Tyson Graduates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! Tyson has his Masters of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies. All of the hard work and LONG hours have paid off. It was awesome. I want to say that I am extremely proud of my husband for all of his hard work and still making time for me and kids through it all! He is a very smart guy - but he REALLY does not like school!!! He did very well and I will not be hiding his college transcripts from the kids (just his high school ones!!!!) He attended a Catholic school, so there were lots of read prayers and such (not what we are used to). It was a very nice ceremony in a beautiful room at Marywood University. Ry and Brie are very proud of their daddy too!

Ty and two of his biggest fans!!!
Next to the podium with his Certificate of Completion, we are still waiting for his diploma to come in the mail.
This is Lori, she is his good friend from the program.
Ty and his mother.
All of us! We did it!! 4 long years of school with kids, finally OVER!!

Carpinteria 2008

Okay, so every summer the Cluff family ( and like 100 other people from the Collings family line) go to Carpinteria for a family reunion. They have been doing so for almost 60 years and though I hate camping in tents with dirt and sand and hot and sunblock and sunburn (you get it yet) I still go because it is a tradition and my kids LOVE it. What am I to do, I am a mom now and life is SO NOT about me. Anyway - My mom went with me to help with the kids because poor Tyson had to go to Pennsylvania for testing and all that jazz to finish up PA school. I didn't get many pics, but I did remember to take my camera to the birthday party. We celebrate the all of the kids under 12 I think and all of the zero birthdays and since this just so happens to be my mom's 50th bday year - she was included!!! Very fun.

Mom in her Bday hat, she pulls it off!!!
Mom and my bro-in-law (mom's bishop no less) David Cluff he is 40!!!
Riley was soooooooo excited to get his treats!!!
He totally ran up there when they called his name. Funny kid.

Well we do a lot more at Carp. This year we had Olympic competitions since it was an Olympic year, we had a Pioneer Trek because we were there on Pioneer Day, we go to the beach most days, I always go to the outlets at Carmarillo one day (which mom and I did - can't buck tradition!!!), campfire every night (that was fun) and lots more fun stuff. I am sure I will have way more pics in 2009, my photographer, Tyson, will be there!!

Here It Goes

Let me just outline our summer for you. IT WAS CRAZY!!!!!! We had a very good time, just way too long to be living out of bags!!!
1. We drove to California, a few days later Ty flew to Pennsylvania
2. The kids, Maga (Sherri Jackman) and I went camping at Carpinteria with the Cluffs for family reunion
3. The kids, Grandma (Marsha Cluff) and I flew to Pennsylvania to meet up with Tyson and attend his graduation.
4. From PA Ty flies to Chicago for a week long Board Exam review.
5. Two days later the kids, Grandma and I fly back to Cali.
6. Ty flies back to Cali (1am Saturday of Matt's wedding)
7. Matthew and Raechel's wedding!!!!!!!
8. Tyson, the kids and I (along with many Jackman family members) fly to Maui, Hawaii
9. Fly back to Cali - Tyson studies day and night and then takes the Physician Assistant Board Exam and PASSES!!!!!! We all go to PF Chang's to celebrate.
10. Drive back to Utah and apply for jobs and interview, etc, etc, etc, etc.
That is it for the summer. I will blog the main highlights with pictures, then on the our good news for fall!!!!!!!! TO BE CONTINUED.

T-BALL

Since before Riley was 2 he has been playing baseball. He LOVES to play baseball. So we finally found a league that allows the younger kids play!!!!! It was rather comical at times - I love how they ALL chase after every ball no matter what "position" they are playing. (Baseball terms are used loosely when describing T-ball). Fun times nonetheless. Riley loved it and cannot wait for next year. It did help that he has been hitting both pitches and off of the T for a very long time. We had fun watching him play.

How many T-Ballers can stand on third base?
Waiting and HOPING the ball comes to him.
Going for a ball
Posing, it took quite some effort to convince him that playing 3rd base does not require standing on 3rd base!!!
The HOME RUN hitter
The kids chasing his ball into the "big kid's" field. My son, the T-Ball STUD!!!

Air Force Museum

So, since we moved to Logan we have been talking, talking, talking about going to the Air force Museum in Layton (about an hour south of us). But it has been just talk, even though Tyson and Riley are both obsessed with flying and airplanes!! So, we finally decided to go when Maga and Papa (Jackman grandparents) were in town visiting. It was a little rainy, but we still had fun. Riley got a old time fighter pilot jacket (which he LOVES) and we all had fun looking at all of the airplanes and such.

Happy Birthday

Since the kids are only one month apart and they are too young to have an opinion...we combined Ry and Brie's birthdays!!! We went to the Cache Valley Fun Park and bowled and played games. Then we went back to Grandma Marsha's house for dinner, presents, cake and pinata!!! It was very fun with lots of Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, cousins and friends!!!

Riley got his blue bike! He still tells everyone he meets about it!! He kept telling us he wanted a green bike, then 1 day before Ty and I went bike shopping he swore up and down that he really wanted a blue bike. Then after we bought it he was back and forth with the color. Nevertheless, he loves his BLUE bike!!!
Aubry liked her frosting flowers, but kept getting mad that her hands were dirty(Ashley, her cousin, ended wearing all of the frosting that Brie wiped on her!!), so she decided to go with a more direct approach!
Messy birthday girl!!!
Her cute Hawaii outfit from Rick and Miss, she looked adorable in it in Hawaii too!!!
She loved this doll!! She went crazy over it and was trying to eat the face for at least a good ten minutes! We laughed for at least 15 about it!
Riley's super cool baseball cake. I thought baseball was fitting since he started T-ball right after his birthday! Luckily, Missa threw a baseball party for Jett two weeks before and so i just copied her! Thanks Miss!!!

Brie's pretty cake!!! I love it!

Bowling!
More bowling and Ry's dancing!
Gotta love the shoes

He loves this pirate ship!!!!

Tyson the Photographer

The morning of the kids combined birthday party Tyson decided to get the camera out and shoot some pics of the kids. I know that I am extremely biased, but they are just too beautiful!!!! Riley is exactly 4 and Aubry is 11 months in these pictures.

Trying to keep it cool!
He wanted to join in on the picture taking!!!
She is not very cooperative
Love those CHEEKS


Love those lashes!!!!

Thomas is sooo... cool!

Day with Thomas at the Heber Valley Railroad!!! This was perfect timing, as it coincided with preschool graduation and Riley's 4th birthday!!! Riley absolutely loves Thomas, so it was an easy choice for me! We left Brie with Grandma Marsha and off we went!

Riley and Sir. Toppamhat
Riley waiting patiently for our ride on Thomas!!
Me on Ry on Thomas waiting for the ride to start!
Over come with joy after the ride!
We stopped for a pic as we were leaving.
They even had a petting zoo
Fun lego train track
Our skin stickers!!!
Ry playing and sharing the Thomas toys and tracks they had on display
There he is, Thomas himself!!!

Overall, we Ry and I had a very fun day together! It would have been nice to have daddy there, but I enjoyed my mother and son date with Riley!!!!

We Are Back!!!

Hello friends, so sorry for the lapse in blogging!!! We have had one fun and crazy summer!!! You will hear all about it soon enough! Let me catch up with the goings on before we left and then summer pics and blogs will come!!! I very much appreciate your patience!
Sincerely,
Mindi Cluff :)