Funnies: I'm Maddy...

On Saturday while I was trying to sweep the dirt into the dustpan Maddy kept scattering the dirt around and our conversation went like this...


Me: "Maddy stop it, I'm trying to clean up and you are making a mess!"
(Maddy keeps spreading the dirt with his hands while I'm trying to sweep it up.)
Me: "I told you to stop it and you are not minding me!"
Maddy: "Mommy you are not minding me!"
Me: "I don't have to mind you because I am the mommy!"
Maddy: "Well I'm Maddy!"
(Steve and I both bust out laughing)
8/30/08

Happy Birthday Justin!

Today my youngest brother(and baby of the family) is 21. Happy Birthday Justin! He stayed with us this past week while he was in between jobs. He went to the zoo with us on Sat. and helped out with the kids and was our tour guide. He has also been cooking dinner for us. It has been really nice to have someone else cook for a while. Some of the food included steak/mashed potatoes/stuffing, grilled chicken/steamed veggies/potatoes(twice), chicken fajitas/spanish rice, chicken/rice/cream of chicken gravy. As you can see we eat a lot of chicken around here. He also made some really good shrimp pasta salad. My mom also sent him up with one of my old favorites(macaroni/hamburger/tomato juice soup), which Maddy also loved and my all time favorite homemade banana cream pie. Thanks mom! Justin hope you have a happy birthday and don't do anything too crazy! JK!

The Gardens...

On Tuesday evening we went to The Gardens at Thanksgiving Point. My sister's Jamie(and family), Stacy(and Jace), Shalane and my brother Justin came with us. It was so fun! The weather was perfect and the atmosphere(so beautiful) was picture perfect as well! So of course I took lots! I also took the opportunity to get some family pictures(thanks Jamie!), we really need one for our family room. I'm considering having the one above blown up and framed. Does anyone know where I can enlarge pictures to at least 16x20? Here are my favorites...

I LOVE this picture!!! My Favorite! I will probably enlarge this too or have a canvas gallery wrap done.

Maddy had such a fun time and loved the waterfalls, ponds(he kept trying to climb in and I thought he was going to fall in as you can see in the middle picture), feeding the fish, rolling down the hills, running non stop and playing with Dallin as usual!

The largest man made waterfalls in North America are here at the Gardens.


I LOVE this picture! I have to give Jamie credit. She got it her first try and it is so perfect!


SO beautiful!!!

8 of the 12 of us. Everyone is looking at the beautiful Coi fish. I love how you can see Jace in between Stacy and Shalane's legs. Also Steve is digging for quarters in his pocket so Maddy can feed the fish.

I think it is so cute how the two boys are hanging out on one side and the two dads are hanging out on the other side.

Steve and Maddy feeding the fish. The fish are so colorful.

My favorites of my niece and nephews!




Avery loved the flowers!

We couldn't keep up with these two! The would just take off running and be out of sight in no time.

SO cute! Love the crinkled nose in the last one!

Steve strolling along...

I think this is a cute picture because we weren't actually posing(yet) for the camera. I was trying to get Avery's sandal on, Avery was trying to watch the waterfall, Steve was trying to get Maddy to hold still and Maddy was scowling because he wanted to be down running around.

Me and my cute sisters(Shalane, Jamie, Stacy.)

My three favorite people!




I LOVED this picture in Sepia too so I had to post it!

Here are a couple short video's of Maddy and his cousins...

Sanpete County Fair...

On Saturday my sisters and I along with our kids went down to Ephraim so that we could go to the Sanpete Country Fair in Manti. We started our long day at 10am and got to my parents around noon. My parents made us a very yummy lunch(grilled turkey & cheese sandwiches, homemade baked beans, potato salad, jello salad, cole slaw and cantaloupe) and then we headed over to the fair. Of course I had to take a picture of the Ferris(Expo) Wheel! There is something about a Ferris Wheel that brings back so many memories and makes you feel like a child again.

