Steurer Stuff

Conner Turns 2 !

2008-10-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

We couldn't decide on a single theme for Conner's birthday so we just did it all. He is so in to fighting with a light saber and loves to pretend to be Indiana Jones that we did both. We had the cousins come over and did a pinata. We had a great time with all the family. Conner's favorite part was singing happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Conner!! What a wonderful kid.

We Have An Announcement!

2008-10-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

We used Conner as our delivery boy for our news! We are expecting in April! We wanted to wait until Marathon day to let the news out about our new arrival! We made this t-shirt to make the announcement. I was hoping that Rod would have all the questions from my family and friends answered before I finished the race. I figure it is his turn to do that since it usually falls on the mom. It was pretty fun to keep it a secret and have an event like the marathon to make the announcement. Rod and I didn't tell anyone until that day. The girls I run with didn't know until our big sleep over party the night before( although some suspected). It is something I definitely wont forget. Running a marathon at 11 weeks pregnant isn't something you do every day!

St. George Marathon

2008-10-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yes! I am crazy! That's what I have decided. I've done the marathon before so you would think I would know better. But it is amazing what peer pressure will do for you! My running group (The Sole Sisters) did a great job. Despite the rain, we managed to enjoy ourselves and we all finished with great times. We were lucky and a few of us stayed at the starting line in a motor home the night before. It allowed us to get a bit more rest and stay dry until we absolutely had to get out to start the race. Thanks to Cassie , she had an extra poncho for me to wear that became my security blanket throughout the race. I didn't want to get rid of it for fear I would freeze. Melissa finally tore it off of me at mile 23. We finished the race just under 5 hrs. which was our goal so we were very happy! Thanks girls for a great experience, and to my husband who supported me along the way.

Disneyland

2008-10-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we weren't planning a trip this year bur this one just fell into our laps. Rod had multiple work related things that he had to go to Anaheim for so we decided to tag along and do Disneyland with the kids. Rod's sister, brother-in-law and their 5 boys went with us. We had a ton of fun with them. We don't get to do many trips one-on-one with them so this was unique. My kids love their cousins and they seem to like our kids too. The older boys were a great help and loved taking them on the rides. Olivia and Porter are finally tall enough that they can ride all the rides. Indiana Jones was a big hit along with space mountain (porter liked tower of terror), and Soar'in Over California. I think we went on Buzz Light year 7 times. It was probably because it had a short line and we could take Conner on it. He loved it though so we decided to have him be Buzz for Halloween. He likes to put his hands under his arm pits (for Buzz's wings) and jump off the highest thing he dares. Another one of our favorites is The Haunted Mansion. They change the decorations , the music, and the narrative to The Nightmare Before Christmas. My kids have always loved Jack Skellington and the music to we get a kick out of this ride at Halloween time.

Mary's BIG 33rd Birthday!

2008-10-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

Rod planned a great birthday for me this year! He took me out to lunch at the Painted Pony and then planned a party for me that night at Troy's BBQ with the whole family.
He even arranged baby sitters for lunch and ordered me my favorite pie from Crowshaw's for my cake. That is definitely the way to celebrate, not having to do any planning myself. Troy is a friend of ours and had his restaurant decorated and even provided birthday hats for the kids and a crown for me to wear because I am the princess!
Of course you always have help blowing out your candles whether you want it or not.
Thanks for the great birthday to Rod and all my wonderful friends, neighbors and family that made it a memorable birthday!

Olivia is in the Nutcracker

2008-10-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Every year where Olivia takes dance they do a production of the nutcracker. My mom and I have been taking her and she has been very excited about being tall enough to try out. This year we decided would be a good year because we would be in town and be able to commit to the time it takes and she is also tall enough. We had her prepared for tryouts and told her to just do what Miss Sheila asked her to do the best that she could. She knew that there were a lot of kids and she may not make it but to try her best and have fun. She had a good time and found out that she made the part in the Mother Hubbard children. We were so excited for her and she is having fun at the rehearsals and can't wait for performances.

