It was time for our yearly week at our lake house/tent campground, Palisade! The water was really, really low this year with seagrass skimming the surface throughout. We still swam! We gotta cool off! And the kids still jumped from the swim dock, but otherwise we did a lot of raft floating, canoeing, and paddle boarding. It was still tons of fun!

Sarah, Beth, Ben, and I packed up and left around 2:00pm on Monday. We met Nik and Hannah Grosland at the campground where we put our feet in the water and set up camp. We roasted hotdogs and s'mores over the fire for dinner and waited for the rest of our gang. Kevin, Savannah, Mariah, Cheyenne, and Calianne joined us around 10pm after doing a full day of work for some and athletic practices for others.

Tuesday we kept Kevin and Savannah all day and played in the lake. We missed Megan! That night after dinner Kevin and Savannah went back to Springville. Bye Kevin and Savannah! We're so glad you could come!

Not five minutes after they left, Nik and Hannah's mom pulled up! Surprise! Robin spent the night and morning with us. Fun times! We walked around the lake in the night AND the morning. When she left Wednesday morning, Nik and Hannah headed home, too. Bye, Grosland's! Thanks for coming!

As we ate lunch Wednesday, the Francom's pulled up! Wendy brought her five kids aged 16 to 4, a raft-boat, and two kid-sized kayaks. Ben, Beth, Cali, and Chey all have friends in her crew and they loved being able to play all day at the lake with them. The little kayaks were especially a hit. Beth, Siena, Ben, and Mia all had a great time. They left around dinner time. Bye Francom's! So glad you came!

Thursday morning as we were finishing breakfast, Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik pulled up! Yay! Grandma played games with the kids in the cool, morning shade and Grandpa told us stories. Grandma brought us chicken salad for lunch (which was a nice break from PB&J!) and black cherry soda and watermelon. Then we watched the kids play in the water and try to all ride the paddle board at the same time. When they left later in the afternoon, they returned about 30minutes later with milkshakes for everyone! Wow Grandma and Grandpa! You are awesome! Bye! We love you! Thanks for coming!

As Grandma and Grandpa left, Jen and Stuart Grigg arrived. Finally! We had been waiting and waiting for "Sister Gwigg." She is always the one reminding me in the winter that I need to reserve our site so "we will always have Palisades." (Ben told her that when we moved from Brookside!) She is also our minnow-catching expert and I think this is the third year she has brought us her famous pasta salad for dinner. Yum yum! Stuart took our picture all together before they left after sunset. Bye Griggs! Thanks for coming!

So that left just us Skinners (minus three) to pack up the next morning, heave a sigh, and wave goodbye to Palisades for another year. Bye Palisades! We're so glad we came!

P.S. We made some funny memories while there. Our first night, we learned that Cheyenne has an alarm on her phone . . . at 3:16 in the morning. The alarm says in a very cheerful voice, "It's 3:16 AM!" and then plays super cheerful music. Everyone woke up except Cheyenne. When Savannah found the phone and turned it off, she whispered into the darkness, "Why . . .?" So funny!

Also while there, whenever Beth would get weepy about spiders or sunburns or whatever, I would tell her, "Come on, Beth. Toughen up! You're a warrior. You're a warrior princess!" So, I'd been preaching this to her, but then when it was time for bed it backfired. She said, "It's too early for a warrior princess to go to bed!" So funny! I think it was sinking in.

Benjamin started practices for flag football this week. He seems to like it and to be pretty good but I think he's on to me. He said, "Mom, next time it's time to sign up for a sport, you need to ask me if I want to do it first!" Hmmm. Ok. Maybe next year. We still need to learn basketball. Ha ha! He had the chance to play with more kids from our ward this week, for which I'm grateful. He also had pack meeting for Cub Scouts and he earned some awards from day camp and enjoyed the water fights afterward! He was sick all day with a fever yesterday but seems to be better today.

Bethany got to do "Girls Day Camp" all week in the mornings. Cali and Chey and their friend, Elizabella, planned activities from 9-11 every morning down in Brookside once again this year. They had craft day, carnival day, water day, princess/superhero day, and treasure hunt day. Cali and Chey wished they had more participants but Bethany had a great time and loved it! Beth also played with kids in our neighborhood this week and went to a birthday party down in Brookside on Saturday.

In addition to girls camp, Cali and Chey had tryouts for the high school tennis team this week. They were super scared and so worried that they wouldn't make it! But by the second day, they found out that they were in! Yay Cali and Chey! We are so happy for you! They both logged more than 100 hours of practicing this summer. That's the most impressive part. When they were home, they were pretty much exhausted. I got pictures of both of them trying to read books. They were both really asleep though! Ha ha!

Cali and Chey and Mariah had ward youth conference yesterday, as well. Because of busy kids' schedules, they decided to do just a one-day conference which I think was actually a pretty good idea. They went to the Payson temple to do baptisms first and brought family names. Then they headed to Castle Dale to see the pageant. On the way, they stopped at the bishop's cabin in Fairview for fun and games. About 14 kids went and Cheyenne said it was super fun. I haven't talked to Mariah and Cali since I haven't seen them yet this morning. They got home around 1am!

Mariah, in addition to basketball and cross country practices, ACT prep and helping the neighbors, hiked Timpanogos this week! Woot woot! She went with about six other kids from the cross country team and they hit the trail at 1:30am so they could see the sunrise from the summit--which they did. They made it home around 2:30pm. It's a 14mile hike and climbs over 4000ft to a height of almost 12,000 feet. She had so much fun. 

Sarah has been great fun to have home! She has been playing tennis with the twins and taking her younger siblings on adventures. She took CC and Ben up the canyon for croquet and river walking. On Friday night she took Beth and Ben to Nicklemania and for food at Wendy's. She is a party waiting to happen! She also has done some things with Allyson and finished her application to BYU this week.

Savannah went up to Rexburg to spend some time with her cousin, Samantha! She left Thursday and will be back later today. It's so fun that those two still enjoy each other's friendship.