Dave and Jen

Dave and Jen met about a year ago at a fireside and were married on July 30, 2010. It was great to see aunts, uncles and cousins I haven't seen in a really long time. I was also able to see my half brother, Erik and meet his finance. Dave and Jen make a great match and we wish them every happiness in the world.

Hiking to the "Y"

Our destination: The "Y"

The day: July 30, 2010

The weather: HOT, HOT, HOT

The participants: Jordan, Jake, Taylor,

Matt, Elizabeth, Bekah, Miriam,

Jonathan, Nathan, Jaime, Alexa,

Mackenzie and Dayton

This adventure was a first for all of us but 3. My brothers had all hiked to the "Y" before.

Did I mention it was hot? There is not a lot of shade on this trail and it is quite the hike. Jordan was a trooper with Mackenzie and held her hand a lot. I love that my kids have a great time with my brothers.

We are all slowing down a bit by now.

Notice who is smiling and who is not. Some of us were ready to go

back to the car right about now.

Jordan and Dayton

I love this picture!

We are going to the "Y"

We found a piece of shade under some rocks and rested for little bit.

Not long enough for these two.

Alexa would be happy to never experience this hike again in her life.

Elizabeth, Mackenzie and Taylor.

Taylor was quite the trooper.

This was not her favorite adventure either but

when we took a photo she would always show us a smile.

Miriam and Bekah

You're almost there.

The first to arrive.

Mission Accomplished!

Matt's water bottle rolled down to the bottom of the "Y" and Dayton was quite the trooper and hiked down to get it. By the time he got back he promised he wasn't going after anything else. I never realized how big and steep the surface was.

Mackenzie and Nathan decided to take a nap before the trek back down the hill.

As we drove home to Indiana I asked the kids what their favorite and least favorite things were that we did on vacation. A unanimous "hike the Y" came as the least favorite thing. I think we should try again when the temperature isn't so HOT. It might be a bit more enjoyable. My favorite part of our "Y" hike was spending time with my brothers, but I could have done without the heat for sure.

The Page Family Reunion

Living in Indiana keeps us far away from our family and creates a unique challenge when planning summer vacations. Nathan only has so much time off of work, the kids only have so many weeks of summer (not enough), we only have so much money, plane tickets for 5 people are a little outrageous, and the drive stinks. We hadn't planned on getting to Utah this year but Nathan's dad had a stroke and my biological dad was getting married so we decided those were good reasons to go. Grandpa Page is doing well and we are so glad we had a chance to see and spend some time with him and the rest of the Page family. Our trip just so happened to coincide with the family reunion.

Dayton had a cup of popcorn and Kameron and Kalli just knew he wanted to share:-)

These girls (Annie, Alisa, Mackenzie, Alexa, and Emily) catch right up where they left off the last time they saw each other. They remind me a lot of me and my cousins. We always had so much fun, no matter how short the time was, when we were together.

Dayton kept asking when Jonah was going to get to the cabin. He was only a little bit excited to see and play with him. Jonah came while Dayton was at Strawberry Reservoir. They paused only briefly for me to get this shot.

Troy (Whitney's fiance), Whitney, Caitlyn, and Courtney. These girls are 3 of my favorite people. They were all little when Nathan and I got married and I adored them then as I do now. They are beautiful, talented, and fun ladies to spend time with. I was lucky enough to go on a four wheel adventure with them and avoid some tricky situations involving cows. We got off of the marked trail and ended up on a cow trail. As we tried to locate the real trail we ran into several cows who really didn't want to move. It was a little unnerving to see a cow stare you down or start to get up when driving by. A couple of time the cows were right in front of us on the trail and realizing that they would totally take us out made me a little uncomfortable. The clapping method works when wanting a cow to move out of the way. Just ask their dad:-)

Matt, Bevin, Val and Nathan

Eating. Feeding this many people takes A LOT of food.

The cabin we stayed at was close by Strawberry Reservoir and while at the reservoir the kids whet crawdad hunting and caught some. They were bigger than the ones we used to catch as kids in Ohio. I think a few of the kids would have liked to eat some for dinner.

The view from the back porch. Really beautiful.

Slide Rock

Jordan told us about a fun hike up Alpine canyon that included water. It was a little bit hot while when we were there so a hike including water was a definite. We walked for about 30 minutes and were all pretty hot and sweaty so the ICE COLD water felt good on our feet. The water that flows into the "pool" and then down the slide is from a glacier and is quite cold. Freezing to be exact. Some felt that the best system was to jump into the pool above the slide then go straight down the slide. I tried this technique and it did not cut the cold of the water. It looks like the person going down the slide is being bounced around like a rag doll but after landing in the cold water nobody remembers the bumps of the slide.

After the slide we went to the best shaved ice shack I have ever been to. Snoasis is a must if you are ever in Alpine, Utah. Ice cream on the bottom, shaved ice, your flavor of choice and then cream on top. YUMMM!!! Both of these are well worth ones time when in Utah.

Just Dance and the Scooter

Jordan offered to take Alexa for a ride up the canyon on his "scooter" and my only requirement was that she have a helmet. It fit and she was thrilled to hop on the back. Dayton rode home with Jordan but my camera card was full by that time so I didn't get a picture.

We were introduced to Just Dance by the Norton's and it has quickly become a favorite. The one thing our kids wanted to do was play Just Dance with Jake and Jordan. So we took it with us to Utah and play they did. I wish video uploads worked better for me because it is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen. Jake and Jordan were really good sports and I think a good time was had by all. I always knew these boys had moves I'd just forgotten how talented they really were.

Boating with the Toone's

Tuesday morning bright and early we headed to Pineview Reservoir. When Dave asked us what time we wanted to leave, I said 6am. He was thrilled and Cheryl was a little shocked. We wanted to fit as much as we could into a day so the earlier the better. We actually made it to Dave and Cheryl's for breakfast at 6:15am but we were on the water by 7:45am. It was a gorgeous day. Dave told us the water would feel like a bath tub. Although it was an alright temperature we are all convinced his bath water is a bit chillier than ours. Dayton and Mackenzie gave skiing a shot but decided to spend their time and strength on other activities. Tubing and the surf board were our favorites. Dayton and Mackenzie were both dumped off of the tube and Alexa was quite vocal about her preferences with regards to how fast or slow, bumpy or not. Mackenzie and Dayton loved the bumps and the speed but not falling off. Nathan and I laughed a lot while on the tube. It was a great day and a nice highlight to our vacation. Thanks Dave and Cheryl. We love you guys!