Lake Powell – Year 5 Anniversary

5 Special Years with my family…and no group picture…but this year was a little different.  We were missing some family members this year.  Heather was due with their first baby girl the same week as Lake Powell, so probably not a good idea for Jake & Heather to come to Lake Powell.  She ended up having the baby right as we pulled into Salt Lake after the trip.  Since we had some room (and without Jake’s boat—needed another boat) and because they are great fun, we invited our good friends Maren & Jared Hill to join us this year.  We had a great time!  The boys especially loved having their best friends with them.

Colton & Preston on the back of the boat during the LONG trip to Page, AZ.  It is an 11-12 hr trip…

The kids were much braver this year.  They rode the tubes and banana (finally!)

They ALL went down the slide, including 16 month old Cordell and Anna…until Pop was the one to go down with her and he lost her.  She went under a little longer than she did with mommy, so she was done.  :)  Way to ruin her bravery, Pop!  J/K.

But the BIG NEWS on Bravery this year is COLTON!!!  He went wakeboarding.  He tried at least 5 times…and got up, too.  Before we know it, he’ll be out riding the rest of us.

Every one can always find something they LOVE to do at Lake Powell.  They are NEVER bored.  Moms love it.

Bryson was our little flagger for all the Wake-skate, Surfing, and Wakeboarding crashes.

  Colton was our fisherman.

Pop was the girl's’ favorite lap.  London & Anna.

Uncle Curt was the best entertainment for the two BFFs.  Ummm…reading smut magazines may not be the best place to start with these two girls.  :)

Nana the best mechanic.  She had to use her tiny hands to fix our generator.  Greasy hands are a good look for you, mom.

Anna, the turtle rider.

Daddy got to use a “I need to give my back a rest” day at Lake Powell for reading an entire book. 

(Hunger Games for those who care) 

After successfully getting up on a wake skate on his 1st try and playing hard wakeboarding, tubing, surfing, and wake-skating…I guess he deserved a ‘rest’ day.

One day we ventured on a hike high above the bay where we were camped. (see house boat in the middle—in a perfect little alcove)

Hiker Noah

Hiker Bryson

On Sunday, we took our Sunday “drive” into Antelope Canyon

The new BFFs

Can you believe London keeps those sunglasses on?  Miracle!

I had to include a picture of Cordell, with mommy Maren.  Cordell made this trip very memorable…the white tornado on legs.

Daddy-Daughter doesn’t get much cuter than that!

Happy Nate.

A wakeboarding Nana (outside the wake, even).

Ben and I took the waverunners into an amazing slot canyon.  These canyons only exist when the water gets as high as it is.  The water is more than 100’ higher than our 1st year.  This picture was taken at the end.

This years parting shots are taken of the channel on our way out.  If you have been to Lake Powell, you know what the channel usually looks like…it is some of the choppiest water you will ever be in.  In all the years of going to Lake Powell (since I was a teenager) I have NEVER been in the channel when it looks like this.  It was amazing.  It feels like you are floating.

Isn’t the reflection of the cliffs amazing.  You don’t know where the water ends and the cliffs begin.

  

Our boat wake through the glassy water.  It was a beautiful end to a great trip.

A REALLY BAD IDEA

All I have to do is leave for an evening out with the girls, and this is the kind of thing that happens. 

I think this will be the best post in the 3 year history of our little family blog.

The letter below was placed under a pillow last night.  It tells the story.  Happy reading.

1st Day of School…and he gets it!

Two of the three kids are now in school full-time.  Colton moved from Bellevue Elementary on to Hailey Elementary- 2nd grade.  The dual-immersion program here is not in one school, so he had to move.  Bryson is in full-day kindergarten, dual-immersion at Bellevue Elementary.  The two boys ride the bus together to Bellevue, then Colton gets on a transfer bus to Hailey.  At least they are together at the beginning and end of the day.  They’ll be together in the same school again when Bryson is in 3rd and Colton is in 5th.

So, since school started, I’ve been trying to work with Bryson more on learning his alphabet letters.  I’ve been really concerned because I can spend an hour working with him on one letter and ask him “What letter is this?” and he won’t have a clue.  That all changed in the last week when I realized it is all in how I ask.  I took a paper with all the alphabet letters on it and asked him to point to the “T”.  He pointed right to it.  He was able to point out every letter.  What?  How come when I point to a letter and ask what it is, he doesn’t have a clue…but if he hears the letter first, he can identify it right away.  Who knows? 

The kid keeps surprising me and I’m now thinking my concerns are unwarranted.  When we were at my parents last week, he put together a paper of pumpkins numbered from 1 to 10.  He then handed it to Pop and proceeded to count to 10 in Spanish perfectly.  I didn’t even know he knew his numbers in Spanish already.  I think one of these days it is all going to click with him.

One thing I am sure of is how much these boys, especially Bryson love Chewi.  She is such a great dog with the kids.  Bryson “cuddles” with this dog all the time.  She just lets them lay across her, curl up to her side…anything.  Little boys need good dogs like this.

Wagon Days

Labor Day in Ketchum brings with it the largest “non-motorized” parade in the country.  A non-motorized parade with horses, wagons, and NO candy is not that much fun for kids…but they survived.  Thanks to a stash of my own blue-died candy suckers.

Cousin Erika…with back of Aunt Raquel’s head.

 

 

After the parade, we took the token walk through town and visited The Gold Mine where Anna showed off her natural talent for Hula with snow tubes.  She was actually really good.

Anna gets the best deal…riding around like a queen in her Chariot. And a walk through Ketchum isn’t complete without a stop at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some caramel apples. 

(It was actually a bribe to keep the kids happy walking)

Why is it that every good weekend ends up like this?

Weekend with Baby Girls

The kids were out of school last Thursday and Friday, so I took Bryson and Anna to Salt Lake with me.  Colton got to go with his dad on a jeep trip.  We got to see new baby Tawny and spend lots of time with London. 

These pictures are from this summer…but since I hadn’t posted them, I figured this would be as good of place as any.  I have a feeling these three little girls are going to be the best of friends.

 

I got to babysit London a couple times during the weekend and got to experience something that rarely happens with mommies.  She fell asleep in my arms.  My kids never would fall asleep in my arms…and I had forgotten that until Shae mentioned London won’t do that with her.  Oh ya!  Neither would mine.  That’s one of the benefits of being the aunt.  You aren’t mom, and therefore it is ok to just fall asleep in their arms.  So sweet.  It was great.

Sometimes I wish I lived a little closer, so I could love on these babies more than once every 6 wks or so.  :(  Oh well.  The holidays are coming which means more family time.