Just Because: June 2011

What photo's don't tell

So sorry for not posting much in May. We are still here and alive. I'll fill you in on life in the new place. School ended for all of us and we are thrilled. This school year was one of the hardest years we've had in a long time. We are glad for the relief.

We are adjusting to the new house and area just fine. We haven't been able to get to know too many people in the neighborhood because of all we've been doing, but those that we have met are all very kind and welcoming.

Mike and Hayley: We started an exercise program called p90x. It is intense and difficult, but so worth it. We are hoping to get in better shape by the end of summer. We are starting USF on Saturday. We are both playing in the pit orchestra for the Music Man. It will be fun. We are staying with Mike's mom and Matthew and Mike's cousin Lauren are going to babysit for us while we are at work. Right now we are getting all of into needed medical visits and trying to keep the kids occupied. That is a hard task when we don't have friends close by for them to play with. The swimming pool, parks, and library will keep us going for awhile. We just booked flights for a trip to Ohio in October to visit Mike's family on his dad's side. We are excited for that. We also just purchased a new laptop and a tv for our room. We loved having an extra tv in the old house so the kids could go watch a show in the playroom while people practiced piano, when guests came over, etc. We haven't had that here, and we are trying to improvise a little.

Tyson: Ty ended school after all of us (June 3rd) and is very sad to see it end. He really loves school and his friends. He is in a new scout troop over here and loves all the boys and learning about so many things. Scouts is one of his favorite things. His scooter and bike are both broken so we are saving to buy him new ones soon so he can roam the neighborhood. He is keeping up on piano and likes hunting down the reptiles that hide in our desert landscape. He did have a lot of fun with his Grandma and Beth and chad while we were on our trip.

Anna: She graduated a few weeks ago, leaving her pretty bored as we have had to drag her around with us. She was glad when we left on our trip to have a change. She has been very good about occupying herself with crafts, games, and pretend playing with Brayden. She is looking forward to making new friends and going to the Shakespeare Daycare this summer when we are working.

Brayden: Bray will start pre-school next school year and because of that, he is potty training! Boo! He has not liked it until today. I am happy to see the change in his reaction because I was just about to give up. He hasn't had any accidents today and is so proud of himself. The last few days have been full of full blown tantrums, whining, and crying (and me acting like a complete moron as I've tried almost as much a singing and dancing to get him to sit on the potty).

So that's that. We are happy! The end.

The Cabin

One of the things we look forward to each summer is going to the Bradshaw family cabin. Mike's grandparents built the cabin the year Mike was born. It is located at Panguitch lake on the side of a hill overlooking the lake and surrounded by trees. Usually the weather is perfect. We planned to go fishing and ride the four wheeler, but the weather was not so perfect this time and caused some sadness. The four wheeler wasn't there and the wind was so bad we couldn't go outside much. Fishing was out of the question because of the white caps on the lake due to the high winds. We didn't know it, but the fridge was too cold and all of our veggies froze and went rotten. It was not the best cabin trip ever, but we were able to relax and have fun regardless. Brayden started potty training this week as well. Here are some pics:

We played games and spent a lot of time in the kitchen eating fattening food :)

Nap time :)

Anna playing upstairs.

Ty spent a lot of time playing video games since we couldn't go outside.

Potty time. I will pay for this photo later.

Mike grilling.

These three photo's were of our attempt at a picnic by the lake. It was so windy. We ate as fast as we could as dirt blew into our food. Good times.

Brayden is 3!

My baby is so big now. His birthday was June 3rd. We started the week off with a family reunion in Cedar City. After the party was over, Brayden curled up on my lap saying his tummy hurt. A few min. later he got down to play so I didn't think much of it. He came back complaining again and I just held him. Grandma Winslow brought in some birthday gifts for him to open. He was so excited and happy. He opened up some clothes, and then threw up. Poor kid. He threw up a few more times and then all the way back home to St. George. He was sick the majority of the week, so I let him open a gift every day to make him feel better :) Beth and chad came over on his b-day and we had a mini-party for him complete with Cars decor. Sweet boy. The best present- a new potty for potty training.

Both of these were at Grandmas house in between the throwing up.

A gift from Grandma Titus.

After another throwing up session later int he week. He had ruined enough clothes, so he was laying on the floor in a diaper. He opened some Cars pj's to put on.

Here's the decor.

