Summer Vacation

Lake Powell was our summer vacation we had planned for this year. It was a BLAST as always. Thank you Gilberts! We are very blessed to have you in our lives.

Michael was the "stud" of wake boarding. He could wake board with our kids on the board with him. This is Lindsey cutting the circulation off his legs.

Gage sleeping on the ski boat. He is just too cute.

Sierra loving the water splashing in her face as she knee boards. She actually loved it!

Megan knee boarding. She was willing to try everything first. If she was still alive afterward then her sisters would try it. She was a lot of fun!

Lindsey's motto was, "if Megan and Sierra can do it then so can I." Very cute trying to knee board.

Michael showing us how it is done.

No Lake Powell trip would be complete without tubing. Mom, Lindsey, Hunter, and Dad holding on.

Michael trying to jump onto the other tube. Megan and Jason holding on.

Hunter, Gage and Lindsey loving the couch tube.

Daddy and Gage on the wave runner. Gage loved riding on them a lot!

Jason very focused. Working on staying up on the wake board.

Jason getting braver and ready to start jumping the wake.

Sierra trying skiing for the first time behind the wave runner.

Sierra liked knee boarding better than skiing.

Priceless picture! Jason was supposed to be holding the end of the rope that would be tied to a boat and Sierra was to be pulled up by Jason. She didn't stay up long because Jason kept falling off the back of the wave runner. It was pretty hilarious!

Going on a site seeing trip on the ski boat.

Hiking up sand hill. It was really hot sand! The afternoon sun was just hitting the hill just right. Megan, Jason, Lindsey and I made it to the top, in our family. It was really fun heading down it.

More tubing!

Hang on Lindsey, your about to fall off!

Daddy trying to get tricky.

Megan knee boarding.

Lindsey enjoying this knee boarding thing.

I let go too soon! Darnet!!

Playing in the water by the house boat with Aunt Cindy and Landon.

Sierra's turn to take a ride with Michael on the wake board.

Lindsey hanging on, but enjoying herself (I think).

Megan determined to figure this out on her own before the trip is over.

Hunter asking, "What Mom, I don't have time to look at you for a picture."

Gage loving playing in the sand and water.

Sierra taking a whirl at golf.

Megan and Lindsey going for a relaxed ride on the couch tube.

Jason working on wake boarding. Looking better!

Not quite ready to do flips but getting closer.

Stacy taking her attempt in figuring out wake boarding.

Do I sit or stand?

Gage and Megan chillin out in the water with Michael.

Sierra loving the water.

My oh My it's hot!!

Mom and Megan at the top of "The Hole in the Rock." Quite an amazing story how the pioneers took covered wagons and animals down this thing.

Hiking up to "Hole in the Rock" from the bottom.

Lindsey hiking up to "hole in the Rock" it was really hot!

Megan and Lindsey

Starting from the bottom and working our way up the path.

Riding in the ski boat to and from "hole in the Rock."

Swimming in the water by the house boat. We did this a lot when it got hot. It was just so much fun!!

Hunter loving the biggest sandbox ever!

Gage just getting back from a ride on the wave runner. I just loved his wind blown hair. Megan trying to figure out how she can talk her parents into letting her take it out. NOT Happening, nice try!

Our Fun Run and California

July 14th, we noticed some significant swelling in Sierra's feet. After calls to California and our pediatric cardiologist in Boise, they felt it best to life flight her to Cali right away. To make a very long story short, they did numerous test and a biopsy. The biopsy was 0 and all the tests came back looking great. The conclusion for this wonderful trip, she had a case of fluid overload from being sick the prior week and getting a whole bunch of IV fluids. Her heart couldn't handle all the fluid, even though she was very dehydrated. It pushed all the fluid into her tissues about 4 days later. Swelling always gets everyone excited.

However, this wonderful trip to California gave Sierra and I a week and a half to "hang out" and take in the sites. She was released from the hospital on Saturday and we were able to get into the Ronald Mcdonald House. We borrowed bikes and rode all over town, a different adventure everyday.

While we were in California there was a 10K race in Baker that I had been training for. I ran it around the Stanford hospital and Jason and Megan ran the 5K here in Baker for me.

Jason and Megan at the finish line. Megan's first race.

The whole gang present at the run, including the cheer leaders.

