Wow, did we have fun!! This was such a last minute trip for the kids and I, but I am so glad I decided to go. Dan was going to be gone at High Adventure with his young men, so it was either staying home by myself, or taking the kids to Shasta with my family. Not too hard of a decision, eh? The last time I went to Shasta was 8 years ago when I was pregnant with Annie. I’d been to Shasta every year for 14 years straight, and then we had kids and moved to Ohio and it just hasn’t worked out. So it was so fun to go and take the kids and it felt like I never even missed a year . . . . like an old friend you haven’t seen in years and you can just pick up right where you left off. What I’m trying to say is, we had an awesome time.
The kids had a blast. I mean what kid wouldn’t rather be on the lake all day with their cousins than in school?
Ryan was obsessed with driving the boat . . . . he seriously didn’t even want Jeff sitting in the driver’s seat with him!
In the evenings, the kids loved gathering wood and making their own “kid fire.”
Um, yeah, looking at these pictures makes me realize we should have been supervising this a little better.
Russ, Brigham, and Spencer getting the real fire pit ready. One of my favorite things about Shasta is all of us sitting around the campfire at nights. We make smores, sing songs, tell stories, and play some serious rounds of Murder. Every night. It’s tradition. And the stars out there are amazing.
This is the new boat my family bought the day before they left for Shasta. It was sweet! It seats 16 people, but I’m pretty sure they fit 22 in it the day they went on the river run. So fun!
It was a little hard with Dan not there to help with the kids, but I did make it out on the boat a few times, thanks to my mom:) I wanted to learn how to wake surf . . . . so Beth went first to show me how it’s done!
My turn!
Ok, this is a little awkward . . . . Do I just stick my feet up here like this?
Woo Hoo! Got up on my first try:) 
Ok, wait, now what am I supposed to do? Pull in on the rope, get some slack, and then throw in the rope and ride the wave? Um, ok, sure . . . .
Ahhh!!! So hard to stay in that little pocket where you can just ride the wave for a long time, and it’s such a different feel than wake boarding. It’s a whole new way of balancing, and I’ve never been surfing before. I did a little better the next day, but I have to say, it was really really fun!
Then Jeff went. So, really, that’s where you want to be on the wake.
And Ash was a total rock star out there. She was tearing it up!
I loved just chillin on the boat with my family:)
My uncle, Mike, and my youngest cousin, William:)
Spencer, Christopher, and Michael.
Steph wakeboarding:
My cousin, Allison.
It was great having two boats. While all the big kids were out on the new boat, we could load all the little kids in the other one, and not worry if they were out tubing for hours.
It was also fun to just hang out on the houseboats! I finally got a picture of James and Jacob in their matching turtle swimsuits:)
Kristen swimming with Halle and Leah. Another great thing about Shasta . . . . the water is warm!!
Lake Shasta is one of my favorite places, and I’m so glad my kids could finally experience it! I was a little hesitant taking the girls out of school so soon after if started, but I’m sure glad I did. They had so much fun boating, tubing, swimming, and even just throwing rocks into the lake. What a great weekend! We’re holding onto summer for as long as we can!
