County Fair

The county fair was here a couple of weekends ago, and since the fairgrounds are right behind our neighborhood, we thought we'd make a Saturday of it.

The first thing Trent noticed as we walked in the gates was the Mutton Bustin', and of course he signed Preston right up.  Preston was all for it, until he saw what it actually involved.  They went to put a vest and helmet on him, and he kind of freaked out.  I won't lie to you... After seeing some of the falls the other kids had taken, I was secretly glad that Preston lost his nerve.  Trent, on the other hand, was totally crestfallen.  He was looking so forward to seeing his kid take a digger off the back of a sheep.

So, we moved on to something a little safer instead... The Merry-Go-Round.

You can never go wrong with the Merry-Go-Round.

We made a little mistake on the next ride though.  I didn't take into account Trenton's motion sickness and the effect that all of the spinning would have on him.  Needless to say, after the ride was over, he was looking a little green for the next half hour or so.  I was the one who had the luxury of sitting next to him, and I must admit, I was a little worried I was going to walk off the ride wearing his lunch.

If I never see this ride again it will be all too soon.  I used to be a huge fan of roller coasters.  I loved them!!!  Especially the ones that would flip you upside down.  I don't know what has happened to me over the years, but I found out at the fair that I don't much like them anymore.  Especially the ones that flip you upside down.  All I know is that when we were suspended upside down, my harness didn't feel as snug as I would have liked it to, and I was sure that at any moment it was going to flip open, and there I would be, plummeting to my death!  I haven't been that scared in a long time.  All I could see was my children without a mother and my hubby without a wife.  I know.  I am totally over dramatizing, but those are the thoughts that were going through my head on this ride.  So we moved on to another safe ride.  The Ferris wheel.  Did you know that the first Ferris wheel was built for The Chicago World's Fair in 1893?  I found that out when I read "Devil in the White City" several years ago.

They had a fun little kid section full of rides for just the little ones.

Preston loved all of the rides that were just his size.  The best part is that there were no lines.  He just went from one ride to the next without any waiting.  Loved it.

We couldn't go home without a funnel cake.  Yummo!
As we were getting ready to leave, Preston said to me, "Mom, I'm ready to ride the sheep!"  Of course.  Thank heavens the Mutton Bustin' was over for the night, or Trent probably would have signed him up again!

Golden State Park... It Exists!!!

We took a little drive up to Golden State Park a few weeks ago, which by-the-way,  my brother (who has lived in Golden the last 2 years) swore did not exist.  I kept telling him that I knew it did because I had been there before.  But my brother, who is always right (at least he thinks so) just would not believe me.  Well, of course it does exist, and I have pictures for proof! ;) 

But don't worry.  My brother's ego was not to be deflated.  He is certain he is still right because I told him it was Golden State Park, and the sign says Golden Gate Canyon State Park.  (A minor technicality, I say. ;)  Anyway, we spent a day picnicking and hiking around.

Steve had some fun showing the kids how to knock down trees.  They were making quite a racket!

Trent found a nice walking stick along the way.

We saw some beautiful flowers.

All in all, a wonderful day in Golden State Park!  ;o)

Milestones and Celebrations!

We are still alive here at the Stock home.  Things have just been unbelievably crazy and busy lately!

This boy had his fifth grade commencement and is moving on to the 6th grade!  What the?!?!  When did that happen?!

He also had his Hip Hop recital.  He did an amazing job!  A little posing with his Hip Hop teacher, Brock.

He also started mowing the lawn on his own this summer.  YAY!!!

This boy had his Hip Hop recital too!  It was awesome!

This girl had her ballet/tap recital.  She did so good!  We love her dance teacher, Miss Heather.

She also was able to experience her first visit to the new American Girl store.  Yeah, she loved it!

Cousins Mya and Peyton got to come too.  The girls had so much fun!  (Including the grandmas and mom. ;)

She also learned to ride her bike like a champ!  Way to go Viv!

Grandma Chapman came for a visit, and we got to celebrate her birthday with her.

We got to spend some time down at the reservoir with the cousins.

While there, Preston discovered some goggles in grandma's swim bag.  He loved them!  Although I'm not quite sure why... The way they squeezed his ears looked downright painful!

This man of mine celebrated his 35th b-day!  He also got a promotion to Regional Manager.  Way to go babe!

This boy here...

Snuck off with the camera...

Again.  Apparently he likes the self portraits.

And this gal here has gotten to be a part of all of the above.  She has enjoyed being able to spend so much fun, quality time with her loved ones.

Joy School Grad

This little princess graduated from Joy School this past Sunday.  She sure has loved going to Miss Jen's Joy School these past two years.

What a cute bunch of kids!  And Vivi was so lucky to have such wonderful teachers.

