Glow in the dark mini golf!

On Saturday, July 25th, we decided to do something as a family. Nice and relaxing and something to bring us closer together. We went on over to the Sparetime Fun Center and did some mini golf...glow in the dark style! We dressed in our best "glow in the dark garb" and got the glow sticks out. Little did I know how absolutely terrifying it would be for Brison. They had these hugh MONSTERS in there, and the sound effects were a little much to a 2 year old. Brooklyn had fun, although she is a HUGE cheater! It was fun and we had a good time.

The day after the day after the 24th of July

We actually didn't do any fireworks with my family on the 24th of July this year. Sunday, I went to Brian's parents house, and they had saved some of theirs from the 24th to do with the smaller kids, since none of them were there on the 24th either. They had a ton of fun with the sparklers, and running around chasing cousin KC. I took the opportunity to take some pictures of everybody that was there that night. It was fun, and I enjoyed the company...even though Brian was gone to Wyoming for a football game.

24th of July ski run

Yep, did it again! This time we actually got out to Willard Bay before the gates even opened! Had to waste about 7 minutes of EXCELLENT water waiting! That was a bummer. I had asked Brooklyn the night before if she wanted to go with me and she of course said yes. When I got up that morning and woke her up, she jumped up, wide awake, and was excited. When Allison came and picked us up, she had mentioned to her that she was tired, but said "don't tell my mom!" What a stinker! She was disappointed that I wouldn't let her get out and swim....heck, she was still in her pajamas! It was awesome water, a little cloudy, and the water was warmer than the air, but all was well. I couldn't figure out what the deal was with my camera, until I got home and realized I had the wrong filter on, so the pictures are somewhat blurry, so I apologize for that, but hey, it made for an AWESOME sky picture! It was fun, and we were home by 7:30 a.m. Brooklyn fell asleep somewhere between Willard Bay and 12th street, and slept until 9:00.

They call the thing a R-O-D-E-O

The story I am about to tell you is true. The names have not been changed, although they needed to be protected!

Allison decided to round up the fam and head to the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. I thought it sounded like a really good idea. I had to work that night, so I got there a little bit later than everybody else. When I got there, I called Allison to see where everybody was sitting. She sent me a text (since I really couldn't hear her) and said they were over by the ambulance on the Northwest side. So, I decide to head on over. When I get there, the paramedics were checking out Levi and I could just tell that everybody was frazzled and something was going on. I asked Brian what had happened and he said "I don't know, I wasn't there." typical answer from him!

Come to find out....Lauren had been standing on the fence, outside of the arena. It was the type of fence that they had put together to let the trucks in and out of the 'area'. It was held together with a chain and a lock. My parents and Brett and Gretchen & kids were waiting for Allison to come because she had the tickets for the kids...since it was her idea, she decided to buy for the nieces and nephews! Thanks Alli! As my parents were standing there waiting, my mom, who was holding Levi...6 mo....was looking inside at the crowd and noticed that a small bull (since I am not familiar with rodeo's or country, or farm, or anything of the like, I don't know the actual TERM used for this animal...sorry! I will subsequently use * * marks to name things, or animals, that I am not sure of their technical name...) had gotten loose and was heading straight for the fence, and subsequently the little skinny girl hanging onto said fence. My mom reached to get her just as the *small bull* lowered his head and RAMMED into the fence. As the fence bowed out, it struck Levi in the head, and knocked my mom down to the ground, landing on her back. I'm sure during which time Levi crashed into the ground as well. My dad was knocked to the ground as he was trying to keep my mom from falling. My mom lost her shoe under the fence, she was knocked so hard, and had a few cuts on her arm. My dad had some scrapes on his hand. Levi had a lovely bump on one side of his head and some nice road rash on the other. Lauren, somehow, came away unharmed....nobody knows how! Gavin was absolutely TERRIFIED (which is easy to have happen, since he is petrified of dogs, cats, and small children!) Allison mentioned that as she was walking from the east side to the west side of the arena, she can hear Lauren screaming and she sees a *cowboy* on his horse chasing after something with his rope in *lasso mode*. She thinks, "that's odd, but we are at a rodeo". It turns out that the *cowboy* was going after that *small bull* and was taken down by 7 or 8 blood thirsty *cowboy wannabee's*. Luckily, everybody was ok, and as they say, the show must go on!

