Flaming Gorge Camping!

This week we went camping for a family reunion with the Hendersons.  We went camping at the Flaming Gorge, and we nearly got flooded out! The water level rose at least a foot each day, and by the last day it was literally lapping at the tarps set in front of our tents! Most of the family started the camping trip last Thursday, but we were unable to come until Sunday evening.  I taught Zumba Thursday night, Friday morning, and Saturday morning.  Also, our family was asked to speak in church on Sunday, so Rob, Hallie, Claire, and I all gave talks in Sacrament meeting and we also sang a song together.  Hallie spoke on baptism, and Claire spoke on the Holy Ghost.  We sang A Child's Prayer together, the first time we have ever performed in church as a family (thanks for accompanying us, Mom!).  Of course, Evie didn't sing with us because she can't sing the words yet.  Rob spoke on testimony and I spoke on hope.  It has been a few years since we had the opportunity to speak, so it was good for us.  I always gain so much more from preparing a talk than I do from hearing a talk. Plus, hope is like the best topic in the world to speak about!  It was a great reminder to me to always keep a hopeful, cheerful attitude, even when things annoy us, or we are weighed down with burdens.  I felt very spiritually fulfilled.  It was a great experience for all of us.  Most of the Hendersons drove into town to hear us speak, and it was great to have so much family there.  Since my mom and my four youngest siblings were there too, the bishopric were joking with us that when they had their "money month" where they count heads to determine the ward's budget, they would just ask us to speak to boost their numbers.  We were quick to assure them that this was a unique situation, and unlikely to be repeated. 

After church, we packed up all our gear and drove to South Buckboard to go camping.  As I mentioned, our camp was right on the the water, which had its pros and cons.  It was great because the kids could go swimming all they wanted, and it was also hard because the kids could go swimming all they wanted, like during dinnertime or when they were wearing jeans, not swimsuits.  Evie's clothes were soaked to the waist before we'd been there five minutes.  But it was a very fun trip, and good to see all the cousins. 

All the Henderson grandkids--fourteen now!

Evie wasted no time in testing out what dirt tasted like.  She literally grabbed a handful of dirt and stuck it in her mouth.  She didn't like the taste very much, hence this face.  Gotta love camping and the incessant dirty faces that come with it!

Playing in the dirt was a main attraction for the duration of the trip.

Sunday evening we had a hula-hooping contest.  It was highly entertaining.  Ashlynn was the champion of the kids, and Shannon was the champion of the adults.  Fun stuff!

Not about to be left out of all the fun, Evie grabbed a hula hoop, held it in one spot, and shook her hips back and forth.  It was so cute!

Papa showin' us how it's done!

 Swimming time! The kids basically stayed in their swimsuits and lifejackets all day because we were so close to the water.  They loved it!

My favorite part was all the fun we had on the boat.  Shannon and Shane brought their boat, and Kyle and Marla brought their boat as well, so we were able to do lots of playing off the back of the boats.  Rob and I surfed for the first time, which I didn't even know was possible on a lake.  It was pretty cool, the way the system worked.  Shane had a couple of water bladders that he filled up and used to weigh down one side of the boat, so that one side of the wake made a pretty good-sized wave.  From there, it was pretty easy to use that wave to surf on.  Shannon was great at it, she showed us all how it was done. 

Me analyzing the situation.  I have never surfed before, and it was harder for me to catch on to than wakeboarding or skiing.  But it was cool and new and fun to try.

Mid-wipeout.

Wakeboarding.  I've never done it before, but it was lots of fun. 

Stacey, Stephanie, and Alexis didn't want to try surfing, wakeboarding, or skiing, but they had a great time on the tube.  They caught some serious air, too!

The kids playing with marshmallows.

Uncle Shane took a bunch of the kiddos out for a boat ride.  He took us in a beautiful cliff-lined cove and then past Pelican Island.

Pelican Island is aptly named.

The kids loved it! Except Braden, I guess.

We got a little too close for the pelicans' comfort, and they started flying off.

That evening, we played some Minute to Win It games.  It was hilarious.

Rob stuffed all the tissues in his shirt. 

We had a nice sunset, but none of the pictures do it justice.

The next day was a bit cloudy, but we still played on the tube for a bit before the rain hit.

Rob, Me, Jeff, Hallie, Claire, and Braden all rode in the tube at the same time first.  All the kids loved it! Claire was a little apprehensive at first, but once we got going, she kept saying "I love it! I love it!" After our turn, Rob went by himself.

Then Rob drove the boat and pulled Kyle and Kaleb, Braden, and Hallie. 

Claire crashed while the other kids were on the tube.

Rob was a great boat captain.

Later in the afternoon, the rain started. We spent a couple hours in the tent.  It was pretty fun, Hallie and Claire both took naps since they were so worn out from boating, and my mom, Jess, Matt, Rob, and I played some 10,000 in the tent.  Mom and the kids had come out for the day.  They came out and hung out with us for a couple of hours every day we were there.  It was nice to still be able to see and visit with them even though they weren't camping with us. 

That evening, Shannon had the kids help with a cute skit about manners. 

And the kids had a great time taking four-wheeler rides with Daddy.  He took all three girls on rides (plus a lot of cousins). 

We loved our fun family reunion.  We feel so blessed to be part of such a wonderful, close family.  We love you, Hendersons!