blake was potty trained this year - enough said!

4. The board game Apples to Apples was introduced. HUGE hit.

5. I think every trip we take is better than the one before!

Meet the Halverson clan, 2011

One great grandma (Margaret), 2 grandparents (Teri & Gary), their three children (Erik, Russ & Cara), with their spouses (Tricia, Tim, and myself), and 12 grandchildren (Ben, Mandy, Sam, Derek, Debbie, Drew, Kendall, Mark, Maddy, Cooper, Lizzy, and Blake - in order of age) makes for one lively beach house!

(And technically this is also the Grandle clan since Cara married Tim, but who cares about technicalities, right?)

  

And now I give you my favorite 10, I mean 11, alright, 12 pictures from the trip (out of the 100+ I took, I say that's still pretty good narrowing down skills!) And I've made them huge so hopefully you have speedy computers... 

excited for the first catch of the trip!

the kids swam in the lake multiple times a day

I love s'mores!

dinner prayer

gorgeous Cara

Maddy, Lizzy, and Kendall, with Mandy in the background busy catching tadpoles.

Tricia and Teri visiting by the lake

Three generations of Halversons

Mark and big brother Ben

On your marks, get set, GO!

At the beach!

Uncle Erik buried Blake standing fully upright!

wrestling Grandpa

What, you counted 13 pictures? Umm... I don't know what you're talking about!

Seriously though, so many wonderful memories. I can't wait till next year.