Payson Lake

 One of the last things we had planned to do as a family this summer was going camping at Payson Lake.  Because Jadon had gone through the temple the week before, I decided it would be a good idea to go to the Payson temple together.  We weren't able to go to the open house and I really wanted to see that temple.  I felt bad that Kyson and Katie weren't able to come in with us.  They sat in the waiting room in the temple with Kamryn and Jared.  We decided to do baptisms so that we could stay together in the temple.  Luckily, no one was there when we got there so we didn't have to wait at all.  Jadon did the baptizing of all of our family and Lisa and Taylor.  It was really neat to see that.

Jadon helping Katie roast starburst

 We went out to lunch after going to the temple and then headed up to camping.  After we got camp set up, we went down to the lake.  A few people got in and went on the paddle boards.  Everyone else walked around the lake.  The water was quite a bit lower than it was the last time we were there.  We were disappointed that the water wasn't deep enough to jump off the pier.

Everyone, except Dale, on a very short hike

Jadon and Taylor

Byers and Adams kids...such great friends!

 We went on  a very short hike that we had been on before.  When we went before there was a good size waterfall and water you could jump in at the top.  This time the water was all gone and the waterfall was very small.  We still had fun

Katie, the little swimmer

Katie and Kamryn trying to get warm after swimming

When we were having lunch, the table was in the sun so we ate under the tree

 I love this picture!  Their faces are priceless!  Jaxon is looking with such admiration at his big brother and Jadon is just smiling and listening to Jaxon.

Kamryn and Kyson being brave in the cold waterfall

Katie followed

 One of the times out on the lake Jadon and I decided we were going to try and stand up together on a paddle board.  We tried over and over and we finally did it but we were only able to stand up for 7 seconds.  Jadon and Jaxon decided to try it and they were much better at it.

They did it!

Kamryn and Katie playing in the lake together

The kids always have so much fun out on the water.  Everyone from my family, except me, is out there together

 Lisa forgot to bring her life jacket so we had to dig these orange ones out of the storage in the trailer.  Jaxon decided to try one on.  The problem was he couldn't get it off.  We had to try for a long time to get it off.  We were all laughing pretty hard.

 We made friends with a family that was camping near us.  They had these little kayaks that they were nice enough to let Katie use.  She loved it and she was pretty good at getting around the lake.

 Kierra asked me to do her hair which led into a little beauty parlor.  I did almost everyone's hair but only posted a few pictures.

My little nerd

We had such a great time camping together.  It will be really weird to go next summer without Jadon.  He always makes everyone laugh.  He's just fun to be around.

Boating at Jordanelle

Kierra and Kamryn on the tube

After Jadon graduated from high school, I asked him what he wanted to do for graduation.  He said go to Lake Powell.  I told him I didn't think I could pull that off but maybe we could do one day of boating.  I asked Lisa's family if they wanted to join us.  She was looking on KSL for boat rentals and found a guy who rents out his boat and he is the boat chauffer.  We thought that sounded like a pretty good idea so we booked it.  She also found some little cabins at Jordanelle that were right on the lake so we decided to stay over night and make it a day and a half trip.

Kamryn, Kyson and Jared on the tube

 When we woke up on Monday morning (the day we were suppose to leave) it was raining.  I was pretty bummed.  We checked the weather forecast and it said that it was suppose to be sunny in the afternoon.  By the time we got to the lake it was sunny but not super warm.  I'm not a huge fan of cold water so I wasn't planning on getting in until the next day.  The good thing about the weather was that there was hardly anyone on the lake.

We stopped the boat for a little while and just swam in our diaper life jackets

 We took turns going out on the boat.  Whoever wasn't in the boat, stayed at the beach (if you can call rocks with a little bit of sand a beach).  Lisa had rented two paddle boards that everyone took turns using.  They were really fun

Kiera on the knee board

 Jaxon and Jadon were the first to go out behind the boat.  Justin and Taylor said it was too cold so they let them go first.  Eventually Taylor and Arthur (Lisa's French student)  went out on the knee board.  Jaxon tried the wake board but wasn't able to get up.  Jadon got up on the wakeboard which he has done before.

Jaxon and Jadon love boating!

Jadon was also able to try surfing and he did great!  It was pretty cool because you use a short rope so he was really close to the boat.  It was so much fun to watch the kids have fun in the water.  I was able to go out on the knee board and had a blast! 

