Happy Birthday Jenny

Jenny and I have been the best of friends ever since I was about 5 months old, that's when she was born. Our mothers are sisters and our fathers are brothers, so not only do we share pretty similar DNA, but we also lived in the same house for a while when we were toddlers. Our moms did everything together and we all tagged along. That was before kids were required to be in seatbelts and we all piled in the car to go places. I always had to sit on the bump on the floor in back. Anyway, I can't really think of a time in my life or any childhood memory when Jenny wasn't there. I don't think there were very many weekends when we didn't have sleepovers. We even graduated high school together, although Jenny will probably have her Ph.D. before I even get my Associates. It some times makes me sad that we don't live closer so that our kids can be as close as we were growing up. I am grateful for technology because Jenny and I can IM regularly and I feel like we able to keep in touch even without having a late night Duran Duran video night. Even with the distance between us, we are still there for one another and I know that she is always there if I need to talk or just need a good laugh. I still have the urge to call her every Christmas morning, like I did every year when we were kids, and ask her, "What did Santa bring you this year?" But of course, now I would ask "What did Santa bring your kids this year?" Happy Birthday to my cousin and life long friend, who I consider to be more like a sister. Happy Birthday, young lady!!!!

Pioneer Day Celebration

In Utah, July 24th is a State holiday. It's Pioneer Day, the day to commemorate the arrival of the Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. To a Utah native, their pioneer heritage is very important, it helps define who they are. It's the only time when you can actually see pride in people's faces when they say that they are descendants of polygamists. Don't get me wrong, I am fascinated with the stories of the pioneers, they are a great example to me of commitment and endurance. They endured a lot of hardships while they crossed the plains and suffered alot of loss. They left everything behind, so that they could find a safe place to practice their religion. As a Mormon, I am grateful for this legacy and I am happy that they settled here in this beautiful state. As a transplant to Utah, well, I suffer from Pioneer Guilt. I have no pioneer heritage. I once had a lady tell me that she was sorry for my loss when I told her that I didn't have any pioneer ancestors. Hey, don't get me wrong, I am very proud of the branches on my Mi'kmaq/Scottish family tree, it makes me unique. I am just saying that I dread Pioneer Day every year. Luckily, I married a man who has many pioneer ancestors, so Braxton will not experience the guilt. Ryan tells me that I need to work on my attitude towards Pioneer Day and I am trying. So this year, I decided to plan a celebration with my friend, Mary Jane and her family.

Mare and I decided that since our husbands both had to work that day that we would spend the whole day together. Mare has 3 cute boys that Braxton loves to play with. We planned on taking the boys to lunch and then to a movie. Having dinner when the bigger boys got home from work and then having fireworks when it got dark. The lunch part of our plan went off without a hitch. Before the movie we decided to stop at the store to pick up a few things for dinner, when Mare got a phone call from her mom. It turns out that her brother (who is currently staying with them) called their mom and said that a pipe had burst in the bathroom and the basement was flooded. We rushed back to her house and found that the water had seeped through the wall and into her storage closet, down the hall, and into her office and family room. To make a long story short, we spent some time cleaning up the water and while we were waiting for the insurance company to send some people over to look at the damage, we decided to take the boys to a movie. After the movie, we went back to Mare's house and discovered that the damage was more widespread than we originally thought. So, we moved everything from her office into the family room and moved some more furniture in the family room away from the walls. The workers that the insurance company sent over lifted the carpet, replaced the pad and put big fans in the rooms. I know that it's not the Pioneer Day that we had planned, but I was happy to be there so that I could help. The kids were such troopers, I am sure it was hard for them to have to stay away from all the action. We did end up having a nice dinner and played cards while we waited for it to get dark so that we could start the fireworks. The fireworks display was a success. We had a great time. I don't get to see Mare as much as when we worked together, so I am so glad that I got to spend the day with her and her family. Plus, Mare does have pioneer heritage, but she never brags about it :). Love ya, Mare!!!

Fans in the office

The family room post-flood

Ryan doing some "day time" fireworks with the boys

The boys waiting for the fireworks to start

OOO, AAHHHHH

Fun at the Water Park

I am so sorry that I didn't take any pictures today. I forgot our camera at home and cell phone thing didn't work out very well. I really miss the ocean, especially in the summer when I know that my family is hanging out at the beach and I am stuck here in the desert. I love swimming in nice, cool, salt water. There's nothing like it. I know that I live quite close to a very big salty lake, but there is no way I would ever swim there. Anyway, we spent the day at Lagoon-A-Beach today. It was the perfect day for it too. It was sooooo hot. We spent most of the day racing each other on the tube water slides. We had a blast. I think Braxton was asleep before we left the parking lot. Lagoon, as a whole, was really quite packed and the water park was beyond capacity. In the back of my mind I kept thinking that it probably wasn't very sanitary. But then I looked on the bright side, if I do end up with cryptosporidiosis, at least I will lose 30 or so pounds.

