Pioneer Day 2011

We went to the Butlerville days for Pioneer Day this year and it was really fun. They start with a parade and then they have a huge set up of games, activities, food, fireworks, ect for everyone to do. We didn't realize there was going to be so much to do and we had dinner plans at my parents house that evening, but we still got to do a couple fun things. We caught the end of the parade and saw the fire engines spraying everyone and a big trailer float throwing out candy. McKayla got her face painted...a pink heart... and a balloon animal...they asked her what she wanted and she said "pink" so the lady made her a pink poodle with a purple leash...McKayla LOVED it. Then she and Daddy got an icee and put just about every flavor possible in it. We went over to the bounce houses and McKayla went in the princess bounce house (for all of about 1 minute until some huge girl knocked her down hard and Todd had to go in a rescue her...this is after she was climbing up in it and some girl jumped off right on top of her) and then went down the big bounce slide with Daddy. Bodie just hung out the whole time and enjoyed playing in the grass :-). We went to mom and dads for a yummy bbq afterward and ended up doing small fireworks there b/c the kids were getting too tired to stay up for the big ones. It was a great family day and we will definitely be there next year...you should come :-)

Camping

We went camping on Saturday night...here's the story. A friend of ours called and said they had left their trailer up past Kamas to camp and that we should join them...we thought that sounded fun. Todd called some other friends and we got a group to go up. We headed up Saturday morning with a slight idea of where we were going. As we headed up the canyon Todd pointed to a spot and said that's where he thought our friends with the trailer were, but he and my bro-in-law wanted to check a couple more places where they could ride their dirt bikes and 4-wheeler. So up we went...and up...and up...until suddenly there was the summit sign at 9,400 feet...I was a little worried at this point, but we headed off the road to check out one more spot. Low and behold we ran into our friends with the trailer up there and there was a camp site still available just down from them. So we set up camp. All was great and we were having fun until the bugs came...they kept getting worse and worse. We did get some 4-wheeler rides in and the guys got to go out on their dirt bikes. I even rode Todd's dirt bike for a minute (why I don't know...yes I hate that thing after he crashed on it...yes, I'm scared to even tell my parents that I rode it...but hey, McKayla and Todd were so proud of me and Todd was on the back keeping control of it). McKayla also gave us a dance show using the trailer for the bikes as her stage. After dinner I ended up taking the kids in the Tahoe and watching a movie and then we slept in there while Todd and the dog slept in the tent. The kids were pretty darn cute in their new sleeping bags and they kept them really warm. After I turned off the movie and told them it was time for bed they got a case of the giggles and I was melting watching them lie next to each other and laugh and reach for each other. The next morning the bugs were just as bad so we all ended up just packing up and leaving, but we got a call from some other friends and met them at the Cowabunga waterpark in Draper where the kids had a blast splashing in the water and going down the slides.

Cute little deer

Pretty view from our camp site

The McKayla dance show

Good morning sunshines

This is the Place Park

My mom took the kids and I to "This is the Place" for a day of fun and activities last week. There was actually way more to do there than my mom and I knew so we all ended up having a great time. We went in the old houses and learned how they farmed, made food, made rugs, played games, did laundry, ect. We went on the big train 2 times, the little train 3 times, the ponys 2 times (Bodie rode a pony for his 1st time), went in an Indian hut, made a bead necklace, went on the ship, and pet pigs and goats...whew...it was a full day and I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting. Oh yeah, mom also bought us ice cream and an icee (Bodie looooved the icee).

Goodbye to "B"

On Saturday, July16th McKayla said goodbye to her "B's" forever. She only used it at night to sleep or sometimes during a nap so I wasn't in a rush to get rid of them. I finally figured since she's turning 3 soon (OH MY GOSH...I can't believe this!!!) it probably was time to get rid of them. I talked to her about it the week leading up to the day and explained that she was a big girl now so she didn't need a B anymore. She seemed upbeat about it and agreed, but I knew it would be hard when it really was gone. Although not the best for the enviroment (sorry!) I told her we would send them up and away into the sky on balloons. My friend had told me about this technique and said it worked well because they can remember doing it.
So Saturday came around and she packed up all her Bs in her purse then we went to Harmons and got 12 balloons (plus an extra one for her to keep for being such a big girl). We went to a park and I got her and the balloons out of the car. She gave her Bs a kiss goodbye as we got them out of the purse and then I asked her if she'd like to suck on one for a last time and she did. At that moment a sadness came over me...I realized this would be the last time I'd see her do her cute little bunny face movement when she has a B in and rub it on her face (not ever sure why she would do the rub thing, but it was something she did I think as a comfort thing). I also couldn't believe what a strong little girl she was being. She gave me the last B and I tied it with the others onto the balloons. I handed her the balloons and told her to walk over into the clearing and let them go when she was ready. She looked absolutely darling walking over there...a sweet little girl and this huge bunch of colorful balloons. She turned around to me, smiled and then let them go. She waved and called out goodbye Bs as we watched them float away. I have tears in my eyes as I'm writing this because in that moment as I watched her I couldn't help but feel that I was letting go of something so incredbily dear to me...my baby McKayla. She isn't a baby anymore (although she'll always be my baby)...she is a big girl and it happened so fast. She came running back to me and gave me a big hug as I told her how incredibly proud I was of her. We then went to Todd's retaurant for breakfast to celebrate her being a big girl and tell Daddy about what she did. That day when I put her down for her nap she did ask for her B, but I reminded her that we sent her Bs into the sky. She had a tough moment with it, but did go to sleep. That night when I put her to bed she didn't even ask me for it...I was amazed and saddened again...she is a big girl now. She did ask for it the next day when she went down for a nap, but she didn't when going to bed for the night. I know to some people this probably seems like an overly sappy post, but this whole thing was much harder on me than on McKayla. I'm sure every mom out there has had that moment when they realized their baby has grown up and I know she has a whole life ahead of her and isn't that old yet, but she's definitely not a baby anymore and I just hope that I cherished that time as much as I could. We are so incredibly proud of McKayla and everything she has already become. She really does amaze us every day with the new things she learns and she is such a sweet girl. We love our McKayla!!!