End of Summer Tradition

2008-10-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

We decided to start a new tradition this year. The last day of summer, that is before school starts, we are going to sleep outside on the trampoline and then go out to breakfast in the morning. It took a bit of convincing to get Porter to stay outside with us but in the end he was braver than his dad and stayed with Olivia and I. It was a ton of fun. The kids thought it was great!
This is Olivia on her first day of 2nd grade! She is such a big girl. She rides her bike to school with some friends. It is about 1 mile to get to school and 1 mile back. It has been really hot but she is toughing it out and is being a trooper about it. She has Mrs. Ivey as her teacher this year (we just found out that she has cancer and has to leave for an undetermined amount of time, olivia has been very thoughtful of her since she found out. The new substitute is one of her class members mothers and it seems to have been moving along smoothly)and has been doing very well. So far she has gotten 100% on all her weekly spelling tests. We are very proud of her independant spirit and her will to be good!
Porter started kindergarten. WOW!! He is so excited. He knows some of the kids in his class but is very excited to meet new friends. His teacher is Miss White who happens to know rod's sister and she has been great with the kids. Porter's assessments that they do at the beginning of ther year were fun to get back because he did so well. He knows all his letters, lower case and capitol, and all his letter sounds. He also can count to 100 easily so all they really had to say was that he was doing great and set some reading goals. He has had homework to do and has started his level reading. His study skills are different from olivia's but he has learned that we get it done after school then he can play. He is doing great and we are proud of him.

Rod's Birthday Aug 19th

2008-10-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

The great thing about august is that I shouldn"t forget anyones birthday since they are all together. Rod turned the big 35 this year. It wasn't as eventful as he would have liked it to be but the truth is, he was in the middle of a serious diet and our options were slim!! no pun intended. We took the kids out to share a dessert and he got new church clothes. (the old ones are to big now because of the diet). Everyones dream birthday I'm sure but he was a good sport!

Happy Birthday Mom! Aug 18

2008-08-23T23:14:00.000-07:00

Mom, it's official! You are the youngest(in spirit too) grandma ever. We hope that you had a great day! We went to dinner with rob&jess and had ice cream. We also had grandma over for dinner on sunday and made her a cake. The kids are soo funny about adult birthday's. They can't figure out why we don't have a big party with presents, games and a pinata full of candy. They think that it doesn't officially happen until the previous had occured! So we did our best this year to throw grandma our own party. The kids helped me make her a cake and it was great. We love you grandma kriste!

Happy Birthday Olivia! July 20

2008-08-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

Olivia turned 7!!! I can't believe she is growing up so quickly. She gets so excited about her birthday's and this year was no exception. We had a Hannah Montana birthday party for her this year and just invited the family. That actually makes it quite a group and a celebration! She is such a wonderful little girl. We love her so much. Happy Birthday!!

Olivia got her ears pierced!

2008-08-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

So Olivia has been asking me for years when she could get her ears
pierced. She would write me letters with boxed to check yes or no.
Well I finally decided she was ready and we did it. She was very brave and it didn't scare her at all. Doesn't she look beautiful!

The 4th of July

2008-07-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Independance Day!
We went to Kanab again this year for the 4th. We love the small town feel and we love being able to spend time with the cousin's in their stompping ground. We went to the parade and to the park to all the local booths. It was hot this year so we didn't last very long. We ate snow cones and cotton candy and got the kids faces painted and did the fishing booth for prizes. Conner was all over the place running around so we got worn out really fast. We went back to the house and belive it or not but all of us took a nap. We really needed it since ih kids were up at 5:30am an still wanted to stay up for fire works. We had a water fight and played water games that after noon before dinner. We ate the traditional grilled chicken, bratworths and hot dogs for dinner. After words we did fire works at the house on our own and all the kids took turns lighting their fireworks. They were very careful so it didn't freak me out too bad. We had quite the show. We all pilled into the trucks and went to the city fireworks show. It was great and the kids had a blast.

Another BIke Ride

2008-07-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

While my uncle rod and Thomas were still here we had to fit in a dirt bike ride even if we did die of heat. It was a ton of fun. Thomas picked up on riding really fast. I told him that it was in his blood. He couldn't get enough of it. Uncle Rod is a veteran rider. He used to race as a kid and looked like he never quit.
Lots of love. Even when we are sweaty and dusty!
Rob and Jess, Brad, Thomas , Rod, uncle Rod and Mary all went on the ride. What a gang!

Fun up Ephraim Mountain

2008-07-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

While we were in Ephraim we took a couple of trips up the mountain on the 4-wheelers. The cousins from Oklahoma love to visit the mountains and get muddy. Here are a few pictures that Porter took while we were there. I think he did a pretty good job.

Uncle Rod and Aunt Heidi
The whole gang eating lunch. We had cheese sandwiches because we forgot the lunch meat. It was pretty funny. We decided that you can't always remember everything when you are packing for a group this big. They were pretty good sandwiches anyway.

