ThAnKsGiViNg

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Grandma Despain's. We always spend the day before cooking with mom. We prepare as much as possible so it's all ready to go on Thanksgiving Day. On the menu was turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato souffle, green beans with bacon, homemade rolls, and about 14 pies. Everyone has their favorites so we have to make them all. After dinner we all vegged around the table and later, on the couch. As usual, Uncle Tim, took a nap in the recliner. Although he claims he's not really asleep. Guess what Tim, you snore. I was especially tired this year, as we have discovered that we are expected a baby in June!!

Trick or Treat

We love Halloween! The boys count down the days until they can go trick-or-treating. This year, Brandon dressed up as a mad scientist. He used my old lab coat and we found some goofy glasses and fake teeth. He looked great. Ethan looked super cool in a fighter pilot costume complete with aviator sunglasses. Jonah dressed up as Woody from Toy Story including his "trusty steed", Bullseye. Luke was Zorro this year and he looked sooooo cute. Aunt Missy had a great costume and we were able to find him a mask to go with it. I also drew a little mustache on his face to top it all off. Halloween festivities included the ward "Trunk-or-Treat", the school Halloween parade, as well as class parties, and Jonah's preschool program. Not to mention trick-or-treating on the big night. True to tradition, mom made chili and cinnamon rolls for dinner. But the kids pretty much just ate candy.

Return to Disneyland

We had so much fun in Disneyland in the spring that we decided to surprise the kids with another trip! We checked them out of school early, had the car all packed and ready to go, and started the road trip. For the first hour on the road they kept asking us "are we really going to Disneyland?" That could believe it. I have to say though, even though the decorations are incredible and it has such a fun atmosphere, I will never go in October again. It was UEA for us, and everyone in Utah had the same idea. Everywhere you looked there were BYU and UTAH shirts. Wait times for rides were crazy. We found that Ethan was eligible for a "guest assistance" pass because of his diabetes, so we got to go to the front of the line. Without that we would hardly ridden anything. It was still fun though 'cause hey, it's Disneyland. The boys especially liked Space Mountain because it was modified for Halloween. Steph and Tim and Kristel and Jason and their families came too. The cousin always have fun together. We also got to visit with Mindy and her family on the way home.

Luke turns 3!!!

Lukey was so excited to celebrate his birthday. He has been waiting all year long. Whenever there was a birthday party he would be so sad because it wasn't his. Well now it's his turn and he embraced being in the spotlight. We celebrated at Grandma Despain's house with all his cousins. Luke ate 3 or 4 cupcakes (actually he just licked the frosting off the tops) and loved opening his presents.

Bear Lake

We planned a little impromptu mini vacation to Bear Lake. Mike really enjoyed it with his scouts at camp this summer so we thought we take the family. We went after Labor Day so there was nobody there. We had the beach to ourselves and let the boys play in the sand for hours. We also rented a jet ski and Mike took the boys out in turns. We also hiked Minnetonka Cave. I don't know if the kids enjoyed it as much as the parents did. They just thought it was a lot of stairs, but Mike and I loved it. Although, I can never remember the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite. I think the boys favorite part was eating pizza at "Bear Lake Pizza". Apparently it's the "best pizza they've ever had".

First Day of School

Brandon started 5th grade this year. Ethan started 3rd grade. Jonah is going to preschool!

Walk to a Cure

Our son Ethan was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes just before his 5th birthday. So in support of him we attended the annual "Walk to a Cure" fundraising event hosted by the JDRF (juvenile diabetes research foundation). This year we teamed up with our good friends and neighbors the Butterfield's. Their son, Kenneth, was diagnosed in October of last year. Together we formed team ButterScott. We were able to raise over $7,000 for diabetes research thanks to the contributions of family and friends. This is a wonderful experience for Ethan. It helps him to see that there are many other kids out there with diabetes and it's a way for him to see how many people love and support him. Not only did people donate but a lot of our friends and family were able to come and walk with us.


The theme this year was "Rock the Walk" and we "Rocked" it.

Luke telling us to "ROCK ON!"


Everyone with a red bandana is part of Team ButterScott


Ethan with his cousin Tyler.

Candy For Sale

In a few weeks our family will be participating in the "Walk to a Cure" fundraising event for our son Ethan who has diabetes. Over the past couple of months we have been collecting contributions from our family and friends. Brandon wanted to help raise money too. So he decided to set up a candy bar stand out on the sidewalk. He and Ethan developed a strategy to help with the selling. Ethan went around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and telling the kids to come buy some candy over at his house while Brandon stayed at the stand and made the sell. They ended up raising $65!




