Update Pt. 4 - Lake Powell

So here we are in September, and I am still trying to catch up on summer activities. (It is so easy to get behind!)

In August, Greg and I had planned a fun weekend to Lake Powell with some friends of ours. This would be our last 'Hoorah!' of the summer. I love Lake Powell! I was blessed with wonderful parents who were consistent and persistent on going to Lake Powell every summer, when all of us kids lived at home. It was The summer vacation we all looked forward too. In recent years, its has been increasingly difficult to get all of us kids up there for vacay with all of our "other activities or obligations". I'd say it has been about 4 or 5 years since I have been to Lake Powell. (Oh, it hurts me to admit that. That's so sad!) Anyway...Our kids needed to experience Lake Powell, and Greg and I really needed to getaway, so we packed up the toy hauler, invited some friends, prepped the boat and we were off. Let's just say, in this short 4 day weekend, we have plenty of stories.

We camped on the beach in Lone Rock, which we have never done before. We were not expecting really soft sand. So...we got stuck. But luckily, Greg is no dummy. He aired down the tires and we were off to find a camp spot...and then we get stuck again. Luckily some kind men who were watching us, came over to help dig us out. Yay! We were off...again....finally we made it to the spot of our choice and awaited the arrival of our friends. We made sure to let them know exactly where we were, and that they needed to air down their tires, and too not let off the gas. Just go as fast as you can or you will get stuck! After giving this advice, Geoff and Karen made it just fine, but Clint....not so much. He got stuck. Big Time! And a little to close to another camper. It took us (or the men) a long time to get Clints truck and trailer unstuck and once they were able to move forward, unfortunately, he hit the camper he was next too. But the damage was minimal.

Day 2 came along and we took the boat out a little. It was really windy and the waters were choppy. That kind of weather really tosses a little boat around, but it made for good tubing. Geoff and I were the only ones willing to go for a ride. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I am pretty good when it comes to tubing. Greg was taking me thru some rough waters and I held on for dear life. I used muscles I hadn't used in a long time and I definitely paid the price for it later.

Day 3, we had planned to take a trip up the lake to Rainbow Bridge, a must-see when going to Lake Powell. Geoff and Karen had never been so they joined us as well. Now, Greg and I have never had to navigate our way to Rainbow Bridge before. Dad was always in the drivers seat and we always enjoyed the passing canyons. Greg was smart enough to bring a small map of LP and a GPS, so we wouldn't get lost. It didn't work...we got lost anyway, but I will take the blame. I am a poor navigator. I always have been. We managed to figure out where we had gone wrong and made it to Rainbow Bridge. It was beautiful, as always. Then we had our picnic lunch and drove thru a couple more canyons, just for fun. On the way back to camp, we hit another little snag. Although, Greg and I have been to LP many times before, we are still novices at the whole boating thing. We came to a bottleneck marked with buoys as "flat wake". We know what "no wake" means but had never seen 'flat wake' before. So we had a small wake behind us, and then we had the rangers in front of us. We got pulled over! They explained to us that flat wake and no wake mean the same thing, to which Greg decided to argue with the guy. Nonetheless, they did a boat safety check and let us go. Once back at camp, we grabbed our other friends and headed across the bay to the 'Lone Rock' for some cliff jumping. Good Times!

After we got back to camp the wind had picked up. The men decided to take down our shade. In doing so, Greg managed to run into our anchor and scrape up his leg. (for those of you who do not have a strong stomach, you may want to avert your eyes....the following pictures may not be something you want to see)

This is the anchor that Greg hit his leg on. If you look at the top, left corner you will see a lump of skin

A close-up of the skin and hair that came off his leg.


To follow with disasters....Clint had brought up his son's dirt bike for riding. It had training wheels. This is something Ethan has been begging us for. He wants his own dirt bike to ride. I have resisted his (and Greg's) request to get one. He just seems to little. However, since there was one there he could ride, I thought, okay, he can try it out. Ethan hopped on that thing and hit the throttle almost running Olie over in the process. He let go and Greg exclaimed to watch out and go slow. Unfortunately, this bike had a twist throttle which Ethan is not used to. He hit it again, going too fast, Ethan got scared and tried to jump off, but for some reason did not let go, and just dragged himself behind it for a short way before riding it into the lake, thus drowning the bike. The men raced after him but could not get to the bike before it went under. The waters were shallow and they were able to recover the bike, but I am not sure how well it works now. Ethan was terrified and no longer wants a dirt bike of his own. I agree.

