Aquarium Trip

The last weekend in September, Brian came down to Herriman to visit us! (Melissa, Matt and Steven) While he was here we went to the aquarium in Sandy. It was a lot of fun, but it was smaller than I expected it to be. Steven loved all the fish and kept asking to see more. I think I would definitely take him back again but not really often. Here are some pictures from our trip:


Steven driving the boat on the "Brine Shrimp Expedition". We didn't go through the entire demonstration because a line was forming behind us and we let someone else have a turn.
This is Steven looking at an aquarium of native Utah fish. i don't remember the nae of the species though.

Brian and Steven looking at the seahorses.

Steven and Matt looking at Nemo. Nemo was Steven's favorite fish to find. Can you find Nemo in the picture?

Steven and Matt "touching" the stingrays. The water was aout two feet deep so Steven couldn't actually touch them but he liked to play in the water. I did find out something interesting about the stingrays though. They don't actually remove their stingers, the just clip them off about every three months like a dogs toenails.

Our Annual Bear Lake Trip!

Over Labor Day we took our annual trip to Bear lake. We always reserve the pavilion so we can all stay together. We used to get separate campsites, but we always spent our time in the same campsite anyway, and we got sick of hauling all our individual tables across the campground. In the pavilion, we have covered tables that are together and have built in lights so we can play games at night. This year we had a lot of fun, but it was pretty stormy all weekend. It's Bear lake so the weather will be unpredictable and it will most likely rain at least once, but this year the storm rolled in on Sunday afternoon, cold and STRONG. It got so bad that Matt, Melissa and Brian left a day early because the wind forced them to take down their tent and a lot of their stuff got wet. Actually about half of our campers went home Sunday night rather than Monday afternoon because the wind was so bad, they knew they wouldn't sleep anyway. We tried a new kind of pot luck deal that we tried this time. Usually, we do all our meals on our own in individual families, and then do one big pot luck night where we have a ton of food. This time we had each family take a night and do dinner for everyone. We really liked this because, that way you only have to cook and clean up dinner one night and you get to eat every night! It was awesome! Here are some pics from our trip:

Uncle Brian wore himself out pushing Steven around on his little toy tractor.

Having a juice box with Grandma.

We went down to the lake on Sunday afternoon. We were just getting out of the water when the storm rolled in Big Time! It actually took our inflatable raft and we had to chase it up the beach!

Sharing the Juice box with Grandpa.

Looking for cell phone reception with Uncle Brian.

We played with glow sticks and glow balls on Saturday night. And Brian got out the spotlight to shine on people up at the campground bathrooms.

Brandon was worn out after the first day...

Steven went breakfast mooching...

We had bats in our belfry

Loss of a Hat...

Brian has had a certain hat for several years. It is an old, red baseball cap that he wears to work every day. Or at least he did. Even before his mission, Mom and I have been trying to get him to throw it away. It was dirty, falling apart and it was ready to be retired in our opinion. When he went on his mission, My mom threatened to throw it away while he was gone, but she never did. It hung on his bedpost for two years waiting faithfully until he returned and started to wear it to work again. We still tried to get him to replace it and throw it away with no luck. I don't know if he didn't want to break in a new one, didn't want to go shopping for a new one or what.








As you can see, It's really dirty the fabric is no longer on the button on the top, and the fabric is peeling off of the brim.
A couple months ago, I cooked dinner at Mom's house and invited some friends over. Brian invited over one of his friends from work (the boss's daughter and the secretary). As she was leaving she and I were joking about stealing Brian's hat and throwing it away. Well She took matters into her own hands and devised a plan to get her hands on Brian's old ratty hat. With the help of a unnamed co-worker, the hat was stolen and deposited into Stacie's possession. Brian knew that they had it, but thought he would eventually get it back. Well he did...

