July 28, 2010

Grown ups only on the boat

Occasionally we will have a grown up outing on the boat.  It's a great time to give something new a try without having the kids wanting to know when they can swim or when they can play.  Plus we don't have to feel the pressure of getting the kids home to bed.

Wake surfing was attempted.
Wake boarding was accomplished.
Some wake was cleared.
And I got in and did a little bit of it as well.

July 26, 2010

Summer Company Showcase

I absolutely love watching my girls perform.  I love seeing them smile and get into their numbers.  It makes my day to hear them being excited about the up coming performance or how they did afterwards.  I'm very grateful that their dance studio provides them with several opportunities to get out and perform.

The girls both did a fantastic job ending the year with the showcase.  They are both looking forward to next year and getting to perform again.




July 24, 2010

Yuba Lake Day 2

During the night, the wind really picked up. Enough that it made it difficult to sleep, but not enough to pick up any of our supplies.

The water was less than ideal so we tried to the tube for a while. Things were going along great, until we somehow dumped the tube. We had a huge scare while we couldn't find cute little David. Finally he popped up next to the tube, as he had been under it in the little air pocket. Scott jumped in as soon as we realized we couldn't see him. I'm so grateful that Scott is always quick on his feet. I know that if anything ever happens, Scott is not going to be the one that freezes. I hope I can be more like him if the need ever should arise.





After spending a little time on the boat, we headed back to our campsite. The wind continued to get stronger so we decided to get a hike in and call it a day. While the dad's were hiking, Heather and I stayed behind with the camping gear and those that did not want to hike. They were quick about the hike and didn't encounter any more rattlesnakes.

After the hike, the dad's made the first run with the boat back with supplies. Heather and I again stayed behind. It was a good thing we did because one of the tents got picked up in the wind. We scrambled quickly to gather it and get it put a way. We put the kids in the other tent with snacks and we continued to clean up the site.

We ended the day, hot and tired. But very relieved that everything turned out okay and we had a lot of fun. We're all looking forward to going camping and boating again. My preference is drive in camping. My limit? I think about nights.
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July 22, 2010

Yuba Lake - Day 1

Our girls have been dying to go camping and Scott is always looking for a reason to go boating.  So we planned a boat-in camping trip with our friends Jason and Heather.  We reserved the site, put together our menus and made sure not to duplicate any supplies that were excessive.  We took off from work a little bit early and headed down to Yuba.

Boat-in camping is A LOT of work.  We had to load the boat and send the dads and a couple kids with the boat to unload it.  So you are carrying heavy bags and coolers from the floating dock right into the water and then piling it up on the side of the lake to wait for the rest of the group to arrive and carry it the rest of the way up the camp.

Finally we were all at the site.  The hike up to the camp site was not a long one but it was covered it brush and very itchy.  We piled everything on top of the tables while the guys anchored and mored the boat.

Scott came up to help figure out where to put the tents.  The very large rattlesnake hanging out by where the door of the tent would have been quietly encouraged him to set up camp on the beach instead.




The kids had a blast playing in the water and roasting marshmallows.  This was a first time for some (Scott) to have real life S'mores.  Next time we make S'mores we'll be sure to pack wet wipes.

July 20, 2010

There is a new bridge in town...

...and we sort of watched it get put in place.





We had a lot of fun, keeping the girls up til after midnight to head down to the freeway.  We didn't get to watch it move because they had to level it out just a bit more to fit in the space that had less than an inch lee-way.

This is only the second overpass if its kind in the US.  And the only company that can move such a heavy bridge is from Scandinavia.  So all of the workers down on the road below us were from Europe.  How cool is that?

July 10, 2010

Her Final Meet Rocked

Jade has really been working very hard on her gymnastics lately.  She loves getting to do an individual competition.  And she's actually getting pretty darn good.  She'll never  be an amazing gymnast.  She's already pretty tall.  But she does have the muscle and the power to be pretty darn awesome.  Her best events are the beam and the bars, but she has improved a lot on the vault and the floor.

Her scores for her final level three meet were...