More Pageant Pictures

2008-07-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of us in our New England Scene costumes. The boys loved wearing their hats and looking so nice in their Sunday best. The girls loved the full skirts on their dresses, the white gloves and the bonnets. It was a a bit much for me. I can't imagine wearing all the different layers and accessories every time I went out. It was a ton of fun though. It definitely got the kids into character.

Time for Swim Lessons

2008-06-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

While we were in Ephraim we decided to put the kids in swim lessons at the activity center at the college. The kids loved it and did a great job. Porter learned how to swim the length of the pool wich was about 75 feet. He also could float forever. He has improved a ton. Olivia learned the breast stroke, back stroke , and front stroke. She did a great job and has turned into a great swimmer. I was very impressed with their curriculum and the amount of one on one time that the teachers gave each child. I hope Ican get olivia into one of the swim teams here to keep up her skill. I think she would do a great job.

Porter jumping off the diving board.
Olivia learning her front stroke.
The girls with their completion certificates.

Memorial Day

2008-06-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

Every year we go to the cemetary in Manti to decorate the graves of our Mickelson family ancestors. They were one of the first settling families in the area and helped build the Manti Temple. When I was a child we lived there and I remember my grandma Renee always coming down to cut flowers and placing them on the graves of her parents and grandparents. Every year we she would tell us how we were all related and get the low down on the family line. We have continued that tradition with our own families and now our children get to listen to the same stroies that we did as kids. They will appreciate it some day. I think it is so great that we are able to visit and remember our heritage.

The Mormon Miracle Pageant

2008-06-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a whirl wind this had been! We have had the opportunity to be a part of the cast for the Mormon Miracle Pageant that takes place in Manti, Ut. There were two weeks of practices and eight days of performances. My sister has opened up her house for all of us to stay so we can participate. It has been such a fun experience. The kids loved getting there costumes and getting a chance to play "bad guys" in part of a scene. The pageant takes place on the Manti Temple Hill so we have gotten lots of exercise running up and down the steep hill. Here we are in out pioneer costumes. We get to walk with the hand cart company and be in most of the pioneer scenes. We have three costume changes. We start out as New Englanders in our nice church clothes. The boys love their outfits and act like such gentlemen in their hats and vests. They love to bow to the girls and take their hats off. The girls love their full dresses, bonnets and gloves. They act so proper and Breann loves to talk in an English accent. It is soo much fun to see them get into character. The New England Scene is about Joseph Smith looking for a church to join and deciding to ask Heavenly Father which church to join. We play members of one of those churches.

Next we have to change into our "Harvest Scene and Christ in America" costumes. These scenes are when Joseph Smith is interpreting the Book of Mormon and we play out scenes that took place between the Nephites and the Lamenites. This is when we get to play "bad guys" or should I say we make a bad choice and decide to fall away from the church and cast Samuel out of the city because we do not believe his prophecy. But don't worry, we change our way.
This is a picture of us practicing the Christ in America Scene. We play out the storm, earthquakes and other signs that were given of his birth and his death. There is even real fire that blasts up and does make us a little scared. It is hot and very loud. We have to run around and act confused in the darkness. which isn't very hard when there is about 200 people running around on the slope of this hill. We all make sure we have hold of one of the kids so each adult has one and we just go for it. The kids have been so great and I think they have a knack for acting.
This is hard to see with out the costumes but it is of Christ when he appears to the people in the Americas. It is my favorite because it shows him organizing his church, healing the sick , and blessing the children. Our kids get to run up next to him and then return to us. It is such a great visual experience to see your children running towards Christ and being excited to see him when he appears. Even though we are acting it kind of puts things in perspective of how it would be when Christ does come again.
This is Thomas my cousin holding the boys in the costume building in their "bad guy" costumes.

