Christmas 2009

Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled, spoiled, spoiled, spoiled

Lucy still hasn't stopped singing on her iCarley karaoke machine

The kids and their loot at Grandma Char's

Lucy bought a new wii game with her Target Card. Nobody is allowed to play it but her.

Madison's new purse has a spot for her new cell phone and iTouch. Double spoiled.

Zach used his night vision goggles for sneaking up on Santa. They will come in handy with all his new guns he got for Christmas. Seriously, how many guns does a 9-year-old need?

Brandon also got a new gun. Spoiled.

Angielee was given a new Digital SLR camera. SPOILED.

A McDougald Family Christmas Tree

Griswold Style

So Brandon gets up and leaves the house early each year to be one of the first in line to get a Christmas tree permit sometime in October. Then we travel after Thanksgiving to Woodland, Utah to pick out the very best tree in all the Forrest.

Shot of the actual tree murder
Madison and Daisy looking cold and lost

Beautiful half frozen stream we needed to cross to get the "Perfect Tree"

The best part of the whole day!! Hot Chocolate.

Random Pics and Stuff......

Meet Draco. He is Madison's new super smelly ferret.

Madison was admiring the ferrets at Petco one evening, as is the usual routine, when a worker approached her.

Worker: Do you like ferrets?

Madison: Yes, my dad used to have one.

Worker: Do you have a ferret?

Madison: No, my mother would completely FREAK OUT! I would in no way want to disappoint her or make her throw up from the horrible smell. (I ad-libbed here a bit)

Worker: Would you like me to give you a ferret for free? You can have the ferret and the cage and all the goodies that come with him.

Madison: Boy, would I? Yippee!!

And that is where Draco enters the scene. He is an albino, male ferret with creepy red eyes.

All he needs is a little Death Eater sweater.

(hint hint Regina, he is about this size. See picture below)

This is my monkey, Lucy Bleu. She loves to meet the UPS guy at the door.

This is our "beauty challenged" bulldog waiting for the UPS guy with her.

Lagoon Season Passports

Our family had season passports this year for Lagoon. We would go for a couple hours during the week after Brandon would get home from work. It was the perfect amount of time. We would be able to ride all the rides without waiting in any lines. It really is the best way to do Lagoon.

In October, we went to Frightmares. This was our first time going, and the kids loved it. The kids even did the spook alleys, reluctantly, but we drug them in there. Their favorite was the crazy clown circus. Lucy thought it was okay, but the second time we went she had to have the special "friendly" treatment. A spook alley helper went in front of us with a flashlight to warn all the clowns that they were only allowed to wave and giggle to Lucy. Wuss!

The kids had so much fun this year, they definitely want season tickets again next year. We'll see.

Traveling Summer 2009

Granite Flats

We were on our way to one of our favorite camping places in Utah, Timponeeke Campground, when we took a detour. We were told by the 'gate-keeper' that Timponeeke had closed due to snow. That is the chances you take when you go camping in October, camper or not. Ms. Gate Keeper told us to try Granite Flats, which was lower in elevation. So we thought we would at least give it a look, being that we were all ready for a fun, snow filled, freeze-your-butt-off camping weekend.

As it turned out, the place was beautiful. Are there anything else but beautiful places in Utah, though? It had paved roads and weaved in and out of various campgrounds. This place was even filled with history. There were old barracks and a mess hall. Apparently men used to camp here as a group and plant trees in the area for the government project.

They did a great job, by-the-way.

Granite Flats is close to Cascade Springs, another favorite place of ours. Cascade Springs is an underground aquifer that seeps out of the mountain to form small waterfalls and pools. It is a hidden beauty and is especially beautiful in the fall.

One year ago we were also at Cascade Springs. We had our big boy Diesel with us at that time. These are pictures of Daisy and Diesel a year apart.

Traveling Summer 2009

Labor Day Camp out

"The Hut"

"The Hut" is my parents mountain property near their home. My dad has made it into the area's KOA by making camping spots through the trees, chipping wood so there is little mud in those camping areas, and laying gravel throughout the loop.

There are swings here and there, a pavilion, a fire pit and lots of 4 wheeler trails. The pavilion even has an old Catholic church bench. Daisy was the only dog who wouldn't stay off the bench. All the other dogs (108 or so of them) know better then to get on the furniture. Daisy couldn't even be pushed off.

Daisy and Axle got to play all weekend and minded their manners for the most part. The problem was Daisy. That girl could use some Midol or Prozac. You never know when she is going to switch on you from cute puppy to B*#!H in 2.8 seconds.

