What can I say the pictures speak for themselves my kids had a great time :) THis is a trend with my family, smiling in pictures is so beneath us. Why should we look at our pictures and think that was such a great time, my family believes in remembering and documenting how it truly was HORRIBLE.
I'm really kid'n we had a great time except in these pictures, but I'm not kidd'n in the theme of my family, look as ugly as you can and then you can always say I don't really look like that.
So James made me go down the grand canyon in a boat. As you can tell this was not where I wanted to spend my 12th anniversary. James told me 2 years ago that it was a once and a life time trip and he was going, Well in May he told me one of his friends invited him again and I said You have already gone and you are still in your first life so you can't go. Well he wanted to go. A month later he said he was going, I said what ever go if you want to go. Then a couple weeks later he said you are coming with me, I said no that doesn't sound like fun, he said either you go or I'll take your 11 year old son on the most deadliest river in the US, so I gave my life for my son's. Well as you can tell by my facial expressions in the pictures you can tell how much I enjoyed it. James was thinking once I got there I would really have fun. Sorry buddy you were wrong. The highlight of the trip were the people and the food. Which I tried to have very little of ( food)so I wouldn't have to go to the bath room. My plan worked. One night they put the hooter (bathroom) next to a skunk's den, and you all know they are night creatures so I did not go and visit him that night. That would have been the worst James making me go on the trip and then getting sprayed, I think I would have James in my pocket for the rest of my life. Every time we go a church social, family reunion, etc. I could always bring that up. Now on second thought I should have visited his den that night.
I did get to see lots of water falls and lots of walls, and taste muddy water every 20 min. I was always in the bottom of the boat holding on for dear life. James just shaking his head. I was so cold and wet about 80% of the time. The other 20% I was burning up. The picture of James and I touching the wall is him touching 100 thousand year old rock and me touching 10 thousand year old or something like that but meaning to say we are years apart, so I thought that was true. The greatest part of the trip was the last night, I meant to say the craziest part of the trip, if you don't think going on 45 class 9 rapids was crazy, the group decided not to camp the last night and let the current take us where ever it wanted. And let me tell you it did. They also came up with the plan of no one staying awake to make sure we didn't hit any thing or get stuck on anything. So everyone went to sleep on top of their boat and every 40 min. we would run right into the side of the canyon wall. Hear this big crunch and jolt, everyone would wake up, get us a way from the wall and go back to sleep like that would never happen again. One time we got stuck on a sand bar and we got off and then turned around and thought we were off it and then someone said after 5 min. I don't think we are moving. I just kept laughing because first James was trying to kill me on the rapids and that didn't work so he thought get her while she is a sleep. Well that didn't work either. Then we woke up and had breakfast and had to row for another 4-5 hours of just flat water. James was tired of that then we had to unload the boats, de-trash everything, wash the boats, load trailers, get the air out of the boats, roll them up, and much more , we had a thermometer and the air temp read 115 and when we put it on the group it was 135. We finally got everything loaded and took off to find a nice cold drink and running water and we found a nice cold drink after and hour of driving but no running water bath room. We headed to Vegas and we went over the Hover Dam, well there is a check point before going over the Dam. The guards got us out of the truck and trailer and said we need to send you the other way, which is a long drive around or we can look through everything. But since it is so hot we wont and they sent us through. With our second truck they maid them stop and go through everything, open the coolers, the dry boxes, their bags. Yea for us being first. Then we got to Vegas grabbed a bite to eat, I am still wearing my camping/rafting/stinky clothes and we went in a resturant and ate. oh well no one knows me. Then we were home and in bed at 3:45 am. Then the next day james had to go and unload everything for another couple of hours. This is why when he asked me if I wanted to go on a river trip I said no. I can think of all the things that go a long with it and it seems so hard I don't even want to try. But I am home and dealing with my kids and wondering what was worse?
