Lake Powell Baby!

Did you know that the coastline of Lake Powell is longer than the entire United State's Pacific coastline? I know! Our Lake Powell trip has already come and gone. I really wondered how I was going to be able to entertain two little boys on a houseboat for 6 days with no major accidents and I can't believe it was that easy. Here are some of the highlights (at least the ones I have pictures of), in no particular order:

1. Leaving for the lake a little early so we could take a short 2.5-hour (that's a 5-hour round trip, people) detour so Jack could meet Great Grammy. Definitely worth it. Not only for Jack, but also for Max, who after being told NO several times from Blake, stole Grammy's candy dish and hid in the kitchen devouring the entire bowl. We love our little Grammy.
2. Celebrating Grandpa's birthday with him. Blake prepared a super-candle made from several matches and stuck it on top of a yummy rice krispy treat. Our happy birthday singing even got critiqued from the houseboat next door.
3. Riding on the jet skis. Max would go with anyone who offered to take him. He just sat back and relaxed on whoever was driving, not even holding onto anything. His favorite was riding in circles and he'd ask for it again and again. Even Baby Jack went on a ride and loved feeling the wind blow through his thin, baby-fine hair.
4. Playing a lot of games. Some of the favorites were Pit, Perudo, and Rummi-Kub. Some of the least favorites (at least for me) were Scrabble (I didn't even give it a try) and Boggle (Blake quintupled (is that a word?) my score on first round). And of course, some very fun Red Light-Green Light. And if no one would play with you, playing all by yourself.
5. Swimming off the side of the houseboat. Sadly, this is the only time I actually got in the water, but boy was it worth it. I loved swimming with my little family. Jack liked it for the first little while, swimming with Mommy and Daddy and lounging on the floaty pad. But once he was done, he was done. He was so done that he went right in and fell asleep in his deluxe accommodations--his bed in the bathroom. Max on the other hand, kept going and going. He went down the slide, jumped off the boat and banana, and even swam out to the large rock across from our houseboat (courtesy of a piggy back ride from Daddy Blake).
6. Getting and attending to injuries. We're sure lucky we had two doctors on board. On the first day, the wakeboard flew up and knocked Gage in the head. After seeing what a DDS degree can really do, I bet that gives Gage even more to think about when choosing his career.
7. Riding on the tube. I recommend both being pulled behind the boat and paddling yourself around the houseboat. Max kept wanting Grandpa to pull us faster and faster behind the boat, but I think the man power behind the paddling was plenty fast for Baby Jack.
8. Honoring our fathers on Father's Day. Especially our favorite father--Daddy Blake. It was perfect to be in Lake Powell so his boys could pamper him nonstop. The boys even presented him with another gift--The 2007 BAM San Fran Blog Book. I'm so proud of myself for keeping it hidden from Blake for over a month since I received it in the mail. It is 160 pages of heaven. Hopefully Blake likes it as much as I do. Thank you, Blake for being the best Daddy ever!
9. Trying to ski. Max made his first attempt at conquering the world of water sports. I'm actually surprised he even made the attempt. Blake prepped Max with a pre-ski pep talk, then had Max laughing as he shoved on the skis. (Sidenote: Aren't Blake's sunglasses handsome? When Vaughn saw them he asked if Blake borrowed them from Grammy. But nope, they are actually Gage's.) Then Uncle Gage got in the cold water to help steady Max while Blake knee boarded to the side of him to be there when he fell. Well, after Max was pulled for a few feet, that was it. He definitely got an A for effort and lots and lots of good job hugs. It was a good introduction to skiing for the next time he goes to the lake.
10. Going for boat rides--the classic family activity. Max was Grandpa's special helper, beeping the horn and always making sure to take out the keys and put them in the cup holder every time the boat stopped. And Jack tried to like his life jacket, but never quite got the hang of it.
11. Experiencing the Air Chair. The Air Chair was this year's new toy. The boys made it look so easy. They got so good at staying out of the water and Blake said it felt like he was flying. But the best was the trick attempts--I'll just post a picture of the attempt and not the landing.
12. Spending time with family. We're so happy Beth, Matt, Zoie, and Gage joined the regulars (aka the favorites) at Lake Powell this year. Max and Jack had so much fun playing with Zoie, even though neither of them would really play with her. And an extra special thank you to Grandpa and Nanny for making the entire week so much fun and easy. We love Lake Powell!