Lake Powell Prep and Day 1

This year Lake Powell was a little different than it usually is. First we were missing some of our family...Nate is on his mission and will be back next summer to go with us and Kim and Ez couldn't come due to the move and timing of all of it but hopefully next year they will join us as well since we really missed all of them. Secondly Matt and I were in charge of pretty much everything Since we have the boat we were in charge of packing the boat, grocery shopping for everyones food, along with prepping all of our own stuff. Although it was a lot of work I like being in charge of stuff like that. Im not sure my kitchen has looked such an unorganized mess but here it is

Can you find the little blonde girl hiding amongst all the food and boxes?

Oh and there she is again I guess she wanted to make sure we didn't forget to take her along. We cleaned everything out of the boat and vaccumed and deep cleaned so we would have a fresh start although now looking back I think this was probably a waste of time since we had to do it all over when we got home.

I spent Tuesday morning packing all the last minute thinks mostly food. Matt worked half day and came home about noon. We ate and loaded up to start our vacation. Since we had eaten before we left the kids fell asleep pretty fast since it was nap time. Matt and I enjoyed their sleeping and just visited and made sure we had remembered everything before we got to far from home.

After a while they woke up and found some activities in their basket to do to pass the time. We have such good kids. They were so great the entire ride.

 We stopped in Kanab to get gas and grab some dinner before heading to our final destination the lake. When we got there we had about a hour til it would be dark. We were the last to arrive about a hour after Nic and an about 2 hours behind my parents. In some ways that was nice so everyone pitched in and we got most of camp up before dark. The 1st night was hot and loud. We had some crazy neighbors that were drinking and fighting throughout the night. We also found out that when we have another baby we will need a bigger tent. The next morning the rangers showed up wanting details about the night before and ultimately decided to arrest the guilty party and kick the remainder of their group off of the beach. We finished getting up camp and had some breakfast before we went on the boat while the water was still smooth.

 This was our 1st year without a trailer in 2 years so we made some adjustments to try to have some nicer accommodations. We bought a porta potty, brought a portable a/c unit, and a dark colored tote to use as a bathtub. See you fill it in the morning with the lake water and then it sits in the sun all day getting it nice and warm just in time for evening bath time. The tote was heavier than I could lift on my own when filled so this stud muffin helped me.

 It didn't take long for the boat to take its toll on the tired kids. Rigs was first.

 We bought a ski trainer last year but Hallie was to afraid to try it but this year we had been practicing on the lawn and she couldn't wait to get out there and do some skiing. We started close to the beach and I stayed in the water by her to make sure she was ok. Matt held the rope so she could be closer behind the boat. Then they pulled her up and off she went. Her face was priceless she was so proud of herself.

Then there was only one problem we had talked so much about how to get up we had forgotten to explain to her how she should let go when she was done. She got a little scared but did great and is getting better at figuring it out each time she goes now.

 Then Maddi and I went knee boarding by then the water was getting a little choppy so we didn't go very far we were getting beat against the water.

 Time for a swim break this is a good chance for everyone to get wet and out of the boat...always a kid favorite

 We found the "cliff" we have been jumping off for the past 6 years although each year we have reassess how deep the water is and where is safe to jump due to the constantly changing water levels.

 This is where they settled on jumping it was about 30 feet. Nic and I were talking in the boat about how the older we get the less appealing cliff jumping is to us. As we were having this conversation we each had a kid asleep on our laps. Floating in the sun with a baby on your lap is the life

The boys started crafting how they would best show the cliff jumping so Matt decided to take his phone up against the cliff and record Kyle jumping over him.

 This is our little hat gang...lol but truly the last thing you need at the lake is a bad sunburn

 And sometimes after day one with little to no sleep and more snacks than one should eat in a short period this is what we feel like although most of us are better at hiding it. Someday she will kill her dad for taking this

 Seriously...no more pictures dad

But a warm bath and some yummy food seems to make everything better

That night we bathed all the kids in out tote. It wasn't the warmest bath they have ever had but it was warmer than the lake. Then after everyone was cleaned up and in their pjs it was time for Uncle Kyle to show them how to fish.

