We Are Back!

FAMILY REUNION @ LAKE POWELL

Day 1: May 31st

I have overcome my fear of being at Lake Powell. We had a Blast!
It was nice to pack up for a vacation and know we were going to be there in 2 hours! I usually don't drive for 2 hours and stay for a week so it was a little different in a good way.

The kids were VERY excited and could barely stand it.

We got to the houseboat Sunday night and unloaded everything from the cars.

The kids got to ride in the luggage carriers on the way back to get more luggage.

Chase, Taylor and Ashley with Aaron, Madison, Porter, Ryan and Brayd in front of the houseboat. They couldn't have been happier, they love their aunts and uncles.

We didn't plan very well and ended up going to some pizza joint by the marina. The pizza was o.k. but the company was excellent!

I think they could be models!

Madison REALLY loves her uncle Chase.

Brayd is just being the comedian in the family.

Brayd even danced for us.

We got free ice cream because they were cleaning out the ice cream machine that night. That was very nice of the kind workers there.

Brayd especially loved his special ice cream cone!


Porter and Taylor just messing around. It happened most of the trip but they had a lot of fun together.

Day 2: June 1st

Everyone arrived at one point or another during the night so by Monday morning we were ready to head out.

All the kids were very interested in what was going on. I think the guys were getting ready to load up the boats and the watercraft.

Aaron did a GREAT job at being our captain.

Madison and Chloe were even driving at one point. Aaron just told Madison to keep the needle on the "0" and she made it happen!


About half way there we untied one of the boats so Josh, Chase and Taylor could go check out some options for us to park. Meanwhile we had a good time in the middle of Lake Powell.

Aubrey played with the kids in the water....

Aaron gave watercraft rides.....

And Porter did a little swimming.

Then he thought he would try his hand at driving the watercraft. He loved it!

I even jumped on the watercraft for a minute.

Madison and Ashley floated around for a bit

Then Madison got brave and got her own floaty.


Porter was brave and went off the slide. Aaron was at the bottom to catch him.


Ry and Kris floated around in the water together.

Then Ry and Aaron went off the slide together. It freaked ry out a bit

The guys finally got back from their exploring and we were on our way again.
We found our spot comfortably and got settled in. We cooked dinner and had a little fun in the water then retired for the night.


Day 3: June 2nd

I figured by the third day I should probably get in the water. Well, as close to the water as I got besides when Chase so rudely tipped me over while I was floating along in the tube I claimed when I got there.

I really did spend a lot of time in this thing. It was so nice to just lay around!

Ry went off the slide again with Aaron, but this time on to this sweet Tramp that Josh brought. This tramp was so nice to have.

Oh, here I am again in this tube. Brayd loved the tube also.

Aaron had a blast surfing

The boys loved it best when Aaron wasn't behind the boat because that meant he was in the boat and they could drive with him.

This was the rock that we settled by. Ry was being a good helper.

I'm not really sure what happened in this picture but Porter looks like he is trying to get away from Aaron and Aaron looks guilty. HMMMMM.

Ry was being really daring a lot of the time I was pleasantly surprised!

Aaron and Porter tried out the slide again.

Aaron was daring enough to do a flip and he didn't even damage himself.

And I'm off in my tube again.

Aubrey and I took our babies on a tube ride with the watercraft. Brayd liked it. Kennedy? Not so much!

That is one cute Man!

The day ended and we were happy to go to bed early!

Day 4: June 3rd

This day was extra special because it was Taylor's birthday. He turned the big "16"

Most of the days the kids started out playing in the sand that was just outside the boat. It was good because it entertained them for a good while.

Chase was helping Aaron get his ski off and that is what I was trying to get a picture of but I love how it turned out. They are cute boys.

Chase, Taylor and Aaron all jumped on the tube and Josh gave them one heck of a ride. Aaron's mom loved this because these are her 3 boys. Some day this will be Porter, Ry and Brayd.

All the babies were just waiting to see what would happen. They thought it was crazy.
It was.
Luckily no one ended up with permanent injuries.

I was surprised my babies agreed to all getting on the tube after witnessing the craziness that went on. Josh was very kind though and we had a nice relaxing tube ride.

After all that fun in the sun Ry took a nice, warm bath with his cousins on the deck of the boat in this sweet little pool.

Day 5: June 5th

This day started out very exciting! Taylor went outside to catch a lizard. We all pretty much ignored it and told him to have a good time. Well, it was great until he did catch it and brought it inside. It was still o.k. because he had it in a little netted bag. What wasn't ok was that Chase let it out of the bag and put it on that table. Needless to say it didn't just stay on the table. It ran and everyone screamed and freaked out. Including Chase. Don't you worry though, Kris came to the rescue and saved us from this creature.

I love Kris' face in this picture, acting all scared. Just acting EXACTLY how the rest of us did when the lizard escaped out of the bag.

We decided to go out and explore some canyons on this day. We took two boats so all of us could fit...

The boat ride was kind of long and the babies were getting a bit anxious and so was I so we all hung out on the back of the boat for awhile.

