Bushman Family

HO! HO! HO!

2009-12-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

Have you been a good little girl this Year?

Bailey has a serious case of the nerves every year when she knows Santa is going to be visiting. She asked me over and over if I thought she had been good this year. By the way does Santa look familiar to anyone? Bailey got up close and personal and still has no idea that the Santa at the church party is someone she knows really well!!

Matt's A "Good EGG"

2009-11-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

Matt had his 14th birthday last week. Yes, ladies he is now eligible to go to the church dances!! We started off birthday morning at 6:30 am with a birthday breakfast at The Good Egg with Grandma and Grandpa Gooch. A fitting start for a birthday, for a boy, who is such a great kid!

Matt then had his first ever volleyball game after school, he was a beast at the net!

Bailey wrapped up a special gift for him, one of her books...

Matt wanted a four wheeler but we decided on a two wheeler...He got the cadillac of mountain bikes.....

We then went to Maddie's volleyball game....

and then came home and sang happy birthday and had cake.

Really, we could not be more blessed to have such a great kid as Matt. He is a great brother, friend, athlete, and student. He puts up with Bailey and all her demands and we looooovvvveee having him in our family. It has been a fun 14 years so far!!

Matt's stats: He is 6'2 and wears a size 13 shoe, not sure about the weight but definitely on the long lean end of the spectrum!

I Got A Feeling.....Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night!!

2009-11-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'll admit it I love that song, we crank it when it comes on the radio!! That's how we started our Halloween 2009....

....Malibu's Most Wanted...

Matt especially loved the t-shirt that he found at Saver's!

Bailey really wanted a broom to go with her witch costume and was wishing it could fly!

Bailey dove right in,literally, in cleaning out her jack o lantern. She had the guts up to her elbows. It looks like she has some wicked idea to do something to Matt...

We hit up the trunk or treat at the church and then did some neighborhood trick or treating with Bailey. Matt headed off with his gang of gangsters to go roam the neighborhood. Maddie was present also, dressed as a hippie, but would not get in any pictures......teenagers!

FIREBALLS!!

2009-10-27T23:21:00.001-07:00

Who made that great looking banner.....that would be me!!! Just doing my part to pump up the Fireballs.

Water break!!

A little girl talk.....

mixing it up with the boys....

She's got a break away!!!

Bailey has had a fun soccer season. She has so much fun at practice, loves playing all the games her coach comes up with at practice....king of the court, sharks and minnows, soccer ball tag.... she loves it all and has so much fun with her teammates. She's scored a few goals and is a defensive beast. If she scores a goal she gets a reward of chick fila, or buffalo wild wings. Missy loves her chicken!!

Football Pics

2009-09-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

I got a fancy new camera which I tested out on Saturday at Matt's game. I still have much to learn!

Bailey's Lastest Pet

2009-09-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Bailey woke up bright and early and went out to check her little garden. She came running in to wake me up to show me the caterpillar she found eating the leaves on her pepper plant. She was so thrilled to have found such a big bug, and could not wait to put it in her bug catcher. This bug was well cared for, she would go and get it fresh leaves to eat, take it out for some fresh air, and it even went on a few walks. She would let it crawl all over her arms. This went on for about a week and then we put it outside so it could make a caccoon and become a moth. She was not a happy camper when she had to let it go! She also caught several lizards this summer that she kept as pets for as long as they survived. She wants a pet so badly she has resorted to bugs and lizards.

My Lack of Blog Posts

2009-09-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

I am going to be better about documenting our life!! I don't know why I think I have to have the perfect pictures and story to go along with them before I actually sit down to write about it. Every post does not have to be the perfect blog post. I also want to make sure I am documenting both sides of my family equally, it is very easy to talk about my side (the Gooch side) but I have not been as diligent in blogging about Ben's side of the family. I want my kids to have a history of all the parts of our family. I have also been thinking a lot about this past summer. We tried to pack in as much family togetherness as possible before Riley left on his mission. It is still so hard for me to comprehend that we won't see Riley for two years. Gosh, those 19 years went by so fast! Here are the pics from the MTC. That morning we got up, finished Riley's packing, gave him a blessing, stopped for some breakfast and then dropped him off. It went by so fast. We figured we didn't need to dress up in church clothes at the MTC since we only had about 5 minutes there at the most.We stopped at Great Harvest for some cinnamon rolls and a Jamba Juice that morning. They have changed their cinnamon rolls they are not as good as before ...just letting you know!!