Our neighbors, the Kirby's, came out to buy some candy for their whole family.

Black Family Reunion 2010

Every year my mom's side of the family gets together to have a family reunion campout. There are around 150 people who come. The kids look forward to this every year and so do I. We've been having this reunion ever since I was 1 year old. We had a carnival and crafts, horse shoes and games. Each night we gather around the camp fire to sing songs and tell jokes and stories. Later on we put the kids to bed and the adults stay up and talk by the camp fire. Because of this yearly tradition our extended family has been able to stay close and my kids are starting to see how important family really is.

Holy Birthdays Batman!

Every year we go though a crazy 10 days where we celebrate 3 birthdays.

Brandon turned 11 on July 26th. For his birthday we all went to the movies. He invited his two cousins Brady and Tyler to come as well and we saw "Despicable Me". After the show we went over to Incredible Pizza which was actually pretty cool. They have an all you can eat buffet, which my husbands considers a personal challenge. After eating, each boy got a $10 playing card that they could use on any games or activities. They had go carts, miniature golf, miniature bowling, and laser tag. Then it was back to our house for cupcakes and ice cream.

My birthday was July 28th. Mike treated me to a day of shopping, a pedicure, and a yummy dinner. My all time favorite birthday was 11 years ago when I got to bring baby Brandon home from the hospital.

Jonah turned 5 on August 5th. He had his first friend party this year. He and 25 friends and cousins spent a full filled 2 hours at "Bouncin' of the Walls". My sister, Missy, made him a Sponge Bob cake that was a total hit. He got to sit in the Big Red Birthday Chair and open all his birthday gifts. After the party, we took him to Fuddrukkers for his birthday dinner.

We got celebrate all over again at Grandma Despain's that Sunday. This time we also included my brother, Mikie, my twin brother, Ryan, and my nieces, Charlie and Brett. My sister Mindy and her kids were in town from California to help us celebrate. My mom actually had all 30 of her grandchildren together at the same time, so we took the opportunity to snap a picture.

Brandon blowing out his candles with Tyler, Jonah, and Ethan looking on.


Birthday's at Grandma Despain's


All 30 Grandkids!


Jonah's awesome Sponge Bob Cake! Thanks Missy.

Just Keep Swimming

Every year we spend 2 weeks of the summer doing swimming lessons at Willow Creek Country Club. This year I decided (in an effort to save a little money) that Brandon and Ethan were good enough swimmers and just concentrated on Jonah and Luke. Jonah learned so much this year. He started out being absolutely terrified to go under the water. He had an awesome instructor though, who got through his stubborn nature and got him out of his comfort zone. By the end of the 2 weeks he was swimming underwater. Luke did great too once he finally learned that blowing bubbles meant blowing water out of his mouth instead of sucking it in. When lessons were over for the day it was open swim for everyone and mom got to work on her sun tan.


Luke at swimming lessons with his cousins Lizzy (second from the left) and Charlie (on the right).




Luke & Lizzy

Draper Days

Every year in our wonderful city of Draper we celebrate "Draper Days", which is a week full of "funtivities" that commemorate the founding of Draper. We hit the parade that morning where we met my sister Missy and her family. We saw our brother-in-law, Troy Walker, in the parade since he is on Draper City Council. The boys got a ton of candy, by the end they weren't even trying to pick any more up.

That evening we headed over to Draper Heritage Park for fireworks. I love this park. It has a beautiful gazebo in the center and the whole park is cozy and quant and has a small town feel. We met Missy's family there again and spread out on blankets for the show.

Wahoo! That's One Smoking Hot Man!


Brandon, Ethan, and Luke with their cousins Katie and Hallie

InDePeNdEnCe DaY!!!

I love a parade! (pretend I'm singing this line in a semi-decent show-tune voice.) This year we went to the Sandy Parade with our friends the Brands, the Johnsons, the Beckstroms, and the Knowles. We had a blast! It's been a while since we've been to a parade, since they usually start early in the morning and our love for sleeping-in outweighs our need to see a parade. But this one didn't start until the evening. The boys loved seeing all the floats and scrounging for candy. When is was over, we headed over to Fuddrucker's for dinner. Then is was back out to the grounds to watch the fireworks. We had so much fun that we decided then and there to make it a tradition.

The next day we decide to take our boys on a hike to Cecret Lake. When we got there we learned that Cecret Lake still had 3 feet of snow. Soooo, we tried a different hike with not so good results. The trail we took was a lot harder and after 5 minutes the little ones were whining. We did get a pretty cool picture though.