It was a bittersweet day.  It was very sad knowing that Vivi wouldn't have Miss Jen for a teacher next year.  We just love Miss Jen!  But I am so excited for Vivi to take the next step and start Kindergarten.  She is growing up so fast!  I keep begging her to slow down, but she just won't listen. ;)  We are so thankful to Miss Jen for helping Vivi to have such a wonderful school experience these last two years.  We couldn't have asked for a better teacher for our little Viv.  Thanks Miss Jen!

It Doesn't Get Crazier Than This!

It was "Crazy Hair Day" at Joy School today.  After last year's do, we had to come up with something even crazier to top it!  I think we did a pretty good job. ;)

A shot from the back.

And this is how it looked tonight after we got it all taken out, which I think would have worked equally as well for "Crazy Hair Day"... What do you think?

Identity Crisis

Preston rediscovered our costume box the other day.  And boy did he pick out some numbers.

He looking darling in this sparkly, purple number, complete with tutu.

Or, how about the Hawaiin dress with the sparkly, purple leotard underneath?

Love the princess dress.  Especially love the toe pop and shoes.  (Notice, he still has the purple leotard on underneath it all.)

Had to get some muscles in there somewhere.

But this is my personal favorite.  Star Wars gun and face shield... And fairy wings to top it off.  ;)

Eleven

 Trenton had a birthday recently.  A while back I asked him what he wanted for his birthday this year.  He gave me three choices, and said to surprise him.  He either wanted a chess set, some new Legos, or a lizard.  As his birthday got closer, he came to me and said, "Mom, I know I gave you three different gift ideas, but just so you know, I really, really, REALLY want a lizard."  As you can see, he got the lizard.  And, I have to tell you, Trenton loves and takes very good care of his new pet.

Birthday celebrations this year included:

 Sunday dinner with the whole family.  (Trenton shares a birthday with his uncle Sean.)

Even Ziggy came to the party.

Going to have lunch with this AWESOME kiddo at school.  He got to come home after recess and take the rest of the day off.  He chose homemade waffles, homemade whipped cream, cheesy eggs, and sausage for his birthday dinner.  (He's my kind of kid!)  And we had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and ice cream for dessert.

It has been another wonderful year of watching Trenton grow and mature in so many ways.  We love you kiddo!  Happy birthday!

Tomorrow Never Comes

My little Viv... She is a planner.  She always wants to know what the plan for the day is, down to the minutest detail.  Our day usually consists of questions like:

 "Mom, what are we going to do today?"

"I know we're going to the store, but what are we doing after we go to the store?"

"Are we going anywhere after I get home from school today?"

"If we have time in between ________ and _________, can we do _________?"

Just to name a few.

After we have followed this line of questioning for 20-30 minutes, and she has asked every last question she can think to ask about the current day's plan, she starts to go into, "Well, what are we doing tomorrow?"

By this point I just don't even want to think about the things we need to get done today any longer, let alone tomorrow.  Because, you see, I am not a planner.  I have to be somewhat of a planner with all of our different schedules, but for the most part, I kind of like to the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, so to speak.  You know, just take it as it comes.  Anyway, I digress... So, lately, Vivi has started throwing in another question every day.  She has been asking me, "Mom, is it tomorrow now?"  And of course I answer, "Nope!  It's today!"  

"No mom.  I mean, is it tomorrow?"

"No Vivi.  It is today."

To which she starts to get a little huffy and puffy.  "Mom!  When is it going to be TOMORROW?!"

"Never Viv, because it is always today.  Tomorrow never comes."

To which she gets so flustered that she usually forgets to ask me her usual assortment of questions.  I don't know what it is, but I just love messing with my kid's heads sometimes.  ;)

Another Year, Come and Gone

 Oh, this boy... How I love him.  He turned 9 on me a few weeks ago.  NINE!!!  When did this happen?!  I feel like he should still be two!  I am so grateful for the day that Colson came to join our family.  He has brought so much joy, laughter, and happiness into our home.

We had a fun time celebrating his birthday with him.  As per our tradition, we took lunch to him at school on his birthday.

  We took him out of school early and ended up going through the car wash before we went home.  While waiting in line for the car wash, we had all the windows rolled down.  (It was a beautiful day that day!)  Before going in the car wash, Colson said, "Mom, you better roll up the windows.  Otherwise there will be a lot of squirting and splashing in the car.  It would be mayhem!"  He is always saying funny, zany things.  I remember just shortly after he had turned 2, I had done something to make him laugh one day, and he looked at me and said, "Mom... You're a hoot-and-a-half!"  Love this kid.

 The grandmas came over that night for dinner, cake, and ice cream.  As always, Colson asked for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

And of course, it wouldn't be a birthday at our house without the balloon launch.

Happy birthday Colson!  We love you buddy!