Lucy and her cousin enjoying the swing and sharing an apple at the same time.

Zach got in a lot of target practice. He brought an arsenal of weapons. One of the big activities is to go "Bear Hunting" during your stay at the hut. Everyone grabs their .22 or what-have-you and take off for a hike down the mountain. You may or may not see a bear, but you will get to shoot at other harmless creatures along the way.

There were MANY more picture worthy moments during our stay, but our camera's battery died soon into the trip. Use your imagination and picture 4-wheelers with dogs on the back, little kids covered in mud, the kids building their own 'hut', etc. etc. etc.

We love the peacefulness of the mountains.

First day of school 2009

Yeah!! WooHooo!! It's here!!! First day of school for the kids was August 24, 2009. Madison is in 6th grade, Zach in 4th, and Lucy is in Kindergarten. All three kids at one school this year for the first and only time. Zach was such a "guy" that morning. I had to beg him to change out of his holy, wrinkled, stained, old shirt for the first day. He changed into a camping shirt, and then finally I had to go help him. He picked a shirt that he had worn for the last two days. "It was still clean", not that he cares if it's clean or not. Lucy was wanting to wear her old jeans with holes and a turtleneck shirt that is way to small. This was very surprising because she usually only wants to wear skirts or dresses. We talked her into her lemon dress the night before. When we woke up it looked like it was going to be a cold, rainy day, not a good sundress day. She chose this. Every item had pink on it, therefore it matched.

Madison had her outfit picked out days before. She was up showering in first thing in the morning. The key is to make it look like you don't really care though. She would NOT let me curl her hair. My little hippie!

Orchard Elementary, here we come!

Lucy has Mrs. Armknecht, the same Kindergarten teacher Zach had. We LOVE her and were very excited to learn Lucy would be in her class. Zach has Mrs. Barnes. We don't know her yet, but judging by her name, she seems very nice. Madison has Mrs. Faulkerson and she is very excited. Every March she gives all the students in her class Irish names by putting a Mc or O' in front of their last name. Madison will have to be McO'McDougald. hahaha

Lucy got to go to an hour of Kindergarten Monday. Then she will go in for a half hour of testing on Thursday morning. School will start up for her normally next Monday. She has proclaimed how unfair this is over and over and over and over. I agree!!!! The little ones listened to "The Kissing Hand" from the teacher and then were sent back to us to get a kiss on their hand. Lucy has made a lot of friends already and says "Everybody at this school likes me". A little narcissistic I guess, but that wont hurt anybody!

Traveling Summer 2009

Mirror Lake in the High Uintahs

Our family loves Mirror Lake. We stop in Kamas at the Samak Smoke House (which has the BEST jerky by-the-way) and rent a canoe for 2 days. There are no motors allowed on Mirror lake so it is very peaceful and quiet. Riding in the canoe is probably the kids favorite part. They get to fish and splash. The lake is very clear and they can see when a fish is coming up to their line. AND Mirror Lake has albino fish, which could be the coolest thing they've ever seen!

The Lin family joined us for a day of fun and fishing on Saturday. They played ball int he meadow and dug holes in the tent spot. They filled them in when they were done.

As for Daisy swimming or sinking, we still don't really know. She really wanted to get in the canoe, but then would immediately jump out before we could go anywhere. Sissssssssyyyy. And if her nose went under the water, even a little bit, she would freak out and turn around. Next time maybe. She did prove herself, however, to be an awesome bird dog. Squirrel dog, that is. Not one could go by unnoticed. She even treed a couple and wouldn't leave until she knew for sure that it wasn't coming down.

SQUIRREL!!!!!

In Loving Memory of Diesel - Our Big Boy

Our sweet Bulldog was hit by a car and killed on a Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Diesel was a favorite member of our family that is already being missed incredibly. There could be no better dog than Diesel, he was a model bulldog. Diesel had a very special personality that made everyone fall in love with him instantly. We would get stopped everywhere we went to get asked questions about our "awesome dog". Diesel would sit down and then lay down with his jowls flapped out because we were talking to long and he needed to rest. He made a great show-and-tell.

