Lake Powell

We went to Lake Powell with my family about a month ago. I have had the pictures for this post uploaded but am just now getting around to writing about it all. [Sorry family! I know I haven't sent pictures in a LONG time.] It was a blast. Exactly what we needed and so SO fun to be all together for one last time before J.T. left on his mission. We loaded the boat on my birthday. It's a good day to have a birthday, because in my family you don't have to do any chores on your birthday. So while the boys slept or played with Cameron or their aunts, uncles, or grandparents, I got to do a new puzzle my mom got for my birthday present. Which is also a lake tradition. I always do a puzzle during the 3 hour houseboat trek up the lake to our usual spot. I didn't think I'd be able to enjoy the puzzle time this year because of the boys, but they really behaved well and took good naps, and we had so many people who wanted time with them. It really was a treat.

We've been taking the boys swimming since they were just under 8 weeks old because we knew this trip was coming and we didn't want them to be terrified of the water. Oh, it worked! Or we just have awesome babies. Probably a little bit of both. They sure loved the water!



Lillie was such a fun kiddo this trip. She is so fun to listen to and she was just a little fish! It was so fun to be able to splash and play and watch her with our boys. Also, I really don't think there's a more beautiful girl in the world. She just makes me so happy.



Grammy and Gray getting in on the action. Gray won the award for best lake baby. Long naps. Slept through the night. Ate good dinners. Never fussed. Just a sweetheart the whole trip.



Like I said. The kid knows how to "lake."



That first night, chef Jess made her famous peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for a birthday cake [which is a big deal, because baking on the lake is always a little sketchy]. I don't think there's a better place to have a birthday than Lake Powell. It's so great.



And then we played Sedarahc [Charades Backwards]. It is THE best group game ever. Oh we get laughing so hard. And everyone busts out of their comfort zones. We always play boys vs. girls. I honestly can't remember who won. But I do remember having a total blast. And that Nash got to play too because he decided it was a good time to refuse to sleep unless he nursed to sleep. [Sleep training happened shortly after we got back home...rough week. heh.]



For the most part, the boys did well on the boat. Gray loved it. Nash was a little more particular, but at least neither of them hated their life vests! I love how it squishes their cheeks up. We sure take a lot more pictures now that we have these guys in our life. We're pretty smitten.



Ah! My Gray baby. What a stud.



Gray and Grandpa. It always makes me so happy to see my dad and my boys.



Getting Nash to sleep on the boat was always a trick. He really liked going fast. He liked the sound of the motor I think. Which made for a bit of a struggle while wakeboarding because there is always so much stopping and going. However, we have always embraced the idea that these boys joined OUR family. And we are a family of wakeboarders. So we go. He really did pretty great on the boat. My mom kept commenting on how well the boys were doing on the lake. And she's right. I am a lucky lady.



Gray, on the other hand, knows when naptime comes regardless of where he is. And he shuts his eyes and goes to sleep. Man after my own heart.



Lillie loved the "big waves!" that happened after we looped back around to get the rope to whoever was wakeboarding at the time. It was so cute. She loved sitting in the front of the boat and shouted to Grandpa to "save us!" whenever the big waves got too close.



"Nash is not impressed." lol. I love his cute cheeks. And I vote that all baby boys wear baseball caps in the summer time. Oh it just looks so boyish to me. I love it.



Speaking of hats...



This. Was. So. Fun. So we love playing Aggravation in our family. You know, the little game with the marbles...kind of like trouble? Anyhow, we played up on top of the houseboat during naptime and had to play teams because all of us wanted to play. What happened was, if someone landed on you and sent you back to start, you had to go off the slide and get back on top of the houseboat by the time it was your turn or else you got skipped. Then, whoever won got to watch all the losers "walk the plank" so to speak. Such a blast! One of our favorite Lake games for sure.



Jam Session with Grandpa.



Always in the water! I loved it. Last year, I was six weeks pregnant and nauseous to the max. It was less than a great week for me. Plus I was still getting Progesterone shots in my bum. Shots on the Lake? Not so great. And while I was super grateful that there was an awesome reason I was sick...I was NOT grateful to be staying on a rocking boat for a week. Blech. This year was so much better!