Our last hug goodbye......
We took a quick picture before we got in the drop off line......

We took some of Riley's friends out to lunch the day before for one last shebang at the Brick Oven. He only hugged the boys! We love you Riley and are so proud of you!!

July and August 2009

2009-08-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great end to our summer- 2 family reunions and a trip to Utah to take Riley to the MTC. The first reunion was the Bushman Family Reunion in Pinetop and Snowflake Arizona. We celebrated Grandpa Bushman's 80th birthday and had a great time visiting with brothers, sisters, inlaws, and cousins. I am so glad I am related to all these people and that my children have opportunities to get to know their relatives better and hear the family history stories and experience the many talents of their cousins. I loved all the late night talking sessions. The highlight for me was the temple session with Riley and my parents, and most of Ben's family and parents. A big thanks to all those who were there, it was an awesome night. It was wonderful to celebrate Grandpa's 80 years - he has lived an exemplary life so far. What great people they both are.

We got home and a few days later had Riley's farewell. Seven out of eight of my brothers and sisters and their families were there to support Riley. I volunteered all the men and teenage boys to sing "Ye elder's of Isreal" as part of the program. Riley gave a great talk and then we had a farewell party with family, school friends, and some friends from BYU later that night.

The next day we started shopping and packing the cars for our Gooch Reunion in Mexico. We had a fun time playing at the beach, swimming, eating, visiting, and having a Harry Potter fest at night watching 1 thru 5. The kids were exhausted at night!! We had quite the excitement this year and got to test out the mexican emergency clinic to get my mom's eye stitched- she had a tumble and a nice purple eye, my dad got in a small car accident- not his fault- we now know to not be nice and call the police no matter what, and a few minor car problems. All in all, it was a blast. All the big boys took Riley out one night to the beach and we don't know what took place!! We came back on Saturday night, Riley was set apart as an elder on Sunday night, and we headed for Utah on Monday morning. We were busy till the bitter end with Riley!! Let's just say when they say curb side drop off at the MTC, that's what it is. We had a few minutes to say goodbye and then he was hustled off.

There were so many other fun things we did at the reunions: the parade, rodeo, eating mangos and tacos at the pool, GOOD TIMES!!!!

what have we been up to lately?

2009-06-16T12:19:00.001-07:00

I thought I should catch up a little ...Here's some easter pictures

Disneyland trip in April to watch Maddie play volleyball...

A conversation with a princess

Mexico trips in may and june...

finding shells with Grandma Gooch

A 6th birthday party down on the farm...

Birthday donuts at school...

a fun softball season...

Bailey really liked to play catcher...

A trip to the butterfly gardens with Keegan, Doug, and Mieke

And the first lost tooth--pulled by Mom of course!!

She wasn't so happy during the extraction process!!

Until next time....

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!!!!

2009-05-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

We're jumping for joy--No more teachers, no more books--just lots of fun!!

I love jumping pics, check out those facial expressions!!

Upcoming Events: boy scout camp, mexico trip, hiking havasu falls, girls camp, football camp, volleyball tournament in miami, volleyball camps at byu and nau, EFY, Bushman Reunion, baseball tournaments, Gooch family vacation, temple trip w/ Riley, and a exciting trip to the MTC!! (summer is looking pretty busy and I am sure I forgot some things!!)

Happy 16th Birthday Maddie!!

2009-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

This morning we were up at 3:30 am to get Maddie to the airport by 4:30 am so she could leave for a volleyball trip to Russia!! Her Club Dinamo Team was invited to an international tournament in Moscow. They will be there from the 5th to the 13th of May. We are so proud of her and her team. They are a great group of accomplished girls. Ben and I were both giving her last minute safety instructions--it is nerve wracking sending your kids out of the country without their parents. I feel comfortable with the coaches and parents who are accompanying them and their time is very scheduled between the games and sightseeing excursions so I am sure it will be a great learning experience for her. She will have her 16th birthday while she is there so we celebrated her birthday before she left!!