(He makes a much better passenger than driver)


Later that night, after our bellies were full, the sun had gone down, the kids were sleeping,and the full moon had risen, we asked if anyone wanted to go for a night ride around Lone Rock. No one seemed too interested so Greg and I headed out for a romantic night ride under the stars and glowing full moon. (It was beautiful!) Just after leaving the beach (with no wake behind us) I told Greg that something was missing. It just didn't seem like we had enough lights. Greg told me we were fine the red and green lights on the front of the boat were on. He assured me we were good to go. Still, I argued, "are you sure? it just doesn't seem like we have enough lights..." Greg, strongly points out, 'Look upfront Afton, the red and green lights are on'...to which I replied, 'well, now you have red and blue lights behind you!' Yep, we got pulled over...Again! The rangers were friendly and asked us if we had the light for the back of the boat. Greg perks up quickly. (You could almost see that light bulb go on above his head) "Oh yeah! my wife was trying to tell me something was missing." (Ah..ya! Duh! I do have my moments) Once we were 'legal' to ride at night, they let us go. It was quite humiliating and hilarious for us both. Pulled over twice in the same day, on our first trip to Lake Powell with us as the 'experienced' boaters. What will my family say?!


Day 4, it was time to pack up and leave. I woke up that day SORE! My muscles ached so bad from tubing. I couldn't even dress myself. I was so stiff. And riding in my husbands truck over sandy bumps were very painful. At one point, I think I even cried. Once we got home, I soaked in a hot bath for about 20 minutes. It was relaxing but didn't really help. The next day, I was still stiff, but able to move a little better. I was pathetic. But I still rate our Lake Powell getaway as a '10'. It just doesn't get any better than Lake Powell.

Update Pt 3.

I know, I know....I am very slow on my updates! July was a lot more exciting than June by far. This was the month that we did a little travelling and of course its the month of....MY BIRTHDAY!
July has always been one of my favorite months, and always full of events. This year was no different. As usual, for the 4th of July, we headed up to my parents cabin in Colorado. Greg and I had a wonderful time. The weather...awesome, the scenery....gorgeous, the kids.....entertained, the company....enjoyable, and the entertainment.....ROCKIN'! Greg and I trailered up his motorcycle so we could take a fun ride around the Colorado mountains. It was beautiful. Greg also brought up his bow and did a little target practicing. (He never missed a target! He is GOOD!) The kids were occupied with their very own adventures. They had so much ground to explore. They spent all of their time outside in the fort, on quad rides or hiking the property and looking for wild life. They were in heaven. Greg and I also managed to getaway and play a little golf with my brother Christian. That was a lot of fun. I have never been golfing before, in fact, I would still say I have never been golfing because I didn't actually golf. However, I did get to drive the golf cart around and look for all the missing balls that didn't go where they were supposed to. It was like an Easter egg hunt in July (Greg and Christian are not the best golfers) It was really quite fun. I enjoyed myself. And of course, when Christian and Greg get together....it is always entertainment!

(Not the best picture of Christian, but I like it. )

Later in the month we headed up to Snowflake. Unfortunately, it was for Greg's grandmother's funeral. Although, the reason for visiting was sad, we still had an enjoyable time reuniting with relatives and catching up.

In my free time I did a little sewing. A couple of my closest friends' birthdays were in July. I sewed some aprons for them. They turned out really cute, and I was pleased with the final result. They liked them too!

On Friday the 31st (my birthday and 'golden year'), we loaded the kids in the car and headed to California. Before actually getting on the road, we needed to stop and fuel up. I was messing around with my camera and taking pictures of the kids in the back seat. It just so happened, the way I was sitting in my seat viewing the pictures i had just taken, I was facing my window. The guy fueling his truck up right next to us was chatting on the phone and noticed the camera, to which he stated in a joking manner, "Oh! Thanks for wanting to take my picture. " I laughed and then he told me to have a nice day. To which I replied, "I will! Its my birthday!" I did not expect what happened next. He walked over to our truck, introduced himself, 'Bob', shook my hand, wished me a happy birthday and then asked if anyone in the family had sung me the "Birthday Song". (When in fact....they had not!) I answered "no", and then he proceeded to get after Greg for not doing so. He demanded that Greg and the boys sing me the birthday song. Greg said he would but that was not good enough for Bob. He wanted Greg to do it right then! Greg tried to drive away but Bob put his hand on the truck and continued to slightly jog outside the truck until Greg sang. (Bob was doing this all while still chatting on the phone to his buddy) Finally, Bob decided that he would just sing to me instead, so he (and his friend on the phone) sang me Happy Birthday in the gas station. I think Greg was a bit annoyed by the guy, but for me, it was pure entertainment! I had the hugest smile on my face and was continually laughing at the guy. It was so sweet for a complete stranger to make such a big deal about my birthday. (And yes, I eventually got the birthday song from the family too.)

This is "Bob"


We stayed at the Embassy suites (our favorite place to stay), and went to Knottsberry Farm. Now Greg and I have become quite addicted to the Food Network Channel. When we arrived at the hotel, and put the kids to bed, we turned on the TV to the Food channel. It just so happened to be airing a special on the best places to eat at theme parks, or something like that. Much to our surprise, they mentioned Knottsberry farm. They had recommended that we eat at Mrs. Knotts Restaurant and get the fried chicken. It was the best around. I have to say....I cannot disagree. It was by far, the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. Thank you Food Network Channel. Thank you Mrs. Knotts. Thank you.