Getting Our Geek On

After Lagoon, Ryan's dad invited us to go to Salt Lake with him to go to a video game expo. We were expecting to see some new software or new games or something. But instead it was just a place where there were a lot of people playing computer games together and you could watch them play on big screen tvs. The audience was actually cheering for the people who were playing the computer games. There were a few vendors, some of them even dressed in costumes. It was quite boring, but it made for some great people watching. I really can't describe in words or in pictures what it was like there. Let's just say that ladies got in free because I am sure that they didn't really expect any to show up. It wouldn't surprise me if Ryan was the only guy there who has ever kissed a girl. Braxton had a great time, though. He got to play a few new Wii games and even played Duck Hunt on the old-school Super Nintendo. I guess you really can't complain when your child is smiling and happy to be there.

Boart Longyear Lagoon Day

We have season passes to Lagoon, so we spend our share of time there in the summer. Braxton would be there everyday if he had a choice. Today was Boart Longyear's Family Day at Lagoon. They do it every year. The company gives a pass to all their employees and to each of their family members. Ryan really likes his job and the people that he works with, so it was nice to go and mingle and have a nice lunch. I am so happy that Ryan works for a company that puts such value on family activities. They even have a really fun children's Christmas party. Other places that he has worked before (I will not name names) didn't really think that employees had a life outside of the office. So, thank you Boart Longyear for being such a great place to work and for being so understanding when Ryan has to leave work early because his kid has a thing at school.

Is there anything better than all-you-can-eat ice-cream?

I Love the Smell of Wunderbars in the Morning

Ryan arrived home safe and sound from Canada around 11:30 last night. I am so happy to have him home. Before he left, I gave him a list of some of my "must-haves" to bring home. He was able to find a few of the things on the list. I was really impressed that he brought home Tim Hortons. He said that he had to guard the donuts with his life, apparently security at the airport and customs officers are really fond Timmy's. So, I will now try to make my ketchup chips last forever and only eat the chocolate on "special occasions". You know like when I finish folding all my laundry or doing the dishes. ¡¡¡Que Viva Canada!!! (and Cadbury!!)

Glow In The Dark

When my mom was here visiting, she was horrified when she saw how white my legs were. For most of my life, I just needed to walk outside and I would get a tan. I blame my whiteness on working indoors for too many summers and not allowing my legs to see the sun. So, I decided to do something about it today. I hunted down the dreaded swimsuit and Braxton and I went to the Layton Surf & Swim, which is a pool/wave pool just down the road. I was a little paranoid about my whiteness until I realized that there was one person there even whiter than me, Braxton. Well, at least he was easy to pick out in a crowd. We had a wonderful time and we no longer look like the living dead. Braxton's final words on the day, "This was the best day ever. I could really go for a grilled cheese sandwich right now."

Date Night

Ryan is in North Bay, Ontario this week on business. So, I decided to plan a date with Braxton. We went and saw the play Beauty and the Beast here in Kaysville. I was concerned that Braxton would be bored, but he wasn't, he had a great time. It was really fun. We loved the actors who played "Lumiere" and "Gaston". There was a little seven year old boy who played "Chip" and Braxton was so impressed. I did miss having Ryan there with us, but I am so grateful that I am able to spend so much one-on-one time with Braxton. I hope he now has some great memories of the time his mom took him to see Beauty and the Beast.

July 4th Summary

We had a great day yesterday. Kaysville City has some really fun 4th of July activities. We spent the day with some of our neighbors. The day starts off with a breakfast, then is followed by a parade. After the parade, there is a water parade which is basically just a big water fight. This is perfect on a hot day. They also have a free kids' carnival where they have slides and bounce houses. Then, of course, they have a great fireworks display to end the day. We are all dragging a little this morning (well Ryan and I are anyway), but we are happy.

On July 4th, 2001........

at 5:18 am, Braxton Andrus Brophy was born. He weighed in at 8 pounds 5 oz. and was 22 and 1/2 inches long. He had the most perfect, cute curly toes that I had ever seen. I was so excited to meet him and to finally hold him. What a blessing he has been in our home, he fills it with fun and lots of laughter.

Braxton is now 7 years old!!!! I am still in shock at how fast he has grown up. He still has really cute curly toes. He has his dad's looks, eyes, sense of humor, and math skills. He has my feet, my ears and love of all things Christmas. He loves all animals and wants to bring home every stray he sees (maybe he gets that from me too). He loves anything that has to do with legos, riding his bike, mac & cheese, rootbeer, Johnny Cash, SpongeBob, Disneyland, bugs, swimming, reading, Lagoon, Halloween, Star Wars, and I could go on and on. He may not want me to hold his hand anymore when we walk to school, but he does love to snuggle up with me when we are reading or watching tv (just don't tell his friends). What a great joy it is to be this sweet little boy's mother. Happy Birthday Braxton!!!!