Paramont's Great America

We couldn't pass up an opportunity to have a little fun at Great America. It holds a lot of memories for Matthew and he wanted to make some for the boys. Meghan an Josh joined us and we didn't leave until we were good and tired of all the thrills. This family LOVES amusement parks!

Riding the wild roller coaster with the boys. They wanted to do it over and over again. Loved it!!!

Hey Snoopy! Resting for a bit in the Kid Park.

It took some time to pick just the right one and they chose a feline and hare. Hmmmm

Showing off our mad Rock Band skills. I can't remember what song it was, oh well.

This kid could live on Cotton candy, cereal and blueberries. Best part about an amusement park!

The boys LOVED the bumper cars, and I don't blame them. It was pretty amusing for us to watch as well. They were pretty aggressive in there and we cheered them on. Plus, the guy running the ride was hillllllarious. With his thick accent and monotone voice, all we heard the whole time was, "push the pedal, push the pedal, turn the wheel, turn the wheel."  Needless to say it's been a family quote ever since. Even little D caught on and says it, accent and all. Good times!

Dallin was riding the kiddie rides over and over with Mags while Evan rode some of the bigger ones with us. D can't wait to be tall enough for the wild rides. We'll definitely have to come back once he's grown a couple more inches.

Did I mention this kid LOVES cotton candy? Auntie Mags spoiled him rotten!

Whitney & Glenn tie the knot

After we returned from beautiful Yosemite the Wedding Party began. It started with the Bridal Shower and fun times with the girls. The ceremony was sweet and they chose to have a pool party reception at the Nielsen home. The kids sure loved that!

Sisters (missing Krista & Sarah)

 Aren't we so lovely?! Waiting for the bride & groom after the sweet ceremony.

 

The happy couple! They are perfect for each other!

 

Bride's parents (and ours too)

 They chose to have a pool party for their reception and the kids LOVED it!

  Nielsen Family Pictures

  Here's another happy couple!

Love this little Lulu-bug!

August

Here is what happened in August.

We started the month off by heading down to California for a little vacation time. We stopped in Ashland, OR to see our old neighbors from dental school. This is one fabulous family and we sure wish we could see them more often. We spent quite a bit of time together those last two years, shared many meals, swapped the kids and just enjoyed hanging out. Aubrey & Dane have grown so much and Aubrey was one of the Dallin's first words, but unfortunately he doesn't have much memory of her. It was so wonderful to spend a little time catching up and enjoying this beautiful family.

We stopped off at the Nielsen homestead for a night before heading out to Yosemite. We stocked our food and picked up Meghan and off to the mountains we did go. The boys LOVE camping, and that includes Matthew too. Always fun family memories when we head off into the woods.

Where we were staying is actually outside of Yosemite park, but you have to drive through the park to get there, so we get to see it all.  We (I) love Reds Meadow because of the hot springs that they run into free showers. It is our favorite spot!

Of course, the boys took every opportunity to play in the water.

 

 

And then there is D who also took every opportunity to swim in the dirt as well. He was little pig-pen, making dirt angels. He was brown from head to toe, but he just couldn't get enough of it. Silly kid!

 
We hiked out to rainbow falls, and it was the first time we didn't have to carry anybody. These boys are getting all grown-up. In fact they usually left us in their dust as they ran here and there exploring.

The special part about this particular trip was that Evan went on his first backpacking excursion. The first of many I'm sure. It was They were all glad to be back to camp, but Evan still talks about it and is pretty proud of himself. We're pretty proud of him too. Wish we could have joined him, but Dallin and I stayed at camp and had our own adventures.

 

  

  

 On our way home after having so much fun in that beautiful country behind us.

 

It wouldn't be a trip to Yosemite if we didn't stop in Mono Lake for some soft-serve. Delicious!

Summer turns to Fall, Fall to Winter...

Time flies and the seasons change.  Here are some pictures of what we have been up to since summer.

Oh my, oh my, it's JULY

I'M SO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!!

The best day of the summer and it was a beautiful day. We hit the Hillsboro parade and showed our American pride. Afterward we stuffed our faces full of raspberries and blueberries from the farmers market. Of course we finished the night off with sparklers and watching the neighbors fireworks. It was a perfect day!

 

 

 

 

Little Evan is the big Seven

Happy Birthday my little boy! Really? Seven years ago you were making your early debut. Look at you now! You are such a great kid and I just love ya to pieces. You give the best hugs and treat your Mom like a princess.  It is so fun watching you grow and learn and develop into such a charismatic little boy.  I look forward to so many years with you. You're my tiny-might and I just love ya to pieces!

We celebrated at Safari Sams. It was a dragon theme and you loved beheading the dragon, you warrior!

A DAY AT THE BEACH

It was a beautiful day and so we decide to escape to the beach for one last trip. It was totally worth it!

 

Matthew's photos - So beautiful!

 

Bushman Family Reunion - 2010 - Clayton, ID

We had so much fun at the family reunion. It was a Walt Disney theme and we had a blast. There was the giant slid which was Dallin's favorite. If I ever lost sight of the kid I knew he would be on this slide. The grown-ups had a turn too.  We played a little Robin Hood, saved the princess and had hours of good fun with our cousins. We LOVE our crazy and wonderful family!

 

 

 Some of our favorite things about summer!

Plenty of time for science experiments and art projects!

Trips to the ZOO!

 

Swimming lessons and evenings in the pool!

 Filling our bellies full of berries while we pick a few too.

 

Softball fun for Mom. We ended up 2nd in the B league, not bad.

 

 Most of all, just playing around and being crazy kids. Summer is the best time of year!