After we all calmed down and got over the initial shock of what had just happened, and the sun set, we were able to enjoy the rest of the evening. The kids did pretty good, considering how HOT it was. Brison had a hard time holding still, and the time during the different events seemed to take FOREVER and that was hard on the kids. But, when there was an actual event going on, they enjoyed it. Brison absolutely LOVED the motocross riders...which is what you should get to see at a RODEO. Brian got to re-live some of his younger days when he worked the rodeos for a summer with his brothers. He even got out his cowboy hat and wore that to the rodeo...along with a black t-shirt, khaki shorts and tennis shoes...apparently there is a *cowboy hat dress code*?

It really was fun, and no calves were injured or killed during the rodeo, which is good, since that happened at the first rodeo I ever went to.

I'm just glad we all survived. Maybe next time we go, we can enter Levi into the *mutton bustin* event!

Brooklyn's birthday party!

Birthday girl!

So, it's here. My little girl turned 4. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I have heard that saying for all my life...but you never realize until it happens to YOU! We had a fun day, considering that she is sick. We started the day opening presents. She is having her birthday party Saturday, but she always gets so many presents, that I thought we would give her the ones we got her ON her birthday. She loved them! She has always wanted an umbrella, and I searched Disneyland over looking for a princess umbrella. I finally found one online at the Disneystore.com. LOVE THAT PLACE! We also got her the little tea 'hot chocolate' cart. She loved pushing that around all morning. Gus even fought her over it....which isn't hard for him to do.



Then we went to Cherry Hill. Never been there before. Always thought about going, but just never did. Now I know why. Holy Cow expensive! $17.00 a person. It's only $5.00 for the Roy Aquatic Center. However, the lazy river was so nice.....but not worth $17.00. Perhaps it would be worth it to have a season pass....


And the blog post would not be complete without a token picture (or two) of the Gus-meister.


(did I mention he fell asleep in the *lazy river*?)


After swimming and having dinner, which was Brooklyn's choice (pizza), we headed to Cold Stone to get her *free* ice cream. She chose chocolate with sprinkles... weirdo!

Then we came home and I thought i'd try to get a few pictures of my little girl.... I think they turned out pretty good.

If you could have one super power, what would it be? fly
What was the last chore you did? brushed my teeth
What is your favorite song? I am a child of God
What do you like to eat for breakfast? Peanut butter & honey sandwich
What do you like to eat for lunch? Grilled Cheese Sandwich
What is your favorite dinner? pizza...with absolute NO toppings! not even cheese
What is the nicest thing you've done for someone in your family lately? Mama, and open up presents on my birthday
What makes you mad? getting spanked in my room
Where would you like to go on vacation? boating?
Who is the smartest person in your family? mama
How are you like Me? playing games with you
How old am I? I don't know mom. I'm 4!
What is one thing I always say to you? ...i don't know.
What is one thing You say to me? I Love You
If you had a million dollars, what's the first thing you'd buy? food with my mom
How do you know I love you? because your my best mom
What's your favorite cereal? honey nut cheerios
What's your favorite tv show? Phineas and Ferb
What's your favorite vegetable? I don't like vegetables
What is something you own you would never want to give away? my blankie!
What's your favorite game? playdough
What's your favorite book? Alice in Wonderland
What food would you eat every day if you could? cereal
If you could have a different name, what would it be? Brooklyn Kirsten Davies
What friend do you play with the most? Gavin
What's the scariest thing you've ever done? Monsters
What is your favorite restaurant? Old Mcdonad's
What is your favorite candy? peanut butter & cupcakes
What's your favorite holiday? guitars
Whats the best present you ever received? princess presents
...at this point, she is in the other room and comes to the door to answer the questions! Apparently, she doesn't have a very LONG attention span! She also doesn't understand some of the questions either....but it's fun to have them for record!

Day before the birthday....blues.

So, I had been really concerned with Brooklyn's coughing. She gets coughing so hard that she throws up. Normally, that's nothing new, because she can do it at any time, and it is usually when she is crying. However, it seems like lately, she isn't really TRYING to throw up. So, I took her in to see the doctor. She has Bronchitis. Nice. Happy Birthday!

Birthday party #1

The GIRL is SPOILED!

The last couple of years, she has ended up having 3 different birthday parties. All I keep thinking is, this has got to stop or else we will be in BIG trouble when she gets older!

(what's really scarry is the fact that I wanted to take her to Disneyland this year for her birthday..and i'm freaking out about her have 3 birthday parties! what am I thinking? is this left over drama from my surpressed past of my parents leaving me on MY birthday when I was younger? I just don't know!)