Here is our entourage! My parents(Steven & Jackie), Jamie and kids(Dallin & Claire), Stacy and son Jace, a lifetime family friend Mindy and son Aiden, and Myself and kids(Maddy & Avery.)

Oh, the nostalgia of a small town fair! This is the first time I've been back since getting married 12 years ago. Although I remembered it seeming a lot bigger to me, it brought back a lot of memories for sure! I used to look forward to the Manti Fair every summer growing up. It was kind of the last big event of the summer before school started. It was always fun to see all your friends that you hadn't seen during the summer and of course check out the boys and see what new couples summer had produced. Of course everyone would wear their new school clothes so they could show them off and check out what everyone else was wearing. What were we thinking? It was always SO hot(and Saturday was no exception) and there was no way around getting filthy. On Saturday as expected I ran into some old friends which is always fun. It was really fun to take my kids and see some of the people I grew up with with their kids.

The good old ticket booth. Such a money pit! My parents actually picked up an all day pass for Maddy in advance(cheaper that way) which was great because then he could ride as many rides as he wanted without me having to worry about spending too much money.

"Dizzy Dragons" was the first ride we went on. I couldn't really get it spinning around for some reason. I think there was something wrong with the one we were in because later when the boys went with some other kids they got it spinning pretty easily. I know I'm a wimp but I'm pretty sure I'm stronger then a bunch of little kids! Maddy really liked this ride and called it the "Dinosaur Ride."

Maddy was so excited for the "Rocket" Ride(he remembered how much he loved the airplane ride from Scandinavian Days) and I was sure he would love it. I was wrong! He put his head down like he was driving it(like he did on the airplane ride) and right when he did the ride very quickly shift up and he smacked his head and cried the whole time wanting to get off until the ride was finally over. Needless to say he didn't go on that ride again. In his words, "It was too scary!"

Maddy and I on the Carousel. You can't go to a fair and not ride the Carousel!

Maddy and I on the Ferris Wheel. I had to convince Maddy to go on this. He thought it looked too scary. One we got on it he loved it! The breeze felt so good as we were going around because it was so hot. Jamie and Dallin were next to us so Maddy loved when we were at the top and could see them and they would wave back and forth.

Maddy not quite big enough(48") to go on this ride without an adult. He was barely tall enough to go on the rides that required you to be 36". He was actually a little too short but luckily I spiked his hair and gave him an extra inch. :) As you can see his face is so flush. It was SO hot that it was almost unbearable. We did keep the kids covered in sunscreen but we finally had to take a break to get some drinks. I don't think I've ever been SO thirsty in my life!

On our way to "Top Stop" for drinks we ran into my aunt Carolyn and some of her family. She has always been the funnest aunt so it was great to hang out and catch up with them a little bit.

We finally made it to Top Stop and Maddy got a blue raspberry ICEE. He finished the whole thing himself in no time. After we all got drinks and filled up every water container we had we headed back to the fair.

There is a little drama behind this picture. This fun house has several different parts too it. First you start with the glass maze shown in the picture on your right. It really is hard to get through because you can't tell which way to go, you have to just kind of feel your way through it. Well the first time through it Maddy just followed Dallin so he got through it pretty easily. He made his way up the first set of stairs then down the squishy tube slide. He then made his way up the second set of stairs to the final slide. He usually loves slides but I think this was too big and he started crying. I couldn't do much because I was at the bottom so the cutest little girl helped him and put him on her lap and went down the slide with him. Well I guess he thought he would go again and started his way into the glass maze. Needless to say he didn't get very far because he kept running into glass walls and didn't know what to do but stand there and cry. So I ended up going in to help him. I can say it wasn't very easy to get through(let alone for a 2 year old.) Can I also mention that the little squishy tube slide isn't meant for adults(let alone with a child on your lap) and I had to wiggle our way through it. Finally we got to the top of the slide and down we went. We were going faster than I wanted so I put my hands down trying to slow down and burned my hands from the friction. Thus the look on my face. Maddy enjoyed it though and I guess that's what matters.