Benjamin, Jonah, and Cooper




Tucker, Joey, Brandon, Benjamin, and Cooper

Brandon's Scout Camp

Mike got to take Brandon on the 11 year old camp this year. (Even though Brandon isn't quite 11) They camped overnight and the next day they took an awesome 5 mile hike. They saw some amazing views and got some great pictures. Dad was a little sore the next day.

Cub Scout Day Camp

Wow! Me and 15 boys up in the mountains for 2 fun filled days. What an adventure!

Camp was a fun experience mainly because I got to go with Ethan. The boys learned how to shoot arrows and BB guns, they learned about geography and geology, did an obstacle course, and made homemade paper rockets. Their favorite part was the Trading Post, where they got to buy all kinds of treats and gadgets. Ethan bought a sling shot, a whip, and a walking stick.

The Scott Family Reunion

This year the Scott Family Reunion was held up at the Heber Valley Camp. We had never been there before and I must say I was impressed. This is definitely the way to camp! We had 2 cabins one for the boys and one for the girls, so guess who didn't have to worry about any kids at night. Me! They all got to stay with Dad. I did feel bad though because apparently Luke had an hour window of being pretty upset. Sorry babe! They also have refrigerators and locking pantries to keep your food in, as well as kitchen sinks and camping stoves. There is also a gorgeous lake where the boys were able to go paddle boating and canoeing. That evening we sang camping songs and the Scott siblings took turns telling stories about one another. I learn my husband was quite the terror to his brothers and sisters. It really gave me some serious insight about our own kids.

Brandon's Arrow of Light

Today Brandon received his Arrow of Light at pack meeting.

Scouts is an important part of our family. Mike is the Scoutmaster for our ward and I am the Bear Leader in Cub Scouts. We both love our callings and Brandon and Ethan love going to activities.

Since Mike is the Scoutmaster, he was asked to say a few words to welcome Brandon into Boy Scouts. He did a fabulous job and even got a little choked up talking about his son. He was so proud of Brandon for earning his Arrow of Light because it was something that Mike didn't accomplish when he was in Cub Scouts.

I made a window box for Brandon that displays all the awards he earned during his time in Cub Scouts. We put it, and his Arrow of Light, on his bedroom wall and he is so proud of it.

Way to go, bud!!!

Memorial Day Picnic

Mike and I decided to take the boys out for a fun family picnic this Memorial Day. Normally we would spend the day with family, but guess what. Everyone was either out of town or had other plans. So we packed up the boys, grabbed some KFC and headed to the local park for an evening of sunshine and just plan goofing off. Brandon was a little surprised that his mother is not so bad at "Flies Up".

DiSnEyLaNd!!!

Okay, so Mike and I decided to bite the bullet (financially, that is) and take all the rug rats to Disneyland. We decided to drive there to save a little money, which in theory is a good idea, but I was nervous about taking a 10 hour car ride with all the boys. So we did a lot of preparation. Between 6 different DVD's, 2 iphones, 1 ipod touch, and 1 nintendo DS they were fairly entertained. (For the most part.)

Disneyland itself was a blast! I can't believe what dare devils Brandon & Ethan are. They must have ridden California Screamin' 15 times during the 3 days we were there. They also loved The Tower of Terror and Space Mountain. Jonah's favorite though, was Soarin' . He couldn't get enough of it. We also discovered that Jonah is nowhere close to a dare devil. The pictures that were taken while he was riding Splash Mountain and Space Mountain show a boy experiencing complete and utter terror! Luke loved going on Buzz Lightyear and the Carousel. My favorite ride was Peter Pan which, I know, is a "kiddie ride". But for me it's nostalgic. It's one of the rides from when the park first opened and I still remember it from my first Disneyland trip when I was a kid. There is just something magical about it.

During this trip we also got a chance to see my sister Mindy and her family, who live in Rancho Cucamonga. The boys loved playing with cousins they only see maybe once or twice a year. Thanks for showing us a good time Min'!

Lastly, I want to thank my husband for being such a great Dad. For driving us all out there, for forkin' out the dough, for hauling around 2-year-olds and strollers and backpacks, for changing diapers in a men's public bathroom, for keeping his cool when Mom was about to lose hers, and for being the Captain of our wild and zany crew. I love you, babe.

Ethan Gets Baptized

Ethan was baptized today by his father and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who is worthy to perform this ordinance for our son. Ethan had a great day! He was giving a brand new set of scriptures by his Grandma & Grandpa Despain. His Mom & Dad gave him a journal so he could write down how he felt about being baptized. Many of his aunt, uncles, cousins, and friends were able to attend.

We feel so lucky to have Ethan in our family. He is always so happy and enthusiastic about life. And he always lets his family know how much he loves them.