1st day of school

Today was Tyler and Brayden's first day back to school. Summer is officially over. The boys were both very excited. Tyler woke up before me. He was dressed and ready to go by 7:00. He woke up Brayden and he got right up and got dressed. I wonder how long that will last.
I didn't have to go to work today. It was fun to be able to walk the kids to the bus and be home when they got home. I don't have to teach until Thursday. YEA!!
Well, when the boys returned home from school, they both told me about their days. They both had fun. Brayden came home and told me he loved it. It is so nice to have kids that enjoy school. Hopefully it lasts.



We are on our way to the bus stop.

They didn't enjoy mom taking pictures.


Ellie at the bus stop.

There they go!!

Ty- a bit camera shy!

Fun Weekend in Boise

We left for Boise on Thursday afternoon and got to grandma and grandpa's house around 7:30. The ride there wasn't so great. Ellie only slept about 45 minutes out of the total 4 hours. But we made it! Grandma made us all spaghetti for dinner. My boys were in hog heaven. Spaghetti is their favorite!

The next morning Grandma had to go to work and Grandpa was actually still out of town working so Bryce had a great idea. We decided to help out grandma and grandpa by doing some yard work for them and staining their deck. Bryce went to Home Depot to get the stain and the sanding machine for the deck while I made sure the kids were fed. Then we started sweeping off the deck to get ready for sanding. Brayden wasn't that enthused about working while on vacation, but he did help out.

When Bryce got back he was able to sand the whole deck while the boys and I swept the leaves off the basketball court in grandma's back yard. Then I used the power washer to spray off the court. The boys helped their dad with the staining next. It definitely wasn't a professional job but it got done. The boys had a good time helping out their dad and doing service for their grandparents.

We then got some lunch and did a few chores in the house for grandma like vacuuming and dishes, and then we went back outside and worked on trimming and mowing the front lawn. It turned out really nice. Then we just had to wait for grandma to get home from work and show her our surprise. She finally got home around 5:00. She loved the deck and all the hard work we did for her and grandpa. Grandpa didn't get home until about 10:00 that night, but the boys were able to show him our surprise and he loved it too.

On Saturday we took the kids to a place called "Boondocks" where we did mini golfing, go karts, batting cages, and bumper water boats. The kids had fun and Ellie was a sport in her stroller most of the time. Grandpa and Grandma got us all slushies and dippin' dots to cool us off on that hot day. Saturday night we grilled chicken and ate out on the deck. It was really nice. The chicken was great too.

On Sunday morning around 10 we packed up the car and headed to the park to feed the geese and ducks before we traveled back to Ogden. We had a great time. There were a ton of geese and ducks and they were all hungry. We went through a whole loaf of bread in about 10 minutes. After feeding the ducks we decided to go see grandma's new school that was just built. She took us on a tour and gave us some treats for the ride home.

Overall, we had a wonderful time in Boise. It had been about a year since we were up there last. Sorry, grandma and grandpa! We love you and thanks for a awesome weekend. Hopefully the slide show of our weekend works below. Cross your fingers.

Summer is flying by!

Well it is August and summer is almost over, for me at least. I go back to work next Wednesday. The only reason I am not totally depressed about it is that I am going back part-time again. YEA!! Well the end of July was a busy month for us. We had baseball, family reunions, and my parents and sister were in town.
Tyler had his last baseball tourney of the season in Heber City around July 24th. His team didn't end up winning the championship, but Tyler had an awesome tournament. He hit several doubles, and a triple. We were so proud of him. Overall, it was a great baseball season, but to tell you the truth I am glad it is over. Maybe now we can have more quality family time together instead of Ty having to go to 2 or more practices a week. I know Bryce feels differently, but it is nice to have him back at night also.
As I said we have had lots of family reunions lately also. The same weekend as the ball tournament the Garfields had a reunion in Provo. That is one of the reasons that mom and dad were in town. Pam and Ryan and their 3 girls came also. We all stayed at the Provo Marriott and participated in some of the Garfield reunion activities. We had a great time.
Then on Sat. July 26, there was a Neilson family reunion up in Huntsville. Mom and her sister Ann planned it and took care of all the preparations. It was a great success. And it was on mom's birthday. Happy Birthday!! We got a cake for everyone to enjoy and everyone sang happy birthday to mom. It was a great but busy weekend!!
Mom and Pam and Ryan and the girls stayed at our house for almost a week. It was so great to have them. We did a lot of fun things with the kids. We took them to Toads. That is a fun place for the kids to do arcade games, and laser tag. It is also a great place to spend a lot of money!! We also went to Fat Cats in downtown Ogden and did miniature glow golf and bowling. It was fun for Tyler, Brayden, and Ellie to spend some time with their cousins Brittany, Kali, and Sadi. We also went to a splash park in South Ogden and took a picnic. They had fun there. Ellie wasn't so sure about the water and fountains, but overall everyone enjoyed themselves. My cousin Shannon came also with her two kids, Wyatt and Brenna.
Well as you can see we have been busy, but it has been a great summer for us. We are actually leaving to go to Boise for the weekend to see Bryce's parents. One more last fun filled weekend before it is back to work. I hope you all enjoy the pictures of our last few weeks below. Sorry ,they aren't in any particular order.