Bailey and Maddie both share the same birthday --May 7th

Sixteen things about Maddie!!

1. She is a very smart-straight A student

2. She is an awesome volleyball player

3. She loves all music (we have had to reign in her love of rap!!)

4. She won the dance contest at EFY one year-she can bust some moves-She doesn't let us see these moves, she only brings them out on special occasions!

5. She has a special cd of music she burned that is played very loudly while she showers everyday

6. She is finally growing out of the cool aloof teenager phase and gracing us with her presence- which we love!!

7. She likes to be unpredictable and a little crazy!! Matt has been the recipient of this craziness when he is home alone with her !@#$

8. She will dress up in outfits and play fugitive with her friends.

9. She loves the camera- self portraits in the mirror are her specialty.

10. She is a beautiful girl both inside and out-lots of friends!!

11. She is very responsible with her schedule and time commitments- she is where she is supposed to be and punctual.

12. Her little sister idolizes her- thinks she is soooo pretty and has soooo many friends. She loves it when Maddie puts makeup on her-she checks out her makeup and mascara application daily

13. She is a great cookie baker

14. Her teachers and coaches love her

15. She is obedient and a good example at church, she has a testimony of the gospel which when she shares it is quietly powerful to those around her

16. We looooovvvveeee her and all the excitement she brings to our family!!!!!

Playing Catch Up!!

2009-04-22T23:03:00.001-07:00

I updated our blog for the month of February --March is coming up!!

Utah Trip Feb 2009

2009-04-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

We spent the night at the Little America and enjoyed the brunch the next morning--It was delicious as always!!

Uncle Brent Willis has a small plane and took the kiddos up for a spin to see the new temples built in the Salt Lake area. It was great weather for flying and Riley and Maddie got to take the controls and fly for a bit.

Brittyn and Rich Get Hitched

2009-04-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

Back in February we made the trek to Utah to attend Brittyn and Rich's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and we had a great time visiting with family. Ben's dad sealed them in the Salt Lake City Temple.

Cowgirl Bailey

2009-04-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

I am catching up on the last couple of months!! Tucson public school students get a vacation for the Rodeo every year. Bailey 's kindergarten class made some cowgirl/cowboy duds and got their cowboy on. They made all sorts of crafts, sang songs and performed them for the parents. Bailey has a great teacher and she loved her new pink cowboy boots!! She asks me almost every day when she is going to take horseback riding lessons.

Guess Who Turned 19 Today!!

2009-03-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Riley!! We love you and are proud of you!!

Riley turned 19 today, I hate to think of how fast time has flown by-I want my baby back!! I still remember the day he was born, how tiny he was and how unsure I was as a mother. I could not believe the hospital would let me bring him home. Those first few days both Ben and I would change his diaper. One would be in charge of feet and diaper and the other would handle the wipes. Too funny!! He definitely was our first experiment in parenting and we are just grateful he survived all our mistakes. So 19 memories of Riley:

1. He turned in his missionary papers today-on his 19th birthday. What a great example.

2. He works hard to achieve his goals. He walked on and made the BYU Football team. He had to go to practice at 6 am in the morning and rarely complained.

3. He has a great smile.

4. He is a great friend.

5. He likes to have fun.

6. He has never gotten a speeding ticket that I know of!!

7. His not so little brother looks up to him and is proud of him.

8. He does not let Bailey have her way and had to work hard to be her "prince".

9. All his school teachers loved him except for his run in with his seminary teacher at the end of his senior year.

10. He arrived at BYU on the back of a UHaul in his car- it was a classic.

11. He loved Peter Pan as a little guy.

12. He walked the halls of BYU as a 2 year old as Ben and I were still students. We would trade him off in between classes.

13. He was quite the fisherman and camper when he was a teen.

14. He is handsome!!

15. He has a soft heart and cares about hurting others feelings.

16. He has a great sense of humor and likes to laugh and is not afraid to be laughed at.

17. He was a great kid, pretty obedient, and not afraid to share the gospel and let those around him know his beliefs.

18. He is an Eagle Scout, just barely, 9 days before his 18th birthday he completed his Board of Review.

19. His second semester of college will hopefully bring better grades than his first!!

There many more great qualities about Riley, we love him and are grateful he is our son!!

