The TOC

The Tournament of Champions was a little different this year compared to last. The boys came to the first game a little bit off, and it got worse from there...needless to say, we lost the first game of the tournament. The other three games we played awesome. We even beat The Horns, a really great team! But, because of our first lost, we didn't even make it to Championship Saturday. It was crappy, to say the least. Funny thing about it, The Horns ended up being the TOC Champions and we beat them. Ha! You win some, and you lose some. Right?! :)

Despite the lose, we still had a great 5 days in Park City. It has to be one of my favorite places in the summer, heck I think I would love it in the winter too! We rode the Alpine Slide and Coaster, partied in our condo with the Shipp's and the Stuart's shopped till we dropped and best of all went to the Kamas Demolition Derby! I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of it. What was I thinking? Guess we'll have to go back next year, so I can get some footage.  :)  It's a one of a kind, small town "Crashin' Derby" and we all loved it!

It was hard to come home after being footloose and fancy free... I love vacations! :)

Disneyland

Disneyland, "The Happiest Place on Earth" or so they say! ;) Gavin would tell you he is not going back for a very very long time. I on the other hand loved it. The crowds were huge and the lines were long, but the Churros were divine and the company was great.  We all got to do something we loved, for Landon it was Screamin' or Tower of Terror, for Preston it was the Toy Story Ride, for Addie it was her visit with Minnie, and for Carlee it was two days full of stroller time. She just loves that stroller time! ;) As for Gavin he loved it when he made it back to the hotel in one piece, and for me it was just watching my kids faces as they experienced all things Disney. 

Gavin and I were talking and decided Disney is all about the details. Isn't that why you want go back again and again? This time we noticed Minnie's house, it was amazing. The fridge was cold, the dishwasher blew bubbles, the oven baked a cake... Addie was ready to move right on in! It was the first time we had gone in her little home, since previous visits were just with the boys.  And that is why we will go back (Maybe not in the really near future, but we will!) because I always wonder what we will discover next.

Thanks Grandpa Dennis for the Memories!

Angels Game

I might need a little welcome back to blog land. I have taken a long break and really kind of liked it.  Now is the large task of catching up... please be advised this might bore you to tears.

In April, Dennis took the family to Disneyland. This was his Christmas present to all of us, and there couldn't have been a better gift. When we arrived in California we went straight to an Angels Game. Landon caught a ball in batting practice that was thrown to him by one of the Blue Jays Pitchers. He was so excited. That is his second MLB ball. Here is his first.  He is one lucky boy!

The game was fun, but it was colder than we had expected. I guess that is why they gave everyone a beanie that night. The best part for me was the rally monkey. If the Angels are tied up or behind after the 7th then they bring out the rally monkey. They sale these stuffed monkey like crazy and then the fans swing them around, dance and basically go nuts! Addie danced in the isle and a man in front of us bought her a rally monkey, she loved it! They ended up going into extra innings. We were so cold and the kids were spent from the long drive and 10 innings of baseball, so we left. Then Gav, Garrett and Landon went back to the game and watched the Angels win, after I think 14 or 15 innings. Gavin said his favorite part of the game was singing the traditional 14th inning stretch of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." He basically got two games for one! Bonus! :)

Spring In the Desert

The Sliderzz played in a baseball tournament in Las Vegas over Easter weekend. It was held at the Big League Dreams baseball complex. Wow, is all I can say about the fields, they were crazy cool. The fields are replica's of famous baseball parks. We played on Fenway, so fun! The other really cool part was it had a clubhouse, was landscaped with playground, grass and cement. I couldn't believe we had been at baseball games all day when we left because everyone was so clean! Landon included, the fields were turf, so I didn't even have to the red out of his baseball pants. It was great! The Sliderzz played awesome the first 2 days and came back on Saturday as the #1 seed. Unfortunately we lost our first game, but all in all it was a great weekend. Can't wait to go back!

Cubs Camp

The boys were able to attend the BYU Cubs Basketball Camp. It was held the first week in June. Originally we had only signed up Landon, but when we got there realized that 5 year olds could attend. We quickly signed Preston up. He was thrilled to say the least! (So were his parents, who would not have to entertain him for 3 hours a day while his brother was playing b-ball!) He was in his flip-flops so he had to start the camp with those while we ran to the hotel and picked up his basketball shoes, luckily we had packed them. He had on some soft shorts with pockets and by the end of day we took note that he desperately need basketball shorts WITHOUT pockets! His hands were in those pockets the whole time! How can you dribble with your hands in there?! Ask Preston he can tell you!  

The camp was a success Landon was able to win the Cougar Award on the first day, and Preston won the Hustle Award on the last day. It is amazing what he can do when his hands are out of those pockets! Way to go boys! 

