3 Girls and a Guy

Heaven on Earth.....Lake Powell
Such a long post. If I didn't narrate it, I might not know what is going on when I get ahlzeimers one day.

I love Lake Powell. We left two Sundays ago after church for a fabulous week of food, friends, family and fun!! We have a houseboat time share with Renn's buddy Lyle. He invites family or friends and we do too. Then we hope everyone gets a long. I think we all had a fabulous time. Our neighbors the Cooks came, my brother Jordy, and Lyle's sister in law Jenny and family. There were 19 kiddos and 10 adults. Wowsers. Jenny and Kevin slept on the beach until the wind storm blew their tent to pieces on Wednesday. Every family gets a room on the house boat for the parents and their stuff. The kids find a place to sleep. All the McBrides and Cook kids slept on the top with their dads. I got my own bed!!! I had no problem getting sleep. We had so much fun on the boat whether it was sight seeing, skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, hanging out or even sleeping. We even had more fun on the houseboat with everyone. Games were going on at all times of the night and day. Jordan is a crazy game finatic. He is addicted. He was always putting the pressure on to play Construction or some dumb game like that. For me, if it wasn't cards, I didn't play. The kids loved playing games too. The kids made bracelets, boon doggles and snacked like crazy. Landon even impersonated a train cho cho with the mask on. He is Lyle's younger brother and Jordan's boyfriend. He comes every year.

One day we were driving the boat and the next day the boat got beached by a major wind storm on Wednesday. It took lots of men, a couple women, and some shovels to dig us out!!!

Here are some random pics. Cute too.

The water tramp is a hit every year. It's abuse I know. We talk in the younger kids to crawl out on the launcher and then get out and launch them. We laugh so hard and they usually cry. Kaden went willingly this year and so did the rest of my kids. Poor Brayden and Corbyn. We are mean for a good laugh. Kaden was the first to go off the houseboat slide as soon as we beached. All the kids loved the slide from 4 yrs of age on up. Tough kids. The adults all went down too including me!!! I tried plugging my nose for the first time and water didn't get in my nose. How about that.

We all tried surfing too. Well at least most of the adults. Natalie, Heather and I did not let go of the rope or even have very good balance. Our hubbies all rocked the house. I must say Renn is the best!!! It's true. No favoritism. Adri and Kaden love surfing with him. Corbyn was forced, but he will like it one day.

The conditions were perfect so Heather and I were going tubing. We had fun and laughed so hard. All of my kids were so brave on the tube except Kaden. Abby usually cries and wants to go slower. She went fast and loved every minute of it. She was so tough. Adri enjoyed going a little slower with the younger cook girls. Renn and Jordan dragged Brayden and Kaden out. The more they go the sooner they will like it is the hope. Goof balls. We all had tube burns on our elbows and knees from holding on for dear life. It was painful. What we do for fun.

One day the Cooks, Adri, Kaden, Abby, me, Lyle, Lindy, Landon and Preston went sight seeing. It's tradition. We went to Cathedral Canyon where you have to use your feet and hands not to hit the walls, and Rainbow Bridge. We swam along the way, ate lunch and stopped at Dangling Rope gas station and store for Root Beer Floats. It was a long but fun day. The boat ride gets old after awhile because we were gone 5-6 hours. Lyle is funny and kept us laughing and having fun. We listened to some good tunes also.

My room was right by the potty. Lyle would stink it up often. One night both the potties were occupied and Lyle came back and said he had reading materials. I told him he could not stink up my room right before bed. Alex started coming out of my bathroom and I ushered her right back and told her not to come out until I gave her the go ahead. Lyle ended up using the other potty. Thank goodness. Sometimes the potty got stinky.

The real fisherman was back this year. Lyle and Jordan tried last year, but did not do well. Kevin decided not to run Wasatch Back and come back to Powell. The best place to be. He caught so many fish. He helped the kids too. Cat fish, Small Mouth Bass and Stripers. We had fish tacos and grilled fish one night. It was to die for. Gourmet cooking in Lake Powell with Kevin. I really liked cooking with Kevin some of the nights. He is such a natural and I learn things every year from watching him cook.