As much as I love all the watersports and stuff to do at the Lake, I think my favorite times this year were watching my boys interact with everyone and watching everyone else get so excited over making them smile or laugh or feeding them cereal and peaches or rocking them to keep them happy while we all played games. Family is so important to me. I am so grateful for all the pictures we have of them with their aunts, uncles, cousin, and grandparents.



THIS. This was FUN. Oh man. We played water baseball one afternoon. We played work-up. So you're kind of just on your own team. There are 3 batters. If you don't make it home to bat, you're out and you go play left field [on the kayak]. If you get out, the pitcher becomes the next batter and everyone rotates up. Cameron won with 5 runs. I blame his lankiness. I had 4. Such a blast though! And yes, mom, you're still a cheater. Moving the bases all over the place. Sheesh.



We did take the boys tubing for the first time. Nash screamed until Cam lifted him above his head like Simba. Gray was indifferent. But Cam loved it. And these are some of my favorite pictures!



Nash.



Gray.



We all take turns cooking a meal and cleaning up a meal while we're out on the Lake. Without fail, Mackay and Lindsay make the best food. Mackay makes his McGuire famous smoked ribs and twice baked potatoes. Lindsay completed the meal with corn and the best lemon ice box pie I have ever had. Probably the best pie I've ever tasted. Because pie tastes better on the lake anyhow, but I don't think that had much to do with it. So, so good.



I was grateful the boys were content through this dinner. I love eating on top of the houseboat. And the boys were content at all the right times so I could enjoy myself too. I really am grateful they ended up with their daddy's temperament!



Another little known fact about the McGuire family...we make movies. Every year at the lake, one day is devoted to movie day. We have done Peter Pan [Cam made a fantastic Michael]. And Robin Hood [Cam stole the show as Friar Tuck. He really does give award winning performances.] This year, we did the backyard beach/gnome episode of Phineas and Ferb. Hilarious. I was Doofenshmirtz, but we don't have any pictures. This is Mackay as Ferb and Lindsay as Phineas. We all erupted into cheers when Mackay came out in those pants. So funny. My dad made the comment that we should all be grateful that some old guy gave his pants to the thrift store so we could have them. Mackay put his finger up and corrected him. "Some old WOMAN." Love it. Way to commit Mackay!



This would be my brother that just left on his mission playing the role of "mom." The spa day scene is among my favorites. [We nominate people for each role and then pick the lucky winner out of a hat. Once J.T. was nominated for the role of "mom" no one nominated anyone else. ha. Thanks for being a good sport J.T.!



My dad filming the whole thing on the ipad. Our technology was really upped this year. We could do re-takes and splice stuff together and overlay music. I have got to get my hands on the finished video. It is brilliant.



Last but not least, my contribution to the week was family pictures. We did a big family picture with the tripod and I photoshopped myself in later and then I took individual shots. I am so happy with how they turned out!



Thanks for an amazing week family!

Idaho

A couple years ago, my aunt asked me to design a website for her vacation rental in Idaho. She paid me with a free week at said rental. That summer, we were all ready to go up to "the cabin" and figured out we were smack in the middle of IVF, so we had to postpone it. This summer, with Wayne having cancer and us moving away so suddenly before Kenzee was born, everyone was looking forward to "the 2nd Wayne Call Reunion". And it did not disappoint. What a blast!

We split the drive up into parts that would hopefully make it easier on the boys. The cabin is only about 5 hours from Salt Lake. And it's the prettiest drive I have ever been on. I wish I had been thinking clearly enough to snap a picture of the amazing lake you drive around. It looks like Hogwarts. No lie. Once we arrived, we unpacked our stuff and set out to check out the house. So gorgeous. And the river runs right through the backyard.

Each family was in charge of an activity. For Cam and I, we decided to do a series of relay races in honor of the Olympics. One was a popcorn race. We rigged a couple cups with rubber bands to fit around everyone's shoes. You had to fill the cups, run across the yard and dump whatever was left into the basket at the other end. After everyone had a turn, you see who had the most. Wayne and Adrienne went first. Once Wayne was on his way back, Adrienne grabbed his team's basket and dumped the entire contents into our team's basket. And thus began the first of 4 cheatings that went unnoticed. Those Calls sure are competitive. ;)



The next race was called the "Soggy Jog." We brought two pairs of sweatpants, dunked them in a cooler a piece and everyone had to put them on, run across the yard and back, peel them off, re-dunk them and hand them to the next teammate. Hilarious. And Jared and Adam got into it as well. Although I must give points to Jared for creativity. Logan decided to busy himself by eating the popcorn from the previous race. lol.



