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Tristen spent the afternoon taking pics of Scout the other day.  Some turned out really cute, and this is the shoot where the toilet photo was taken - which I love!  Tristen is fun because she always wants to take the pics, and Scout is fun because he is game on anything.  The boy NEVER complains! 

We made our usual trek down to the OC Fair again this year.  It always amazes me that nothing ever changes.  There is always the same tropical flower vendor in the products part, the same rides/games, and the same deep fried food - although they did add a Krispy Kreme doughnut chicken sandwich this year - GROSS!  Because it never changes, I am baffled as to why I get sucked into the cookware demonstration year after year.  I think it is because they always say they are going to feed us a free dinner.  After an hour of stupid jokes, and one chicken breast, one potato and toothpicks for utensils went around……I thought I was going to die.  I don’t know how I forget from year to year how miserable the good idea ends up being…so please……anyone…please remind me in ‘08 to avoid the live cookware informercial!

My nephews wanted to know if this was me, so I want to publicly say that NO I didn’t pose for the picture!

It has been exactly one week that I have been home, and I am finally recovered to write some of our memories down.  We had a great time, but it was not your typical vacation where you are relaxed at all times.  This is the type of vacation where afterwards….I need another vacation.  It was my mom with all of the girls (Trilby, Megan, Ashley, Tristen and me), and nine kids.  We stopped in St. George for Broadway is the Desert, and then headed to Provo for the remainder of the trip.  We have all of our favorite stops, such as:

Los Hermanos

  After eating, I set up wheelbarrow, three-legged and skipping races for the kids.  Jake was the ultimate winner, although we had to tell Trey that he was to avoid a serious meltdown!

Then everyone went to Seven Peaks.  This was my first year not going, but sitting in 110 degree heat with a 2 month old sounded miserable!

We headed to a great park up the canyon.  There is a great knee high stream, a big grass area and a rope swing I wanted to put Scout on (in the hammock attachment, but I got vetoed even though it was completely safe!) 

Our next stop was ice blocking.  I don’t know how we have so much fun zooming down the hill on blocks of ice, but it never fails to be a good time.  The ultimate this time was when my mom got on a block and challanged me and Trilby to a race!  Trilby smoked us all, but my mom had a pretty good showing!

We also went to the Paul Mitchell hair school to all get treatments.  Most of us got deep conditioning treatments and scalp massages.  However, Trey REALLY wanted orange hair like his older brothers.  Megan was completely against dying his hair, but Tristen and I kept telling her she wasn’t a fun mom, and she finally relented.  Jake also got to dye his hair dark brown!  What a cool mom - and it looked totally cute on both of them.  Afterwards, Trey was literally hopping and skipping around he thought his hair was so cool.  He was taken back when his mom told it would be normal by school.  He disagreed and happily said it would ALWAYS be orange.  When Megan explained how when hair grew, the color grew with it, he was totally bummed out!  How classic!

We also visited my Grandma Bean.

We saw Ashley’s new house.

There were many other things we did, but one of my favorites was when I challanged all of the kids to a jumbo jaw breaker lick-a-thon.  I bought them all a super sized “breaker”, and told them that the first one finished won a really cool prize.  They were under the false impression that it would take an hour or so.  But since I used to do this when I was a kid, I knew it would be days.  I cautioned them about the rough/bumpy stage of the breaker, but none of them listened and ALL got bloody tongues!  Some quit, and it was down to Cade, Jake and Skylar.  Jake was the closest to finishing at only half way, and Cade was right behind him.  Skylar just never conceded even though she was the total long shot.  I have to say that not one of them finished by the deadline of the end of the trip, and nobody got the prize. (Which was going to be $20.00)  Too bad, but I loved to see who was competetive, everyone’s strategy, and most of all the trash talk!  I may have taught them a little myself.  (I laugh, because all of my sisters keep saying that I better watch out because they are going to teach Scout all of the obnoxious things I taught their kids.  I just say, “You will have to beat me ot the punch!”)

And Finally….here are some pictures of the best traveling baby in the world!  He was down by 10:00 pm every night, and I would have to wake him up at 8:00 am to eat.  He was happy the whole time getting passed around to everyone.  He didn’t make a peep unless he was hungry or tired.  And he was perfect in the 5 hour car rides!  Three cheers to Scout!

THE END!

I pronounce my Best Friend Forever…Gary G-Funk Samuelian as the Proud Godfather of Scout Kei Denison!  With this title comes the responsibilty of getting Scout a gift every time you see him, babysitting anytime, and changing his poopy diapers whenever you are around.  Not really, but I am expecting you to impart every bit of fashion knowledge you have on him!  Aren’t you a lucky boy Gary!

Tristen went into our costume closet, grabbed Skylar and her camera and created a photo shoot.  The photos turned out really good, and Skylar is walking around a little taller and happier after seeing them.  Nice j-o-b to both.

While we were at the plays, Tristen thought it would be funny to take her water bottle and douse me during the play…knowing full well that I couldn’t scream or even get her back because she was holding Scout.  She got me, my mom, and everyone else around her.  Little did she know I was waiting patiently for my plan of attack.  Right at the end of the show, when most of the water bottles were empty, I grabbed my pretty full one and got her right on the pants.  Too bad she had to walk out of the play with hundreds of people looking like she had a little accident!

Stinks for Prince Charming….Cinderella said she liked Scout better!

As a tradition, my family always stops at the Tuacahn outdoor theater for some “Broadway in the Desert!”  They have built the most amazing theater right in the middle of the awesome St. George red rock. We saw Cinderella last night, and are going to see My Fair Lady tonight.  In Cinderella, they used live animals and had real fireworks in the show.  You can’t fo that in a NYC theater!  They put on excellent musicals, and it is so much fun.  St. George, like the entire western U.S., is in a heat wave.  Our night started at 8:30 and 100 degrees.  By the end it was about 90 degrees - nice and hot!  Tristen held Scout the whole time, and he was perfect and awake the whole three hours.  We kept him cool with a cool rag on his head and water bottle spritzing. 

This morning, we all got up and I asked if anyone had any nightmares.  (My dream was that we were all taken by bad guys to a cliff where a mammoth fire was going to engulf us.  Kind of a huge combination of all of last night’s events.)   Cade said no, but told me the following story.  He was sleeping with Chloe in the bed.  She said she was scared, so in an effort to make her feel better Cade said, “Chloe, picture yourself frolicking around in a huge field of beautiful flowers.  And you are eating a chocolate frosted cupcake with sprinkles.  You are skipping and playing.”  By this time she was feeling much better.  Then Cade said, “It is nice and sunny and you are jumping in the flowers….WHEN A DEAD GUY GETS OUT AND GRABS YOU!”  She screamed and started crying again.  Megan got so mad at him and sent him to sleep on the floor for the second night in a row!  Classic!