Lake Powell

We went on a last minute trip to Lake Powell. We were not planning on going and then we were at Jake's parents house and Jill and Rick and their kids were heading out with the boat and jet skis and trailer. We decided we could leave on Wednesday and come back on Saturday. It was crazy trying to get the trailer packed and get organized to go. But we made it work and it ended up being so much fun. The kids loved riding in the tube and got quite the crazy ride and loved it. I even got on and they did a gentle ride and it was nice to be on the lake. Jake and I went out on the jet skis several times and he took the boys and Sammi out too. The Johnson's and Donn's from our ward were there too, so it was fun to visit and play. Jake and Sammi on the jet ski!
Jake and Tanner and Kimball

The guys went for an early morning swim

Tanner loves the boat

Ridge, Tanner and Me

Kenyon and Tessa

Sammi and Sadie getting sprayed by Rick on the jet ski

Watch out! Here comes the jet ski!

Rebecca, Tanner and Lacie

And it is.......

A girl! I had my ultrasound appointment a few days ago and we are so excited to be having another girl. It will be so fun for Tessa to have a little sister at home with her and they will be 19 months apart so they will be close friends and rivals. So, we will have 2 girls, 2 boys and 2 girls. I never thought I would have six children but here we are and we feel very blessed.

Barbados

There was an open fish market each day and they would come and buy fresh fish. There was also little stands that sold fresh grilled fish with the sides right near it and we went and on Friday night it was really busy and all the locals and tourists come and eat and listen to music and there was stands to buy jewlery and other local items.

Jake standing in front of the fish market.

Jake took some time to enjoy the water on our catamaran cruise.

We took a catamaran cruise to snorkel with the fish and sea turtles. It was such a great time and we got to see and touch the sea turtles and fish up close. They fed us lunch and there was all you can drink and some took advantage of that and got very drunk. The pina coladas were really good but of course virgin. The water was just perfect and we loved being on the catamaran.

Jake and I on the catamaran.

We had breakfast at our hotel which was included in our travel deal. There was sugar bowls on the tables and these little birds would come down and stick their beaks into the sugar and have sugar covered beaks. It was funny to watch them. Also we ate dinner at the hotel one night and there was this little crab crawling on the patio which is right on the water. It was fun to watch him scurry around and a cat that was nearby saw it and pawed at it a few times and then it fell off the deck into the water.

We rented a car to get around the island and we called it "the yellow bug". Most of the cars there are really little as their roads are narrow and only two lanes. It was an adventure driving on the left and following the crazy roads and a map to get around. Jake had to keep reminding himself "stay to the left!" This was in the parking lot of the cave we visited.

Inside Horton's Cave, we took a tram through on a tour. It was amazing how much water was flowing on the inside. There were many waterfalls and steams. I had never seen anything like it before.

Some of the stalagmites inside the cave.

Jake and I outside the cave.

We went to a Rythym and Blues dinner theatre. This is us outside of it. It was a great show with lots of music and dancing. They had a lot of Jamaican type reggae and local music. At the end they had a congo line and had everyone up dancing. The food was buffet style and very good. They eat alot of fish and chicken there with salads and potatoes and rice and beans. They also have plantains {fried bananas}.

We went to an aquarium with lots of variety of fish and sea life. It was feeding time in the shark tank and they were flipping all over to get the fish being thrown into their tank.

A nurse shark cruising by.

A pair of barracudas in the tank.

They also had a bird and reptile exhibit. I was a little nervous to get that close to the gila monster but he seemed very friendly.

Jake hanging out with another gila monster.

A pair of eels, they reminded me of the creepy eels in the Little Mermaid.

This fish really blended in with his surroundings we almost didnt notice it.

This one was my favorite, it is just so distictive and detailed.

Jake took kite surfing lessons while we were there. This is him in the water getting used to the kite and how it balances. He did two days of lessons for a few hours and really enjoyed it. He is hoping that when we go to San Diego sometimes he can rent one and try it out.

Jake and I during his kite surfing lesson.

He had to learn on the sand first to get the hang of the kite.

Me in the water by our hotel. It was the warmest clearest water so different from the Pacific coast.

Jake on the beach with our hotel in the backgrond. The people were so friendly and kind. We felt very welcome and met so many nice people on our trip.

Our footprints in the sand.

Jake and I on the patio of our hotel.