Branding Calves 2011

This years branding was pretty crazy. For several years now it's been an annual thing for our family to go down on the last weekend of April and brand calves with Lyman.

This year however, we woke up to snow on branding day. After a week of beautiful warm weather, the mud dried out enough that the branding was back on. Timing was working against though as Britnee had a dance recital at 11 that morning.

So Matthew and I played divide and conquer. He took Cody and branded while Jaycee and I got Britnee ready for her recital. I did get to go down and visit long enough to get pictures and say hi.
Cody had the best seat in the house, on top of a fence, looking down at everything. I'm sad that we couldn't do everything together as a family, but I'm so glad that Matt and Cody were able to do what they loved, and that I was able to catch at least a glimpse of their fun.

Our Week with Wyatt

This week my sisters son, Wyatt, stayed with us. The week started off great as all the kids were home to play. Cody had almost as much fun having someone to play with as Wyatt did. Their pass times included jumping on the trampoline, lego's, wrestling, and playing the Wii.
On Monday morning however, everything got really slow and boring for Wyatt. Aunt Tara wasn't nearly as entertaining as Cody. So I spent the week being creative. Wyatt loved getting in the bath each morning. He would play until the water got cold. Then we would eat breakfast and watch a little morning cartoons. He's got a fun imagination and played really good while he followed me around.

On Wednesday I planned a big day for us. We headed over to town to run errands and play at the play-place in Arctic Circle. As we pulled in, I looked back to see that Wyatt had gotten a little too comfortable in his car seat. So, instead, I went to the drive through and adjusted his seat so he could sleep more comfortable.
Jaycee, Britnee, and Cody all pitched in and helped take care of Wyatt. It was a good learning experience for all of us.

Wyatt's dad came to get him this morning. I was happy for him as he really loves his daddy. It's kinda funny though, how fast something goes from "Wow! what do I do with a pre-schooler?" to a new normal.
We're gonna miss little Wyatt and his never ending questions. It's way too quiet. But I'm glad we could be a halfway house for him for awhile. What a character!!

Raingutter Ragata

This Thursday at Pack Meeting was Cody's Raingutter Ragata. Cody and his dad spent some time together creating his boat. They painted it silver with a red pole.
Cody was pretty excited, but also a little nervous as he's never been to anything like this before and didn't know what to expect.

He had a lot of fun though and I'm so proud at how hard he worked.

Cody also has earned enough merits that he was awarded the Bobcat award. Go Cody!!!

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was wonderful this year. There was plenty of sunshine and it was even a little warm. We played outside some and Grandpa Rusty and Joel even put up the trampoline.
This last week we've also had Tia's little boy, Wyatt staying with us. He's hangin' out in between visits with his mom and dad. Jaycee, Britnee, and Cody have taken such good care of him and they've all had a lot of fun playing together.

On Sunday, Mary Kay and dad invited us over for a yummy dinner of ham, potatoes, and homemade pie. After dinner the kids each got an Easter basket filled with all the Easter essentials, complete with malted eggs so Jaycee and Wyatt could join the blue lips club.

I'm so thankful for Easter, and especially for a beautiful Easter day that we could spend with our family.

Memory Monday- Pugmire's Plastic Water Slide

I have the settings on my computer set to play a slide show of my picture folder after a few minutes of inactivity. It is so common for me to walk past the computer room and see one of the kids just watching random memories from past years.
The other day a picture of our 2005 Pugmire Family Reunion came across the screen and it brought back so many fun memories that I wanted to blog about it.

In 2005, our reunion was held at the Beaver Mountain Lodge in Logan Canyon. As always, we got together with about 150-200 of our relatives to play games, eat, and reminisce. This particular year, Uncle Rex and Aunt Tami outdid themselves on game ideas. The plan was so simple, a black piece of plastic, a hose with running water, and lots of dish soap.

It was an instant success. Jaycee was so excited that she got in line right away. Britnee on the other hand, wasn't sure that she would like it. She stood by me and watched as all the kids took their turns. After about an hour and much coaxing, she braved it. And the rest is history.


The look on her face as she got off the first time was priceless. She had conquered a fear and could not have been prouder.

The afternoon was full of soapy, wet kids running around the hill. I remember sliding several times down and I wasn't even almost the oldest person to do so.


I can't even describe how much fun we had that day. Things were carefully put away and plans were made to make 2006 bigger and better. But some other family reunion wasn't as careful and burned the grass, causing water slide privileges to be revoked at Beaver Mountain.

Maybe the fact that it only happened once made it so great. I don't know. If it were allowed, I'd be happy to test the theory. In the meantime, we have great pictures and wonderful memories of the year of the black plastic slide.

Town Tournaments

This weekend our town got together for the annual "St. Charles Town Tournaments". I don't know quite how many years ago the tradition started, but it's a good one and we love going. The first activity is kiddy games, for anyone 7 and younger.

Next is the boys basketball game for boys 8-11. Cody was so excited that he's old enough to play. The night usually goes on until after ten, with games of basketball and volleyball.

My favorite part is that we get to eat a yummy dinner and visit with each other. In previous years, the small menu was a fundraiser for the youth but this year the ward provided a fun little bar-b-que made mostly by Bro. and Sis. Arnell.

I love our ward. I love the feeling of family and home that being here gives us. Town Tournaments are such a fun way to just get together and socialize. Especially in a town that's not big enough to do much else.

Sunny Spring Break

This weekend was Spring Break so the kids and I headed south to find sunshine. We drove to St. George on Wednesday and stayed with our friends, Taylor and Suzette. On Thursday morning we drove to Las Vegas with Bart, Michelle, and Brooklyn and Tia and Wyatt. It was a toasty, warm 87 degrees there and I was loving every minute.
We toured Circus Circus, The M&M Factory, and The Coke Store. We met up with Tia's boyfriend, Voi, and his 2 boys and we all walked the strip~ seeing the shows at the Bellagio, the Mirage, and Treasure Island. We also went and saw the lion exhibit at the MGM Grand and New York, New York.

Cody got to meet Spencer Haywood, a retired basketball player in the NBA at the CVS Pharmacy. Spencer showed Cody his championship ring and told him to eat his vegetables so he grow up to be tall like him. Everybody loved seeing all the lights, the strange people posing, and the floor in the MGM Grand that you could dance on.

But by far, the favorite pass time for everybody were the pools at the resort we stayed at. Fridays temperature hit 90 and laying outside in the sunshine was heaven.

We came back to St. George on Friday night. Bart, Shel, and I took Cody and Jaycee to Red Lobster and let them eat seafood. Neither one was too impressed but Cody loved the cheesy garlic biscuits.
On Saturday we spent time visiting with Taylor and Suz. On Sunday we headed towards Kelly's house in Delta. We hit a snow storm by about Cedar City and I really had a hard time leaving the sun in my rear view mirror.
Sunday was really fun though. It was Peyton's 2nd birthday. We ate yummy meatloaf and had cake and ice cream. The day was cold and windy but the kids did great playing inside.

This years Spring Break was a definite two thumbs up. The only sad part was that it wasn't long enough.