California: Part 2.....The Beach

Usually when we go to Disneyland we stay in Disneyland. Like we literally don't do anything else other that go to Disneyland for 5 days straight and then we come home. We conversed with our friends and decided it was about time we take our kid's to the beach and by golly we don't regret it! The kids absolutely loved it (and so did the parents!) The weather was absolutely perfect and the condo was gorgeous (thanks to our friends parents.) There is just nothing better than hanging out on the beach. We stayed in Oceanside just outside of San Diego. We picked a great week to go because California was having better weather the week we went than they had all summer.....and we were there at the end of September!! We got lucky!!

California: Part 1

We had the best time at "The Happiest Place on Earth" a couple months ago with our great friends the Gadd's. It was our first time going when all the Halloween decorations were up and the characters dressed up in their costumes. The picture above is in front of the Haunted Mansion which was decorated fantastically for the holiday season. The sun was in Brock's eyes so he would not look at the camera.
The two "C's" getting ready to watch the Angels game. Brock and I didn't go to the game but had a great time just the two of us hanging out in Disneyland. We saw the Pixar Parade and went on whatever rides he wanted to:-)


Goofy being a goof!

The kid's getting their picture taken with a talking parrot!
These two were glued at the hip the entire week. They walked around Disneyland either interlocking arms or holding hands. So funny! They get along perfectly and love being together. They are also such great helpers with the younger kid's.
Good times had by all......other than the barfing part!!!

Last Flaming Gorge Trip of the Season

Cute Whitney!
Cuddling with my cute niece miss "S."

Swimming in "our cove."

Fun with uncle Brent on the wave runner!
The two "B's" having fun on the tube!

To Close for Comfort: The Herriman Fire

These are pictures we took from our driveway of the Herriman fire that started Sunday September 19th. We were on I-15 heading home around 4:30ish and saw there was a fire on the mountain. We didn't think much of it other than we figured it was probably caused by Camp Williams. A few hours later we could tell it was getting larger but still not too worried. The winds were very strong and the smoke smell was starting to get bad and at about 8:00 the fire creeped over the mountainside to where we could easily see flames. We were not concerned about our house but started worrying a bit about all the homes on the hill but felt sure the firefighters would get it out. The winds kept getting stronger and stronger and the fire started to get more and more out of control. We started hearing about all the mandatory evacuations and people only having 5-10 minutes to grab what they could. We decided to get a few things together just incase. The smoke smell was awful and there was ash flying everywhere. I of course started worrying about Brock and his asthma issues and wondered if we just shouldn't leave but knew that everyone else who were on the mandatory evacuation were also trying to leave.....not to mention all my kid's were asleep and I was trying to pack for our Disneyland vacation! :-) We ended up just watching the fire from our house until about 12:30 am. We ended up being one block away from the mandatory evacuation and are so thankful to all the people who worked so hard to put this fire out and to save sooooo many homes. They estimated approx. 1,000 homes to burn and only 3 were completely destroyed. My kids were thrilled that they cancelled school the next day, but me on the other hand was not so thrilled because of all the last minute errands I needed to run before our vacation the following day:-)

First Flaming Gorge Trip 2010

Isn't this the most beautiful picture of the lake? This is about 6:00 in the morning right off of swim beach where Ryan and his brother were fishing. BTW....they caught three good sized fish there which is great. There isn't a whole lot of fish action at times in this particular spot.....so YEAH!!!!
The kid's playing with their Nintendo DS's. Man those come in handy!!

Brock, cousin Davan, cousin Bodie, Cannon and Whitney playing at the swim beach.

Just the Boyz

A couple weekends ago our church had a "stake fathers and sons" campout up Payson Canyon. Cannon was especially excited because last year they all were kicked off the mountain due to some wildfires. He was definitely upset that the camping trip was cut short. If I remember right they were told to leave around midnight. So needless to say he was really excited about the weekend with his dad and his brother and especially the idea of sleeping in the mountains in a tent. So what did Whitney and I do you ask.......well we had a great and quiet weekend:-) It was so much fun just hanging out with her. We went to see Letter's to Juliet (very good show) went to dinner and then the next morning we met up with our bestest friends and went shopping and then to lunch. I told Ryan he could take the boy's camping whenever he wanted!! :-)

This was Brock's first experience camping and he absolutely loved it. He can't stop talking about it. I was a little nervous about him going but so glad that Ryan took him and that he had fun. Guess he's not my baby anymore.
Fishing at Payson Lake

All-Stars

It has been a crazy season of baseball for our family. It has honestly taken up any spare time that we had but it also became one of our favorite times of the year. I will have to post some pictures later of the regular season but these are pictures taken during All-Stars. Being somewhat new to this crazy sport thing (for those with small children you just wait......the older they get the more intense and competitive it gets) I didn't realize that after the regular season there is an All-Star Tournament. Ryan and I had to cancel two little weekend vacations because of it.....at least we'll know for next year:-) They take the top 24 players in the league and make 2 teams.....an A team and a B team. Cannon was able to play for the A team which is really awesome because he was already playing a year up in the regular season and then made the A team as a 7 year old, playing with and against 8-9 year olds. We were really pround of him......he was the very youngest player on the team. And even more awesome than that was his Dad got to be one of the coaches, so it was a great experience for both of them. The team ended up taking 3rd place in the pre-tournament and then lost their first two games in the main tournament which meant they were out. All in all it was a really fun experience and bittersweet that it had to end. I'm sure next year will come around before we know it!



Cute little Cannon!

Ryan hasn't worn a baseball uniform since 1992. He still wears it well I might add:-)

One last "Dog's in the House" cheer!!

Whitney's Spring/Summer Dance Shows

Whitney and her dance class at Lagoon practicing their routine.

Their little pep talk with each other right before going on stage. Who know's what they are really saying.....they are probably just giggling and trying not to be too nervous.

Picture taken right after her spring recital at Riverton Highschool. She did such a great job and we are very proud of her!!

The Volcano's

Brock had a great time playing t-ball this year. I think he was mostly excited to be doing what his older brother was doing. He also picked to be number 11 just like his brother. Pretty dang cute if you ask me. He loved putting on his "volcano's" shirt and hat each game, using his favorite orange bat, and of course getting his treat after each game.

Whitney Turns 10

Happy Happy Birthday!

Our baby turned 4 years old in March! I literally could look at his smile all day! We told him that he could pick his most favorite place to eat and we would take him there for his birthday dinner and he picked Cafe Rio. He requested sugar cookies for his birthday treat and had a great time hanging out with his cousins. Happy Birthday Brockstar!!

Las Vegas

We had a fabulous time with our great friends the Gadds who so kindly invited us to join them in Sin City:-) Ryan and I hadn't been to Vegas in almost 13 years and it was incredible how much it had changed.......except for the obvious things that will never change!! We went to the M&M Museum, The Rainforest Cafe, The MGM Hotel to see the lions, The Aquarium at Mandalay Bay and of course swam everyday. The kids would have been just fine if that was all they did. The best part about Vegas was the incredible weather we had. It was so nice to see the sunshine and wear short sleeved shirts!!! Next vacation with our traveling buddies......Disneyland!!!

Cannon thought the Komodo Dragon was pretty cool.

Lion at MGM. That guy is crazy........but pretty incredible to watch.

Brock at the Rainforest Cafe

Waiting for the fountains at the Bellagio