My cute babies hanging out.

We got back from the long boat ride and had some lunch. Then we went out to watch the dudes try out the air-chair.

Brayd was so exhausted he just fell asleep in the front of the boat.

Aaron trying out the air-chair. I like the water spots in this picture.

He was so good at it.

Check out how high he got on this thing.

Even after taking Brayden out of the boat and laying him on the couch with all of us noisy people he STILL stayed asleep!

Just like any other day this one came to an end also.

Day 6: June 5th

This day started out pretty low-key and stayed this way for most of the day. It was kind of a blustery day and the wind blew quite a bit, but that didn't stop our fun. Kris, Chase, Taylor, Adam and Ashley all joined forces and made a sand castle. Of course with all the "help" of their cute nieces and nephews.

Good work my friends, you are doing a great job!

I just can't help but to take pictures of my baby!

Occasionally our boat anchors would get a little loose and the guys would have to go tighten them. These were my favorite times. There is just something about a bunch of men working together that I think is so cool!

Sometimes I wonder if Taylor is really helping, or just standing there looking pretty.

And now the other side.

Coming on down the mountain. Josh is the oldest so he uses the shovel as his "cane".

After the work was done it was time for a little play. Porter was us to trying to water ski. So, we got him all dressed up in a wet-suit and tried to prepare him for what was coming.

My little man as a skier!

Grandpa and Chase got Porter all psyched out and he was ready to do it.

Almost ready!


They didn't quite have the rope situated right so he ended up drinking A LOT of water. He didn't quite get up but he gave it 3 tries! Better than I ever did.

This is the last time he tried. It was cold and windy and he gave it a good effort.
Next time he'll do it.

We had a great time at Lake Powell and I was so happy to feel clean there. The kids all slept great right in the room that I was in so when I woke in the night feeling a little nervous I could just look down and see them there. However, my favorite part of the whole trip may have been that my little Brayd got to sleep right next to me every night! I loved it!
I am excited to go back with my friends in 2 days. I hope I have as much fun as I did with my family!

WE ARE OUTTA HERE!

Today is the day we are heading to Lake Powell! For the Smith family reunion we are going to Lake Powell until Saturday. I think we will have lots of fun and I am very excited! Especially because we made dinner at my house today after church and EVERYONE helped prepare the meal. It was great. Well, we are outta here! Check back in a week to see how our vacation went!

My Little Man is Not so Little Anymore.

Brayden was eating his Wendy's when I looked over and saw that he thinks he is big enough to sit on his bum and eat.
He just wants to big like his brothers and sister.

My Babies are Bound to Love Motorcycles!

Sometimes life gets a little dull around here but it doesn't stay that way for long. Saturday after school got out Porter was getting antsy and wanted some kind of action to start happening-I wonder where he gets that from-. So, Porter asked if he could ride the 110. He usually is content on the 50 but times are changing.

He was very good at it. He is always up for a challenge and the 50 is just too easy for him now.

So, Aaron put the training wheels back on and Madison is now learning how to ride motorcycles.

Ry never wants to be left out so he decided to learn to ride Porter's "little" bike. He did very well and has now adopted it. We put the training wheels back on Ry's bike and it is now Brayd's.

Cute Boy!
I know Brayden isn't far behind riding. He loves it and is angry when his turn is up!

Maybe I should learn how to ride these things so I can enjoy the family activities that I know are in my near future!
At least we don't have pay for the things. They could make us very poor! Good choice of profession Aaron!

Last Day of School 2009

The year has come and gone, Madison and Porter have learned So much in school this year and I am so proud of how hard they worked. Porter knows all of the 1st grade sight words (this is very exciting to me because I didn't think he would have any interest in reading AT ALL!) I think having Madison just a year ahead of him helps a lot. He thinks they are pretty much the same age. I do too. Madison is very good at her work also. She is an excellent reader and does amazing on her spelling tests.
Good Job Babies!

Madison on her first day of school.
Sorry it's blurry.

Madison on her last day of school. She is wearing the dress that her and grandma made in her sewing class.
I think she is beautiful!

Porter on his first day of school.
I fixed the mode on the camera.

Porter on the last day of school.
Should I be worried about the way he is standing?

My All-Grown up Babies!

To celebrate we took our kids with The Martin and Garn families. to Pirate Island Pizza. Wow, that was a lot of work, but the kids did a lot of work all year, so we thought we would reward them. I took these pictures before the Martin's got there, so I don't have any pictures of Gavin or Kenna, but they were there!

Brayd loved the hat!

Kinzlee and Madison are so photogenic. Every picture of them turns out so DANG cute!

Ry, Porter and Corbin, they think they are pirates. AAARRRGGG!

Well, it's pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to get a good picture of these three. But, they ARE cute!!
I guess Melissa should have had the camera.

I am SO excited for summer to be here. I really do like schedules, but I am so ready to sleep in every day and go to the pool EVERY DAY! We are planning on spending a total of 2 weeks at Lake Powell, some time in Liberty and LOTS of time in the sun!

SUMMER IS HERE!!