Socks, Anyone??

2009-02-20T11:30:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I finally tackled the task of matching up all the socks in our house. We had a laundry basket full of socks that had been dug through for weeks because no one wanted to tackle the job. After finding all the matched socks I could, I still had this pile of mismatched socks. I was on a mission now, so I ventured into my kids rooms and looked under beds, behind dressers, dug through gym bags, cleaned out the bottom of closets, and checked all their drawers. Well I found a few stragglers, but what I really found is that my kids take their freshly folded laundry and shove it in their drawers. They were a mess, seriously not a thing folded in any drawer. So guess what they got to do after school, yeah, clean up their clothes I dumped in a pile on their floor. I think they knew they were caught because there was very little protesting. So six hours later, everything is washed in our house and I still have this pile of mismatched socks. Where do they go!! Maddie and Matt keep telling me they need more socks and blame Riley for taking all the good socks up to school when he was here at Christmas. We have serious sock issues!! I thought not having Riley's socks around would make a difference but it hasn't and how sad is it that I spent my entire day yesterday matching socks! But I have to say I felt great satisfaction seeing all those matched socks folded up and put away, now I just have to figure out what I am going to do with all these leftovers-- and have the fun job start all over again in a few days......

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

We have been in full blown valentine making mode lately and I have to say I am ready for this holiday to be over. Bailey is quite the artist but is also quite messy when she is in the midst of it. I am constantly cleaning this area about twice a day. On the plus side, I always have fresh artwork for my fridge!!

Ben and I spent our 20th Valentine's Day together at a baseball tournament for Matt. We had a tough decision to stay in Tucson and watch Matt or go to Las Vegas for a volleyball tournament for Madeline. Neither of us wanted to be alone and we are going to Utah in a few weeks so we decided to stay in Tucson. We had a great night last night. We put Bailey to bed, Matt spent the night at a friends, Maddie left for Las Vegas, and Ben and I watched a movie and he gave me a foot rub. Tonight we barbecued steaks with grandpa and grandma Gooch and had a delicious dinner. So it was nothing glamorous, but it felt good to have a nice relaxing weekend at home. I still remember our first valentine's day together-To bad for you, I am going to keep the juicy details to myself!!

Hot Air Balloon Launch!!

2009-02-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

Bailey's school had a fun hot air balloon activity in January. They spent a few weeks making their balloons and talking about how hot air makes a balloon rise. Bright and early one crisp Tucson morning we met at the school for the LAUNCH. Bailey's balloon was rainbow of course. We used campfire stoves with propane fuel to heat the air inside the balloons. We then would have a countdown and the kids would launch their balloons. It was amazing how high some of the balloons would go. The kids would race and follow their balloon to catch it as it was descending. Their was a ladder handy to get balloons out of the trees and off of the roof if they travelled too far. We spent about 1 1/2 hours launching balloons the kids could do it as many times as they wanted as long as their balloon held out. It was a fun morning and Bailey was excited to have her mom, dad, and grandma their to help.

Christmas 2009

2009-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

So before we turn the corner into February, I thought I should post about our fun-filled Christmas and New Year's Celebrations. We had a great time this Christmas with 7 out of 8 of my brothers and sisters visiting during some or all of the two weeks before and after the holidays. It was a fun filled couple of weeks that now seems like a blur now that it is over!!

We ate (feeding 26 people morning, noon, and night is quite the feat), played, shopped, went to movies, the zoo, watched football, played football, played cards, and had lots of catch up time.

The cousins got along great. It was a minor christmas miracle that there was no fighting over toys, no parents needing to referee, just fast and frenzied playing every single day (I am talking about the adults here!!) Ha ha!! After Christmas we headed north to Williams, AZ to take the polar express to the "north pole". My mom, my sister Julie's family, and my brother Dave and his family came with us. Bailey loved it, we wore our pj's, sang carols, met Santa, read the polar express book, and had a great night. The next day we bundled up and went sledding and had a great lunch at Oreganos in Flagstaff. It was a fun little weekend and reminded me of how much I enjoy living in Tucson. We can be enjoying 70 degree days and drive a few hours and be sledding in a snowstorm. It was a great Christmas and the best part was having everyone there and being together!!