"Brian's Hat May it Rest In Peace"
"All Good Things Must Come To an End! --Stacie--"

...he just couldn't wear it anymore. That's right folks, She burned the hat, and placed the ashes in this little "Urn"! When I heard this story I laughed SO hard! I and the rest of my family thought it was sooo funny. I even think Brian thought it was funny. However when her parents heard about it, they were mortified. They told her how she couldn't do things like that and she just told them "Yes I can."
She did replace the old hat with a couple of new ones so Brian won't be going hat-less. I just cannot get over how creative and funny this girl is. Brian might have been a little madder if she had just burned it, but the fact that she took the time to save the ashes and put them in a memorial Urn makes it worth the loss.

Happy Fourth Of July!!!!

We made our annual trip up to the USU stadium to watch Logan's Fireworks show. We try to go every year. We get there when the gates open so we can get the seats we want. We take loads of treats and some games and hang out. Some years (like last year, Ryan Shupe, Yea!) we listen to the entertainment, and other years we just put up with it. Then when it gets dark, we enjoy the fireworks. After the whole thing is over, we go to our cars and wait in the parking lot for about an hour, until the traffic clears out a little. Overall, it's a lot of fun! We can't wait until next year! Here are a few of our fun pictures!
Here we are having some snacks and hanging out.
Here is Steven playing a game with uncle Brian on Uncle Brian's phone.
Steven watching the blackhawk helicopter flyover with Grandma and GrandpaOne of the many beautiful Fireworks we enjoyed.

Burn Baby Burn!!!!!

So here at the our house we are in the middle of our annual spring "snowing" season. We have a lot of willow trees in our backyard and every spring when they pollinate, they give off these little fluffy cotton "puffs". We call it "snowing' because it looks like it's snowing as they float gently to the ground. It is actually really pretty, but oh so annoying. If you have allergies, you just can't get away from it. If you leave the windows down in your car, the fluff fills your car, and then blows everywhere when you drive it again. If you leave the garage door open it fills the garage, and eventually makes it's way into the house. It also builds up in little piles against things. this time of year there is usually a layer of white fluff lining the edge of the entire lawn.
Brian, being the resourceful fellow that he is, has devised the best and quickest way to rid us of our little fluffy invaders. ( I apologize for the sideways video. I forgot when I was shooting it that my computer absolutely will not let me rotate video files from my camera!)

WARNING!!

ATTEMPT THIS WITH EXTREME CAUTION!! BRIAN IS AN EXPERIENCED PYRO AND IS THEREFORE WELL "QUALIFIED" FOR THIS STUNT!!!


Apparently, he has been doing this for years, but I don't remember seeing him do it before this year. I think it's really cool to watch the way the flame just travels down the cotton like a little line of Gasoline! And it's also a major plus that the grass doesn't burst into flames!

White Rocks 2008

The first weekend in May was our annual camping trip to white rocks. We always have a good time, but this year was our first trip since Brian has been back from his mission. The weather was really great. The sun shone and it was the perfect temperature. Everyone got sunburned, but we still had a great time. We got Steven to ride the 4-wheelers. We tried roasting the new chocolate marshmallows,but they don't roast so well. They just sort of puff up and get really gooey and gross. Our friend Nate found a scorpion on our 4-wheeler ride, while we were looking for the key that got dropped. We had a great fire and everyone enjoyed sitting around it and chatting. on Sunday, Matt, Melissa, Brian, and the rest of the "big kids" went on a 4-wheeler ride and Steven stayed with Grandma. He really loved just sitting in his little camp chair with everyone else and talking and having snacks. Lori and Merlin got the chair for him and he really loves it! Saturday nights buffet was great (as always) Lori made dutch oven layered enchilada, Melissa made her yogurt fruit salad, and there were also a lot of other dishes, including a great chicken thing over rice from Julie and Terri. Overall, it was a great time and fun was had by all!!!