It was a great 1st day. The wind blew a little but not enough to both anyone much. Once the sun started to go down the air cooled down and it was very nice and quiet sleeping. 

Rigs Birthday & a Farewell BBQ

 Saturday the 7th Matt and I watch Rigs and Kinley while Nic and Ky ran the dirty dash in Park City. The kids have a great time and for the most part play really well together. Its nice that they are so close for us to spend time with.

 That afternoon Nic and Ky came to get all the kids including ours so Matt and I could shop for Lake Powell. After we finished shopping we went to Nics for Rig's birthday party. His birthday always seems to fall over our Lake Powell trip so Nic decided this year we would celebrate early so he could have a real party. They had pizza, cake and ice cream, and of coarse presents. A good time was had by all and we headed home that night very ready for bed and ready for another family filled day again when the sun came up. Sunday after church and naps we headed to Kimbers for farewell BBQ of sorts. She had invited all of us as well as all of Ez's family that live up north. The weather was a little windy but temperature was just about right. The kids played while we all visited and talked about how life will now change.

Kimber and Ez moved on Saturday the 14th while the rest of us were at Lake Powell or traveling home. To be honest I don't really like to think about the fact that now one of my best friends is hours and hours away and I can no longer call her up and hang out of the day. I am although very grateful for technology and the fact that I can still see and talk to her on a regular basis and see sweet Luke and have some interactions with him. We are already planning a couple trips to Vegas before the end of the year. It will all be ok a lot of time relationships that are worth it require some work or in this case a lot of driving.

East Canyon with Friends

We have been enjoying the boat more than I can even express. Matt and I have decided we will try to pick a day each week to go up after work and do some boating so far it has worked well and the lake has been pretty much ours. Although we are finding that $20 bucks in gas just wont cut it we have had to cut our playing short the last couple times so now we know more gas is better than less. This particular trip was just days before we left for Powell and we went with Steph and Jon as well as Katie and Chris and their families. It was a blast but we also made our 1st major boating error. Matt and I left before everyone else so we could stop and get gas. We also got to the lake shortly before everyone else arrived so we had time to prep the boat and get everything set up. Matt asked if I wanted to wait for everyone to put the boat in. I said no I would rather unload it with just us and not have to worry about all the people being around. So we back down the ramp and got into the water without a problem. I headed out of the wake less speed zone to go run the boat in the loop while I waited for Matt to park the suburban. Matt called to tell me everyone else was parking and they would be down shortly. When I pushed the throttle the boat didn't get up and go like it usually does. I sat there running through the checklist of things that could be wrong and then it hit me....we forgot to put the plug in the back of the boat!! I quickly turned the boat around, turned on the bilge, and called Matt pretty frantic. He knew instantly something was wrong. I quickly explained and he was in the truck backing down the ramp but it seemed to take forever. I had both the girls with me and they could tell something was wrong. I did my best to explain to them but not freak them out. Hallie kept asking if we were sinking luckily we could see know water so I used that to explain that no we were not and even if we were thats why we wear life jackets. We got it back on the trailer and out of the water. We sat on the ramp watching the water drain(there wasn't as much as I had thought there to be). I was shaking and trying not to have a panic attack thinking how bad the situation really could have been. What if we had loaded everyone into the boat, what if I wouldn't have noticed so quickly, what if, what if??? Matt kept reassuring me I had done everything right but I was so nervous about the whole situation. How could we have forgotten something so simple yet so important? We looked in the back lockers there was little water but not much. We checked the engine and once again everything looked great. How had we been so blessed? When the boat stopped draining it was time to put the boat in the water...I was a nervous wreck to say the least and for most of the night I worried about everything and anything. I talked to my dad he said everything would be fine that you would never be a true boater until you forgot to put the plug in the boat so we had now been initiated. He laughed but I still didn't think it was to funny. He reminded me of the story of when he had forgot to put the plug in the boat...I even remembered it happening maybe thats why I knew what to do? Who knows but it truly was one of the scariest moments in my life and although I never want to relive it I hope to always remember it so it will hopefully never happen again! Now onto the fun part of our evening....the boating part.