The 'tie-breaker' after 3 races was a crossword puzzle with everyone in the family's names all mashed together. I can't remember who won. I'm sure it was my team. :)



One afternoon, we decided to take the boys for their first ride in the bike trailer. Nash was pumped. Gray was less than enthused. Rookie parents decided not to close the flap on the bike trailer because it was so nice outside. Figured out later that the flap is more for blocking debris and dirt from getting all over your babes from the back tire.



The bike ride was really fun though! We went to the bridge because a friend had told us there was a swimming hole underneath it. We tried the life vests on the boys for the first time. They didn't hate it. But the water was ice cold. So they didn't get in.



We packed them up in the trailer again - flap closed this time, and headed home. And then the chain fell off my bike. And so I did this awkward little push - shuffle - coast all the way home, hoping and praying I made it there before the truck full of Calls left to float the river. I barely made it to the driveway as they pulled out. I stopped all nonchalantly to wave them off and then continued my push - shuffle - coast into the garage. And then I busted up laughing. I am still laughing writing this. oh that someone could have videod that. hilarious.



This is the view from the bridge where we would put the tubes in, and then float to the backyard and get out. Figuring out where to get in and out was tricky the first time, to say the least, but after that it was a total hit. 20 minutes start to finish meant I could go 3 whole times during the boys' naps! YEAH. Oh I loved it.



One time, so many people wanted to go that Cam offered to ride on the small tube. LOL. Oh my gosh so funny. Cam was too heavy in all his 6'5'' frame that the tube couldn't hold him up and stayed submerged an inch or two the entire time.



We took family pictures up there as well. Emilee took them with her tri-pod + timer. Pretty impressive. Gray's hair normally stands straight up like a little dandelion fuzz head, but I decided to gel it a bit for the pictures. And then he decided to start flashing smiles like this. Kills me.



[it has been brought to my attention that you all want to know how I did my hair. So here goes. Step one, if you are in the AZ area, get Melissa Nevitt at Country Cuts to cut your hair. If you are in the UT area, go ask Lisa Crane. Both are phenomenal. Step two, I used my straightener to shape it. Mostly straight, but with an overall bend. The ends aren't curled, it's just kind of bent. Step three, rat the heck out of it. I have fully embraced big hair. Stop fighting it. It's worth it. Step four, wear your mother-in-law's lipstick/lip liner. Life changing. For real, it's so good it makes your hair look better.]



Now, all you non-rookie moms can write a how-to in the comments for me. HOW DO YOU TAKE PICTURES WHILE HOLDING A BABY WITHOUT GOING ALL HUNCHBACK? I seriously look all bent up in every single family picture. And super far away from the rest of the family. Blech. But I do like this one. :)



The rest of the week was spent playing games late into the night, watching a little Lion King (and falling asleep). Lots of playtime with daddy and fuzzy warm jammies we can't wear anywhere else.



Amberlee slept really well. Obviously.



Elisha and Baylee were such huge helps with my boys. They were so excited to play with them all the time it made me so happy. Really fun to watch.



All the grandkids together before we drove out. I love this picture so much. I love all these kids. Man, we miss you Becks!

[On a total sidenote, I'm patting myself on the back a little over this trip because I totally cloth diapered all the way up to Idaho, the entire time we were there, and all the way back down to AZ. I did laundry at friends' houses and the cabin had a great laundry room. So major thanks to Danica for doing a load for me and my Aunt Carrie for letting me use her washing machine. And it totally wasn't as hard as I was anticipating. And I'm slowly being converted into a cloth-nut. I LOVE CLOTH DIAPERS. For real. It breaks my heart a little every time we put them in disposables for one reason or another. Cloth is clearly superior in my book.]

Oh, and if you need a place for a totally amazing family reunion, let me know. I can get you 10% off the rental.