Jaxon trying to wakeboard

The cabins we had reserved were so cute.  I forgot to take a picture of them.  It was just one room with 2 queen size bunkbeds.  It also had a fridge, a microwave and a table and that's it.  It was perfect.  We spent most of the day on Tuesday boating and hanging out on the beach.  It was nice and sunny.  We had such a great time together.  I would love to make this a yearly tradition!


Kierra and Katie enjoying riding in the boat

Kyson's first time on the wakeboard.  He did great!

Cool boater boys

The kids were so excited when they saw the boat at the doc

Katie

Jaxon and Jadon had a blast on the tube together!

Jadon surfing

Taylor and Jadon on the tube.  Lisa said they were the most fun to watch

Justin and Dale on the tube

Jaxon and Arthur on the tube

When we were done boating on Monday night, we played some volleyball

Kamryn and Katie on the paddle board

Jake was so funny on the knee board.  He thought the handle was like a steering wheel

Little softball player

 Last year Katie really wanted to play baseball but I decided I wanted her to be a little older so I told her she would have to wait until this year to play.  When it came time to sign up the boys for baseball, I couldn't believe how much it would cost for her to play.  So I decided to try softball with the rec center.  I signed her up with two of her friends so she was pretty excited.  She really liked it and had so much fun playing in the spring that we decided to sign her up for summer softball too!

 Every time she was on deck she would turn and give us a great smile and wave at us as she was walking up to bat.

 She did pretty good at bat and hit the ball almost every time she got up to bat

 She frequently played catcher in the spring.  She tried it once in the summer and got so hot that she said she was never going to be catcher again.

I love that fat little face smashed into the catcher's mask!  It is so much fun to watch Katie play softball.  I'm glad that she likes it and hopes she can stick with it for a long time!

Our first graduate

It's really hard to believe that the little boy that I just barely sent off to Kindergarten, graduated from high school.  I can still remember that first day of school.  He was so nervous and scared but he didn't cry or complain.  He just walked into the class and stood in line and looked at me with his big blue eyes.  He looked so nervous but he did it because he knew that was what he was suppose to do.  He continued to be like that throughout all his school years.  He has always been the kid who liked to do the right thing.

I wanted to have a party for Jadon to celebrate his graduation.  I decided to invite all the seniors in our ward who were graduating to join us.  Jadon has grown up with these kids

We had a bar-b-q and played volleyball and ultimate frisbee.  Everyone had a great time!

                   Most of the seniors from our ward (plus a few kids that came to the party)

The day of graduation, we took Jadon to Outback steakhouse for a late lunch.  Grandma Byers and Granddad joined us.

Handsome graduate!

Dale and Jadon

Dale, Jadon and me

Me and my little boy (ok, not so little)

Jadon and some boys from our ward that he has been friends with since 2nd grade
(Jadon, Nick, Zack and Andrew)

The graduation ceremony was actually pretty cool!  We had been told that it was always really long and boring so we were expecting the worst.  It was so neat to see all the kids come out at the beginning and to see Jadon on the jumbo tron at the Energy Solutions Arena.  I'm so proud of Jadon and all that he has accomplished.  He has always tried hard to get good grades.  He joined the ultimate frisbee team and became a good player.  I'm so excited for him to begin the next adventure of his life as he serves as a missionary in New Hampshire.  I couldn't have asked for a better son!

Mother's Day/43rd birthday

 I had a great Mother's day and birthday this year!  They were exactly one week apart this year.  The day before Mother's day, Dale took me out to breakfast at Village Inn.  It's always nice to go out with just the two of us.  My family was so nice to me on Mother's day.  They let me sleep in and got up and made breakfast.  Then after church, they started making dinner.  Every kid helped make part of the dinner and they wouldn't let me help clean up.  It's really hard for me to just sit on the couch and not help.  I love my family so much and I'm thankful for them every day!

 My birthday was on Sunday and I had a meeting in the morning so I wasn't able to sleep in.  Oh well.  When I came home from my meeting there were 4 cakes from Nothing Bundt cakes on the counter.  Jadon and Dale had a communication problem the day before and they both picked up 2 cakes.  We had yummy cake every day for a week!  Earlier in the year (March) Dale told me that he had bought Brian Regan tickets for me for my birthday.  We went  to the show at the end of April and it was so much fun!

 I had fun with my family for my birthday and Mother's day.  They are so sweet and I love that they know me so well and treat me so special on special days!