Our Kind Of Pet!!

2009-01-14T23:11:00.002-08:00

We have been busy hatching this little guy. We are going on day 4 soaking him in water and slowly letting him make his way out. Bailey was so excited to find out it is a T-Rex and has been practicing extreme patience to not rip the rest of the shell off of him. He will even grow a bit after he emerges completely out of the shell. So ya my kids might want dogs but this is a pretty good subsistute. If you want your own pet baby dino head on over to the local Cracker Barrel thats where we picked up our newest addition. Look for this package!!

Our kind of Pet

2009-01-14T23:11:00.001-08:00

We're Decking the Halls!!

2008-12-17T14:38:00.001-08:00

Who is that sexy beast with me?!! I made an impulse buy a few weeks ago when I was looking for Nutcracker tickets and they were sold out. I ended up buying tickets to "Linda Eder Rocking the Holidays". Now neither Ben nor I had ever heard of her but I have to tell you the concert was pretty good. The snowbirds were in full fledged attendance and we felt a bit out of place but I really enjoyed her Christmas songs. She does a really impressive version of Silent Night. So all in all it was a pretty enjoyable night!!

Christmas Lists

Maddie's list...

At the church party Bailey was very concerned about talking to Santa because she did not think she had been good enough. She wanted a little more time to prepare and get on the good list!!

She asked Santa for a horse!

Our little christmas elf helping set up the tree...

Decorating the gingerbread houses...

Our Tree!!!

My favorite nativity Ben gave me last year....

Lights on the cactus...

Merry Christmas!!!

Turkey Day 2008

2008-12-14T22:13:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving 2008: We had a great time with the family this year. Steve and Julie and kids, Doug, Mieke and Keegan, Dave, Heather and Bella, Grandma and Grandpa Gooch and most importantly Riley came home!! It was great to see him, "we sent a boy to BYU and he came home a man."

We played some sand volleyball...

some flag football....

and had a great turkey dinner!! My mom did a dry brine on the turkey and it was delicious, along with the homemade rolls, sweet potatoes, and stuffing, mashed potatoes, pie.....YUM!!

Ben and I ended up out on the patio- it was a beautiful day!! The girls also went to see Twilight (a bit cheesy but enjoyable) one night, but we played cards, watched movies, and visited to round out the weekend.

HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY MATT!!

2008-12-04T17:35:00.000-08:00

Can you believe this cute little guy turned 13 last month!! We had a family party with Grandma and Grandpa Gooch the sunday before his birthday, Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner on his birthday, and a birthday party with friends a week later. I think Matt's good as far as birthday parties go for a few years!!

Mardi Gras Bubba!!

   Future football Star...
   Yee Haw!!
   Bailey helping Matt blow out his candles...

   One of Matt's favorite meals..Buffalo Wild Wings!!

   Oh Yeah, Wii are going to get fit!!
   Matt's as tall as Maddie now 5'10 in., 128 lbs., size 12 feet
   The jousting matches...

   Flag Football Game!!!
   The Party Planners!!
   Bailey Pooped Out!!!

Oh My Golly I Am Glad This Week Is Over!!

2008-11-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy week!!

-Matt's 13 th birthday party with 15 boys and a blow up jousting/wrestling thing

-Up to Phoenix to watch Maddie's team at the State Tournament ( they lost but the game went 5 games and they played awesome)

-Ben out of town in Washington D.C. all week

-Young Women In Excellence Program (pink and brown decor turned out very cute)

-Volleyball Banquet for 120 people (apparently this was my responsibility as the booster club pres. --a job I was convinced to be) that does not make sense but I am tired.

I am tired so I''ll put up some pics later!! Have I said how tired I am enough.

We're Going to the Volleyball State Semifinals!!!

2008-11-13T22:21:00.000-08:00

Go Sabino !!!

Maddie's school volleyball team qualified for the semifinals tonight. We beat a very tough Scottsdale Saguaro team in three games. Maddie played awesome, she had 20 kills and tons of digs. She was a machine!! She leads the southern region in kills right now and is only a sophomore in high school. Her team is playing great right now and is so fun to watch. We are so proud of her!! Wish us luck on Saturday we will have to play the game of our lives!!