End of the School Year

2008-05-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well, another school year has gone and we are wondering what happened to the time again. Every year I am excited for summer but I am not excited about my kids growing up so fast. Olivia and Porter both had end of year programs for the parents. Porter's pre-school had a "parent program" where the kids sang their favorite songs that they learned during the year. Porter loves to sing so it was lots of fun so see him get so into it. Uncle Uppy was the song that he couldn't wait for us to hear because the get to say "you're in your underwear" and he thought that was hilarious. He was telling us that we were going to "laugh our heads off". There also was a class challenge to count to 100. His teacher said that she would give whoever could count to 100 on the last day of school a king size candy bar. Porter has been practicing and earned his candy bar with 4 others in his class. He did a great job and we are very proud of him. He is definitely ready for kindergarten. Miss Megan , his teacher, has done a great job!
Olivia had a first grade talent show for her end of school program. The teachers in the first grade let the students who wanted to share a talent do so in front of the whole first grade and their parents. Olivia decided to draw Mickey Mouse for her talent. She is such a great artist and wanted to participate in the show so we borrowed an easel and she practiced very hard for the show. She was the very first student to go, but when she started to draw, the marker wouldn't word. See, Conner decided that he wanted to practice drawing like Olivia and it was all I could do to keep him away from the marker that day. I would put it away and some how he would find it and sneak some where to take off the lid and mess with it. I didn't realize that he had dried it out until Olivia went to use it in front of 200 people. She was kind of embarrassed but handled the situation very well and was soo cute about it. Some of the other parents even commented on how well she dealt with the minor mishap. Any way, the show went on while another teacher found a marker for her to use and she was able to "perform" and did a wonderful job. She has a lot more courage than I did at that age!

Race at Jericho

2008-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Rod has finally lived his dream and was in his first motor cycle race. Nerves about got the best of him before it started but once they got going he had a great time. The trail was dusty and pretty technical but he felt great about the way that he rode and was glad he did it. He is already planning to race again. We had a bunch of friends and family that were there racing too. My brother-in-law and my brother raced, that's Brad with Rod. Robbie left a piece of himself there in Jericho, ( we call him BIL "stubs" now) he lost his left ring finger when he wrecked his motorcycle. He is healing well and doing good in spite of it all. His motor bike is lonley though. It will be gathering dust for a while. We love you any way Rob. If you want to see some good pictures of his finger just head to their blog site.

The Children's Museum

2008-05-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

The kids had a mini spring break so we decided to go to salt lake to the museum. We had a great time exploring and creating the hundreds of things that were there to do . It is a great hands on experince for the kids.

All about our bodies. This section tought the kids about all the body parts and how we use them.

This is the only time Conner was still, it only lasted long enough to snag a picture.
Personal hygiene, you can never start to early.

What are lace up shoes?? We have an abundance of corcs, velcro , and slip ons at our house. I guess I need to get to work and teach my kids something.

"SHISH"

Olivia's Meet the Masters

2008-05-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Olivia's school does a bunch of assemblies about different artist each year. They learn about their style of art and then create their own version. At the end of the year they pick one of their favorites from their portfolio and display it for the parents to come see. Olivia is such a great artist. She always has been. It is fun to see her grow and experiment with different styles. She gets that talent from her dad.

Conner Squared

2008-05-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Jess, this one's for you! Conner and Connor! I tried to get a little bit better picture but you know how kids are when they know you are trying to get a good shot. Anyway , they've come a long way huh?

Conner's new digs!

2008-05-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is what Conner wanted to wear one day!! He brought them to me to put them on and strutted around the house until he decided he was hot or something. He LOVES!!!! shoes! It was the first word he said, then he said dad( hasen't learned how to say mom yet! his priorities are a little messed up if you ask me!), anyway, he will find a pair of shoes and put them on. If he finds another pair of shoes while he is playing he will bring them to me and want them on too. He hasn't figure out why he can't wear them all at once. I thind he would if he could.

Conner in his hat

2008-05-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

This may only happen once so I had to document it! My kids have never been hat wearers, so when Conner decided that he wanted one on I couldn't pass up the chance to take som pictures. I think he looks pretty darn cute!!

Who needs to live in the country?....

2008-05-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

....when you have critters like these in your back yard?
Yes,that is a toad! I got a big suprise while planting some flowers in my back yard. I kind of got creeped out because I didn't know what it was at first. It's skin just kind of slithered when I bumped it with my hand. Yuck! The kids had a great time playing with it and watching it jump in the grass. I was okay with it as long as I had my gloves on to touch it. But, boys will be boys, they had no problem at all!

Carson being gentle with the taod.

Run 4 kids

2008-05-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

okay, here it is girls. In April we ran the 5K for Cassie's Birthday! What a gift huh? It was a goal that she had and so I needed an excuse to do another race so I tagged along. We had a great time and the girls did very well! Cassie loved it so much she is going to become the running queen. (She signed up for the marathon! oh yay, so did I, what am I thinking).