Justin and Emily at the finish line of the race. Way to go guys, you ROCKED!!

Me outside the hospital at my finish line.

With no vehicle and needing groceries, we had to get really creative how to bring groceries home on the bike.

We had to do a little shopping. Sierra was ecstatic and loving it.

One day we toured the Stanford campus. Sierra and I had a little wreck into each other the second day we had the bikes. She ended up spraining her wrist pretty good. Thank Heavens we didn't break it. We had to take this picture to show her brace to Daddy.

Looking down on the Stanford campus from the Hoover Tower.

Sierra at the top of the Hoover tower.

A catholic cathedral that was really pretty on campus.

Of course when you are life flighted you have no church clothes with you. Sierra got the better end of the deal on that one.

We had a fun ride on our bikes out to the duck ponds by the Palo Alto airport. We tried to make a not so fun situation as fun as possible. We did a lot of exploring on our bikes. It was fun.

Priceless Time with Cousins

July 11th was a very exciting time for our family. Jason's brother Justin and his wife Emily were returning to eastern Oregon from their 3 year adventure in Germany. We were all very ecstatic to see them. Our kids were especially excited to see their cousins, Keanna, Ayla, and Lindey. The other bonus we had on top of them coming home was Josh and Tara were here visiting. For the first time in a very long time, all the cousins were together.

We decided to go and spend a quick afternoon at Anthony Lakes. We hiked around the lake, and the kids had fun finding all kind of things like snow, a dead elk in the lake and fun rocks to climb on. It was fun to spend time with our cousins!

The whole clan. We had a similar picture taken 6 years ago. It consisted of 5 less kids, a few more babies, and red hot faces from hiking to Kraw fish Lake.

The kids loving the water going under the bridge. It was a pretty cool day for being July 13th.

A fun rock to climb on. Keanna, Lindsey, Ayla and Ryan making it look even funner.

A cute picture of Lindsey and Gage. Loving the pink hair.

Ashely and Sierra, the day before Sierra was life flighted to California.

Kalli and Megan

The last bridge before returning to our rigs.

This was just too cute of Lindey and Gage.

My fun boys!!

Me and the boys!

Emily and her girls.

3 amigos, Ayla, Lindsey and Keanna.

In the middle of July the girls were able to attend a dance class that was two days a week. The teacher taught all kinds of dancing, the rhamba, jazz, pop and many others. The girls loved it. Unfortunately, Sierra only attended the first week and then it was off to California for a week and a half. The couple of times she did go, she enjoyed it very much.

This class was also very fun, because the girls took it with their long gone cousin, Keanna. Keanna and her family had come back from Germany the week prior to the class starting. We were very excited that their family was moving back to eastern Oregon.

Keanna and Lindsey practicing their flutter. Lindsey balances much better when her tongue is sticking out.

Sierra and Megan waiting for the next move. Megan's spot was usually right next to the teacher.

So It Has Been Awhile!!!

I apologize, it has been way too long. I feel like I finally have a moment to breathe and thought I had better start getting our blog caught up. I will try and do a blog every one to two days until we are caught up. The first part of July was busy with working on the shop and swimming lessons. The kids always look forward to swimming lessons. Sierra threw a little kink into our July planned schedule, but all is well now. Thank you Bonnie for the reminder to get my blog updated. I will make it more of a priority!!

Hunter and Lindsey hanging out with us while working on the shop. Lindsey sporting her stylish tights.

Gage thinking his place to be is at the top of the ladder.

Jason was out changing pipe one morning and found a frog outside. He thought it would be great to show the boys. They were sound asleep and were awakened to this lovely creature .

Hunter trying to figure out if this is a dream or is there really a frog about ready to jump on him.

Gage is not so crazy about the frog as well.

Just don't let it touch me!!

Hunter was able to have swimming lessons with one of his favorite cousins Abigail. She is just too cute!

Hunter sporting his goggles.

Lindsey loving swimming lessons. She is so tiny that she can't touch the bottom of the pool and has to sit in a "crib." She is our little fish.

Megan loves swimming as well. She was in one of the higher levels where there are smaller classes. It made it a lot of fun for her.

Sierra attended the first week of swimming lessons and missed the 2nd because she got sick with a flu bug. Which started a whole cascade of fun that we will blog about later.