This is bathing style in Powell. Most nights off the back of the houseboat the kids and some adults would lather up and take the plunge. That's about as good as it gets. The houseboat has a shower, but it's lake water so what's the difference. Kaden would do it a couple times a day. We felt clean afterwards and that's what mattered.

Some one was always sleeping in Lake Powell. Whether it was the little ones down for a nap, the little ones falling asleep on a boat ride or just tired peeps, someone was always sleeping. One day Adri could not find her towel. It was the day after the wind storm and it was no where to be found. I tried to get her another towel and Renn said he would go on a walk and look for it later. She had a melt down. Yes it was over a towel. Once Adri is fixated on something, it's hard to change her mind. I told her to go to bed. It was 9 a.m. She fell asleep and was better when she woke up. Renn needed a nap a couple of the days. I think sleeping on top with the kids wasn't the best nights sleep. The kids loved sleeping on top of the houseboat.

My poor Renn hurt his back right before we left. He ran to the chiropractor right before and it didn't help. One day it would start feeling better and the next day he would hurt it worse by lifting heavy stuff or boating. He had to be careful throughout the trip and ask others to carry heavy bags and move beached boats. I married an old man so what do I expect. He still had fun and surfed like no one's business.

There were a couple of bb guns in Lake Powell. The kids shot lizards and boxes with them. One day the kids brought back a rattle snake they had killed with the bb gun, rattle and all. Preston skinned the snake and took it home as a souvenir. Pic of the girls going off with Boyd, Abby shooting boxes, and Brayden and Kaden with their lizards. So proud.

When we got to Lake Powell on Sunday, we were talking to Lyndee about all of her sun burns in years past. Without fail, he legs get burned the first day. We put sun screen on them and sure enough, they got burned again. She had heat stroke the third day there and I think they were third degree burns. She was so uncomfortable. This is the last day and they were feeling much better and peeling. Poor Lyndee. Next year she better wear pants.

Every chance we got, we enjoyed the sun. It was beautiful and relaxing. When we were too hot, we would jump in. All the toddlers must have been sleeping because Nat and Heather got to join me. I really had so much free time to do whatever. I read a ton. Love Hunger Games. Can't wait for the third book.

I came home 5 lbs. heavier. No exaggeration. We eat all day everyday without stopping. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and then everything in between. It's disgusting. One night Lyle made fried oreos, as if oreos weren't bad enough. They were so yummy. Every year Lyle's mother in law sends down a bag of this yummy chex mix sugary snack. The bag is huge. Fifteen lbs at least. I think that's why I come home heavier. It's addicting. We ate pork tacos, hamburgers, grilled chicken, chicken pasta, spaghetti, fish tacos, nachos, pancakes, french toast, smores. licorice, chocolates, candy, mangos, jerky, m&m's, and every meal there is fruit, salads, bread and all the fixings. It's crazy, fun, gross and fattening. Renn and Lyle plan the meals and every night someone takes a turn. Lyle has an itemized grocery list with how many slices of bread we need and everything is detailed. It's hilarious. I think I love this trip so much because I just help. I don't do all the planning and buying.


We had so many otter pops left over by the last day that Renn had a contest. Who could eat the most otter pops? Renn always comes up with fun stuff. At first it was between Alex and Nick, but then Nick slowed down and Preston ate up. Alex won after all and I think she ate nine. The kids had fun doing it.

Leaving bites. So sad. This is how we get the luggage to the houseboat and how we take it out. They have these carts all over and we walk them down the boat docks. Our slip is pretty far and it's a lot of work in the hot sun. In this pic is Renn Boyd, Alex and lastly Kevin. Last year we thought Kaden died our last day in Lake Powell. It was a heart wrenching day. We are so glad that everything went smoothly and that our little guy was with us this year. I love Lake Powell and love all the memories of being together with friends and family. We might go again in October, but if not we will be back for sure next June. It's tradition.

Now we are back to school and Adri's bday and baptism. We hope

summer begins soon for us. School is getting old!!!!