Fair Cakes

It's that time of year again.  Fair time.  This year the Stanislaus County Fair will be celbrating it's 100th year.  Today was the day Ashlee, Mikayla, Hailee, Dylan and Landon had to decorate their cakes, cookies and cupcakes for the fair.  Tomorrow morning they go to the fair to be judged and they will remain on display at the fair for the next 10 days for all the fair goers to see.

The decorating (and eating too)!

Ashlee wondering what to do next.

Ashlee's flip-flop cake. She may have got too carried away with the sprinkles.

Hailee's Peace sign cookie

Mikayla's "Summertime" cake.

Ashlee had the camera so I thought she got pictures of everyones cakes, but when I started to upload pictures I realized she didn't.  Landon did a valentines day cupcake and Dylan did an ornament cake.  Hopefully I can get som pictures of them at the fair.

Grandpa Billy's 70th Birthday/Family Reunion

Grandpa Billy (my mom's step-dad), the only grandpa we have ever known, turned 70 on Friday, July 8th. Today we had a birthday party for him.  It was also the first time in probably at least 9 years, that almost all the cousins and their kids were together for the first time (all but two cousins were able to make it).  It was good to see everyone, their spouses and their children.  Strange and sad thing is, most of us live at least 1 to 4 hours apart and it has taken us 9 years to all meet up again.  I guess we all get so caught up in our crazy, busy, lives that we forget to take and make the time for family.  I love the saying "In family life love is spelled T-I-M-E."  Maybe it's about time, that we all start taking the time to be with our families a little more.  Family time is important time. 

We weren't able to find a company that would deliver a waterslide to Moccassin for a reasonable price, so we had slip-n-slides instead.  The slip-n-slides didn't make it through the day though.  The waterslide would've kept the kiddo's entertained more. 

Uncle Danny and Uncle Ronny holding their granddaughters.  They were both bull riders.  My mom had to have a picture of these "tough" cowboys holding their little granddaughters.

Snapshot of some of the family and some of Grandpa's friends.

 The cousins on the slip-n-slide

  Lee decided to put Landon in the tree.  Then every kid wanted to be put in the tree.

Everything turned out nice.  Grandpa seemed to enjoy it. 

4th of July

Our 4th of July started off by going to work.  Luckily we both got off work early.  After work we did yard work and other household chores.  Later in the afternoon we headed over to a family in our wards house for some food and fun. 


Ashlee and Camryn



Ashlee going down the slip and slide

John getting sprayed with water

Mikayla going down the water slide on her back

Game: Who can eat through the whip cream to get the piece of bubble gum and blow a bubble first.  It wasn't as easy as it looked.  The whip cream makes the bubble gum consistency change, making it harder to blow a bubble.

Ashlee and Camryn ended up winning the bubble gum contest.  Our day ended, watching fireworks from the neighboring towns in our yard.

Quick Weekend Trip

This weekend we went on a short but sweet camping trip with our friends the Stiles and the Starkweathers.  Meliesa's aunt and uncle rent a piece of property in Copperopolis (pronounced Popperotsee according to Mikayla) with a man made pond/lake stocked with fish. John and Ashlee were finally able to catch some fish.  Neither one of them have ever caught a fish.  John caught at least 20 fish.  Ashlee and Mikayla caught about 5 each.  We weren't able to keep the fish.  They had to throw them back in.  That was probably a good thing, because none of us like eat fish!

 There was also a paddle boat.  The kids took shifts all day on the paddle boat.  With 11 kids and 6 adults you have to do shifts, otherwise no one would ever get a turn.

 As soon as the kids woke up Saturday morning they were out in the paddle boat in their pj's fishing.

Mikayla is in the purple shirt.

Ashlee in her pj's fishing bright and early in the morning.

Mikayla, Brooke, Ashlee S. and Taylor in the paddle boat. 

A snapshot of our camp spot.  Parked along the pond .

Saturday morning around 10am the kids decided they wanted to swim  Josh told them that whoever swam across the pond got to go to John's Incredible Pizza.  I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into.  Before long all 11 kids and John had swam across the pond.

 After they all made it across the pond, they decided to play games jumping off the dock.  And this is where they spent many, many, hours.  I think they spent at least 7 hours on this dock, throwing each other in, wrestling, holding hands and jumping in, etc.  Thankfully there where only a few minor cuts and some bruises.

Sarah, Mikayla and Ashlee.

 By the time we got home Saturday night, John could barely move.  He was sore, sunburned and exhausted.  When he went to bed, he said,"Hey Lib, I am not 14 anymore."  All day, I was thinking to myself, " he is going to be sore.  I was right!  I asked him why he kept doing it and he said "because it was sooo fun."

John de-hooking Mikayla's fish.

Mikayla and one of the fishes she caught.

It was definately a short, but sweet memory making trip.  Everyone had fun.  No one wanted to come home.  If we would've stayed another night, I probably would've been wheeling John home in a wheelchair!

Picking Berries

Today we went to Ripon and picked berries with a friend.  We picked blueberries and strawberries.  Jessop Farms is a little family owned farm and throughout the summer and fall you can come and pick whatever fruits, vegetables and nuts are available.  They also had a little golf course, a sandbox and a bounce house for the kids.


Gabriel, Sarah & Ashlee picking blueberries



Brooke and Mikayla picking blueberries

Mikayla with her bucket of blueberries

Mikayla and Brooke

Off to get strawberries

Mikayla and Brooke picking strawberries

Mikayla and Ashlee in a boat .  The purple is sand. They had a sandbox with purple sand.