Cousin Trip 2010 Contd.

After several days of fun here around town, Janet and Steve took the girls down to Colorado Springs for a few days.

 They had lots of fun at the North Pole,

and rode lots of rides.

They saw many different animals at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Vivi's favorite was the Hippos.  She was still talking a week later about how well she could see them.  She just couldn't believe how clear the water was!

They went and saw the Will Rogers shrine.

They hiked around Garden of the Gods,

had their faces painted,

scootered,

went horseback riding,

and just had an all around good time with their grandma and grandpa Stock!  Thanks Janet and Steve for being such fun grandparents!

Cousin Trip 2010

The last several summers, Trent's parents have taken two grandchildren at a time for a fun little trip.  Trenton and Tristy had their turn two summers ago, and Colson and Trey went last summer, so this year was Vivi and Taryn's turn.  Vivi was ecstatic!  She LOVES her cousin Taryn.  With the cousins living in Texas, we don't get to see them a whole lot, but when we do see them, Vivi and Taryn have the best time together!

They started their trip with a little visit to Build-a-Bear.  They of course got matching bears.

They took a drive over to the temple.  The girls wanted to see where their parents had been married.

They played at the park,

had some pool time,

went to the zoo,

had pedicures,

and manicures,

danced their pants off at a concert,

and played in the fountains.  And all of this was before the the real trip even started!  Spoiled girls, I tell ya!  But that's what grandparents are for, right?  More on the rest of the trip later.

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?