Some of our most favorite things about Diesel were:

• His gentle demeanor
• Big brown eyes
• His HUGE bulldog head and black face
• "Happy Butt" This is the way he had to wiggle his whole back end to wag what tail he had
• After every drink, he let out a huge burp
• He was a pro wrestler
• He always wanted to be with the family and NEVER wanted to be left behind
• He was to scared to go through an open door that wasn't open double wide enough for him
• He had the most ferocious growl to scare any predator - or friend :)
• We loved hearing his growl when he played - Zach said it sounded like a broken dishwasher
• NO ONE was strong enough to take away the webbed rubber ball
• He loved to play keep away
• If he liked you, you knew it because he would run and get one of his toys for you to play with him
• You could hear on of his stinky farts from across the room - seriously!
• He wasn't a big kiss giver, so you knew when you got one, you were loved!
• He had the cleanest ears and jowls around. Daisy cleaned him constantly. ewww
• Big, big, big bulldog stretch with his butt in the air and all his skin would gather around his nose
• He would sit on the driveway and watch the traffic go by
• Even the mailman, FedEx, and window washers loved Diesel
• Diesel "chirped" like a bird when he wanted in the house
• He would ring the bell to go outside when he was a puppy, but then wouldn't anymore. He started just sitting by the door until someone noticed him.
• BIG, LOUD, OLD MAN SNORE
• He had great manners and wouldn't jump up on people
• His big, sleepy breath he would take in and then blow it out through his jowls
• He would sit on your head if you wrestled with him
• He loved Zach's ears!! He would always nibble on them during a wrestle session
• He would nip Zach's bum, just enough to get some fabric in his mouth and let Zach know who was boss.
• Diesel had major laser issues. He would sit by a laser all day waiting for someone to move
• He loved his Nylabone and tires
• Destroying stuffed animals. He would work on the ear first, then move to the nose. He would gut the whole toy and spread the fluff through the whole house
• Diesel had great moves. To take Daisy down, he always went for her legs
• Diesel was a good dog

Traveling Summer 2009

Next Stop.....Yellowstone National Park. We went up through Yellowstone June 26 for two days. We didn't see as many animals this time, but we did see more of a variety, including two black bears and one with two of her cubs. That was a treat! The bison weren't out and all over the road this time, but then, we've seen them before. We stayed in West Yellowstone.

After that..... Glacier National Park.

June 28 - July 2 Glacier is the "American Alps". It was developed and promoted by the Northern Railroad in the early 1900's. Officially becoming a park in 1910. Everyone had been traveling to Switzerland to see the Alps. The Railroad came up with the slogan "See America First". It cost $46.50 to ride the train to Montana from back east and ride horseback through the back country of Glacier and stay at the Chalets for two weeks.

We can't really say what our favorite places were. We did really enjoy Avalanche Lake and Many Glacier. The Going-To-The-Sun Road was incredible and a real "butt-puckering" experience for Brandon to drive. The first time anyway. He became a pro because we drove over and back two times. Four times total past the Weeping Wall - A high point! We camped on Lake McDonald in the Fishcreek campground. A mountain lion had been there earlier that week, so we had to take extra precaution walking the dogs and making sure the kids didn't go off walking by themselves.


Glacier Park was acquired from the Blackfeet Indians, so many of the mountains and glaciers were named by them. Two Medicine, Many Glacier, Going-To-The-Sun Road, etc.

To see more photos from our trip - click here http://www.flickr.com/photos/30597579@N02/.

Boogie, boogie, boogie, and......KICK!

Lucy's dance recital was Wednesday, June 24, 2009. She was so excited to be up on the stage again. That is definitely the best part of taking dance lessons. According to Lucy, her best move is the "knee pop up". She has demonstrated this move to anybody who will watch for the last two months. She loved her super curly hair and mascara and how her dress "twrilled". Two hours of a dance recital to see Lucy dance for three minutes. Priceless.

Watching these little girls (and boy) dance is great! You can just see the wheels turning in their head as they think of the routine and try to get that information from their brains to their feet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gy7JF2zDdg&feature=channel_page

To see video of Lucy skills, check out our videos on YouTube.

Search under McDieselDog.

Lucy Graduated Valedictorian

Lucy graduated from preschool May 21, 2009 from "My School Preschool". They didn't actually have valedictorians but I'm sure that she would have been it.

Her school is taught by two well seasoned teachers, Miss Kathy and Miss Nannette. These ladies are very good with the kids and teach them so much. Lucy was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance by the time she had barely turned three. Smarty Pants!!

This is Clara, Lucy, and Eliza. We carpooled this year three times a week. You hear hilarious things from the mouths of 4-year-olds.

I will not miss the field trips that seemed like they were every other week. One time we missed the train. I mean we ACTUALLY missed the train. We were to ride Trax into SLC and back and couldn't find the station in time to board. Lucy was very distraught and inconsolable. I had to promise her we would take our own ride with her friends on a different day and it would be way cooler. Not that she hasn't rode the train many times before.