Camping and boating

First trip out for the summer! Friday night was a little rainy, but Saturday was awesome! The kids skied, wake boarded,  kneeboarded, and kyaked all over. The sun felt so good!
It felt so good to just go be a family and have fun. We've been so busy we really needed a break!

First lake trip of 2016

We've been dying to get out on the lake but have had commitments every weekend this month, so today was our first day out! It was kind of a bummer Ethan couldn't go because he was scheduled to work. We also had 3 cousins for the weekend which means we didn't have enough room in the boat for everyone. So since we were down one "life gaurd" (or some one grown up enough to watch any extra kids on shore) we needed to enlist some help. Thankfully one of my former young women was able to come with us. We took Raechyl White with us to help out with kids. She also got lots of boat time to make it worth her day. Plus I try to feed people well when they are doing me a favor. We got to spend an entire day boating, eating, and swimming. Only a few minor sun burns and very tired kids. Totally worth it!  Amelia is really looking good on the wake board. She is way better then me! (Although I'm not that good)

Welcome to Summer!

Last year just before school was out I saw this idea on Pintrest and I did it for my kids on the last day of school.... so guess what my kids say to me on the way out the door for school on their last day. Mom I hope you do that banner on the door again! So of course to try to keep being a "fun/ cool" mom I throw one up. Luckily the kindergartners were done the day before so all I did was write the words and Hayden and Hadley did all the art work. Worked out great!

 As soon as Larry was off that night we headed out to Green Peter Lake and camped out. Great way to kick of summer vacation I think! The next morning after breakfast we got to go on our first "real" boating trip with our new boat. We had gone on a boat ride but not gone water skiing or anything. (Since we bought it in February this is not weird that we didn't run right out and use it. BRRRR!) Ethan got to do all his favorite things. Slalom, knee board, and wake board.

 Brock water skied and knee boarded. He popped right up. Larry got his first trip as well. It was Amazing! Great take off and easy pull! LOVED IT! Don't ask if I did. It is June the water is still COLD!

 The weather was perfect and we all had a wonderful time! Hayden loved hiding in the "cave" under the seat.

 Amelia on flag duty. Amelia also did some water skiing and some knee boarding. My battery died before I got any more pictures!

We all came up with a little sun burn. Ruth and Hayden got away with almost none, hardly pink. Ethan and I are pretty sore 2 days later. But it was fun anyway and we will be golden brown by the end of the week! Welcome to Summer!!!

Lake Trip

 Last weekend we took our friend with us on a family camp out and water skiing trip. It was a lot of fun.

 She learned how to ski on the trainer.

 Jocie also learned how knee board.

 We found a really fun rope swing.

 Tubing is always lots of fun!

Vacation 2012

 Caution LOTS O PICTURES coming!!!! We went on our annual vacation to our favorite Lake Owyhee. We love this place and since this is very very long I will add captions where I feel need on other wise just look and you will see all the fun we had. Above is Ethan knee boarding. He perfected his 360 this year and could do it over and over.

 We found this great cove that had a great sandy beach for the kids to play on, swim from pull the boat in and out of and even a cool rock to jump off of that was probably 5 feet above the water.

 Amelia learned to double ski this year! I am so proud of her, she wouldn't give up and got it!!!

 The amazing Bevans came with us for part of the week this year and Hayden loved having Claire there to play with. Here is a cute picture of the 2 of them tubing.

 This was the one trip we got Brooke on the tube.  I think she liked it.... Amelia is a dare devil and loves the tube!

 Sophia liked the tube and learned to knee board and attempted the wake board as well.

 Ruth and Eden were not going to miss out on all the fun and we got them in the tubes as well (yes we went slow) but Ruth loved it so much that she threw the biggest fit of her life when we took her out!

 Eden didn't love it quiet as much but started to not hate it after a few minutes....

 Sophie learned to drive the boat!

 Amelia's annual messy smore face and our nightly camp fire that when it is 90 degrees out you don't want to sit next to but how else are you going to eat smores so just sit back with a big stick!

 Allison did great on 2 skis and did get up on one too! She tried everything we threw at her though! That always makes it more fun!

 I was so proud of Hayden she learned how to ski on our "horseshoe" ski that Larry built! She was nervous at first but Amelia showed her how and she got right on it and did a great job!!! She even made some money off of it. (ok we paid her to do it because I knew she wanted to but was a little scared so we paid her to try and she LOVED it! Worth all the $4 we paid her!)

 These water guns are the excitement everyday, who gets them... who you squirt....

 I must have snapped this picture of Ali relaxing really fast because I don't think she was on that for even 5 minutes till her girls came and dumped her off and took over. There are some fierce pirates at that lake I tell you!

 I couldn't get Ruth to relax in the water for me the first day but she LOVED it when daddy went in with her and has been a fish since! SHE LOVED her "boaty" as she called her floaty!

 Cutie pie Claire! I love this kid!

 Ethan and Sophie on the tubes

 PILE O KIDS on the sea bike and raft.

 I thought this was Sophie on the knee board but it looks like Ali to me. Ali correct me if I am wrong!

 On Tuesday Larry took the older 3 kids for a hike up to the top of the mountain on the other side of the lake. They loved it and I am so proud of Amelia and Brock for doing it. That was a big hike!

 At the top or almost you can almost see the tiny speck of our boat in the cove at the bottom of the MT.

 Amelia after BBQ chicken... Larry and I are hoping that her eating habits will keep the boys away till she is over 20 then maybe she will learn to eat with out looking like THIS!

 Larry took the older 4 fishing one afternoon that was to yucky for skiing. Hayden caught the biggest one!

 Brock is a great double skier

 Ethan got up on Slalom this year. He had been working on it last year but got up first time out this year! He got good enough he is cutting across the wake really well! We are so proud of him for not giving up. We can hardly get him to do anything else now because he is "a serious skier now!"

 Sassy Ruth I just loved her! She actually had shoes on in these pictures! I fought her almost all week and finally gave up. She did NOT want shoes on but there are pokies everywhere! So everyone and a while she would step on one and say OOOOOWWWW and I would say "well wear your shoes" and she would brush it off say no and move on. Oh well no injuries!

 She loved this lady bug!

 Ruth also hauled wood! So cute! It was a great week full of sun, fun, skiing, friends, and yummy food! I love that place but by the end of the week I want a gallon of lotion! We just keep hoping our friends that have come with us will have thought it was worth the drive and come again.