The Young and the Restless

Memorial Weekend

Camping at the lake is one of our favorite things to do (although some may disagree with the camping part, ahem, Kylie). The evening is my favorite time at the lake, watching the sun slip behind the mountains leaving a pastel glow illuminating the still water. Then comes the smell of campfire, the glow of flashlights and whispers into the night while tucked into sleeping bags. Then Jason is like a kid on Christmas morning, up with the sun at 5 am and pacing around just waiting for any sign of life so we can hit the lake and take advantage of the glass water. Bundled under blankets eating donuts and embracing the peace and quiet of an empty lake all our own. It's something special. I have a serious crush on summer. Memories at the lake will always be filed away under my favorites. We invited our good friends, the Herrera's to come with us on Friday and I love watching the kids making memories with their besties.

Ryder finally got brave enough to go on the tube for the first time. He did not crack a single smile the entire time. But then begged to do it again and again.

These girls are fun to watch because they're never too scared for a wild ride, the bigger the jumps the better.

When we were at the lake the week before Maddox said he wanted to try wakeboarding. He is still pretty young to learn and we didn't think he would catch on, but on his third try he popped up out of the water and stayed up for a good 1 min 30 seconds, it was amazing! I only snapped a quick picture on my phone, but I did get it on video. I have never seen anyone that young pick it up so fast. He tried again and got up for about 30 seconds then was done. He wanted to try it again this day but could not get up. He was pretty frustrated and swore of wakeboarding again until he's 8. I hope he gives it another try, he's a natural!

bathing beauties. #hairenvy

And Jayden's a natural too. He's so comfortable out there and controls the board with ease, he's fun to watch. He's working on his jumps and has already improved.

And it's cute seeing Kylie out there too. She has really picked up on wake surfing and is impressive to watch. She got up her first time trying, which I have a lot of respect for because after several tries I finally got up but only lasted a few seconds.

And of course I always love watching this guy in the water. He said he's getting too old for wakeboarding (especially after his last bad wreck that left him so disoriented in the water), the surfing has so much less impact on the body. He's still pretty hot, even for an old man.

There are quite a few other families in the ward that have boats and it's fun to see them on the lake. We met up with a few of them for a campfire that night.

The golden hour, the morning calm.

I have to admit, we have some pretty cool kids.

It's all happy go lucky, until you fall and the board comes back and smashes you in the forehead leaving a goose egg and a cut resembling an infamous lightning scar. At least she's a Harry Potter fan.

We also lucked out to have the Howard's come down from Utah to meet us at the lake. A day on the lake is always made better with cousins. We had a barbecue that night with them, Trenton taught Jayden some new tricks on the rip stick, then brunch after church the next day before they went to Vegas. It was a quick trip but we were so grateful they were willing to drive all that way to see us. After such a fun filled weekend, Memorial day was a little anti climatic filled with cleaning and yard work. Work hard, play hard. On this Memorial Day our thoughts were also turned to those who have served and sacrificed for our country, including those in our own family. While we are busy spending time together as a family, I know there are many who do not get that luxury and it is something I never take for granted. Grateful. Very, very grateful.