Back to school means back to vacationing!

I know, its pretty pathetic, but the kids were only in school three days before we pulled them back out again for the first of many fall vacations we had planned! I really wish they would just go ahead and start school after labor day and then we wouldn’t have this problem. 

Anyway- our good friends the Halls talked us into doing some Motor Home camping at Lake Powell.  While we have been to LP dozens of times, we have never been brave enough to try it in such fashion, so I was a little apprehensive about the errr…..shall we say “red-neck-ed” approach to boating.  But with 5 kids and a small budget (a house boat was not an option), this seemed like our best bet.

Now, I’m not gonna lie and tell you that red-necky it wasn’t, cause it sooooooo was, but it was also really really fun!  We (barely) survived the 8-hour drive down to Wahweap in the Motor Home with the Whitemyers in tow.  Yes, that was 8 kids and 4 adults in quite cramped quarters, but hey, nobody vomitted, so I call that a win.  Then we proceeded to 4-wheel said Winnebego through a massive sand dune right on down to the waters edge and parked there for a glorious 4 days. The Halls and the Draayers (and some really drunk Mexicans….) joined us which made the party complete.  (Well, until those lovely Mexicans started encroaching on our campsite….but that’s another story for another day). 

(Photo of our sa-weeet set-up!)

The Draayers drove up from Vegas and somehow managed to forget their bags so all their attire for the trip had to be purchased at the local Wal-mart. Lets just say their wardrobes consisted of some fiiiiiiiiiiiine merchandise!

Note- Ryan’s bitchin camaro tee.  Yes, this is one of his Wal-Mart gems, as well as his Starter Shorts, which served as swim trunks for the week .  Oh, I’m still laughing.  Good times!

Me & Amberlee on our fine stretch of beach. (Before the Mexicans invaded, of course…..)

This adorable little thing made herself at home within minutes of arriving.  She plopped down in the sand in her jammies and a diaper and got so filthy that people started getting mad at me for letting her be so disgusting!  So, I reluctantly brushed the sand out from her bum cheeks and got her dressed for the day.

Awwwww.  Much better, right?  Don’t worry.  It only lasted about 20 seconds and then……

Yes, this is a home-made mud bath.  Every baby’s dream!  Oh well, at least I tried!

We went sand-dune climbing……

Cliff jumping…..

(Seth’s back-flip sequence)

Tubing….

More Tubing….. Some of the kids also tried water-skiing and wakeboarding, but sadly, since the mom’s were back at camp with the babies, of course there are no pictures

Exploring…..

Four-wheelin trips to the toitey…..

And lots of just sitting around, having a great time!

I can’t wait to do it again!

(Now that is love……)

Back to School

We’re ba-aaack!  Back home for the school year after a year of school in P-town.  I have to admit, I will miss a few things about my kids great school experience in Price, but we are all so happy to be starting this new school year back home. The kids all have fantastic teachers this year and have been so excited to see their old friends.

Kenni is a big 5th grader this year.  Ruler of Elementary! (Our school only goes up to 5th grade and then she’s off to middle school-gulp!)  And I must say she is growing into a beautiful young lady even though her teeth are going to cost Seth and I a small fortune in orthodontia

Sparky is starting 4th grade.  He has recently become the most self-sufficient “get-ready-for-schooler” you have ever met.  He sets his own alarm and gets up 15 minutes before the other kids.  By the time the rest of them (and myself!) have rolled out of bed, he has fixed his own breakfast, gotten himself dressed, combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and is patiently waiting for the rest of us, all ready to go.  Such a good boy.

Noodle is a big first grader this year.  I would say he is making the leap to being at school all day, but he’s not.  He was so lucky to get to attend all-day kindergarten in Price.  His 1st grade teacher has already commented to me that he seems so much older and more well-adjusted than the other kids, and I had to explain that he went to a different school last year.  The first few weeks of school, all the first graders were falling asleep by the end of the day, but not this guy.  He was just plugging along ready to learn.  Such a smartie-fartie, too.

Here they all are, waiting for the bus.  We are so lucky the bus stop is just right next door.  I love it.  And even though we are the first kids to be picked up in the whole dang county, they still don’t have to catch the bus until 30 minutes later than we did last year in Price.  Yeah!  More sleep!

Oh my goodness, can it really be?  Yes, this sweet little guy started Kindergarten this year, one week after the other kids headed back.  He is so small he just melts my heart.  I debated holding him back because he really is quite young for Kindergarten, but his preschool teacher assured me that he was ready, and he would be bored home with me for another year.  Still, it was hard seeing him get on that bus.  He’s just so tiny and sweet!

So there you have it!  Four of my five kids are at the same Elementary school for one brief year.  I have a feeling the secretaries up there are going to be seeing a lot of me this year.  You would think with just me & baby J at home, things would be a little bit quieter, and easier, but nooooooo.  My goodness, that little lady is a terror.  She runs around making more messes than my other 4 kids combined.

Can’t you just see the mischief on that face????

(Yes, she is always covered in food, and her hair is generally a disaster!  Such a sweet, hot mess!)

Its going to be a crazy year!!!!

Ladies Boat Float Day

Last year for my birthday, I invited a few friends to come lounge around on the boat and just basically float around for an afternoon.  We had such a great time and it sure beat the heck out of the usual going out to lunch at a restaurant!  So this year when I asked Michelle what she wanted to do for her birthday lunch, she said “Can we have boat float day again? It was so much fun!”  So I guess now its just going to have to be an annual tradition.

However, we did have one major difference with this years boat float day compared to last year: Last year it was hot and sunny as you would expect for a typical summer boat day.  This year, somehow we picked the only day all summer that it rained!

I’m talking it was pouring rain! It was actually quite comical.  So we had to button ourselves up in the bimini cover and eat our lunch huddled together to stay warm.

Michelle and Amberlee were out lounging on the tube and it suddenly started pouring on them.  We were laughing so hard we couldn’t even help them.  We just pointed and laughed!

Afterwards we took them on a ride and laughed some more….

Amberlee may quite possibly kill me if she sees this but I thought it was quite funny because her legs are flying up in the air. 

There is really nothing better than a group of old ladies having a great time, escaping for a day on a boat! No men, no kids, no problem!

Happy Birthday Chowie-girl, I love your “surprised” face, and I can’t wait till next years float day!

Camping at Hardscrabble

Michelle was so nice to let us come crash her family’s campground again this year!  My kids absolutely adore it there.  WARNING:  You’re about to see some VERY dirty, happy kids.  If this bothers you, move on to the next post!

Everyone loves going on Ranger rides, but they leave us all crazy dirty!

So, then we go hop in the river and clean up….

Good times, good times.  And aren’t we brave to take all those kids camping with no husbands .  Maybe next year they will be lucky enough to get to tag along!