Monday, September 23, 2013

We Love St. George!


The end of August we took a trip to St. George. Lauren and my Mom went down there a few days earlier and hung out and then the kids and I went down on Sunday.  The kids did so good on the ride down.  I listened a book and it was actually really relaxing and quiet.


Drake was so excited to get down there. He loves St. George!  When we are home he likes to play St. George. He packs up his back pack and then pretends he is staying at the condo and that he gets to go swimming.  He is a funny boy!  We got down there that night and had dinner and then we went swimming.



These two!  I love them so much. Drake is so good to his sister and they really are good little buddies.


The next day we went swimming.  Before we went Lauren was flossing her teeth and I about died when I saw the size of floss she was using... she seriously is so funny.  She is had that thing doubled up and wrapped around her fingers so many times.  She had enough floss that would last a normal person a whole month! I died laughing when I saw this.


After swimming we went shopping and out to eat.  We did that for a couple of days.  Then Josh, James and my Dad drove down and got there Wednesday night. Josh and I took our kids and went over and stayed at his parents condo.


Friday we went boating.  We have all had such a busy summer that this was the first time that we had taken the boat out.  It was so much fun.  The kids loved it, and we all had a blast on the tubes, skiing, and wake boarding.




She looked so dang cute in this life jacket. She hated it at first but then she got used to it.  She also loved it when the boat was moving.  She would cry when it would stop.




Drake loves to swim, so he was happy anytime he could jump off the boat and get in the water.  He has no fear! When we were at the pool he was jumping off the edge, doing front flips off the edge and 360's off the edge. He even likes it when someone will throw him in!  He loved getting thrown off the boat.



Stella liked the water too.  She would sit on the back of the boat and then fall in to Josh or me.  It was so much fun.



Drake and Josh went on the tube.  Drake had a great time and wouldn't stop talking the whole time they were out there.




Stella loves her uncle James!




Stella also loves her Grandpa Kevin!


Lauren and I rode on the tube and it was a blast.  We held on for dear life and didn't fall off!




Drake loves Lucy and loved that she came down to St. George and was so happy that she came on the boat with us.





Last year I had an accident while skiing and seriously almost lost my eyeball.  I was so scared to get out there and do it again, but I did it and it was a lot of fun!


Josh water skied as well. He is pretty dang good.  He had a bad fall though and hurt his hamstring pretty bad.  I think the two of us must be getting old!




Drake loves his Aunt Laurley.  She thinks he is awesome and give him all of the attention a boy could ask for. We took this trip to St. George because we wanted a fun little family get away before Lauren left for Ecuador.  We definitely had a great time!



Stella sat with my Mom on the front of the boat almost the whole time!



James wake boarded.  He was able to come down, but Lexi couldn't get work off. So she had to stay in Logan.  We missed her and really wished she could have come down.



The second we got int he car both kids were sound asleep.  It was such a fun day and a fun trip down to St. George. We love it down there and are so grateful we have a couple of places to stay while we are there!



Sunday, September 15, 2013

Bear Lake

We went with our friends the Taylor's and the Neil's to the Taylor's cabin in Bear Lake.  It was a blast.  We went up on Friday night and had a dinner and sat by the fire and made s'mores.  The kids loved playing and loved being outside.  After we put the kids to bed we all stayed up late just talking. It was a lot of fun and we are just so grateful for awesome friends.


The next day we had breakfast and then all went down to the lake and played on the beach for a few hours.  The kids had a blast and so did our husbands.  They built a huge sand castle while the girls laid out and took care of kids.



After the beach we came back to the cabin and got cleaned up and had dinner at the cabin.  Tessa made dinner and it was so good. We had to leave after dinner because we had a ward party we had to be home for.  We had a great weekend and are grateful to the Taylors for making it happen.  We just love them so much!


Swimming Lessons With Gin

We put Drake in two different swim lessons this year. The first was at the Sport's academy and they helped a little bit by teaching Drake to be comfortable to put his face int he water, but the second ones we took from Gin Manning and Drake learned so much from her.  She is the best swim teacher and has made it so Drake isn't afraid at all of the water.  The last day of his lessons the parents were able to come and watch.  He learned so much in the two weeks he took these lessons. We can't wait for next summer so he can take more sessions and really learn how to swim.





The House of the Lord

We went to the Temple in August with my Cousin Braxton to receive his endowments.  It was a great time at the temple because we were there with so many family members, but also because we got to see the new video.  It was seriously amazing!  It showed so much more emotion and helped me understand it even more. I loved it and am so grateful they have this new movie.




After the temple we went and ate lunch with my family.  That same weekend was Chapman's mission farewell.  He did an awesome job speaking. We are so proud of him and his decision to serve a mission.  He is an awesome kid and we know he will be an awesome missionary.  He left the following Wednesday.  He was so prepared to leave but it was a hard goodbye. He will be missed but we are so proud of him serving a mission! Braxton left on the 27th of August for the MTC in Mexico City.  He is doing great and we are proud of him too!