 Gracie wanted her picture taken but then never wanted to smile but I promise she really likes the boat and pictures....most of the time

 Silly Chris with his and Zozo's string cheese

 Such a cute picture of Steph and Alice

 Early in the evening the water was a little choppy so we started with tubing. The kids loved it here they all are on the tube.

 Steph and Jon's family plus our Hallie

As the night went on the water got smoother we did some wake boarding and I skied. We all had packed dinner but we were to busy to even eat. We played until it was almost dark and we were out of gas sadly. We had lots more playing we could have done. We all ended up eating on the way home in the cars. It was a fun night with friends and any time spent boating is a great time as long as we remember the simple yet important things.

Such a Fun but Sad Day

So now that the cat is out of the bag I'm allowed to talk about Kim and Ez moving to Las Vegas. And even worse they are moving on June 14th!!! I can't express how heart broken I was when I heard. As time has passed it is almost like Im going through the stages of grief...sounds silly I know. Since Kim and Ez came from St. George and Nic and Kyle came from Cedar City it has been awesome having them all so close. Since my parents are in Vegas and wont be coming this way anytime soon I loved having my sisters that have truly become my best friends. I love to get our kids together and have them be so excited to see each other and being raised like best friends. In my opinion Kimber and I parent, live, and love much the same making it very easy to talk to her. She and I can be very open with each other and have great light and deep conversations. She is one of the few people that really get me, understand who I am when I feel misunderstood frequently and I will miss knowing I can jump in the car and see her in an hour or less. But anyways on to the happier part. As with moving it is a lot of work. She is currently working full time while one of the other hygienists is on maternity leave and Ez is trying to finish the school year out not leaving much time to get things done so I had offered to do anything and anything to help. Friday Kimber asked if I would be willing to come down and help her pack Monday. After we made our original plans Kimber suggested that maybe we should 1st do some playing with the kids. So we went to the Herriman Rec center and swam our little hearts out. All of our kids just love to swim and just be in the water. They had a ball if you can't tell from the pictures below

 The Rec center was so fun. It had a large play ground in the center and other little slides or toys around the edge.

 The geysers were also an interest

Luke and Gracie were go funny they wanted to do everything Hallie did. Hallie said mom take a picture of me relaxing....and then they all followed. Pretty dang cute.

Every hour they have everyone get out of the pool so they can check everything for 5 minutes. It was about the longest 5 minutes for these kids ever!! They were so anxious to get back in and play

 After we swam for a while we called in quits and headed for Kimber's house. We stopped at Wendy's and grabbed some lunch. The kids must have worked up an appetite since they all ate really well. When we got back to Kimbers we laid Luke and Grace down for naps, turned Hallie on a movie, and Kim and I got to packing. We got all of her spare room, part of her kitchen, and all of her yard sale stuff packed or organized. When the kids got up they found ways to entertain themselves. Mainly playing with this little snow sled. They would take turns riding, pulling, pushing, or chasing each other. It was pretty comical and it kept them busy while we finished packing.

 Team work is key when you are pulling/pushing someone your own size

 Doesn't Luke look enthused? 

Im sure there will plenty more things to pack  and more memories to make. I have now come to the realization that the world will not end when Kim moves it will just take more effort to spent time with her which will be completely worth it. Nic and I may have to become road tripping friends t o visit her and mom. Although Im sure there are more emotional days to come and there will still be hard times when I miss them like crazy this is what is best for their family and because I love them I will support them even though selfishly I want them to stay close no matter what.