Leave it to the Brockbanks to invite us on their family trip to Powell. I’m not sure how we get so lucky, but I think it is the constant hinting my whole family does all year long! We showed up for the last three days of their Powell extravaganza, and like always — it was SO FUN!!!
The fact that all of my kids can participate, is awesome!
This cousin (and Micah) jump was flawless, until Pippi didn’t jump until a minute later.
The crew was great.
The boat is always great - and was big enough for all 13 of us!!! My kids favorite spot was on the back — although we had enough seats.
The Brockbanks are so rad to always humor our kids — even when it means getting “make up” Zinka on from Pippi!
Our days were filled with skiing the glass, wakeboarding, wake surfing, tubing, bouldering, cliff jumping, and floating.
We brought all of our food on board, and stopped in shady spots to snack, so we had enough energy to get back on the water.
It was an awesome trip…but there were three extra elements this year, that made it one of our best trips.
#1
Someone put up a rope swing that we found, and it was sketchy and scary.
It was really hard to climb up…in fact, Scout tried and tried to get up and couldn’t. As Navy watched from the boat, she got fed up, and said, “I’ll go do it.” In about one minute, she was up!!! Scout made excuse after excuse as to why he couldn’t climb it and she could…but the fact is…Navy showed him up! Navy took a minute to get her nerves up, but then she swung out flawlessly, and released perfectly. The next time we made it to the rope swing, you better believe that Scout was the first one up!
#2
the other rad element that made this trip different, was the afternoon monsoons. They were so fun and crazy for the kids, that they ended up being a favorite part of Powell. (Probably because nothing bad happened either!)
#3
The all time greatest element that was new to us this year, was night skiing/surfing/rope swinging.
It was insane!
It was a full moon and we had to get off the lake a bit early because of the afternoon monsoon. So after dinner, we said we were going back out. It was warm, and glassy, and the best thing of the whole trip! My kids loved keeping the party going into the late hours, but some of them crashed out by the end!
From this point forward, we are going to make sure every Powell trip is geared around the full moon!
Thanks Brockbanks for always having us.
And always being so fun with our kids.
Until next year!
And leave it to my kids to find geodes in the front landscape rocks of the Airbnb.
If my kids and I are on a road trip, and see a fruit tree that is unmaintained…we always stop!
This time it was an apricot tree that had literally thousands of apricots on the tree and ground.
My kids yelled to stop.
Obviously!
We actually saw a lady and asked if we could pick. She was happy to let us, and we picked away. And we ate away. And then I dreamed of having all sorts of fruit trees on my 4 acre farm.
When my dad is the financier on a loan gone bad…leave it to Micah the “Repo Man” to solve the problem.
This was quick…so quick, that my kids asked me “Is Daddy stealing a car?”
HA!
I told them that he was repossessing it, and they all agreed they wanted their dad to repossess a few more this afternoon!
My adrenaline pumped for a few hours.
And then I chalked it up to another rad story for the database.
Two remarkable people have called out “This Is The Place” from this mountain.
Brigham Young.
And Pippi.
In honor of the 24th of July in Utah, NayNay took us on a hike to the “This Is The Place” monument.
It wasn’t a very long hike, but it was legitimately steep, so I loved it.
When we made it, we all decided that we should have gone in the wee hours, to avoid the sun and heat.
But the hike was awesome.
And my kids dominated — as my rad kids usually do.
And Dash went shirtless — as my rad kid usually does.
And I can’t help but wonder if Brigham Young had any idea of what was to come of the Salt Lake Valley.
Because, after months of crossing the treacherous plains, he stopped at the absolute perfect spot.
Happy Pioneer Day.
Nonnie treated Scout to a new Ukelele, and he has been strumming ever since. I have to be honest…I love that raspy voice in the back of the minivan singing his tunes. I never turn on the radio, but if it sounded just like…i’d never turn it off.
Maybe I am just a doting mother.
OR…..
Maybe I just found the next teen sensation!!!
I love these shots of my kids looking to Christ and the Temple.
Honestly…I hope these pictures depict my kid’s futures.
But this random picture of Dash’s red shoe might be a more fitting depiction.
Are you surprised by the culprit?
Every year!
EVERY YEAR!
My kids have some sort of love of ruining our Temple Square pictures.
Naughty was when they were two.
This is downright bad behavior.
Thank goodness I got my annual screen saver picture before they were wet!
And this great shot moments before the “red shoe” incident.
And just to think it all started out with Pippi showing me how reverent she could be.
Yeah right!
The Wilk — by definition, is the epicenter of Happy Valley.
When we got there, I had everyone stand in front of the Happy Valley mural and point to the “Y”.
Every one pointed…but Pippi just pointed to the wrong Y, and we all started laughing.
Then we went downstairs to bowl..or in this year’s case…chase down two one-year-old twins.
And the bowling lane is where we learned that Dash’s soft lips are so good for kissing, we are afraid for his teenage years.
Usually my kids get their haircuts a la Nonnie. She does a great job, and they always look great.
But as a new tradition that started last year, we stop in for haircuts at BYU…where they get “true blue” royal haircuts.
They love the pampering of the shampoo bowls.
They think it is luxury at its finest.
And the cut and style, where if they accidentally move, they don’t get bonked by a comb.
And the ultimate in luxury, is when they don’t have to sweep up and clean their own mess.
True Blue haircuts are a real treat once every summer!
Each morning at Bella’s house, the kids get assigned a chore before playing the day away.
This morning Pippi got assigned the kitchen, and as I saw her wiping the counters, I asked her what in the world she was wearing.
She said, “A bathing suit of course.”
Upon closer inspection, it was a bathing suit and a robe…straight from the drawers of Posey.
Yep, Posey who is one year old!
It might be a little short.
It might also be a little snug.
But she owned it and rocked it.
“Of course!”
“Help us all to be really special.”
“Help all the bad guys to be nice again.”
Two mini gems during her family prayer tonight.
Pippi….I don’t know about all the bad guys, but I do know that you are really special.
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