Had to add a little ode to Budget 8! This is the Hotel we stayed at, it was right next to Cougar Stadium and walking distance from the camp. It had to have been the smallest room known to mankind! The bathroom was so small that two people couldn't be in it at the same time with the door shut. The toilet wouldn't flush half the time and the crib... well look at the picture below. The only plus was the pool was open 24 hours a day, and it was right next to Dairy Queen. We all had ice cream everyday. Well, that might not be a plus for the mother! ;o) 

See the picture of the kids? Yes this is how we felt about Budget 8 when we were finished! I will take the blame. Gavin wanted a better room, but I was trying to go economy. Note to self: Next time it might be worth the extra 30 bucks a night! Oh the memories... Good Times! 

Life is a Beach!!

I know it is taking me FOREVER to post our trip. Like the saying goes "better late than never" right!? We spent Saturday at the La Jolla beach. It was great, thanks Erin for your advice. There was  a little cove,  a perfect place for the kids to swim and for Preston to find more snails, crabs and shells. I wish we lived closer to the beach, I could get used to hanging out there! 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Take me out with the crowd.

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks,

I don't care if I never get back,

Let me root, root, root for CUBBIES,

If they don't win it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,

At the old ball game."

 

The reason we went to San Diego was to see the Cubbies! Gavin had us all outfitted appropriately in our Cubs gear, the only problem is they lost all 3 games! Oh well, you know if your a Cubs fan, you have to learn to lose! ;o) Both  boys caught baseballs in batting practice the first night, what a highlight! Two in one night, what's the luck?!  It's just too bad the Cubs didn't have a little luck while we were there. 

Sea World 2009

Our San Diego weekend started at Sea World on Friday. It was a great. 

Which is better, the show or the ice cream?!? 

Good Times!! 

Jazz Game!

The day after Christmas we went to the Jazz Game with my Mom, Dad and the Lasswell Fam! 

The roads were a little snowy and our windshield wiper water froze in our lines, but other than that it was a fun little trip. 

We gave the best seats to Dad and Mom since they had never seen a game before. We sat on the top row in the plaza which wasn't a bad seat. Especially since in the middle of the first quarter the Jazz Bear came right up to the row in front of us and gave roses to a girl and then her boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed! The Jazz Bear was holding the ring while the guy was down proposing, then he (Jazz Bear) got down on his knee and proposed to me! I started laughing really hard, then looked at Gavin who was laughing, and the boys didn't know what to think! The bear then sprayed about two cans of silly string on the couple and all of us, which entertained Preston through a lot of the game. 

Gavin went and sat with Dad for the 4th quarter and Mom came up with me. She decided Preston doesn't really care about the Jazz like Landon and Gavin do. Addie was our angel she sat through the whole game only needing a bottle once. 
It was so cold and snowy outside that we bought her a pair of Jazz socks to go over her other pair. I didn't get a picture of them, but they were cute in their own way. 
Preston collected a bunch of the clapper balloons after the game. He insisted on bringing them all home. Luckily grandma did loose a few on the way up the stairs! ;o) 

On Saturday morning we got up and ate breakfast at the hotel with all the troops, then went and did a little shopping. We first had to go to the Apple store, I LOVE that store! It is probably a good thing there isn't one in town! Then I ran into Old Navy and got a few coats, since the whole trip we had all been freezing! Gavin placed a bet with my mom that I wouldn't have been able to find me a coat, but I would have found a bunch of clothes for Addie! They both lost because I did find me a coat (actually two) and Addie (and Preston) also got a coat! I can't help it, little girl clothes are a lot of fun to buy! :)  

Cabela's was our last stop before we headed home. We had lunch, Grandpa and Grandma bought the boys toy guns. (They are a lot nicer than the parents!) Then we were home before we knew it. The trip was short, but fun. Good Times!! 

Our Trip to the Bahamas!

Last Wednesday Gavin and I went to the Bahamas. Gavin was the Torchbearer for Sysco Las Vegas again this year and they sent us on cruise to the Bahamas. I was really nervous about going. I didn't know if I could leave the kids for 5 days, but I did and we had a really great time. Thank you Mom, Dad and everyone who helped tend the kids. Gavin and I both needed a little break from the trials of everyday life. 

So here is my travel log of our vacation...

Day 1 Left home at 4:00 am to catch a flight in Vegas at 7:30. 

All our flights were on time and traveling went smooth. We got to Fort Lauderdale at 5:30 that afternoon. Once we got to our hotel we went with some friends from Sysco to dinner at a place called H2O. It was really really good. As we were sitting at dinner watching the waves roll in, Gavin and I decided that it had been a long time since he and I went to dinner alone together! When we go to dinner we usually take all the kids along or at least Addie, so it was really nice to eat slow and enjoy our dinner together. 

Day 2 Boarded the Ship. 

We got on the ship about 1:30 in the afternoon. It was fun they had music, food and drinks for everyone to enjoy while we waited to set sail. The ship had a problem with its back up generator so we didn't actually set sail until about 9:00 that night. After dinner Gavin and I had a massage. It was really relaxing. 