Happy Birthday Brayden!!

Brayden turned 6 a week ago today on July 9. He had a great day. We gave him a set of golf clubs for his birthday. He loves them. Both him and Tyler are going to be good little golfers. Bryce took both of them to the driving range to hit a bucket last week. Bryce said Brayden needs a bit more practice before he gets to go on the course, but I'm sure it won't be long.

Swimming lessons & New pool

Today was the boys' first day at swim lessons. They take them each summer up in Brigham City at the Peak. They had a great time and did an awesome job. They are going to be good little swimmers, unlike their mother. I remember being traumatized once at swim lessons and so I never really learned to swim. Do you remember, mom?? Well anyways, me and Ellie just sat by the pool and roasted a bit in the sun.

I think next year I will get Ellie and me in a "mommy and me" class.

Well, after swimming at Steph's house last Sunday for Janet's birthday party, Bryce decided that we needed an above ground pool too. A "poor man pool" as Steph would say. It is 18 ft. across by 4 ft. deep. Bryce and his dad set it up this weekend. The boys and some of their cousins and friends have already had a blast in it. Bryce, Ellie and myself haven't gotten in just yet. The water temperature is about 84 degrees. I'm going to give it a few more days to cook in the hot sun. The boys will be able to practice their swim techniques in the pool. I think it will be a great investment for the family this summer.

Look, no cast!!

Well it has been 4 1/2 weeks since Tyler broke his arm and his cast is off. Bryce was in charge of taking him to the doctor yesterday to get it off. They got there 10minutes early and the girl at the front desk told him it would be an hour to an hour and a half wait. Well, that did not make Bryce too happy. They told Bryce they would give him a pager and they could go get ice cream at the cafeteria in the hospital to pass the time.

Bryce, as the business man, could see his precious time and money going down the tube as he waited, so he asked if they could just hurry and remove the cast and get an x-ray and they would be on their way. The doctor could call us later, after he looked at the x-ray if he needed to. Well, the girl kindly said that would not work because their wasn't even a room for them to take the cast off. Bryce was willing to get in done in the hallway, but they did not go for it.

So, Bryce and Tyler just left. Quite upset, I might add. I got a phone call as they were on their way back to Bryce's office. He told me what had happened and explained to me that he had plenty of "tools" at his shop to get the cast off. I couldn't believe my ears. He was going to take the cast off himself with his "tools"?!

Back at Bryce's shop they first tried to soak his arm in water and slide the cast off, which of course didn't work. So then they got a grinder and cut it off. Tyler called me and said that it was off. His cast that is, and I asked him if his arm was okay and he said everything was fine. Whew!!

I think I will be taking Tyler to the doctor from now on!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

Well Tyler is now 9 years old. His birthday was on Monday. I can't believe how fasts kids grow up. He had a great day. He played with his best friend Parker, had his favorite dinner (spaghetti), and made sure he got out of all his chores. We will be having a family party for his b-day and Brayden's soon.

He wanted a rip stick (like a skateboard for those who don't know) for his birthday. I wasn't set on it, because I don't want anymore broken bones, but his dad got it anyway. He loves it. He thinks he's a pro already.