TRICK OR TREAT!!

2008-11-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2008: A Beautiful Sunset

Dinner in a Pumpkin(not so great it ended up in the trashcan)
Art Project for the School Monster Mash
Costume Parade and Halloween Party at School

A Teenage Werewolf!!

A Beautiful Mermaid!!
Making "Rainbows" with the Trick or Treat Loot

Go Tucson Cowboys!!

2008-10-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Matt (#2) has been having a successful football season this year. His team is undefeated and he has been kicking some serious booty. We enjoy watching every saturday even though it still has not cooled down. Last saturday was a scorcher!!

Go Sabercats!

2008-10-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Madeline was in the newspaper last week. Here is the link to it. Here is another link that has some video about Maddie and her team.

The Big Apple!!

2008-10-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

Bailey and I flew out to visit the Lewis's in New York for Colombus Day Weekend. We used just about every form of transportation possible in one day (cars, feet, subway, train, ferry, taxi, and horse carriage). We had a blast and saw lots of fun things in the city. Maline and I also took a day and walked and shopped on 5th Ave., ate a nice dinner -the hot chocolate @ Max Brenner's was a highlight!! We saw a show, tried Junior's Cheeesecake and were thoroughly exhausted after all the walking. I quickly changed into my tennis shoes on the second day after acquiring some nice blisters trying to be fashionable on our first day's excursions. It was a whirlwind two days and then we were off to see Fall in the Berkshires and Vermont.

Fall Party & Leaf Peeping -Vermont 2008

2008-10-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Bailey and I ,and Maline and Alan's family met my brother Scott's family in Vermont for a weekend of "leaf peeping". The colors were incredible and it was one of the most fun trips I have taken. We hiked, found an alpine slide, and visited the cutest country farm. We took a tractor ride, saw how maple syrup is made, and fed and petted many different kinds of farm animals. The cousins had a great time playing with one another. I think this part of the country is a must see during the fall it was so beautiful!!

Olympic Aftermath

2008-10-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Olympics, Bailey is now a budding beam gymnast. I am just waiting for the front flip dismount. My couch cushions will never be the same!! She likes to see how fast she can walk along the back and how many times she can go back and forth without falling. She also ventures over to the love seat without touching the ground.

Go BYU!!

2008-10-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

September started off with a memorable and expensive trip to Provo to drop Riley off at BYU. It was memorable and expensive because Riley's car broke down in Flagstaff five hours into the trip. We stopped at a stoplight and heard a big clunk so we quickly pulled into a service station to see what the car's problem was. They informed us we would not be able to get it fixed for a few days. After a few silent swear words by mom and dad, Riley had the idea to rent a moving truck and tow his car behind it ( he really wanted to make sure he got his car up to school!!) So we rented a 15 footer and a car carrier and towed his car to Provo to get it fixed. Oh, and by the way, the truck only had two bucket seats so guess who rode in his car on top of the car carrier all the way to Provo--that would be Riley. We Bushman's know how to arrive in style that's for sure!! Pretty much the most white trash way to get to college. We got Riley moved in, took him on a tour of campus, bought his books, went to a football game, and said our goodbyes!! It was scary to leave him there but we know he is having a great time and has met some great friends in the dorm. We can't wait to see him during the holidays!

Hiking up Sabino Canyon

2008-08-24T21:20:00.001-07:00

While the Lewis's were in town we decided to take a hike up Sabino Canyon. It was about 100 degrees but that just made the waterfall feel better!! Jack brought up the rear!!

Scampering up a slippery rock...
...so they could slide back down....
catching frogs and tadpoles...

checking out a bush covered with butterflies...
Bailey had a fun time with her cousins, she already has ditched day from kindergarten and has not even been in school for a week.

What not to do!!

2008-08-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

What happens when your husband parks up at the top of a down hill driveway and forgets to put the parking brake on?? Yeah , you become $1,000 poorer and get to fix a 10 year old truck *!@%! It could have been worse I guess. I still love you, honey!!

Where has Big Boy been all summer?