Day 3 Nassau. Gavin and I  signed up to take our own personal sub about 15 feet below the water and look at the fish and coral. If you look in the background of the picture that is our subs. This was fun the only scary part was my sub ran out of oxygen! It was crazy, I went in the water first and when Gavin came down he looked at my gauge and it had about 1/2 the oxygen that he had. He pointed it out to me but I didn't know what to do, so we just started our tour. We saw fish and coral (that wasn't that pretty! ha ha) They were showing us this airplane that was under the water and I looked down at my gauge and it was on ZERO! I got a little panicked but the guy that was scuba diving by me saw the gauge and actually took his oxygen mouthpiece and put it up in the bubble where my head was so I could breath. Needless to say they took me right to the back of the boat and got me out of the water first. Gavin was a little nervous cause they took me away so fast and he knew I didn't have any air. He said they put a flag thing on my rope so the people at the top knew I was out of air and then I was gone. He tried to catch up to us but his sub was to slow. Anyway, they took good care of me and riding on those things under the water was pretty fun! 

 Then we went back to the port and walked around and shopped for a little while. Gavin and I were done shopping within 30 minutes because we felt like we were going to be mugged at any moment! We got back on the boat and lounged around. 

Just a note about Nassau... the drivers there are crazy! We were in a little bus and the roads are pretty narrow. They drive on the opposite side of the road and basically yield when there is a stop sign. It is kind of like playing chicken in the road with other cars!  Gavin said that he thought we were going to get hit a bunch of times. Needless to say we decided to opt out of taking a scooter around for a tour!! :) 

Day 4 Half Moon Cay. This was by far our favorite day of the trip. It was the most beautiful island I have ever seen. It is a private island owned by the cruise line. The only people there was the people on our ship. (800) We went horseback riding and then chilled on the beach for the rest of the day. Don't you love our helmets! Both of us could not stop laughing when they made us put these on. It was so funny. 

Here is my noble steed! His name was Sport, Gavin's horse was "The General!" 

Swimming a horse in the ocean was quite a trip! 

Here I am laying on my raft in the water. This picture almost looks photoshopped to me. I promise Gavin took this picture. Isn't that the most beautiful water. It was paradise!! 
This was the last night at dinner they had a ice sculpture that said Sysco. The dinners were really nice. This night we ate steak and lobster, Yummy!!  

Day 5 Arrived at the airport in Fort Lauderdale at 9:00 am and didn't get home to until 11:00 pm. It was a long long day and I was sooo glad to be home. 

I am so happy we went on this little trip it was a lot of fun. It was probably something that Gavin and I would have never done if it had not have been planned for us. Thank you Sysco! Good Times!! 

Labor Day Weekend

How many sporting events can a family of 5 attend in a 4 day weekend.....7 almost 8! Let me explain...

 

This last weekend we went to Spanish Fork to watch Jake play baseball with the Snow Canyon Sliderzz. We left Friday morning and took Denise with us, the plan was to catch one of Mykelle's SLCC Volleyball games, but as usually we left town a little late so we missed it. We did get to see her and where she plays so that was cool. Then we headed back down to Salem for Jakes games. They won both games on Friday. Landon and Preston played and played and played with all the kids. They love going to Jakes games because there is a lot of fun kids to play with. After the games we went to the Snow Canyon High School Football game. They lost, dang it!  

Here is Preston in the tub at the hotel. He loved the Shower caps!! 

On Saturday we went to 2 more baseball games. Aubrey and Garrett came up to the games too. Aubrey and I were a little late to the first game because we ran to get treats and I temporarily lost my car keys. Lucky enough we found them in the cup holder of the stroller. I know I am a space cadet. I have come to grips with that is just who I am :) After the games we went to Sizzler (Sliderzz favorite place to eat.) Then headed to the BYU Football game. Landon LOVED the game, Preston wasn't quite into like Landon. He mostly wanted treats, and to run on the ramps. 

Preston, Addie and I went back to the Hotel after halftime to swim. After we left Gavin and Landon had a lot more fun! 
Jake ready for the pitch. 

Landon in all his glory, pitching in the bating cages to his friends. 
On Sunday the Bailey family (Sophie's mom and dad) invited us to their home in Moroni for Sunday dinner. It was a lot of fun. David and Eddie are so kind, welcoming us like we were apart of their family. Their yard was great, Gavin played football all night with the kids. Preston dug in the dirt, played tennis and caught grasshoppers. This is a picture of Addie in the bouncer at their house. She liked it, her legs just needed to be a touch longer. 

Monday Jake was suppose to play in the tournament for the championship. Well it rain and rained, so they canceled the games. We decided since we were so close to SLC we would go up to the Discovery Gateway. It was really cool. I had seen awhile back on Gretchen's blog that they had gone and had fun. So, I have to tell Gretchen thanks for the idea. We had a great time. Landon loved pretending he was a construction worker and built houses out of big blocks. Preston loved the helicopter, and pretending he was a news anchor for KSL 5. 

On the way home we stopped in Cedar to watch Jake play a practice game with the Cedar team. They decided to play because both teams had their games canceled. It was a little chilly. It totally felt like fall, Gavin was glad he loves fall. Me on the other hand was kind of sad,  I love the summer. What is better 5 baseball games, 2 football games, swimming, shopping, discovery gateway and best of all no cooking!! Good Times!!