Olivia's First Science Fair

2008-04-30T16:50:00.001-07:00

This was our first scince fair experience. I'm not sure if I should call it a success or not. I wanted Olivia to do as much by her own that was possible so we found an experiment that she could do entirely by herself. It also needed to be somthing that was quick so she wouldn't lose interest. We decided to do this very simple soil compaction test. Olivia was able to do the test in one afternoon. It took a couple of evenings to write up all the information and color her charts and graphs. She was great to do it all by herself. I was very proud of her for following through with it and being very brave to show the judges (high school students) how she did her experiment. Two of her friends took 2nd and 3rd. It was kind of hard for her to not place but I think it was a great learning experince for her and I was very proud of the work that she did.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

2008-04-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Over sping break we went to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes to camp for a few days. We went with some friends and had a great time. We brought our 4-wheelers and borrowed a rhino from a friend for the little guys. We took a day and road out to the old mail drop. It took a couple of hours and was really sandy( i.e. the name) and was a lot colder than we thought it would be. We managed to stay warm enough most of the time around the fire and staying out of the wind. Conner made a new friend with jeff's mother's dog, and Porter and Olivia spent all of their time riding their 4-wheelers. Rod had just gotten his tonsils out the week before so wasn't up to par but he had a good time anyway. We have great friends that stepped in and helped us out to relieve rod's burden.

Conner in his new helmet. He loved to ride with whoever would take him. Porter even took him for a ride. It was a pretty funny site to see both of them in their helmets squished on this litttle ride.

This is the 4-wheeler gang! All the kids had their own ride. They made a little course around our camp site and did circles for hours.
Porter was done with the moter cycle!
Daken and Conner in the rhino.
All of us at the end of the trail to the mail drop.
Cambry and Olivia.

Easter 2008

2008-04-09T12:12:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law and I ended up wearing the same thing. What great taste you have Debbie.
After all the crazy hunting we went swimming. It was the first time of the year and they had to heat it up pretty good to get any one in. It was a success though. They kids loved it including Conner who was having a great time being a "big kid".

Porter has such a great sense of humor. He put these goggles on and said" hey, do you know who I look like? Anakin Skywalker driving the pod racer. " He was right!
Now he always looks for those goggles to wear. What a goof!

Our neighborhood always has an Easter Egg hunt in our cul-de-sac every year. We bring 10 eggs per child and they get hidden in the yards according to their age. This year we had around 800 eggs. Thats a lot of kids. We bring something to share for breakfast and have a great time. Grandpa Neeley came down to see us and went with us to the egg hunt. He loves to see the kids play and love to be with him.
Porter and his friend Griffin waiting patiently for their turn to hunt eggs.
The egg hunt at the steurer's allways turns into a huge event. Considering our numbers are increasing exponentially. Scotts brother's kids were there to help hunt for eggs too. The eggs were hidden all over Nana and Papa's yard. The "Big boys'" eggs were in camoflauge and hidden in the hills above the house. They were pretty motivated to find them since they were filled with money instead of candy. The kids had a great time.

2008-03-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Who is that? We sure look like we should know what we're doing huh? This dirt bike riding has become a family hobby. Rod bought me a dirt bike for our anniversary(13 years in febuary). I am now an official owner of a Yamaha TTR230 (I think that's right). All I really care about is that it is actually my size and I feel like I can handle it rather than it handling me. We went for my first ride on it a week ago with my brother and his wife. Both seasoned riders , so they put me to shame. We sure had fun though. We rode out to the old Fort Pierce. This picture is of me going through "handle bar canyon" I figured out why they call it that when my hips and elbows decided to meet at my handle bars a few times. I have some fine bruises to show for it. We had a great time though. I'm tougher than I thought I was. I guess the whole motor bike thing runs in the blood huh mom!

New Pets

2008-03-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is Sam! YES!!! That is a scorpion! I was asking myself the same question when I was cleaning out the box of live crickets yesterday. How did I ever get myself into this? Porter's preschool went on a field trip to pet co and got it in his head that he needed a scorpion for a pet. He earned the money and collected the aquarium and accessories from his cousins. I ran out of excuses and we went and got some pets. Olivia went more my speed and got a beta fish. A lot less yucky to feed than the scoprion!

I cant believe what I will do for my children! I don't know how I got suckered into agreeing to get a pet that you have to feed live insects too. My mom told me that I have crickets for pets too since they have to be fed and cleaned also. GROSS!
Olivia named her Beta Blueina. It's a male but she wanted it to be a girl so we gave it a girl name and call it a she.

