Such a Fun, Yet Disappointing Day....

Time again for that yearly meeting of blue vs. red. The football game with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This year, Mike and Steve flew in from Colorado for the big game. We played some croquet, went to lunch as a family, and then it was game time...

These boys make croquet look good..

Steve getting out some pre-game jitters.

Even Lucy was ready for the big game!It was so fun to spend time with all four of my siblings doing something we all love so much! We got to Provo about three hours early and shopped at the BYU bookstore for some retro gear. I got the sweetest old-school sweatshirt. After shopping we tossed a football on campus and then ate at J-Dawgs!!
Unfortunately, the game was a nightmare. It's pretty hard to win a football game when you turn the ball over SEVEN times. This picture was taken at halftime (when there was still an actual competition going on). There was not much smiling going on after this point. It was great to be together as a family though. I haven't given up on you yet Cougars. I'll stick by you till the bitter end!

Making Cookies with Grandma...

The other day, Lucy, my mom, and I were watching a Mickey Christmas movie. (Can you tell that our home is run by the whims of a two-year-old?) Anyway, there's a part in the movie where Goofy is making Christmas cookies. Lucy looked at me with big, puppy-dog eyes and said, "Mama, can I have a cookie?" Well, unfortunately we had no cookies to be found so we decided to make our own cookies. Lucy was so excited, especially after we put on her new apron.

First, she measured out the butter.

Quick little taste test after the sugar was added. Next, add some eggs...
And some baking soda...
Mmmmm.....needs a little salt.
A few ingredients later and.....
Voila! Cookie dough.
After much consideration this cookie dough is deemed......satisfactory.
Now to bake the cookies.
Thanks Grandma!

Family Pictures..

I've actually been meaning to post these pictures for awhile now. While we were in Vancouver (in June), my cousin's wife, Michelle Cervo, offered to take family pictures for us. Unfortunately, Miss Lucy decided to be difficult (in every sense of the word), so we didn't get many pictures of her smiling. I was impressed that Michelle got as many great pictures as she did. These were my favorites:

After Annie came home from her mission, my mom also hired Paige Davis to take pictures of my entire family. Lucy was much more cooperative this time because she had a bunch of adults to keep her entertained. These were my favorites from the second photo shoot:

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures...

Introducing the Tots in Mind Crib Tent.

In the words of Prince John to Sir Hiss in Disney's 'Robin Hood', "Let's see you get out of that, if you can."

It's September...

So, it must be time for....

...The Utah State Fair!!!!!

Lucy got her first glimpse of the animals and it was all over.

Kissing sheep.

These baby pigs were anything but gentle while nursing. I found myself shuddering as I watched them.

We stayed by the baby pigs for at least 10 minutes before we could tear Lucy away.

She was fine once she saw the chickens.

Check out the size of this pumpkin! Seriously? Imagine trying to carve that bad boy.

Labor Day in Denver...

Over Labor Day Jordan, Lucy, my dad, Scott McKasson, and I drove to Parker Colorado (a suburb of Denver) to visit the Mike Hale family. Mike just finished his Oromaxillofacial Surgery residency and bought into a practice in Denver. My brother, Steve, and his wife Kalli also just took a job working for a medical device company in Boulder. Since they are only an hour drive apart, it makes it really nice to be able to visit with both families. Steve and Kalli stayed at Mike and Erin's house so that we could all be together. We had a great time just hanging out at the house....

Playing at the Monkey Business play place....

...and going to the Denver Zoo on Saturday. There were so many cool animals! After the zoo we went back to Mike and Erin's to watch the BYU game.

We also had the chance to visit a beautiful State Park on Sunday and Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday.

Good bye Colorado. Till next time.