Knotts was fun and there was plenty to do, besides eating. We rode quite a few rides, but spent most of the time in the children's side of the park. (Aidan and Ethan both had a great time) After a long day at the park, tons of rides, and fun shows to watch, the kids were exhausted. We headed back to the hotel, but not before grabbing a couple of slices of Boysenberry pie! (Also, Delicious!) I'd say, the weekend/ my birthday was a definite fun success! Thank you, Greg, for making it happen! : )

Ethan was just tall enough to ride almost all the rides!

Poor Aidan was exhausted! He fell asleep during the ice skating show.
But he still was able to meet Snoopy!

Update Pt. 2

June came and went, nothing to exciting. I wish I could remember funny kid stories, but as I mentioned before because I put off blogging or writing anything down, I have forgotten them. I think I will post a few random pictures......

Bathtime is always a splashing good time!

Alright, there might be a story here....My mother went through her attic awhile back and found all my little girl clothes that she had saved. I took them home and put them in a room. (My chances of ever having a girl is slim to none, but I can't see me getting rid of these awesome dresses that my mother sewed for me either) One day as the boys run rampant thru the house they stumble across these dresses. I am too busy doing something else to realize that house got awfully quiet. When I finally did hear the sweet sound of silence in my house, it registered that the boys were up to no good. I dropped what I was doing to quickly search for whatever disaster I may find. What I found was not a disaster but a disturbing scenario. Ethan and Aidan were playing house. Ethan dressed Aidan in one of my dresses and my old tap shoes, while dressing himself in black. When I confronted Ethan about what was going on, he said that he is in black because he was getting married, and Aidan was going to be his wife. Like I said...DISTURBING!

However, the boys are best friends....

Now lets play a quick game of "Guess Who?"....Can you tell which one is which?

Answers:
1. Olie
2. Aidan
3. Olie
4. Aidan

Its an Update! Pt.1

Okay....so I have no real excuse as to why it has been so long since my last post. I will just say, it was summer so I took a break. (Not to mention that I just saw Julie & Julia, which really kinda guilted me into getting back into blogging...not that I will ever become famous from my posts, or have millions of fans, but I need to update occassionally so I don't lose the very few who actually do read my blog.)

There have been many things I could blog about but because I put off writing the stories down, I forgot many. (Doh!) I will do my best to recall past events. To start off with, Ethan finished Kindergarten and will be starting 1st grade next week! I can't believe I have a 1st grader! I am really looking forward to the new school year and having Ethan in school for a full day. (Yay!) I think he really enjoyed going to school last year, and making new friends, and I am hoping this year will be the same. The school had a kindergarten graduation. Ethan looked so handsome in his cap and gown. All the kids got to walk across the stage, receive their certificate of completion and announce what they wanted to be when they grow up. Most of the boys said police officer or soldiers, many of the girls chose ballerinas, veterinarians or teachers, one boy stated he wanted to work for Intel (hmmm, interesting), and one little girl mentioned...she just wanted to be a "smart girl", but Ethan.....drum roll please.....he announces that when he grows up he wants to be "Iron Man!" (And an awesome superhero he would be!)

Ethan with his teachers Mrs. Cross (L) and Mrs. Karamesic (R)

Ethan patiently awaiting his turn to walk across the stageWe are so proud of our E-boy!

While on the subject of Ethan; he has learned how to ride his bike! (Lets hear it for the boy! woo-hoo!) This was so exciting to watch. I have spent countless days trying to get him interested in learning to ride. He would not give me one ounce of enthusiasm. Then one day, he was in the front yard, walked to the garage, wheeled his bike out and announced..."I think I want to learn to ride my bike today." REALLY?! With no hesitation, Greg jumped up, grabbed Ethan's bike, held him steady and he was off. No problems. Ethan mastered the art of riding in no time!

Surprise!

Aidan, my second child....the attention getter...he keeps you laughing. My day is never empty when he is around.

It was almost time to pick Ethan up from school when I urge Aidan to go to the bathroom so we don't have any accidents later. He agreed. I go about my business of getting Oliver ready and in the truck to leave. Aidan comes walking out to the truck grabbing his butt. "Aidan, I told you to use the bathroom," I said. "I did mom! I went pee," he responds as he grabs at his butt again. I ask him if he has to go #2. "NO! I do not!" he says. I walk Aidan to the bathroom and tell him I think he really needs to go #2. He screams at me...."mmooomm! I don't have to go poo-poo! I really don't...there is no poo in my butt!" I pull down his pants and I am stunned....there is a surprise for me in his pants, but he is right...there is no poo. I smile and then I laugh..."Aidan ~ why is there money in your underwear?!" (As there happens to be silver dollar resting in his underpants.) He smiles at me and says, "oh mom! I am just a silly boy...isn't that silly? hehehe. I told ya there was no poo!" Yes. He was right, but it is beyond me why he thought keeping his money in his underwear would be safer place than his pocket or money jar. However, I am thrilled that for once I get paid for the "surprises" that are in his underpants.