Second Chance Walk

On Saturday April 19th our family participated in the Second Chance Walk that is put on here in Logan. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a charity walk that benefits families who have members that are waiting for or receiving organ transplants. They have held it for five years now and at least a couple members of our family have participated every year. The first year it was Mom, Dad, and Brian. The second year, just Mom and Dad. The third year, Mom, Dad, Me and Steven(though he was still in my tummy) walked. The fourth year it was the same as the third year. Then this year, the fifth year, Was our families biggest turnout yet. mom, Dad, Brian, Matt, Melissa and Steven. Steven doesn't actually walk, although this year, he did push his stroller around the parking lot while we were waiting for the walk to start. We really enjoy participating in this walk as a family. Dad always runs and usually finishes near the front of the pack. He's a little more fit and ambitious than the rest of us. This year Matt ran for a good part of it too. He has started running so is in pretty good shape. Brian started walking with Melissa and Mom, but his missionary walking style kicked in and by the end he was pretty far ahead with the stroller. Melissa and mom usually finish nearer to the end because we just walk.
Our family really likes to be able to support the cause of organ donation. We feel that it is an important issue and we are all organ donors. It is also a good excuse for us to get out and enjoy the sunshine! Assuming of course that it isn't raining. I've included some fun pictures from the walk. In the one of everyone taking off, you can just see the top of Dad's head in front of Matt, who is in the middle.

Brian Is Finally Home!!!!!!

So this post is a little late, but Nevertheless here it is. Brian is finally home from his mission. We all went to the airport to pick him up. All being Mom, Dad, Matt, Melissa and Steven. Steven had a lot of fun discovering the escalators and moving sidewalk. We were waiting by the security check when he came out. We were so excited to see him and He was excited to meet Steven. Surprisingly, Steven went right to him! Once Brian had his suitcase we were off for home. He doesn't look that different from when he left. Probably because he was older when he left. He is a lot more talkative now. The best new is that he is still just as crazy and random as ever! And like any good return missionary he has a lot of stories to tell. When we got to Brigham City, on the way home, Mom's best friend Debbie and her daughters were waiting on the side of the road with a sign and balloons for Brian. We knew she would be there and Melissa texted her to tell her when we were almost there. As we were driving up to them we drew Brian's attention to them by saying " what are those strange people doing?" To which Brian replied "What does that say?" and then as he realized what it said, "oh, man..." and started shaking his head. We stopped to talk to them and had some fun catching up. Brian spent his first week home getting a new phone, hanging out with family, and catching up on some movies. He spoke the first Sunday that he was home and then we had a fun dinner catching up with friends and family. It is great to have Brian home!

Outhouses and Aniticipation

For those of you out there who don't know, Mom has wanted to get an outhouse for the backyard for some time now (not a functioning one). Well back in December, she finally got one! Mom and Dad went to pick it up in Rocks Springs Wyoming. When they got back, it took 5 or 6 guys to get it out of the 4-wheeler trailer and into the backyard. This last weekend Dad and Matt put some cement pavers down for the outhouse to sit on. Then they moved it onto the Pavers with the help of Mom, Marty ( Michael's friend) and their genius little pipe system. They put some pipes under it and rolled it into place on the pavers. This way it took a lot less people to move it. So mom finally has her outhouse. It actually looks pretty nice with the washtubs sitting next to it. It will look really great once she gets her pansies planted in the washtubs.
On a completely different note: ONE WEEK LEFT!!! We pick Brian from the airport in exactly one week! We are super excited and can hardly wait!

ONE MONTH!!!!!

O.K. so we are getting really excited here at our house. Brian comes home in a month! ( officially we don't know the exact day, but that's when transfers are and he thinks it will be then) The time has flown by for us. But now that it's so close, we are starting to get really impatient and just want him to be home now. Michael has started working at the hospital in their cafeteria. He loves it and he gets some really great benefits. They pay him pretty well too. Melissa got a job with Herff Jones (they print yearbooks). She will be working in the evenings while Matt watches Steven. It's only temporary but the money will really help them out. Lori and Merlin are loving being Grandparents and Merlin is getting really antsy to go Camping. He keeps telling Lori "We are going camping this weekend..." She's holding her ground though (it helps that there isn't anyplace to go because of snow). Thank goodness Spring is coming! And Brian!!!

Eagles?!?