That's right every year we head to cherry hill and have a great time. This year all my kids can ride every thing. I was still kinda scared of the canyon ride but what is worse, my youngest getting hurt or me getting wet? I went down it with him the first time and tested it out and he did well, so I sent him with the big guys the next time. And I have to make the life guards feel like they are doing something, I mean they went through all that CPR training. Next year maybe I don't have to get wet at all. That's so crazy, when your little that's all you can think about ( getting wet) now I think how cold I will be, how long it will take me to dry off, such a bah humbug. It was fun being with cousins and doing something we like to to do.
Logan has been dying to go to laser tag for his birthday since Kolbryn went there for his in Feb. Nothing was going to change his mind, until the Blast Zone was discovered. It is at Classic Skate and they shoot Nerf balls at each other and climb up a jungle gym and slide down. He went one day with us and then that was when he wanted his friends to come. Yes you read that right Logan has 2 friends. They are really great boys and they are going to be in his class this year. Logan has been going around trying to convince everyone that he is already 11 and now he is 12 because he is now on his 12th year of being alive. I'm so tired I just say sure. But the younger kids can't stand it or understand it. He had a great time with his cousins and friends. The next week he went camping with the 12 scout troop. Don't you think this picture is great. I'm so glad I wasn't up there they said it rain every day. But Logan got 8 merit badges done. Maybe he can beat his dad in getting an Eagle , but it is going to be hard his dad got one at 14.
We went to this is the place with most of the family. The kids had a fun time, even if we had to make them. They made homemade candles, arrow head necklaces, panned for gold, climbed aboard a ship,get a shave, played in the new play ground houses, road horses, pet animals, and got stung by wasps. Brittin's favorite time was with the horses. There was a family infront of us in line and the lady was wearing flip flops, not a big deal but when she went to go get her kid off the horse, she stepped right in the horses puddle of pee and the whole herd of us went oh gross and groaned. Brittin hasn't stopped talking about that. Logan liked the panning for gold, even though he couldn't figure it out at first how he was going to get in the river with out getting wet. Kolbryn liked getting shaved by the barber. The barber also put leaches on you to drain your blood, he didn't want to do that. Levi got after shave put on him and it stung his eyes. Hopefully that will make him not want to shave for a while. Brecken liked being by the animals and petting them, what he didn't like was the smell they gave off. We had to leave this place too because it started to rain and brittin had soccer practice. What is the deal with this weather? Kolbryn again enjoyed Kenna, being her personal stroller. I hope she remembers the good things they did together. Logan enjoyed making candles with levi and the others made bags to hold their things in. Here is the other crazy thing, so if you look in the pictures you can see some kids holding a bundle of flowers, well the driver of the train that took us around said if you have that bees would stay away from you. Well all the kids ran to get it, but let me tell you my kids wont even hold their sucker sticks once the candy has been inhaled off of them, but boy could they hold on to that great big bundle of weeds for the whole day and ask every minute where is that, do you have it, can you hold this for me for a while. Now I have proof their hands don't break from holding onto something that is theirs and they want.
We went to Liberty park for a outing thinking the canyon with the balls would be open but no luck. So we went over to the park area. They have tons of equipment to play on which is different than most parks and the kids were still saying they were bored. Kolbryn was having a great time being a big cousin to Kenna. She was kind of like his puppy. Where ever he went he dragged her along and said Kenna wants to do this and Kenna wants to go there. Maybe I should have said he treated her like his rag doll. We headed over to the gate way mall and played in the water, as soon as we got there it started to rain, which the kids didn't mind, they were already wet, but I didn't like it. I only brought one towel and boy was that a problem. We headed home to go to soccer practice and get ready for another day of fun.
Nana invited us to the children museum, we had a great time.Brittin went to her first REAl soccer game later that night with her soccer team. She keep talking about all the drunk people she saw. I asked her was there even a game going on, she said yes because one of the drunk people yelled at them and said if they didn't play better they would have to come and sit up in the bleacher with them, and he was even holding a beer in his hand mom, so I know he was drunk. Then we had to walk by a big group of drunk people to go to the bathroom. I didn't hear anything about the soccer playing , like they kick the ball hard and far, all I got was what other people were doing.
