Happy Birthday Kevin!

Today is Kevin's birthday, happy birthday Kev! He went to fly in a wind tunnel. It was awesome. There was this skinny guy there whose cheeks were flapping everywhere and it looked like his arms would snap any second whenever he flew. So hilarious, we all laughed hysterically whenever he went in the tunnel. Anywho, Kevin looked like a pro, flappy face and all.

4th of July

We had fantastic 4th of July! We traveled up to Grandma Anne's house in Newman and spent the weekend swimming and relaxing with relatives. So much fun!!!

Family pic at the Gustine 4th of July parade.

Don't let this picture of fun fool you, this was the worst parade we've ever been to.

Poor kid, she just doesn't know how bad it really was.


Grandma Roxanne and Elliott waiting for the fireworks.



Took to the water like a fish, she loved it!


Wonder who she got that sweet hair from?

Fireworks are amazing!

At the Races

It's a miracle! We're updating our blog! So Pat and I went to a race with his family...who in their right mind would really get a rush out of watching a bunch of cars go around in a circle 50 times? Lame. My allergies kicked in, the air smelled of rubber and exhaust, my butt hurt from sitting so long, and it kinda made me dizzy watching those cars go in a circle. So suck it races! The only exciting part was waiting for cars to crash. Patrick and I passed the time by playing scrabble on his phone. He won.

Pat got hungry. Stupid cars, they just drove right into his mouth.

Us trying to look excited to be there.

Look at this Pat-sized car! It got jacked so they just picked it up and carried it away.

Sometimes I just carry Pat around in my pocket cause it's easier.

Bird's Backyard

Here's the finished product! Kevin is amazing! All of the grandkids love the pond. We have to make sure there is always a lifeguard on duty (where's Michael when you need him?) to make sure they don't make a dive for it or slide down the waterfall.

The Newest Member of R.A.D

I miss my brother Michael, we love R.A.D. (random acts of dancing). We would spontaneously turn on some dance music and just bust our moves! Not much R.A.D. has been happening since he left on his mission, but now that Elliott's got her moves down, I think I'm back in the game! Her other new moves are clapping, climbing, and drinking from a straw.

Bumps and Bruises

Elliott got her first fat lip, and I'm talkin FAT lip. We went to Jodi's house for a baby shower on Wednesday night. Let's just say Elliott had a little too much cupcake, it was late...she was tired, one thing led to another, she lost her footing...and BAM! She hit the coffee table pretty hard and was drooling blood everywhere. It just happened to be on the day Jodi and I were both wearing fairly new white shirts. Well, our shirts are fine and so is Elliott's lip. A few minutes sucking on a yummy thumb does wonders...Elliott sucked her thumb too. Just kidding, I gave that up a long time ago...or did I? Anyways, it was Daddy to the rescue and then everything was fine.

Park Day

What could be funner than a day at the park with Aunt Amber, Braedyn, Nixon, and Sydney?...Nuthin'!

Nothing like a nice cold sippie after a hard day's play.

Meet My Brother Kevin

This is my amazing brother Kevin. Isn't he handsome? Not only is he good looking but he is a jack of all trades. Check out this cool pond he built in my mom's backyard. He loves the Discovery channel, mexican food, and his dog Nikki. He has not cut his hair since our brother Michael left on his mission and doesn't plan on cutting it until he gets home. Yes, he is truly amazing. An amazing man with beautiful hair! So if anyone knows a beautiful girl, who is an active member of the church and can take McGowen family humor, then let me know...he also does baby modeling on the side.

Kevin's turtle

Rudolph With Your Nose So Bright...

Elliott carries on Mommy's family tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve.

We have so much fun at the Rasmussen's annual Christmas Eve party with food, games, and cookie decorating! Patrick is a pro...

Pat's not the only one who can make a good cookie. Here are our gingerbread look-a-likes.

Elliott had lots of fun her first Christmas.

Makin' a List, Checkin' it Twice

Catching up on all the Christmas activities, we've been having hots of fun!

Ready for winter! Elliott loves Grandma Roxanne.

Went to see Christmas lights with Grandma Roxanne, Katherine, Norman, Stephen, & Henry.

Elliott met Great Grandma Joy for the first time! She loved hanging out with Grandpa Erroll.

But her favorite activity by far, was watching a UFC fight with Daddy. Tom's man-cave was freezing! But Elliott warmed up with some french fries.

Give Thanks!

Elliott had a great Thanksgiving! She visited with her Great Grandpa Lewie and Great Grandma Ann. She had Henry feed her desserts when no one was looking (she loves chocolate pudding). She also caught up on her Bob the Builder reading.

Hot Pocket - Jim Gaffigan

This is too funny. This is my contribution to our blog for this week! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! HAHA This is dedicated to the old Michael McGowen that we all knew and loved, you know before he turned into a baptizing machine!

Get a Haircut Hippie!

I've consulted Elliott's stylist and decided her combover was out of control. So we trimmed her up!

Here's Elliott before her makover, all draped up and ready to go!

No, she did not enjoy her salon experience.

She's like a brand new baby! She loved it so much she requested a picture with her favorite stylist.

Happy Birthday Patrick!

Pumpkin umpkin cheesecake instead of cake.

Pat turned 26 on Sunday. He had a great birthday with his family! Thank you to everyone who came and helped out. He got some great Office gifts and ties from the Rasmussen's and a car from the wife, so I've been replaced. He's in love with it!

Happy Birthday Patrick!!!

Stephen's made a new friend with Grandpa Leonard.

Sean & Christina, so cute & fun!

Candice & Trevor goofin around...or does his face always look like that?

Rachel's replacement, a 1988 Toyota Celica