Lake Powell!!

We had a glorious vacation at Lake Powell the second week of July! We were invited by the Doolen Family. They are wonderful people. I am sharing some pics. with you--just a few out of 200+ pictures. Taylor wakeboarding!:)
Lauren Wake surfing!:)

More Lauren!

Our favorite of Lauren.:)

Taylor again--she was a natural!

This is our professional wakeboarder, Kelsey! She could do it all!! She is fearless!

This was my man!:)

This picture should have been before the last one!:)

He's going down!

Isn't he great!

Kelsey, Grant and Allie:)

The kids at Rainbow Bridge--one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It was incredible!

Rainbow Bridge. Grant said, "It looks like a rainbow." My boy has an eye for the obvious.:)

This is tubing behind the boat. Had to show you this wonderful cove where our houseboat (in the background) was beached. It was the perfect spot. Good job Bryan!

Lauren caught a catfish so we wanted her to hold it up for the camera! Fishing was fun with catfish, stripers, and small-mouth bass. We only kept the stripers.

We took the houseboat to the middle of the Lake and jumped off! Some brave souls, Brock, Kelsey, Ronda, and Bryan even jumped off of the awning to the top deck! Crazy! Go Taylor!

Building sand castles! I'm telling you--our spot was perfect!

Our favorite pasttime--cards! The game of Scum was fun! Me and Taylor are scum and second scum! Not a fun place to be!

Brock and Grant on the tube!

Tay and Lauren getting ready to jet ski!

We built a fire and did smores on the last night there! Yea for smores!

It was a wonderful relaxing week! Can't wait to go back!

Taylor Graduates!

Finally I got Taylor's graduation pictures on our blog! Sorry for the delay!

Taylor shaking hands with the principal of Mountain View High School!

I loved the way Grant put on Tay's graduation cap!:)

Doesn't he just make you smile!


Taylor and Allie after the ceremony!

The three Beavers girls!

Taylor and Grant--and Lauren!

Proud parents!

Fire Power--Taylor with friends, Chandler and Sara!

More friends: Ashlee and Aspen!

So Cute!!

Taylor and Davis!

Tay and Lauren

It was a great ceremony with over 700 graduates! We are so proud of our girl!

Darn Scorpions!

I used to be deathly afraid of spiders--now they don't even phase me! A new creature has taken first place in my list of things that make me scream--the dreaded scorpion!! They are just creepy and when they sting you it HURTS!! The most recent sting happened last night--to me!! It still hurts. Tye and I were laying in bed watching TV--on our stomachs, heads at the foot of the bed and all of a sudden a scorpion was watching TV with us--right next to me. I swear it dropped from the sky and landed on my arm. I quickly got off (after screaming, of course) and Tye pushed it toward me (thanks a lot). He actually pushed it off the bed on my side because it was heading toward the foot of our bed to go behind our chaise where we never would have found it!! He is my hero because he killed it quick.

So I spent a restless night because the pain doesn't lessen. It feels like a pin poking you rapidly in the same spot. AWFUL! This morning is a little better--it feels a little numb and sore--very tender. The first time I was stung in the shin. I was kneeling by Davis or Allie's bedside in the middle of the night and knelt on the blasted thing. Tye was out of town. Two things kept me awake that night--the pain and the thought of those things crawling around in my kids room!

Everyone in our family has been stung except for Tye and Lauren. Lucky things! Lauren almost got it a few nights ago as she was writing in her journal in bed. She was laying on her stomach and felt a tickle on her thigh. She thought it was her blanket until the tickle continued across her leg and she looked over her shoulder to see a scorpion crawling across the back of her thigh. She is lightning fast because it didn't have time to sting her. We heard her scream. We found it and it was not a little one. Poor Lauren. Usually when she finds one--if it doesn't sneak up on her--she tapes it to the floor. This allows her time to go get something to smash it. Like I said, she is lightning fast.

Taylor gets the award for most stings--three. She was walking down the hall and it got her toe. She was also laying in our bed and one got her in the toe. The last one got her in the finger--she was sitting on the floor. She is probably the toughest of all of us!

Grant was stung a few times on his back--he was about 3 years old, laying on the floor with no shirt. That one was a baby and I hear their sting hurts more. He didn't cry much, though. He is one tough cookie--maybe even Taylor tough!:)

I save the best, or should I say the worst, for last. Poor Davis. He was going outside to ride his bike and he was so excited. He put his shoes on and went out the door and immediately came back in. There was a scorpion in his shoe stinging his toe! I dont know how many times it got him but we got it out of the shoe--it was a big one--and killed it. It was awful!!

So this is our Scorpion Saga!! I hate them with a passion but I've come to the realization that they are here and we need to tolerate them. Thank goodness for the scorpion killer spray--the best thing EVER!!! Actually it runs a close second to microwaveable bacon. :):)