Back at the boat!

Macen was tired..Grandma helped him on board!

He wanted to get back in...

Maddie the brave!

Maddie climbed up on her own....That girl has no fear!

Uncle Bill followed...

This is right before she jumped off!

Swimming Swimming Swimming

We stopped by a cliff so we could go diving..Macen just wanted to swim! He's following daddy to the rocks!

He played around in the water while the guys went diving

Here we are climbing the rocks to the diving off spot!

Kaylee the Brave!

Kaylee and I decided to climb the cliff and jump off..It was scarier than we thought. You can't really see it from this angle, but there is a rock jutting out. Uncle Bill and Uncle Grant were helping her try to get over the fear of jumping into the rock...

She tried...

Finally Bill and Kaylee jumped together! I am so proud of her!

"Jumper"

Here's Grant jumping off the cliff into Lake Mead

Grandma and Rache

My mom is the coolest Grandma! Here she is with Rache on the raft....

They were having a great time!

Over the wake!

Floating..What a life!

Macen and Maddie on the Raft...They had sooooo much fun!

Macen and Maddie

These two are the funniest kids in the world. On our way to the beach Uncle Bill let them tide on the raft...

They were chatting back and forth the whole time...in between Macen jumping on his knees..the little dare devil.

They were starting to get a little bored..until Macen fell off!

Wake Boarding at Mead

Here's Rache..She's got talent!

Here's my brother Bill doing his thing!

You go Big Bill!

Mom and Rache on the Raft....

Day at Mead

Here's Rache showing off her stuff! What a Girl!!!

Back at the Marina

Here's one group of cousins: Maddie, Matt, Will, and Kaylee

Here's Macen and Maddie enjoying the shallow water!

Oh so Tired!

We got back from the lake and the crowd was tired! From left to right: Maddie, Matt, and Kaylee

Here's my mom...she couldn't keep her eyes open!

Weekly Update

Hello! It's time for another update in our exciting lives. First, these are pictures of Macen under the desk. He tried to lock Scout under the desk...Scout escaped, Macen was not so lucky. Don't worry, I let him out eventually!
I fianlly got to go to the movies this past weekend. Macen, Grant, Nan, Geran, and I all got to see Kung-Foo Panda. It was probably one of the best cartoons I've seen in a long time. For those who have seen it..I have one word for you: "SKADOOOOSH"
Nan, Grant and I also stayed for Indiana Jones. Pretty good movie..I could have done without the UFO!
Sunday was church. Our ward is moving to another building. We took the last hour to get everything moved over since all the men will be gone to Scout Camp this week. Speaking of church..Congratulations to my Uncle Doug. He's been called to be Bishop of his ward in Utah. Next stop....the presidency! (He doesn't think so, he's too humble) I think I'm going to start blogging his emails to me. He has the best stories!
Monday..well, I'm like Garfield the cat.."I hate Monday's" We had to take my Dodge Dakota in to the dealership to have it checked out. It was acting funny on the too and from Utah. Turns out, the nearly new transmission is broke, so we'll have to wait about two weeks to get "Sir Didimus" back. Macen is very concerned, he thinks that the truck is in the hospital. He's going to make a get well card tonight!
Today, our Ford Bronco (aka Bluto) is also not working. When it rains in this family, it pours!
Macen is heading to Grimes Point caves tomorrow for day camp. I'll try to get pictures!
Well, that's about it. I'm trying to head down to Vegas on Thursday to go boating with the family. If it happens, tune in on Sunday..I'll make sure to have lots of pictures!!!
We love you all. We'll talk to all very soon!

What a view!

My sister Kim and her three kids are out west visiting mom and dad. They went to Salt Lake first, then drove to the property. Here's a picture of Maddie, and the back of Will looking out at Bryce Canyon.

Happy Birthday Rache!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful 20 year old niece! Isn't she gorgeous? I am so proud of her! This girl is going places!!!!

Here she is on a family vacation.

I know she's cute boys...but you'll have to go through her dad before you get a date!!!

The Parable of the Kite

There once lived a girl, so faithful and true,
With so much potential, so much she could do.
Her favorite past time was spent in the park-
Flying her kite, from dusk until dark.
Her father had built it, a bright, sturdy frame,
It seemed to hold up when the strong whirlwinds came.
It had a long tail, and what joy it could bring,
As it flew through the air, tightly held by the string.
Her father had warned her, to hold on quite tight,
The trial of the wind could put up a big fight.
This daughter grew restless, just watching it fly,
She wanted to see it soar deep in the sky.
One day she decided that it wasn't fair,
To punish this kite, and to hold back the air.
This kite deserved more than the same point of view,
If she just let it go,it could fly away too.
Because she was struggling- life was so hard,
She longed for the freedom to let down her guard.
Rules and commandments were causing such strife,
They just held her back, there was much more to life!
In just a brief instant, she cut off the string,
She took a deep breath as the air caught the wing.
It spiraled, it turned, and quite soon she had found
Her precious kite mangled and crushed on the ground.
She then heard her father, his voice calm and true,
My child, these commandments are given FOR you
To help you and guide you and keep you in flight,
Just as the string has preserved your invaluable kite.
I love you. I need you. You're precious to me.
If you keep my commandments,
They help make you free!
Free to fly high, free from the sorrow,
Free to awake without guilt for tomorrow.
My daughter, please know that I'm sending my love,
I'll guide you; I'll hold you with strength from above.
As I hold your string, I won't let you down,
I promise, in heaven, that you'll get your crown!

-Stacy Schofield Hair

(This was part of a lesson that was given today in church..I think I needed to hear it!)

Enjoy Your Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

All the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups...and then began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups..........enjoy your coffee.

Remember, not to get caught up in the trivial material side of life. Enjoying life’s abundances is a blessing, but don’t confuse it with the bigger picture.

We're back from Vacation!

Hello everyone! We're back! We went down to Southern Utah for a week long vacation! My parents own property at Panguitch Lake. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had! I truly felt like I was in Heaven! The sights, the sounds, the lake, the weather...It was amazing! I felt like I did when I was at Camp! I plan on going back every chance I get! I took a lot of pictures, and I hope that you all enjoy them..There was so much more that I wish I could show you...
Enjoy the blog, read the quotes for the week, take the poll, and let me know what you think! We love you all...
Thanks again to mom and dad for the best week EVER!

"Katie's Kove"

This is the 5th wheel that my parents bought. They call it a "poor man's cabin" but it's so awesome! It's got pretty much anything they need. They have a beautiful piece of property at Panguitch Lake, and I think it's a slice of paradise!

Here's the "Guest" camper. Macen, Grant and I enjoyed it!

Here's the side by side 4-wheeler...I want one for every day use!