2008-08-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Riley got a job this summer!! He built cell phone towers everyday and came home filthy dirty with fiberglass in his arms and the stuff even made it into his underwear (Matt confirmed this when he accidently wore a pair of Riley's undies and had some unexplainable itching!!) He worked really hard and definitely does not like to part with his hard earned money. He made some nice ex-con friends, saw some sweet tattoos, and realized why it is important to get a good education. We are off to take him to BYU in a few days. Big boy is going to be a Cougar. He was set apart as an Elder by his Dad today after church. Grandpa and Grandma Gooch were present and then we had a delicious steak dinner at their house after.

Mexico!!!

2008-08-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

We took one last trip down to Rocky Point, Mexico before school started and had a fabulous time with Carl and Stephanie's family from Idaho, Doug and Mieke, and Grandpa and Grandma Gooch, and all the cousins. We spent every minute at the pool and the beach with a few ventures into town for ice cream, tacos, shopping and of course some Pollo Lucas!! The last day the waves were huge, and as you will see Grandma Gooch took a little tumble. Good thing Matt was there help her and chase after her sandal!!

The beach....

The pool...
Grandma and Matt checking out the waves.
Grandma going down ....
Matt with the rescued sandal!!
Carl and Hannah..
Bailey building her masterpiece. She wanted to make a sand castle that she had seen Curious George make on TV.
Beach babes and Surfer dudes...
Bailey giving me the squint....
Banana Boat Rides !!!!
Family pic without Riley ( he stayed home to work).
Crazy Kids....
Noah with his goggles...
Matt and Payton would hide out in the pantry and eat chips, cookies, and the white bread. How sad is that that they consider white bread a treat!!
Noah with his goggles, he was never far from them.....
Night swim....
Nice, hot, sweaty picture...
Keegan and Bailey "surfing"...
Noah catching some waves...
These two are soo brave in the ocean!!!
Hey, is that a mermaid washed up on the shore, or has Matt had a growth spurt in the chest region??
I think Doug and Ben are discussing who is the better artist to be trusted with the mermaids chest!!
Doug wanted to be a mermaid too, he looks a little too happy!!

Yep, this was a good vacation!!

Back To School!!

2008-08-12T01:09:00.000-07:00

The summer is over and we all came to the consensus that the summer went way too fast!! With the start of a new school year, the Bushman family has two new milestones that we are reaching this year. Bailey is starting kindergarten, and Riley will be a freshman at BYU!! I still remember the excitement and nervousness I felt when Riley got on the school bus (holding hands with his good friend Analise) to start his kindergarten. Time is just flying by and I do not feel ready to let my kids grow up!! I got a little teary eyed last night thinking about it. Here are a few first day of school pics. Maddie is a sophomore at Sabino High School and Matt is a 7th grader at Magee Middle School. Aren't they great looking kiddos if I do say so myself!! Watch out ladies and hot guys!!

Bailey is waking up ready to start her first day of school....
Notice how happy and smiley she is as we leave the house....
New backpack and shiny red shoes.....

Bailey will be making footprints as a Collier cougar this year....

Notice how her face is starting to look a little concerned and not too excited about the confetti she will be throwing in a minute....
She was barely holding back the tears, wondering about this whole school business!!
Off she goes, notice the bounce in her step.....
A happy smile again at the end of a great first day of school. She made a friend named "Merrilly Ann" and told us she wished her name was "Merrilly Ann" too. We told her her name is Bailey Anne, but she does not think it is as pretty!!
She was all smiles as she told us all about her day. She especially liked the playground and proudly showed us her blisters from the monkey bars. This little girl loves the monkey bars and always has callouses on her palms from them!!!
By the way, Matt got off the school bus happy and Maddie wanted me to call and get her schedule changed because she had to walk to the seminary building alone and she is one of only a few girls in her weight lifting class. There is always drama with her!! It looks like we're off to a great start and look forward to great things this year from all my kids.

Water Balloon Fun

2008-07-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

I needed these three to help me blow up water balloons for a YW activity. The had a little too much fun and ended blowing up almost 200 water balloons.

Matt's technique is a little questionable, but whatever gets the job done!!

This is what I found when I came out to check on their progress. Bailey is cracking up!! Maddie had to get in on the fun.