Porter rides his dirt bike!

2008-03-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Rod took Porter out to a little track to ride his dirt bike. Porter was so excited because he learned how to turn so he could stay on the track. He did so good and was so proud of himself that he came over to Rod and said "Dad, was I awesome or what?".

There were a couple of the neighborhood kids there too. Porter was determined to ride with them.

Valentines Day

2008-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Here are the kids with all their loot!

Snow in St. George!

2008-02-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

It is very rare that we get any snow at our house so we had to document it. Sunday Feb. 3 2008 brought a huge rain storm during the day and froze to snow by the evening. The snow actually stuck around (in the shade) for about a week before it was gone. That means it has been really cold for us thin blooded folks. We aren't used to temperatures under 50 degrees.

Olivia's New Hobby

2008-02-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

Olivia has a new hobby! Guess who gets to be the Guinea Pig? Well as you can tell Mom is not the only one. Conner sure is one patient little guy!
Conner has his first set of pony tails ....
And has moved on to the mow hawk.

I thought I would never say this but I think I prefer the mow hawk.

Porter's 5th Birthday!

2008-02-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Porter had his 5th birthday on Feb. 12th. He had his first "friend" party and invited 9 of his friends. We had them come dressed up as Jedi Knights ready for training. The kids ran a obstacle course with Yoda on their back just like Luke Skywalker does in the Star Wars movies. It was a lot of fun and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. When everyone had finished training they received a light saber and an official training certificate. It was a lot of fun.
As you can guess, most of the gifts he received were Star Wars themed!
This was the result of all the Jedi Knights attacking the Darth Vader pinata. Conner didn't like this part very much.
Porter during his Jedi training. Yoda seems to be enjoying the ride!

All of the graduated Jedi's at Porter's party!

Cardboard Hut

2008-02-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

My kids are pretty creative! We had some left over cardboard so we gave them some crayons and told them to go for it. They colored on it for a while and then decided to make it into a house. They had so much fun and were busy for an hour. Conner loved being inside and helping olivia and Porter color.

Porter is riding his bike!

2008-02-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Porter has learned a new skill. Rod had to bribe him with a new star wars video game to try but it sure made him determined. He learned how to ride his bike quickly thanks to our 6 year old neighbor Quinn. He ran behind him helping him until he had it. Sometimes parents just don't cut it. He was more impatient with Rod and they both were getting frusterated. Quinn saved us from an ugly melt down. Now Rod has him riding the motorcycle. I am so proud of Porter learning so many new things. He has great concentration and doesn't give up until he has it. Good Job Porter!

December in Ephraim

2008-01-09T11:13:00.001-08:00

We love to visit my sister any time of the year. It is also a great in-between spot to meet my dad and his family. This winter was a great time to go because there has been a lot of snow in the valley and the kids are able to bundle up and play outside.
These are some pictures that I thought were fun. Rod's dad let us barrow his nice camera so we were experimenting

Porter was ripping it up on the little "kitty-kat" that my brother-in-law has kept running for as many years as he is old. I'ts so awesome to see our kids doing the things that we loved to do when we were kids. I'ts a little different for me as a mother though, some times I get so nervous I just laugh and hide my face so I can't see what is actually happening. Who knew that Porter would love fast machines. That is one I never expected.
My 3 snow bunnies!

Olivia Catching a ride with uncle Brad.

Conner liked to sit on the snowmobile but he didn't like the sound much. It was really loud!

It was soo cold ,that the kids had to cover every part of their body to ride on the tube. This is Olivia's version of a fashion statement in the snow. She was very concerned about the look of the snow pants. I assured her that we all looked the same way and that she would be happy that she looked like a multi -colored polar bear.

Breana, Nick and Porter chillin in the tube.

Conner was sure that he was going to be able to walk through the snow, but the poor kid was soo bundled up that he could hardley stand in the snow. He reminded me of the kid off of "A Christmas Story" when he couldn't get his arma to stay down.

Conner just kept saying"ooh, ooh, ooh!" I think that is how he expresses his excitement.

2007 in Review

2008-01-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

I always have good intentions, and most of the time that is what they remain, intentions. I am determined to get out of that rutt someday so here is my attempt at making that time today!

Procrastination is definately one of my better skills.

