Lake Powell

I have been dying all summer to get away for a little family vacation. Because Jason went to Youth Conference we missed Flaming Gorge and we are not going on our annual California trip this year. So I have been putting a little pressure on to go somewhere as a family this summer before the craziness of school starts. So after a lot of persuading we headed off to Lake Powell for a few days and boy did we have a GREAT time!!!!

There is NOTHING I love more than spending time with the one's I love!!!

One day we ventured into Rainbow bridge. It was a mighty HOT hike.


Last minute the Taylor's decided to join us and made the trip a party. The kids each loved to have a friend to play with.







Max and Reed got these cool sling shots and never put them down. Max shot and hit a lizard high up on the cliffs with his sling shot. He was so proud but his Dad was not too happy. Jason was worried about the lizards family. He does not like to kill anything for any reason.

We were all about the relaxing.

And Elisa was all about keeping the kids happy. She brought along these tiki lamps for a party on the beach. It was the funnest night just playing at the beach and the tiki's definitely added to the fun party atmosphere!! She had everything you could think of including shirts to tie dye, footballs and volleyballs, stuff for manicures and pedicures, and plenty of make up for the girls.

Em and Sabra doing their "I got 10 dollars dance."

These two boys made my trip!! They are such good little buddies and had so much fun together. They loved playing Elisa's game boys, jumping off cliffs, and just being together and goofing around. Jason and I pulled them knee boarding for hours and they never got tired or fell off.

They only had one incident where they walked through some serious stickers!!! I found them both crying on some rocks so I walked over to try to help them. Being as careful as I could I ended up getting about 50 SHARP stickers in my feet. (And we all had flip flops on.) As I was trying to pick them up to carry them back I was falling and trying not to cry myself. I couldn't make it up the hill with them and I couldn't set them down because they had stickers all over their butts and backs too. Finally I sent Emilee to go get Jason and he came running to help. All in all we had 3000 poky stickers all over the 4 of us. Reed and Max had 50 stickers in each foot and Jason and I are still trying to get them out of our fingers and toes today.

They were both so brave and were working their stunts on the boards. They would go no hands, bunny hop, hold hands together, spray each other, and even do 360's! This is Reed on his knees, laying backwards holding on. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard!!!

And once again Jayne came along with a big smile on her face. When she got tired she would have a little nap and when she got hot she would get in the water and swim with us. She just went along for the ride and was just happy to be there.

My favorite part was our cold watermelon busts out on the lake. They hit the spot when it got a little toasty!

We had a Mighty Fine Captain! He drove us safely to shore in a FIERCE storm. We got ourselves in a little bind 50 miles away. We all held on for our dear lives as we crossed HUGE white capped waves, wind, lightening & rain, as we headed back to our car. Our wake boards flew off the boat at full speed and I debated weather I should tell Jason or just leave them behind because I was afraid to turn back around. I have never heard my kids pray so much.

And hallelujah our prayers were answered!!!!

Lucy is one of the big kids now. She swims, jumps, tubes at full speed, and even tried knee boarding herself.

We played a little football and had a trip to remember!!!!!

I'm already wanting to head back this weekend for MORE!

Some other highlights included:

*

Driving until 2:00 a.m. to Kanab. The 20 rollaways and a crib they rolled into our rooms.

*Ray the Government Agent working it!

*The yummy breakfast at the diner for Abbie's birthday.

*Driving back in the pitch dark from our fun night at the beach.

*Getting yelled at every morning at McDonald's and the friendly Page people.

*Ray as Mr. Miami Vice driving his boat.

*Elisa disappearing at times

*The kids swimming at the pool.

*Our long wait and cold food at the Mexican Restaurant

*Yummy Pizza and ice cream at the Restaurant on the lake!

*Jason doing the Hoedown Throwdown on the cliffs.

*Cathedral Canyon. Going through the NARROW canyons pushing off wall to wall.

*The huge rain storm while we ate dinner at Bonkers.

Good Times!

An unFORGETtable 13 years!

We celebrated....oh wait not celebrated, we just had our 13th Anniversary last weekend in Lake Powell. I woke up the morning of July 25th and rolled over in bed and told Jason "Happy Anniversary." He just got this look on his face and said "Oh ........................ Happy Anniversary." He had no idea it was even coming up. As you can tell I am still a little bitter about it. Who could forget to celebrate the most important day of their life? I am hoping for a full recovery and that he will make it up to me somehow...sometime....soon!
Jason, I love you! I have always loved being your girl. You make each day better and each year more unforgettable! I thank my lucky stars everyday for you!
Happy Anniversary!!!!

Gabby Girl is 7!!

Happy Birthday Sunshine!

Abbie spent her 7th Birthday in paradise.

We celebrated big with a fun weekend in Lake Powell.

She started off the morning of her special day with pancakes and a delicious banana cream pie for breakfast.

Spent the day tubing, swimming, and playing in the lake.

Then finished the night off eating Mexican food for dinner and eating birthday cake in our hotel room.

