The World Is So Lovely

Board Games

2010-01-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

Our family loves playing games. We usually play a game or two every week after dinner. Some of our favorites include Apples To Apples, Sorry, Life, The Price Is Right and Monopoly to name a few. For Christmas we received a few new games that we are really enjoying:

Monopoly City

This is a fun twist to Monopoly AND there is a timer so the game does not last for hours!!

Caleb needed some money. He thought he would sell passes for those who landed on his spaces. Instead of paying the price that the card said, you would have a "free pass" that only cost you a million dollars to begin with.

Obviously he was desperate and was not getting any buyers.

Ticket To Ride is a game that my parents gave us for Christmas. This is my favorite game right now. Scott and I have played this game numerous times and I am trying not to be a sore loser! We introduced this game to Scott's parents who enjoy it too. If anyone wants to learn how to play, come on over and we'll have a fun game night.

This week I added a few new games for us to try. Target was having their 75% off clearance toys. I found 5 new board games. I was so excited to get such a good deal - almost like I won a game!

Wii Are Friends

2009-12-30T12:57:00.000-08:00

Caleb had Miles come over the other night. Can you guess what they did practically the entire time? They had a lot of fun and are such good friends.

Wii, Pizza and a Slushie - Everything a boy could ask for!

And while they were entertained, Scott and I had time to put all the Christmas decorations away. Here's proof that my house is messy more often than some people think.

Now we are ready to start the New Year!

From Our Family To Yours -

2009-12-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

May your life be filled with love, joy and peace this Christmas season and throughout the New Year!

Christmas Light Hero

2009-12-16T08:09:00.000-08:00

If you are a Guitar Hero fan, like Lindsay and Caleb, you will LOVE this video:

The article that we found this video on is found HERE! I am sure the kids will be wanting us to decorate our house like this next year!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! . . . Much Pleasure Thou Can'st Give Me.

2009-12-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

There are many creative blogs that I enjoy looking at and a few are having a Christmas Tree Party. This is a great way to see some fabulous Christmas trees without leaving your chair. I decided I wanted to participate this year so I am posting a few pictures of the trees we have in our home.

Since we live in Oregon, we like to get a real tree! We do love the smell and beauty of the trees and it is a fun tradition to go as a family to find the perfect one.

(click to enlarge)

Our tree is decorated with white lights, a beaded cranberry garland, beeswax stars, yummy smelling gingerbread ornaments and country decor. Of course there are some personal ornaments that are part of our tree too. My husband has one in particular that I like to hide in the back. (It has to do with his favorite Christmas movie staring Clark W. Griswold. It is lucky to have a place on the tree to begin with!) And finally our the tree is topped with a BEAUTIFUL, TREASURED ANGEL that my mom made for our family.

(click to enlarge)

In the kitchen, we have a small tree decorated with bows, tags and a star. The tags say:

Family, Christ, Love, Joy & Peace

Here is a simple, small tree with fabric balls, berries and a star. This is placed in our family room.

Not pictured are the trees the kids have in their rooms. They love to have their own small tree with lights and decorations. Caleb, my 9 year old son, decorated his tree with a Nintendo theme: Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Wii remotes and so forth. My 11 year old daughter Lindsay, has various ornaments on her tree that she treasures.

And even though this is not a tree, our nativity reminds us what Christmas is really about.
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We would like to wish everyone a

Happy and Joyous Christmas!

To find out more about sharing your Christmas decor, check out the following websites:

A Day Of Fish, Mud, & "The Perfect Tree"

2009-12-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

Today was a fun day. We first went to a kids Christmas party that Scott's company has every year. The kids were excited, not because Santa and Ronald McDonald were there, but they wanted to get 2 new pets. We would like to welcome to our family:

Gary

and Gary JR.

These beta fish were named after a character on the show Sponge Bob - go figure! His work does an amazing job with this party. The kids have fun and leave with a big bag of prizes and treats. (Caleb spent more than an hour winning what he says is a $10 Bakugan toy.)

This afternoon we finally went to get our Christmas tree. We wanted to go to a u-cut farm so we waited for a Saturday when nothing was going on. We have been so busy and with it getting dark so early, weekends were the only option. We rode the tractor out into the MUDDY field. (I have a lot of laundry to do now since everything is so dirty.) Anyway, Caleb actually found the "perfect tree" for us. Scott seconded the motion, Lindsay said she liked it, and I thought - well I guess I can find a big ornament to fill in that big hole.

Caleb wanted to try and cut it down. He let Scott cut it down after trying for about 20 seconds.

Zack came too. It was really cold outside so he was bundled up!

While we waited for the tractor to pick us up, we talked to the cows. The cow bit Lindsay's coat.

Decorating the tree sounds like a good Family Home evening activity for Monday night. But first Scott and I have to fight about who is putting on the lights this year. (We don't actually fight - we just both dread putting those darn lights on).

I guess it is now time to start working on sharing time for tomorrow. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

"All I Want For Christmas Is For You To Work On Our Blog"

2009-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

...Yes! Really!! Lindsay told me last night, on our way home from her band concert, that all she wants for Christmas is for me to update our blog. Actually her and Scott both have been asking non-stop for the past few months. Scott's reason for wanting me to blog again is so that we can move past Father's Day! It has been 5 months since my last post. Things were so hectic and busy this summer that there was no time to blog. And then when I finally had more time, it felt so overwhelming. I felt like there was too much to write about. So instead of picking up where I left off, I am just going to start with what is happening now. And since this is Lindsay's Christmas wish, I am going to start with her.