I let the haldermerall (sp?)of my daily tasks overtake the things that truly make me grateful I did. Thus, this late post for my blog. January of 2008 is almost over so I decided it was time or I shouldn't do it at all. How sad that I let it get to this point( in comes the procrastination problem mentioned earlier).

2007 In Review:

1. Conner. What hasn't he done this year. He went from only being able to lay on his back to climbing onto the table. He hasn't missed a beat. His mouth was full of teeth before he was 5 months. We walked by the time he was 10 1/2 months old and is the busiest of my kids yet. All kitchen doors are child locked and I can honestly say that I would not be sad if I ever have to put my batheroom drawers back together again EVER! At least putting on moms make-up gives me some time to do my own make-up. The only thing that took him a while to master was sleeeping through the night. I thought that it would never happen. And then the blessed day came after 11 long months. He is my best sleeper now! He also has quite a personality. We love having him be a part of our family!
2.Porter. Where did this kid come from. He has changes so much this year. I think he has grown a foot, stayed the same weight , and now will talk your head off. His sports skills have also improved tremendously. He went from flying like a "silver bat" while on the soccer field to having the temper of a "wild cat" if he doesn't make 4 goals in a game. He is best known by the other "soccer moms" for the out-pouring of angry words(just "I am so angry!!") at the top of his lungs in the middle of the game. I am so glad he doesn't' know more angry words than that. Porter has also found his first crush at pre-school this year and apparntly Annie has a crush on him. According the Annie's mom they both get a "sparkle in their eye" when they talk about each other. Their teacher says that they love to play together at recess and get a long really well. This is the first girl that Porter has ever talked about so much. He sincerely likes to hand out and play with her. It's fun.
3. Olivia. She has also grown like a weed. She has learned how to read, do math and she is a great artist. She loves her friends and they love her. All the kids in the neighborhood gravitate to our house to play with . She has a sweet spirit and accepts everyone. She has also become a great swimmer, bike rider, scooter rider, and 4-wheeler rider.oh, she also learned how to ski this summer while we were at bear lake. In May she decided that she wanted to cut her hair in may. We cut about 7 inches. It was sad for me but she really loves it. Secretly I am having her grow it back only because I miss it. It makes her look to grown up and I don't want her to grow up yet.
Rod. Has had a very successful year. He has improved his motorcycle riding skills, has taken a few fly-fishing trips with the guys and has managed to stay extremely busy at work. He and my brother-in-law restored an old '85 4-wheeler for the kids to ride and has learned some basic mechanic skills for his own bike thanks to many neighbors and Brad. At the end of the year he became president of the Home Builders Association. That will keep him busy with meetings.
Mary. I feel like I have done nothing but keep my head a float but it it probably isn't all true. Conner had definately kept my baby skills sharpened and I have added some new ones with him. He does things my others didn't. I feel like my year has been devoted to dieting and exercising thanks to all my post baby weight. My mom was a great running partner for me this year. She is very reliable and we never slacked. Thanks mom. In november I was able to run a 10K in around 58 minutes which is amazingly fast for me. I am super duper slow. I always tell myself that running is for the calorie burn , not the record time. It seems to work thought. I have continued to work 2 shifts a week. I love the time with my co-wokers. They are great friends to me and keep me "updated"in most things.
Well the year in review is over. Hopefully I will keep my blog updated enought throughout the next year that I wont have to do this for 2008.

Hard Earned Toys

2007-12-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my kids. They worked their tails off to earn a trip to The Bear Mill. Our version of "Build-a-Bear". They wanted to go so badly and the cheap mother that I am didn't want to pay a rediculous amount of money for a dressed up stuffed animal. So, I made them a deal. We went and looked at what they had at the store and they decided what they wanted. We found out the prices and they decided they were going to earn the money. They were diligent and after weeks of finding chores around they house and helping grandma clean her office they each earned an amazing $45.oo each. WOW!! I was soo proud. Porter loved counting all the money so often that Rod got some coin rolls from the bank so we could keep track. We payed for the animals with mostly change and a few dollar bills. It was a great learning experience they sure are proud of the animals they got. Olivia chose a panda bear, named sharpay, in a chinese comono and Porter chose a turtle named Torty in a spiderman outfit.

