Folsom Zoo

We went to Folsom Zoo again.  We went with Christine and Grant.  It was a short visit but perfect for the little ones.  We saw lots of animals and then played at the park afterwards.  Here's a couple of pictures.  Jocey is starting to be the perfect age for these kinds of outings.  It'll only get better.

Monterey for Labor Day

We went down to Monterey for Labor Day weekend.  We had a grand ol' time.  Dave took off Friday so we could go down earlier and visit my old work and his old school.  Sadly his teachers were in class so he didn't get to visit but I saw a couple of people from work which was so fun.  We stayed with our friends the Gieslers.  Here's what we did.

We visited our favorite wharf by Breakwater Cove.  Seriously, you need to go here if ever visiting Monterey.  There are always tons of sealions and these weird birds and this time the water was really clear and we saw lots of jellyfish too.

We hiked at our favorite spot, Point Lobos.  We tried a new trail and saw whale bones that they have on display.

We went to the beach and froze our booties off.  Dave and Jordan braved the water and skim boarded for a little bit.  We had a picnic there and our friends the Wiests came too.

Our last day, we played at the park while the boys played tennis.

We ate so well while there.  The Gieslers should open their own restaurant.  Jocelyn enjoyed playing with Lou, their dog and she sometimes played nicely with Ames.  She doesn't like to share his toys.  We had so much fun and we can't wait for our next visit.  Thanks Giesler family!

There's No Place Like Home

Well I made an unexpected trip to Utah.  I usually visit every summer but since we had a family reunion in Nauvoo this year, I hadn't planned on making a trip.  But my grandma passed away and plans changed.  I lost both of my grandmas this year.  I know death is part of life but to be frank it kinda sucks.  I'm just so grateful to have the gospel in my life and to know that I will see and be with my family again someday.

My dad's mom passed away earlier in the year.  I will miss visiting her but she hasn't been her usual self for a couple of years now and she had stopped taking her medication so we knew it was a matter of time before she passed away.  Grandma Brough was a sweet and proper lady.  I remember always watching The Secret Garden when I would visit.  I loved that they grew Snap Dragons and I would play with the ones that fell off.  She had a beautiful doll that she would delicately remove from its case and let me play with as long as I was gentle.  Her house was always clean and I can remember the quiet ticking of the clock in the living room and the peace in her home.

My mom's mom passed away just a couple of weeks ago.  It was strange going home and having family dinner but no grandma.  My mom's parents live right behind them so I spent several years living close to them. Her death was unexpected.  She had a brain hemorrhage and died the same day.  It was however, the best funeral I have been to.  It was great to hear so many stories that I hadn't heard before.  On Facebook, several of us cousins shared our favorite memories of our grandma.  I love how she put fake flowers on her bushes so they were always colorful.  Or her love of duct tape.  It could fix anything even large cracks on the walls.  She was funny too but the quiet kind.  She always sent out birthday cards and we found a small pile of cards she had already prepared for the August birthdays.  Those cards will mean more than ever.  It's moments like that when you realize all the little things you took for granted.

I will miss my grandmas but am glad to know I'll see them again and that families are forever.  Here are some pictures of our visit.  It was low key as we adjusted to life without grandma.  We visited grandpa most every day and there is a lot to do at his house so my mom and her siblings have been working hard and in just the couple weeks I was there, it looks so different.  We played with family and friends and just took it easy.  That's the way I like it.

Cousins.

Jeremy put on a trash bag to keep dry.

Riding a big girl scooter with grandpa.

Jocey loves her grandma and grandpa.

Jocey got to feed the cows, Oreo and Cowboy.

Four generations.

California State Fair

I think this is the first State Fair I have ever been to.  It was pretty neat.  And we got in for free.  Dave got two tickets for giving blood.  SWEET!!  We spent a lot of time looking at animals. Many were female animals who were pregnant or just recently gave birth and by recent I mean like they had babies that morning.  A pig gave birth while we were there but we weren't in the tent at the time but still that's pretty cool.  Anyway, we loved the animals, especially Jocelyn. 