The b-day boy and his loot.

Showing that he's 3 now!

Opening some gifts with me.

Below: He had his own little cake and the rest of us had a much more boring version. HAPPY DAY BRAYDEN!

The Senior Trip

Mike and I were chaperone's for the DHHS senior trip. Wow. We were going non-stop. We were very tired at the end. We kept forgetting to take pictures, so all we have are from the last day. I'll give you a run down of the trip though (because I know you want to know :).
Wednesday: We left at 8 pm. We helped load the buses and check in the 230 graduates. There were 4 charter buses and 26 chaperone's. We stopped in Barstow for the night and the kids had a pool party until 3 am. We had a great room with a jacuzzi tub inside the room. The room above us was identical to ours and had kids in it. they decided to have a "pool" party in their room. Mike stormed up there and the kids settled down. We were tired.
Thursday: We woke up early and drove to Six Flags. We stayed until 5:30pm. It was fun. mike and I rode so many roller coasters. We had a blast. It was wonderful. After that we left for dinner and a party on a yacht. This was my FAVORITE part of the trip. We had a Mexican meal, socialized with some of the other chaperone's, and then danced. The DJ sucked, but it was so fun to dance with Mike :) It was a wonderful night. We then drove to the hotel in Anaheim and waited up until the kids curfew of 2am then crashed.
Friday: We spent the WHOLE day (15 hours) in Disneyland and California Adventure. We went on everything we wanted within the first 6 hours and were then rather bored. I had a seizure and it took awhile to recover. We went on some rides just to sleep. Lame right? Then we went on Big Thunder and Mike hurt himself (bad pulled muscle from his neck all the way through his back. he could barely walk and felt like he was going to throw up. We went to the First Aid station for him to lay down. After and hour, we called a shuttle to take us back to the hotel. We slept and then I got up at 12:30 to meet the buses. The kids were wasted and a few were left behind causing some bus issues. Not the best of days.

Saturday: We left the hotel for Hollywood. The leader had a surprise for us. She made us believe we were meeting some kind of movie star. Not the case, but on the way we did see a homeless guy peeing. That was fun. The real surprise was the Wax Museum. Below are some pics. We saw the walk of fame and all the crazies out in Hollywood. Not a glamorous place. Very ugly and run down. The museum was fun though :) After our Hollywood experience, we went to the beach where we served the kids lunch and played, then we boarded the buses for home. told ya- non-stop- but it was fun. I think we might do it again......in a couple of years :)

Mike is conservative. This is for sure not real.

One thing I learned: most actors are a lot smaller than the average person.

Me and Simon.

So....Mike.....Julia Roberts, huh? Yeah, I'd have a crush on her too.

I know Moses.

James Bond.....

....and James Bond. Mike likes James Bond.

I like this one. I have another of me kissing Picard. Yeah baby.

Just having a little chat with Robin Williams.

They could be brothers.

The cast of Star Wars.

I think this one was Star Trek.

Us with the Hollywood sign......way up there on the hill......you know.....the sign you can't read.

All the chaperone's taking photo's of the kids and below are the kids.

Anna Graduated!!!

Our cute girl graduated from Kindergarten! She was SO excited and SO cute through the whole thing. Mike had to work, but I was able to get time off to go support her. Tyson was released from class to watch as well. By coincidence, her babysitter from many years ago (that moved away) was there as well! There were 5 classes that graduated and I was such a baby through the whole thing. I totally cried. The kids sang songs, said poems, and then we went back to the individual classrooms where the teacher had placed gifts and work from the year on the desk. I was the room mom this year so I had been in her classroom a lot. Her teacher, Miss. Catlett, was just fabulous. She is so patient and loving. she has a full time aid, Mr. Wilson, who is also wonderful. Tyson had them as well and I really enjoyed helping out this year. It has been a wonderful experience for Anna. She made so many friends, learned a lot, and has proved she is very mature and loving. Congratulations to Anna! We are so proud!

Our Dancin' Girl

Anna had her Defile in May. She was a swan this year and she looked just beautiful. she has now graduated from pre-ballet and will be in the regular ballet classes this coming year. She has taken 4 years of dance. i can't believe it! It seems like she was just my little 2 yr old wearing her cute little leotard with a diaper underneath. She was scared to death the first 6 months of dance and now is so self assured. I am so proud of her and all she has done! Love you sweet girl!