Avery wasn't about to take a nap like the other kids. She slept for 30 minutes on the drive down at 10:30 a.m and didn't sleep again until the ride home at 9:30 p.m. She was like the energizer bunny and was surprising pretty happy the whole time.

This "Fun Slide" was actually pretty fun! You sat on this carpet and it felt like you were going down a water slide. Maddy really liked it too and went down again with his Aunt Jamie.

My two traveling buddies(sisters) and their boys.

My parents were such a big help and enjoyed their grand kids! We really couldn't have done it without them. They took care of the baby's most the time while we played with the boys.

No fair would be complete without the animals, 4-H booths and a car show. Avery loved looking at the red bird at the top left. Check out the huge ox on the top right. The picture doesn't really do it justice! It's name was "Big Red" and it weighed 2930 pounds. Check out the cute "Thanksgiving Dinner" made out of play dough on the bottom left. So cute and creative!

By the time we made it to the parade at 6pm we were all exhausted (except the kids of course, they continued to play.) This picture of my dad pretty much sums up how all of us adults felt. We were so glad to be able to relax in the SHADE while we waited for the parade to start!

My favorite picture of the day! I love how the light is coming down through the trees. Avery was so glad to finally be out of the stroller.

There was never a shortage of energy for the boys! Even in the heat and with no naps they went nonstop!

The boys having a grass fight while waiting for the parade.

Avery enjoying her freedom from the stroller.

My mom(with the help of the boys) shoving ice down my dad's shirt while he was trying to take a little nap. Poor guy I think we just wore him out!

The girls watching the parade.

The boys watching the parade. We(moms) held their bags while they ran for candy. They got quite a haul and we have enough "treat candy" for a long time. These small town parades know how to do it the right way! There was tons of candy, otter pops, toys, stickers and even ice cold chocolate milk passed out.

Some of the winning "Derby" cars in the parade. That is one thing we missed out on. The Derby was Thursday night. Growing up my dad would always take us to the Derby and we just loved it! We will have to try and go next year!

After the parade my parents treated us to dinner at Millers. We caused quite the traffic jam with the twelve of us, three strollers, highchairs, etc. The service was great and the food not to shabby. Afterwards my sisters got bubble gum ice cream cones(I was too full.) It was always our favorite ice cream growing up and as you can see they enjoyed them!

The beautiful Manti Temple! This is where Steve and I were married.

The Ferris Wheel at night. I just couldn't resist! After we ate the kids weren't quite ready to call it a night. So we headed back to the Fair for a few more rides.

This was Maddy's favorite ride, "The Safari Train." He loved being in the front elephant cart and rode this ride over and over.

Maddy was so cute when we were leaving! He still had enough energy to dance his way across the Fair Grounds.

After a long, fun-filled day we finally decided to leave at 9 p.m. I stopped at my parents house to feed Avery and get the kids in their jammies. My mom got Maddy all cleaned up and ready for bed and then he helped my dad feed the fish(he loves helping Steve feed the fish before bedtime.) Nana and Papa gave Maddy a baggie full of change(to support his bubble addiction) and some colored pencils(he LOVES to color.) When we were driving away Maddy was so cute and kept saying "I love you Nana, I love you Papa" and blowing kisses out the window. For the next ten minutes he continued talking about all the rides and fun that we had and then he completely zonked. Avery was out before I even got out of town. The kids were so exhausted they slept the whole way. Right before I got home at 11 p.m. Maddy woke up crying. As soon as I pulled into the garage Steve came out and carried Maddy into the house. He then rocked him for a minute and he went right back to sleep. Steve went dirt bike riding with his friends and got home way before we did. He was kind of bummed that we got home so late. I think he actually missed us. :) I had a great time with the kids and my family but I was so exhausted and couldn't wait to get showered and fall into bed! Thanks mom and dad for the great company, baby duty and yummy food! We will have to make it a tradition. Thanks Jamie and Stacy for another fun trip and for taking the majority of the pictures. I know your fingers got a work out emailing them all to me! Thanks Mindy for hanging out with us and bringing Aiden so Maddy had another play buddy!