We ate dinner but we didn't plan ahead and bring enough cash for goodies.  We listened to music, walked around Toytopia that had some awesome old school toys and games, checked out the wizard tent, and just enjoyed the atmosphere of the place.  We went in the early evening and left just as all the wild party animals and crowd took over.  We stopped at the mall on our way home so we could get ice-cream to finish off the night right.  We'll have to plan better for next year but I think we have a new family tradition.

And here are some random pictures of Jocelyn so you can be reminded of how cute she is, not that anyone really needs a reminder.

She is so animated when she talks.

Wearing daddy's hat.

Last Year of His 20's

Yep, that's right.  Dave has only one more year left until he turns 30.  Here's what we did to celebrate.  On Saturday, the day before his birthday, we went to dinner with some friends. Then on Sunday, I made breakfast for Dave and he opened his presents.  I got him a new game called Tikal and a couple of cds (Journey's Greatest Hits).  After church, we headed up to his dad's house.  I made dinner for the whole family and Dave got some more goodies: dress pants, socks, and a box of 36 candy bars.  Wowza!  I made Reese's cupcakes which turned out better than I thought and we played his new game a couple of times.  Overall it was a good day, if I do say so myself.  Happy Birthday Dave and enjoy your last year in your twenties!

Midwest Vacation

We had a family reunion in Nauvoo last week.  It was a Grimshaw reunion (my mom's side) and it was so fun to see so much family that I haven't seen in years.  We really only hung out with each other during meals and the rest of the time, individual families did their own thing around Nauvoo.  Here's a few things we did.  Beware, there are lots of pictures.

We went on oxen rides.

We played dress up and pioneer games.



We went to different places like the post office, printing press, and the brick shop.  We also went to the visitor's center and watched a show.

We played at the pageant carnival.  There was a wood cutting competition, tug of war, and stilts.  Grandma got

all the granddaughters bonnets.  Then we watched the Nauvoo Pageant.

We went to church.  Apparently during tourist season they have a visitors ward that can reach up to 1000 people.  Crazy. After church we took family pictures in front of the Nauvoo Temple.

We ate lots.  When we were with all of the family, we ate at Adventure Land where some meals were catered for us.  My mom's cousin owns it and they have the coolest play area.  Jocey loved the kiddy slide.

On the last day, some went to a session at the Nauvoo Temple then my family headed to Kansas for our own little Brough reunion.  We dropped Dave off at the airport because he had to go back to work.  The rest of us headed to The Great Wolf Lodge.  Coolest place ever.

We went to the waterpark every day.  I didn't get any pictures of the waterpark but look it up because it is so cool.  Jocelyn went down a big kid slide all by herself.  We got up to the top of the slide and they said she couldn't go down with me so I pushed her down.  Don't worry, she had on a life jacket and the life guard at the bottom pulled her out.  She was a little shocked but she didn't cry.  I was so proud of her.

We had breakfast every morning in our rooms.  I got a cute picture of some of the kids watching morning cartoons.

The kids went to the Cub Club and story time.

One morning we went over to Liberty, MO and saw Liberty Jail.  It was really cool especially the way they have displayed the jail inside the visitor's center.  After that we stopped by the Kansas City Temple and then headed to the Independence, MO visitor's center and watched a video and then the kids played in their pioneer area.

On our last night we went to a dinosaur restaurant.  It was really fun.  Jocey wasn't too fond of the dinosaur character.

After dinner we headed back to our lodge and all the grandkids got to build their own animal.  Jocelyn would not part from her cute little wolf. 

After the animal building, we said our goodbyes and went to sleep.  We had a 6am flight which meant we woke up at 3am.  Not cool but the morning went quickly and luckily Jocey and I were able to catch an earlier flight from Salt Lake to Sacramento instead of having a 3 1/2 hour layover.  We're home now and already miss our family.  We had so much fun and can't wait until the next reunion.

Splash Park Fun!

We went to a splash park yesterday and it was the perfect temperature and time to go. It was just Marianne, Sienna, Jocelyn, and I. The first time we went, I swear there were about 1000 kids there. There was a last day of school celebration. Anyway, the girls had fun. They didn't enjoy getting splashed in the face but I think Marianne and I enjoyed watching them get splashed in the face. It was pretty hilarious. Both mostly just touched the water. Neither liked being sprinkled on but the important thing is that they had fun.

 As Jocelyn would say, "Where it go?"



Surprise!