Before we left to Powell I took her out to lunch and shopping to celebrate.
She chose Chinese food from the eatery at the mall and then wanted to pick out her own outfit. First she spotted these zebra print shoes and was determined to find an outfit somewhere else to match. She knew exactly what she wanted and was so excited about her purchases. 5 minutes after wearing the shoes she took them off and told me that they were giving her blisters and I'm not so sure they will ever be worn again. But she was on cloud 9 and I guess that's all that matters. There is nothing Abbie loves more than to feel special!! She loves any one on one time she can get and likes to let all the other kids know about it. She had the biggest smile on her face the whole time and couldn't quit laughing the whole time. She kept wanting me to tell her all about the day she was born and all the things I loved about her. Abbie I do LOVE you!!! July 23rd 2002 was one of the VERY happiest days of my life and each day since has just gotten better because of you!!!


Abbie I love how your eyes disappear when you smile.

I love your FABULOUS dance moves and how you bust them out in primary during "do as I'm doing".

I love how you can make Jayne laugh harder than anyone else.

I love when you help me cook in the kitchen.

I love how you tell me every bit of everything you have ever known and then make up a few stories in between.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Jason calls her his little surfer girl. She takes that board out there all by herself and shows everybody how it is done!!! She just grins from ear to ear and has the time of her life.

Abbie never got to go through the Draper temple with us because she had a birthday party she really wanted to go to. She always felt bad that she missed out, so my mom took her on her own special date to the Oquirrh Mountain temple open house and she loved it! Abbie, I love you and the special girl you are. Always remember that special day you had with your grandma and the the feelings you felt when you went inside. I am planning to go through the temple with you many many more times throughout your life.

Birthday Celebrations

Another Year! Max Turned 9

We have been celebrating birthdays all week long and it's been a fun week! I'm just feeling a little weary tonight after so much partying. We started our celebrations on Friday and continued through Today. Max snooped around and found his presents a little early. I knew because one day he said "Mom, I know exactly what I want for my birthday... Transformers 2 stuff," which is what I had bought for him and put away. So he couldn't bare to wait a couple of days to open them so he opened them a little early. Yesterday I took him for a date to the store to pick out a surprise and he chose a "spark scooter". He was so excited! Then I took him to lunch and let him pick anywhere he wanted to go. He chose to go to Subway for a meatball sandwich. Talk about a cute kid! It was so fun for me to be alone with just him! Then last night we went boating for his birthday and had a great time!

I love EVERYTHING about this kid!

Max is excited about something everyday. He is so easy to please and always is telling me thank you for the little things I do. He likes to please everyone around him. He is a good friend to all and wants to make everyone happy. His life time goal is to be missionary and then play for the NBA. He is always telling me that he hopes that his coach will understand that he can't play on Sunday.

We count our lucky stars everyday to have our boy!

July always reminds me of having babies. I have been lucky enough to have had 3 in July and it will forever be our party month. I hope these 2 will always stay best friends and share a cake forever.

My sweet Lucy is already 4!

Today we had her friends over for a little water party. What a group of cute energetic girls!

Thank heavens for my two party coordinators Em and Abbie.
They kept the girls entertained. Of course they had them doing the hoe down to start off the party. The little girls can't come over to my house without a full dance class from Emilee.

Then played on Grandpa's fun water slides.

Lucy we LOVE you SO!
You are the spunk in our family!!!

I have never known a little girl to have such adult humor and always keep us all laughing. You are your daddy's girl! There is nothing he loves more than you sneaking in to sleep next to him in the middle of the night and your kisses every morning before he leaves to work. You keep the otter pop company in business and tell me that its okay to have so much sugar because it will keep you small and you won't grow up as fast. (I am always telling her to stop growing up.) You have no fear! You ride your bike 100 mph with your feet up on your handlebars flying down the hills. You love to be pulled on the tube behind the boat going full speed. You have the biggest smile on your face and keep telling your dad to go faster. I sure love your smile and your love for life! You are a very special girl!!!!

Land That I LOVE!

We started our 4th of July Celebration with a BANG up at the Yarro's big shindig in Wallsburg. They know how to PARTY!

We all rode on the Mechanical Bull. Dad you would have been so proud!

I loved the yummy food, chatting with Colett, the fireworks, and watching my kids run and have the time of their life.

Isabelle and Abbie danced the whole night to the band. The band members kept telling them that they were their two best fans and the girls LOVED it! Abbie cried half way down the canyon because she didn't get their autographs.

These girls just kept going from one exciting thing to the next. They loved their glow stick necklaces and just being together.

Check out these 3 cool kids with their new cool shirts they got that night. Emilee and Max can't can't get over how "Awesome" their cabin was!

Thank you Yarro's for letting us in on all the FUN!

Then the next day we Celebrated with our Family.
Of course we went to the annual parade....

It rained on us for a minute and then it was so MUGGY and HOT!

The kids got to be with their cousins.

We spotted the one and only Chetty.

And then we got Cafe Rio take out and enjoyed a fabulous evening up by the temple throwing the football, watching the kids wrestle, and enjoying the spectacular fireworks! Abbie got to go see the Jonas brothers at the Stadium of Fire! And of course we missed her!

Saturday Night before we left to watch fireworks, Jason and I read an amazing talk by L. Tom Perry about our responsibility to our Country. I have thought a lot his words and how truly BLESSED we are to live in this great country! I know that this is a chosen land, chosen of the Lord for his special purposes. And though there is decay and corruption everywhere today, the Lord has promised to sustain the truth in this land. We have a responsibility to preserve the righteousness in America. To always stand up for what we believe, to protect our freedoms and what we know to be right!
God Bless America!!