Recent Videos

Bodie- 9 Months

Little man turns, scoots, rolls and army crawls to get wherever he wants. We have tried showing him how to crawl, but he just looks at us and laughs :-). He loves to stand up and seems more interested in that...especially doing it on his own holding onto the couch or table. He definitely has a voice...if he's really excited he'll squeal and shout and if he's mad at you he'll just shout (this tends to happen when we or McKayla take something he's playing with). When he's really mad he'll say "MA,MA,MA" in a loud, mad tone...I'm not quite sure why it's come out at me, but "Da,Da" is always in a happy and fun tone...oh well, I know he loves me :-). He uses his body a lot to show excitement too...flapping his arms and bouncing up and down. He has 8 teeth now and we think more are coming in. This means he is chewing on EVERYTHING and drooling all the time, but it also helps him to do his favorite thing...EAT. This boy loves everything and he is so happy when he eats. He's eating all sorts of veggies and fruits now as well as meat and cheeses. He loves having little snack crackers and what not too. The only thing we seem to have an issue with is oatmeal b/c we think he's allergic to it. His favorite thing to do now when he eats is spit it out...oh yes, he thinks it's so funny when he gets bright colored food all over mommy, daddy and himself. His skin has gotten better as long as we keep up on it, but if we don't he still gets excema in spots. He has a little bit more fuzz on his head although it's blonde so you still have to look close to see (good thing he has a nice round head). He's still a very happy and well natured baby and he loves to play with people and other kids. He's also very good at playing by himself for awhile. He's sleeping really well in his bed downstairs...usually from 7ish-6ish and he wakes up smiling and happy. Bodie and McKayla still love each other and have so much fun together! One of my favorite things is the big slobbery kisses he'll give us on our cheeks and when he gets shy and buries his head in my shoulder. He knows that people are strangers now and he'll get a little shy at first, but he opens up quickly and doesn't cry or anything. He is now 18lbs 11oz and 28 3/8 inches.

4th of July 2011

Is it really over already? I feel like summer has just begun, but I'm already thinking about fall and my work busy season :-(. Anyway, we had a great weekend full of family, friends, fun and fireworks. On Friday the kids and I had a water playdate at our house with my besties and their kiddos. It was so nice to just sit in the warm backyard and let the kids play around while we caught up with eachother. On Saturday we headed up to Todd's sis' house in Logan where I co-hosted a babyshower for my sis-in-law and cousin. It was really chaotic for those of us hosting (a lot of which had to do with the fact that we both had 2 kids to watch cause the Dad's went to the carshow), but everyone had a great time and the girls got some really cute stuff. That night we went to the car parade in Logan to see all the awesome old cars, have a shake and enjoy the weather. Once it was over we went up to our bro-in-laws farm in Idaho and spent the night there. McKayla was having the best time up there and she couldn't get enough of her cousins (they stayed up til 11pm!). In the morning we went out to see some of the animals (horses, cows, kittens, rats...ya know). McKayla had asked for elephants and giraffes, but oddly enough we couldn't find any ;-). We went on a hike up Logan canyon with the fam after that and a BBQ at Todd's aunts house before heading home to yet another BBQ in SLC at our friends house (where McKayla proceeded to get down to her skivies with her friend and spray each other with the hose while Bodie flirted with his little 7 month girlfriend). We went home after that and put Bodie to bed, but let McKayla stay up to see the fireworks and play with some glow bracelets I got her (thank you to Utah for legalizing the arials...now we get lots of free shows from our front yard). Monday morning we were supposed to go to a parade with friends, but little miss slept in and we got there right as it ended (not that we were complaining). They did have games and a bounce house there so McKayla got to enjoy that. We went to lunch with Todd's parents after that before they left for the airport and then went swimming with a bunch of friends. Monday night we watch the big Sugarhouse firework show from our friends house and had a great summer night. We are all quite tired from all the activities and I think McKayla lost her glasses (those suckers were $400 so it's a huge bummer), but we had so much fun spending time together and the 4th will always be one of my favorite holidays!! ***UPDATE: found the glasses in our friends driveway...had been run over a few times...BUMMER!

Bodie and his buddies

McKayla and her cousins

Dont think he was loving the car parade

Farm Babies

Howdy