Well, so far, I haven't been able to stop the spoiling!

We had birthday party #1 last night. The Davies' family gets together every month to celebrate that month's birthdays. We decided to go to the Murray Pool. It was fun. A little cold, because it was breezy, not to mention our "less than normal" summer!

This is the birthday girl.

She was excited to open those gifts. I don't think she really realized that it was her birthday and all the comes with it!

Most of the Davies' that came to the party and then our little family!

Cousin KC. Brooklyn loves him and her cousin Sheridan (not pictured) also! She gets to spend one day every week with them because they babysit her...and Gus.

Speaking of Gus..do you remember the little guy that was AFRAID of the sprinkler, and subsequently the pool at grandma and grandpa's house? Well...this is what he turned into!

A water monkey! He absolutely LOVED the water AND the water slide! He wasn't afraid to go under, in fact, he kept going under on purpose!

The jumps even got better as he worked on it! He even SMILED!

Cute little Gus! Love that guy!

Pink Eye

So, the day started off as any other normal day. I went to work before Brooklyn and Brison even woke up. Brooklyn had a primary activity to go to. Brian stayed home with Brison. Later in the day, we had our Travis Family Reunion. I was excited because I enjoy my family. I enjoy talking to cousins and spending time with my Grandparents. I even arranged to get off work a little early to go. Once I got there, I was overloaded with information about my children. KC, Brison threw up earlier...he was with Dad, so you might want to ask him. KC, your son's eyes look SO bad. KC, I think Brison might have Pink Eye. So, after I got me a hot dog..(you would do it too if you were as hungry as I was...admit it!) I tracked down Brison. Sure enough, his eyes did look bad! I called and made an appointment for him and raced away to the doctors.

Pink Eye and an Ear Infection. Lovely.

I have never actually seen somebody with pink eye...other than their eye was red (or PINK).

I was surprised when Brison was done with all his crying and his eyes actually STOPPED oozing that lovely green goo...at how bad they looked. I felt so bad. He kept rubbing them and crying. I decided to take him outside and see if that would get his mind off of them....because he LOVES to be outside. While out, I decided it would be a good time to document the occasion!

As you can tell by these pictures, he did actually cheer up...and I got a few smiles out of him.

This one was just really cute!

More smiles....

This morning, he actually is doing much better and I think that the medicine has finally kicked in because we are no longer oozing 'green goo'. He is still, however, a stinker. But, he's my stinker and I love my little Gus.

4th of July

My absolute favorite day of the year!

The 4th of July! I love the colors! I love the activities!

eVEryThiNg!

I think our family has a new tradition...well, at least for the last 7 years or so.....

It starts with a 5 a.m. boat run....

Yes, the sun is really JUST coming up! This year it was Lance, Allison, Derek and me that went out. We like getting out early enough that we can have good water, and still early enough that when we leave, most people are just getting there! I love it when people comment on how we are "leaving so soon.." and we say, nope, been out for 2 hours already! And it's 7:00a.m.!

I took this picture of Allison...and I thought it turned out cool!

Then, we went home for breakfast burritos! They were DELISH!

We try to let the kids either run through the sprinklers or the slip & slide...but, not this year!

Brett and Gretchen bought this pool! We set it up at Mom and Dad's (because they have a fence) The kids absolutely LOVED it! The water was a LITTLE cold...but i'm sure it will warm up sometime...right?

After we were done swimming, the kids were still restless and so they were playing on the patio. This is Gus, and his demonstration of a proper "SLIDE"!

I just LOVE these pictures of the kids. Brian was standing behind me trying to get them to laugh and smile. I LOVE it when Brison covers his mouth. The way he has his hands it just adorable to me! I love my kids to death!....maybe not so much when they throw fits, but still!

We of course had to have the patriotic hamburgers and potato salad for dinner! There was even some homemade raspberry ice cream!

I have realized over the last few years, that I just don't have enough pictures of me and Brian together....i'm working on that!

Awake for the sunrise and the sunset! WHAT A DAY!

I tried out some new tricks with my camera...I actually remembered my tripod this time! I thought these shots turned out pretty good...and YES! That is Brison holding his own sparkler with no adult supervision! We are AWESOME parents...all in the name of photography!

Awesome firework show! The second picture was our "grand finale!" Cool! Gotta love "legal" fireworks!

It was such an wonderful day! Just a fun day hanging out with family and enjoying the sun and good food! LOVE IT!