It seems like our summer vacations are usually spent heading to an event of some sort - weddings, reunions, that type of thing (luckily often by the beach - but still). Because of this, we have been putting off a trip to my sisters house for far too many years. When I realized we didn't have any obligations this past summer I called her and told her we could FINALLY come! I thought she might kill over with excitement - that pretty much broke my heart and melted it at the same time.
We should have gone sooner....BOY OH BOY we should have gone sooner! We had the best time ever.
My sister and her family live in a gorgeous area in Northern California. It happens to be the same place Brian served his mission and the same place my parents lived back in their young family years. It's a great town made even better by the fact that my sister lives right by a lake. You can hop in the car at her house and be on their boat (which stays at the lake) in literally five minutes. This is UNBELIEVABLY fun and convenient when you are dragging a slew of kiddos with you.
If I had to pick my favorite childhood memory (well, I actually have too many to pick just one) - it would be boating trips to Lake Powell. Waking up to the sound of my Dad pulling the early risers out for the first glassy ski of the morning was heaven. Sometimes he'd wake me up, with a few of the other younger kids, so WE could be the first. Swimming, boating, playing cards, talking, cooking, sleeping under the stars by my mom...perfect. We usually went with a bunch of neighbors or cousins so there were playmates for days. The smell of gasoline mixed with lake water will bring memories rushing back every time. I loved it so much. It's a good thing we all loved it so much because man alive was it ever a lot of work for my parents.
I've always wanted to take my kids to Lake Powell but I'm not dying to go with a baby....hopefully one day we'll get them there.
My sister is AMAZING. She drove that boat like nobody's business. I wish we had a picture of Quinn's face when we first took off speeding through the water. He was freaking out....freaking out in a great way! It was like he was experiencing the best moment of his entire life! We could NOT stop laughing!
And captain Shaun ain't too bad himself! :) Watching Shaun
behind the boat is true entertainment though....too bad the old guy had just killed his shoulder on the wake board a few weeks before we got there. My boys would have got a kick out of watching him.
And like my own lake memories....having buddies around makes things magical.
(Hudson, Siera, Shay, Owen)
(Owen, Shay)
(Owen, Skyler)
We once had a good friend tell us that he loved boating with his kids because when you take your kids out into the middle of a lake they are pretty much forced to hang out with their dad. I love that idea! Luckily, Brian doesn't have to force these boys yet. They were soaking in every second they got to spend with him.
You can tell by Brian's tan line that he did a lot of biking that summer....that there is a bikers tan fo sho.
Brian was more happy to be with his boys than they could ever imagine.
I don't love packing and getting ready for vacations. I think most moms feel that way when they are right in the middle of the chaos. BUT, oh how I love it once I get there. Having time to slow down and enjoy my family is worth all the work.
Having time to smile at them and look at their big eyes a little bit longer...nothing better.
I love showing them that I enjoy a break from routine just as much as they do. And reminding them that we are a family that knows how to have fun together.
Hudson kept singing while we were being whipped around on the tube. This made me laugh because I used to do the same thing. I told him about when I was riding on the tube with my cousin Ashlee and she and I had the time of our lives spazzing out singing, "It was a one eyed, one horn, flying purple people eater!" I guess I wasn't the coolest child.
Those tube wars got pretty exciting and my face hurt from laughing - both while I was on the tube and on the boat watching the tubers.
This is Siera, Hudson, Owen and Brian.
We joked that this might make Grandpa kind of nervous and then we giggled because he was the craziest man you've ever seen on a ski. The dare devil wasn't worried a bit back then! This reminded us of how Grandma could ski for hours - back and forth across the lake....with perfect grace I'm sure!
I had to put this picture on here because of Owen's face.
Yes, it's fair to say
this guy had a great first day of vacation.
And that
he loved every second.
And
this one thought life couldn't get any cooler.
But,
little dude may have been the happiest one of all.
Yep, the happiest one of all!
Well, maybe the giant dog Sasha was the happiest one of all. Have you ever seen a dog riding a tube behind the boat....well she loves it.
Oh, and before we left the water for the night
I was pushed in the lake with a ski and told to see if I could still do it. I was SO NOT dying to ski. The last time I skied was two babies ago...and you know, about fifteen pounds of muscle has been replaced by about fifteen pounds of fat over those last few years. I didn't know if I could do it.
I have heard Brian tell people that it doesn't matter how many years I go between skiing..."She can always do it. Her dad taught her when she was little so she just pops up every time."
I kept thinking about that as the boat slowly pulled me through the night water. I was trying to get the feel of the ski and get myself straightened out, but just the slow tug of the boat had my arms burning. I
knew there was not going to be any "popping" up this time friends.
But I took a deep breath and looked at my boys, who were watching my every move, then shouted those famous words....
"HIT IT!"
And what came next was, as I predicted, not a pop....but a fight. A
FULL ON FIGHT OF MIND OVER weakened baby birthing BODY.
And yes, I won the fight. Of course I did - my dad taught me when I was little after all. Plus, carrying babies may have taken some of my physical strength, but it has significantly increased the strength of my spirit...there was no way I was going to let go of that stinkin' rope.
I was up. I WAS UP! I remember looking at the wake off to my left thinking, "I could really,
really hurt myself there." And away I went...
It was super fun. After only a few minutes I was completely and totally exhausted - so I let go of the rope and felt myself sink into the water. The waves washed over my head and I felt, for just a second, like a kid again.
I need to get my sisters pictures because these are all the pictures I took of our time at the lake. I didn't have my camera the days Brian skied. I also didn't have my camera to prove that, after being pestered, I tried to wake board. The saying "
you can't teach an old dog new tricks" comes to mind in regard to that.
AND I didn't have my camera the day my sister decided that after a LOONNGG break from playing behind the boat (while she worked at beating breast cancer) she had to get out there. We went together. I was super worried about her the whole time, but she was smiling from ear to ear.
And
I'm smiling from ear to ear just remembering the great day.
I
dedicate this post to crossing the wake. My boys, the best things in life take courage.