Well, it's been a while since we updated this blog. Things have been a little exciting, but not too bad. on the 8th of february, we had Eagles in our backyard for the first time we can remember. For those of you who don't know our backyard is very scenic. We have several ponds bordering our yard, and beyond. As a result of this we have always had ducks and other small birds eating in our yard. Occasionally we have a hawk pluck a little bird from our bird feeder or hunt in the vicinity but we've never seen Eagles other than at the nearby golf course. Well on this particular Friday, Dad and Michael were both home, and Mom was still at work. Dad got looking out in the backyard and noticed a large bird next to one of the farther ponds eating something. (Warning: this gets a little morbid...) He grabbed his binoculars and saw that it was a golden eagle. It had plucked a duck off of the bank of the pond and was having a feast. He called Michael to come and see it. Michael grabbed his video camera, and came running. That is where we get these great pictures (thank you Michael). As they were watching the Eagle eat, Mom came home from work and was immediately updated on the situation. So now they are all watching as this eagle snacks away. Then they notice another large bird flying in to check out the scene. First they think it's a hawk, but it's too big. Then they think it's another golden eagle until they notice the white tail and head. So this Bald Eagle floats along the breeze over the other eagle, surveys the yard, and then floats right past the window where they are all standing, watching it all. And Michael had his camera rolling the entire time. As the Eagle ate there were several magpies and hawks hovering in the surrounding trees. But he ate for so long they got tired of waiting and flew off (except for the hawk that The eagle chased off). He came back a couple days later to check on his leftovers, and they haven't seen any eagles in the yard since. It was a really cool adventure though.
As for the rest of us, things are going well. Dad is still working for Westates Construction. they are still sending him between Rexburg and Saratoga Springs. Not so fun, but it's work. Mom is Still at Thermofisher (formerly Hyclone). Michael is thinking of going back to school next semester. Brian is in a city called El Centro, right near the border of California and Mexico. He loves being out in the Desert and is expecting ot be there until he comes home. He comes home in just under TWO MONTHS!!! But we're not excited or anything. He has really enjoyed his mission and has done a lot of good work. We are really proud of him. Melissa is still living in Logan (until mid July) and Steven is starting to talk. We have a lot of fun with him. We are excited for him to meet Uncle Brian.

The Big 2-9!!!!

Twenty nine years ago two friends fell in love and got married. There have been hard times and lots of good times but they are still in love and as happy as ever. As they look back they have lots of fond memories of raising three children and all that comes with that. As they look to the future, they can look forward to a new chapter in their lives, GRANDPARENTS! This new chapter should bring a lot more memories and good times to come! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

Holiday Fun- In Retrospect...

Well the Holiday season is over and we all survived. It was a lot of fun, as always. We had our regular Christmas Eve Dinner. Grandma and Grandpa came to eat with us. This year we also had Michael's friend Marty come and hang out. We had the traditional French Dip, macaroni salad, Jello, little smokies, and , most important of all, SHRIMP! After dinner we played Scotland yard, a game of Michael's. It's a lot like Clue, but harder. We had a lot of fun. Then Matt and Melissa decided to stay the night because it had snowed and they didn't want to take Steven out in the snow. On Christmas morning Michael actually got up at 7:30 am!!! I know, we were all shocked too. It was okay though because we were calling Brian at 9 am so we got to open some presents before we called him. We didn't talk to him for as long this year, only about two hours. He is coming home in April so we will be able to talk to him then. He talked to my mom the longest. I think the two of them have the most to say to each other. It's great that they are so close. His Christmas cards were a lot of fun this year. He sent the kind with a picture on them. He is doing well and really loves his new area. He is almost on the border to Mexico, in the desert. After all the excitement at our house, we went out to Grandma's for the second phase of our Christmas bash. There is always a ton of food out there. We always have Ham and funeral potatoes for dinner, and of course there are always a ton of munchies. (what can I say, we are a munching family) At least Grandma has finally given up on trying to keep us away from the relish trays and dips before dinner. It was always a losing battle. Melissa gave a great collage of pictures to our friends Nancy and Nathan. It was a lot of fun to look at it and share memories from past holidays and camping trips. Man, we have some good times. It is always great to get together with Family and friends and share the holiday spirit. But it is also good to get back to a normal everyday pace. The not so good part is having to go back to work...