Guy' and Lucy sent a few pictures

Hey thought I would add these pic's for those of you who want to see their kids as much as me. This is Haskel and Anderson :) s

Rafting 5

So to all you new viewers, you need to get down a few posts to July 19 and then go up, sorry I have no idea how to make this thing do what I want any other way.....hehehe

So by now we are on the last leg of our journey.

The creek narrows during this part, and the water is a little faster. it is fun and exciting, we are pretty busy for a little while, the rapids aren't to ruff but they are pretty much one after another for about a half hour. Everything was fine, until my oar broke. It was pretty cheap plastic one, and i was trying to avoid a really Large rock. Yep, no such luck we hit it sideways. I will have to tell you one side of it at a time just so you can get the whole Idea.

Stacey..... The rock hit and I tried to push off, but our rafts was bending around the rock from the current. There was no panic, but I was hanging out of the raft, my upper body treading water trying to get back in my seat. I saw the raft start to turn over, Calvin and Jonah, hanging on to the side ropes for dear life. I noticed that Jaden was sitting on my other foot, that was why I had not fallen out, I knew if I stopped the raft from falling She would float out with me. knowing if I didn't all 5 of us would be anyway I pulled my foot and held her life jacket close to me. Somehow I still had her and the raft, the boys were safe and sitting inside watching and worried, Jaden floated perfectly, I put my weight on the raft so I didn't put her under.

Then James was next to me, I asked him if he had her and he said "I have her" and then just like that the raft and I were heading down stream. I tried at least a dozen times to put my feet down, to stop the raft from moving, to help James somehow. I couldn't do anything, but bang up my legs. giving up on that I climbed into my raft, Arron and Kyersten beside me, holding the raft steady. about 100 yards away we pulled to a stop along the rock wall across the water from where I could see James Holding Jaden and then set her on a rock.


Quint..... He came down a few feet after us, seeing the problem, and James falling off the raft heading down stream.
Quint tried to climb out of his nearly flat raft and it wrapped around him, he fially got his feet out and got pretty beat up bt the rocks sailing past all of us in the process, he saw Jaden go under water and worried that she would drown so he tried to get to us, Rannon floated off down river trapped inside the flat raft and the current. Quint grabbed onto Kents raft and helped them get a hold of the rock wall a few feet from us.

Kent...... rowed near reaching out trying to get to Jaden and James to get them in the raft and missed them. Button jumped out after me and ended up tied to the side of the raft but underneath until Kent discovered she was missing and pulled her up. He also had to talk Sicily out of jumping in to "save" Jaden. Bless her heart Jaden is bigger than she is and she wanted to help so much.

Laiken...... got a hold of them but only drug them farther down, she landed on the same side of the creek as James but in a difficult area to get back up, she lost her dog, who ended up with Skye, and she climbed with her own raft and walked along the rock wall to get to James.

Lad ....in the kayak attempted to get back up the fast water to them but couldn't the water was too fast.

Standing on the shore I looked at Arron and Kyersten and said "What will he do?" The rock walls were at least 20 feet high, and then "I have no idea what I would do without James." I really couldn't do anything without him. By now Arron was off like a shot, climbing up the rock wall and heading over to James, a bridge over head, Quint and Lad getting there within a few minutes of Arron. I can't tell you how they really got her up, I could not see. Just that Arron carried her over the bridge, James carried two oars, 3 shoes, and rubbed his back. Lad spotted for Arron, the bridge full of gaps. When over the bridge Quint carried her. Back they came to my raft, and lowered her down three times to set her into my raft safe and sound, wet, cold and smiling. No worse for the wear.

James...... when we hit the rock James flew out, was about ten feet away when he saw Jaden and I fall out. He remembers standing and walking through the water, (the same water no one else could) until he reached me. getting hold of Jaden and he noticed she was stating to slip out of her vest. So he picked her up, allowing the current to cradle her legs so they wouldn't get broken. James carried her, with the three shoes and two oars, walking the whole time to the nearest rock he could set her on. then he waited, he considered floating down but knew without his own life vest he would pull her under, so he waited.

I just have to say how grateful I am for everyone, and for our blessings yesterday could have been so much worse, and I know God was there helping us all, I am so glad that he is in our lives and everything was fine. We had to get creative but we were okay. Life is good.

