the lake of bears.

last week, we did our annual bear lake trip. it seems like we haven't gone in forever, since we missed last year. this year, there were more kids than ever. if Chris and Rochelle's family had been there, it would've been absolutely packed! but we know that they are probably having an amazing time living in England for the next 2 years! anyways, it was crazy. since our last trip to bear lake, the Mullenaux family has gained 1 little boy, and the Knights have gained a little girl. the last time (2 years ago), Uncle Ron broke his ankle and wasn't able to make it, so he, Aunt Sarah, 4 year old Andrew (then 2) and baby London stayed in Florida while Caleb and Ainsley (now 11 and 7) came up. so this was our first time ever meeting London, and boy is she darling. we didn't take a lot of pictures on our camera while we were there, and no one is sending me pictures, so these are mostly all from my iPhone. we wish we could've gotten more!

not only did the kids multiply, but the basement was recently finished with 3 new bedrooms and a bathroom. this is really nice because 3 bedrooms upstairs and a living room just can't hold 22 people (16 minus Chris and Rochelle's family, who are in England). and now that my brothers are older and "more mature", we don't have to do the "1 family to a bedroom" thing anymore. my brothers and Caleb got a bedroom to themselves, and for the first 2 nights, my mom and I shared a king-sized bed in our own bedroom. Dad had some work to finish up, so he had to come 2 days late and leave 1 day early. while he was there, I just slept upstairs. but the new basement was really nice and it was cooler at night and one of the highlights of the trip was napping on the king-sized bed!

on Thursday night, Grandma and Grandpa and the Mullenauxs came to our house, and left the next morning. during this short time, 3 year old Jackson grew pretty fond of me because I have an iPhone and he can play Whale Trail. we left one day later, and arrived at the lakehouse on Saturday. Jackson was happy to greet me.

on sunday, I was entertaining Jackson during sacrament meeting, and the power went out. church ended early, and the power was out in the whole area until like 4. during that time, I took a nap, drove around the neighborhood on the dirt roads, and went down to the beach to take pictures. the Knights arrived shortly after that.

monday was the first day on the lake. I got up on the wakeboard for the 2nd time in like 2 years. This year it was a lot easier and I really enjoyed doing it. Caleb, Wesley, and Justin all took it to another level and did competitions to see who did the best tricks. Jackson and Ainsley and Andrew enjoyed cheering for me. afterwards, we went to the beach.

i posted this picture of Ainsley and me on Instagram, and she kept on checking to see how many likes, or "hits" as she calls it, we had. we ended up getting like 128, and she was so excited. "we're gonna be famous!" 

the next day, my dad came up and the water was choppier. I was not able to get up on the wakeboard as easily as before. Wesley tried the slalom ski. but then we all rented a giant water trampoline for 2 hours. there was a thing where you could launch people; one person (preferably a kid) would jump on the target, and another person (preferably a big person like Uncle Ron) would jump on the other target and launch the kid into the air. Ainsley, Caleb, and Justin all went pretty high and did some crazy flips. I, being uncoordinated, missed the target. and the adults just all fell off. but it was really fun. that evening, we all went to LaBeau's for the famous Raspberry Shakes. I have never ordered a raspberry one in my life, and I feel like I should. but I got butterfinger instead, and it was probably as good, or even better than raspberry is.

 yes, I am related to this kid. he just always thinks it's winter and dresses like it. 

 and neither of us look good. it's ok.

Wednesday was pioneer day, and we rented a stand-up paddleboard. it was really fun, and it was the perfect weather. 

 Justin and Caleb, the inseparables.

 Wesley being Wesley

thursday, it was a very cloudy day. the water was very choppy and I was able to wakeboard, but it wasn't very pleasant and I got my arm caught in the rope of the boat, cutting off all circulation. as soon as I get out of the water and back in the boat, it's completely purple. I decided I was done with boating, went back to the beach, took pictures, and Uncle Ron rented a jetski. I love riding the jetski, and I love getting water sprayed in my face. I'm not kidding. but it took like an hour to start the thing, and the waves were rough. so we went back to the beach again, and took Jackson and some other kiddos to the pool.

while we were at the pool, Jackson was in line for the slide and met another little boy named Jackson. at first, he was upset and told me, "I don't like him. he cut in front of me in line and his name isn't Jackson. he's a stupid poopoo." then, I guess he got excited and said, "there's a little boy named Jackson! there's another Jackson! yay we can be friends and go down the slide and go off the diving board!" he is so cute. but it was confusing, when I was calling his name, at least 3 other little boys came running to me. I guess Jackson is a popular name. I know at least 10. One of my best friends is named Jackson, the one who beats me at tennis but is probably my favorite person, all the same. I have a friend who's a girl named Jackson. and I have my cousin, who says that I am his favorite cousin. every morning, he'd run up to me and hug me and give me kisses. then, he'd ask to play on my phone. he was really good and didn't break it. he and I would snuggle together and play together and he would always want me to do whatever he was doing. he is the cutest thing, and he has the most adorable laugh!

 

Andrew Knight also really liked me. the first thing he said to me was, "are you 5 feet? you're really short. guess what? I'm a growing boy. I'm already 11 feet! and I'm going to grow taller! and Caleb's 35 feet, and my mom's 108 feet, and my dad's 183 feet! isn't that crazy? my sisters are short. like you. but someday, I'm gonna be 100 feet!" one of my favorite things was that I would always find him singing "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. and we all know I love One Direction. so we would sing together. his sister Ainsley is convinced that she is going to marry Harry Styles. one day, I wore my One Direction shirt, and Andrew runs up and yells "IT'S HARRY!" and kisses Harry's picture. oh how I love those kids.

on Friday, we got out of cleaning duty because Wes had a scout campout and we needed to get him home. thank goodness. we had been home for like 5 hours before anyone got to our house! Caleb, Grandma and Grandpa, and the Mullenauxs stayed with us while the rest of the Knights stayed at their other grandparents. the next morning, all the grown ups went to the temple and I was in charge of attending to Jackson and his 1 year old brother, Tyson. it's hard, to watch both of them! tyson gets into everything, and Jackson is just crazy. but they're adorable. after lunch, we all went to the new Provo Rec Center to go swimming. Andrew and I went on each slide at least 10 times. he was having the time of his life! I nearly dropped him once and felt super bad, but he didn't care! just as I thought I was done, Ainsley wanted me to go with her, so of course, why not? we all had a great time, and even though it can be rough when the closest person your age is your own brother who's 3 years younger (actually, Alyssa Castle is 2 years younger, but again, she was in England), it's fun being with all the little kiddos. I can't wait until next year!