Giving Thanks

2007-11-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

Last week in church friends of ours spoke about gratitude. Very appropriate for this time of year. I really enjoyed their comments and put me in the mood for thanksgiving. So for family night we decided to have the kids make thank you card for people they wanted to tell "Thanks". They had a great time making their turkies and decorating them. They took them to school to give their teachers. We talked about all the blessing that we have. It was great that the kids are starting to understand the meanings of the Holiday's and that they are learning so much. We asked Porter if he knew what the Pilgrims and Indians were all about. " The pilgrims came on a boat and they were hungry so the Indians helped them." We were suprised at how much he knew and that he could sum it up in one simple sentence. Smart kid! Olivia has been learning a lot too. She is incredibly politically correct and always refers to the Indians as Native American. Which they are, it just sounds so grown up. She knew about how" the pilgrims left their country because their king wanted them to worship him." I'm glad she pays attention in school. She is one smart wipper too. Honestly I asked them just to make sure I am remembering things correctly. It has been a really long time since I've been in school.

Halloween

2007-11-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2007. This year was great. Just a litttle trauma figuring out costumes. Porter wanted to be a BUFFALO! You ask, how do you get a buffalo costume? Luckily this started months ago. Porter was determined that NANA could make him a buffalo dress-up. Nana found a great, life-like hat that would work perfectly so I figured I could come up with the rest of it. Well I did my best but it just wasn't what Porter had in mind. He wanted "Fur all over". I didn't get it. So reluctantly , but with a good attitude, Porter put on the old stand-by, or should I say Side-kick, to participate in the time old tradition of Halloween. Porter's pre-school class has a trunk-or-treat with all the parents . It is so much fun to see him interact with his class and his teacher. She is great! Porter was excited that his friend was bat man so they could be a dynamic duo.

Conner loved halloween. He had more fun going through the others candy then they did themselves. He loves the salt water taffy the best. I had to make sure it got unwrapped quickly or it was gone in one big bite. "Naked baby" wasn't his costume. He was a pumpkin, a very cute pumpkin. Unfortunately I haven't gotten the pictures of him from my father-in-law. I will post them as soon as I get them. They will be worth the wait I promise.

Olivia had her school parade. It is quite a sight. She was excited to be a "China Girl" Rod couldn't help but sing "little china girl" to her every time she said it. She looked darling. We went to our ward halloween party. The kids love this tradition. The youth in the ward do it for the primary kids every year. It is a lot of fun. Olivia was quite independant this year, running from booth to booth. The next time I saw her she had a bag full of candy and her face painted and we had only been there 20 minutes. Porter was more reluctant. He didn't like "the scary stuff" this year. It really freaked him out. We were to the point that I couldn't take him to wall mart without him throwing a fit. So he stayed close to me and we made our way to the candy but skipped the face painting. I don't think the boys are into "make-up" as much as the girls. Oh Well.

Trick-or-Treating at my mom's work has become a must for the kids. The office complex where my mom works has a Trick-or-Treat every year. We have to go and see Grandma and show our costumes to the co-workers. It's always fun to see what they have come up with for their own. Grandma is great about coming up with good ones that she lets me borrow when she's done. It works out great for me and I think my mom secretly likes it too. My kids favorite part is the cookie dough that PaPa Murphy's gives out. I think Rod ate it this year.

Conner's 1st Birthday

2007-11-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the sideways pictures. I will fix it as soon as I learn how. Which may be never but I will try I promise. Anyway, getting to the good stuff. We made Conner his own cake to eat. It was great. We are lucky it is still warm enough outside that we could strip him down and let him go at it. He had a great time.

These are actually cupcakes. Aren't you impressed? Liv wanted to have a friend over so she wouldn't be the only girl! That is hard with this family. We had the cousins( who could) come over for cake and ice cream. It was great.
Can you tell who blew out the candles?

2007-11-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

September 22, 2007. This year for my birthday I got three cakes. Each of my kids decorated a birthday cake for me. The best I've ever had. My mom was the think tank behind this one. She was great and watched the kids for us while Rod and I went out to dinner. The kids thought that it was so great and were so excited to give them to me. Thanks Mom!

2007-11-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

This is our most recent family picture. It was taken in July when we were in Bear Lake for a family reunion. This is as good as it gets with three little ones. I am pretty proud of our brood.

2007-11-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

I have finally been convinced (by some persistant co-workers) that it is time for me to start a blog site. I have been so impressed by their enthusiasm and creativity with what they have done that I am going to try and learn something from them. Mostly, for me this will be a good way to jot down thoughts experiences and memorable mements that I don't want to loose and want to reflect upon. So Girls this is all because of you! My posterity will thank you one day!