Beam 9.2
Vault 9.55
Floor 9.15

and her worst score was on the apparatus that she normally scores the best on; bar 8.95.  I thought she had actually done really well on it but instead got her worst score of the season.  Her coach was going to look into it and get back to me.  Unfortunately, her coach doesn't excel at following up with parents.  (I've sent an email asking about it since and have not gotten a response).  Jade was very discouraged with her score, and would have placed first or second if her score had been in line with her past bar scores.  Oh well.  Better luck next season.


July 8, 2010

A Saturday Morning Outing...

We woke up and the weather was amazing.  We had a busy day ahead of us, with Jade's last gymnastics meet.  But we so wanted to go on the boat.  We asked Jade if she wanted to go out and she was instantly worried about making it to her meet.  She has been working really hard and wanted to do well.  We assured her that she would not be late for it and that she would still get to compete.
Scott's sister's family was able to join us in the spur of the moment and we rushed out to the lake.  There actually was a bit more wind than we would have liked, but it was still very fun to get out on the boat.


We had to go and meet Mike at the harbor (since he had been at work).  On our way back, we were waved down by a boat full of college students.  Their boat had died and no one was stopping to help them.  Scott did one of the things that made me fall in love with him.  He gave service and went above and beyond what could have been expected.  They asked for a jump, instead, he towed them to the harbor and then jumped them.  It wasn't their battery and they did eventually get it working.  But, I love that Scott showed the girls that it doesn't matter what you are doing, there is always time to serve others.


Once we took care of the college group, we went back out for a little bit longer.  Jade did a bit of wake boarding and then she and I headed home to get ready for her meet.  Scott stayed out longer with Ivy and his sister's family.  They continued to have fun, even though they tipped over the raft with sweet little Ivy on it.  Ivy rose to the occasion and was very proud of herself for doing so well with the wreck.

July 6, 2010

A night of babysitting...

I am so NOT the family's first choice for baby sitting.  In fact, I was never the neighborhood's first choice either.  But I love when I do get to watch my sister's kids.  After all, she has watched mine a LOT.

We got to have the boys over.  Kat was at girl's camp and Jon had to work.  We started out with playing out on the trampoline, then we had dinner and watched some of Alice in Wonderland.  The little kids loved it (by the way, it was the original not the Tim Burton).  Then we played on the trampoline some more and the little's continued watching the movie.  Zachary had a blast on the trampoline and it will be tough keeping him off it whenever he comes over to play.

Then we finished the night with a craft.  My mom was having a procedure done the next day, so the kids all made her "get well" cards.





We had a great night and can you even get over how adorable this little blonde is?  On the trampoline he is truly all smiles.

July 3, 2010

First Outing on the Boat...

Scott has been DYING to get out on the boat.  The weather this Spring has been so cold and so unworthy of a boating outing.  But, finally on Memorial Day it seemed to be a good enough day to go out and enjoy the lake, the girls, the boat, the tube and our friends.  Plus it was the ONLY thing the girls wanted to do for the day off.

We had a wonderful time, even though the water was too cold for me to want to get in and Scott was comfortable in his full wetsuit.  I know, I know, it was the end of MAY.  Crazy ridiculous weather.




The girls had a blast and enjoyed cheering the boys on while they were on the tube.

July 1, 2010

Memorial Day 2010

On Sunday we went up to Brigham City to visit the graves of Scott's grandparents.  The kids were very sweet and said many nice things about their Great Grandma E.  They miss her and often worry about how Grandpa Great is doing without her.


We thought that by going up on Sunday, we would have fewer crowds.  We were wrong.  It was still pretty busy.

The morning of Memorial Day, Kat and I headed up to visit Doc and GG's grave.  This was the first year we have ever done this.  I think it might have to do with that this is the first year they have had a headstone.  It is kind of that "If you build it they will come" mentality.  So, we stopped on our way and grabbed a flower and were touched that two of our family friends had already decorated Doc and GG's grave.  (The early morning sun and my phone camera wasn't a great combination for pictures).



It was a beautiful memorial day and I truly miss those whose graves we visited.