Floating the next hour was easy, calm and enjoyable. Jaden and the two boys were not upset, but Jonah didn't want to ride with me any more......why not? but we had fun, a couple more rapids, and Jaden squealed happy and thrilled to ride them, some passers by filled Quint's raft so he actually enjoyed the last hour of our ride.

we all had a few bumps and bruises but we had a marvelous time. We might go again really soon, depends on how we fix the raft I guess, so later all. After we ate at the Shore's and came home to bed about 10pm, big day.

Rafting 4

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So the second Rope swing, I swam around after James lifted her and I dumped out our water again. I decided it was better to put her into the raft again she she wasn't getting dirt on her legs and bum, her shorts covered less that I liked, without the diaper. walking around all our rafts, and several others caused me to walk, then swim dragging her to the rope swing. Jaden thought it was great I was in the water, she smiled and chatted with me, I struggled with myself walking through the water weeds.....I hate those things, they creep me out. I love my water shoes too, helped me brave through those bad boys, hehehe.

Jonah, Sicily, Skye, Arron, Lad, Quint, James, Laiken these were our adventurous ones. Jaden cheered and wowed over each splash, and swing. Button and Maggie wasted no tome getting all mudding on the shore, running all over, maybe grateful for dry land? Calvin played in the dirt too, it was warm like sand and he was building castles and piles of it with sticks on top for more interest.

By now Quint and Rannon's raft is bordering the pathetic list. I think he put a lung full or two into it and we were off again.

Rafting 3

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So we floated down and enjoyed the whole thing, pulling into the first rope swing, everyone who wanted took a shot at it. Jaden squealed and encouraged everyone calling out "go........" or "that was awesome" and "do it again." she loved watching the big splashes and them swing just about over the top of her, I made sure she could see at least.

After the rope swing we all got back into our rafts, a few had to be blown up again, the old fashioned way.... poor Quint and Skye, their rafts were substandard and not up to the challenge, hehehe. Rannon demonstrated how he went down the rappids, I wish I could have got a picture of that. He clutched the whole front to his chest and screamed like a girl. Oh man I have to tell you that kid he makes me laugh.

So we shifted around a bit, Jonah rode with us and Quint sat on Jonahs tube so he didn't drag bottom the rest of the ride, he really kept his spirits up, and Rannon both the were in a sinking ship. We floated and laughed. Maggie and Button had a blast as well. I also tied Button in with Kent and Sicily in their raft. Button thought that was terrible most of the time, thinking she had to be with me, but her little feet were scratching up Jaden's legs so she had to move over.

By now we were on the river, actually creek, for about 3 hours. By the time we came to the second rope swing. This one was better, the water was deeper, and more fun for Jaden to watch. I did have to swim around some trees to get her close enough to see, the water is cold people, very cold.

Rafting 2

So for better or worse we were off.

James, Jaden, Button, and Calvin were with me. Quint and Rannon shared the quickly sinking ship, and Jonah choose to tube it for the greater part of the ride. He did really well actually even going over the rapids on his own he had a couple trails, like getting stuck in one of the little areas that spit you back and forth in the same spot, since he was so lite he had to be rescued buy Kyersten and Arron. Lad helpped him a few times, and he held to most everyone's raft a few times.

James fell once early on and we laughed "Man overboard" :) I think just about everyone went into the water this time, route we used was the same as before, and pretty tame. After a little while we all pulled over to drain out rafts, and I and James dunked Jaden to clean her off, her diaper disposed of and she went down in her swim shorts from then on, setting on my feet to help protect her from the rocks that caught us off guard.

July 19th

Our River Trip was very Exciting!

First of all anyone who has not tried this with several child (one who can't walk) this is an adventure just getting to the water. The rafts all full of air loaded and tied down. One raft already was flat by the time we reached the water. so it had to be filled and taped up. Then loading and shifting positions, waiting for everyone, a total of 14 people to get loaded and oars evenly distributed.

At last we got into the water at about 3:30-4pm. I have to mention as well for you all to experience my complete experience you must know that as Jaden was set into my raft, and at my feet so she can lean on my legs. I discovered the whopper of all messy diapers all over my foot. I changed her before we left and really it should not have happened at all after but for what ever reason it did all over the two of us. I believe "great" was one of my first thoughts. Bless her heart, I had nothing to change her into, I was thinking ahead for her and putting everything into the car at the pickup point so she could be changed and dry right away.

Laiken's Birthday

So yesterday we went to the Shore's for a quick party. We dropped off Kent, after hanging out for a while then we left to get James off to work.