Last night we attended her middle school band concert. She plays (my old) flute and is also in the bell choir. She is really loving them both. I had to practically beg her to take band to begin with. I told her I thought she would have fun, but before school even started, she was not sure. So last night I asked her if this was the right decision and she said "YES, I LOVE IT"!! Bell Choir is a group of about 12 kids that meet after school on Tuesday's. She is having so much fun being part of the group and I love they way they sound.

On Tuesday, I went with the Bell Choir (and choir) on a field trip. They visited a few local elementary schools and then they went to the capital building to perform. I am glad that I was able to go with them. It is such a good way to get to know the kids and the teacher better. Plus Lindsay wanted me to go. I was sad that I did not take my video camera but I did manage to take a small 1 minute video (from a distance) with my phone. You probably will not be able to see Lindsay playing the bells since I am far away but you can at least try to hear them (ok, well... the sound did not pick up that good either). She is 4th from the left I believe.

Anyway, I will try to be better at keeping things updated. What a busy time to start the blog up again with Christmas in 2 weeks, but I am doing it for my Sunshine! Love you Lindsay!

Father's Day

2009-06-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Scott!!

We love and appreciate you so much!!

Father's Day this year was a bunch of changed plans. We WERE going to go camping and then we decided not to. We WERE going to go to the coast, and then decided not to. We WERE going to visit family, and then decided not to. So what did Scott decide to do on his Father's Day?? Take a nap!! It was such a GOOD IDEA that I took one too! We ended up having a nice, quiet, peaceful Father's Day and that is what Scott wanted. The kids made him a delicious breakfast in bed and super-sized cards! Scott, you are such a wonderful husband and father! WE LOVE YOU!

And a Happy Father's Day again, to our dads! We love and appreciate you too!

and kids!

How Many Of Me

2009-06-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
6
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

I came across this site and decided to see how many people in the U.S.A. share my first and last name. Really?!?! Only 6?!?! I thought there would be a few more but if you know our last name, then I guess it is not that common (or desirable. It is not like you have a choice in what your last name is, right?! :) After you receive your results, this site will let you know some more information about your first name and your last name and how common it is.

Here are the results for the name Natalie:

There are 150,280 people in the U.S. with the first name Natalie.
Statistically the 402nd most popular first name.
More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Natalie are female.

And the results for our last name:

There are 11,930 people in the U.S. with our last name.
Statistically the 3154th most popular last name.

Since it was so much fun seeing how many share my name, I decided to try everyone in our family. Here are their results:

Scott: 33 - More common than I thought!
Lindsay: 4 - Less than me!
Caleb: 1 - Ha! That is weird. Do you think this is accurate?
Zeke: 1 or fewer! I had to plug in his name too just for fun!

Have fun seeing how popular your name is!

Lindsay's Fifth Grade Graduation

2009-06-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Fifth grade graduation was on June 10th. I can't believe Lindsay is headed off to Middle School. She is excited - me, not so much - but I am not letting my emotions show. We had a fun girls night out the evening before trying to find something new to wear. They were asked to wear their Sunday best. I was surprised that we found something so fast AND at the first store that we went to. It is hard to find clothes for Lindsay that we both agree on. We must agree that it fits properly, is modest and affordable. I refuse to pay a lot for clothes that she will outgrow in a few months. So this is what we agreed upon:

A yellow, white and black blouse (Go Steelers!), a black skirt and yellow flip flops with yellow gems on them!

Lindsay the morning before school.

Lindsay receiving a certificate from her teacher, Mrs. Pensinger. She was a great teacher. I hope Caleb is in her class in 2 years.

A picture of Lindsay and Sierra. Lindsay received some beautiful yellow flowers from Granny at graduation - Thank you!!

from left to right

Great Grandma Stout, Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Ken (Scott's parents) came to watch Lindsay at graduation. Thanks for coming!!

** An interesting fact: Grandpa Ken attended this same elementary school ?? years ago **

The Eventful Month of May

2009-05-30T00:25:00.000-07:00

This past month has been so busy. I can't believe that I have not had time to blog. Since I could not pick one event, or so I would not have to create 9 individual posts, I am going to make 1 looooooong post with lots of pictures about things we have been doing. Hopefully you won't be too bored:

Choir

Caleb: front row third from right

Lindsay: back row fifth from left

Both Lindsay and Caleb joined choir at the beginning of the year. This program is for students in 3rd - 5th grade. Practice was held after school on Tuesday and Thursdays. After the first week, Caleb regretted signing up but he signed a contract that he would participate all year. So it was a constant struggle with him not wanting to go. He knew he had to but he was not happy about it. Lindsay has been in choir for the past 3 years so she was ready to be done around December. This picture is from one of their last field trips. Our school participated in the Oregon Children Choir festival with students from all over Oregon. "It was a long and boring day", if you ask Caleb.

Father/Son Campout

I spy Caleb, Reece, . . that is all I recognize.

Scott and Caleb went on the annual church Father/Son campout, without camping out. They decided to go and not spend the night because early the next morning was the District Pinewood Derby. They stayed for the evening and returned home around midnight. Another father thought that was such a good idea that he and his son left early too. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed at night. One of the highlights for the boys is catching salamanders. Another highlight is the campfire, of course. The camera cord was in the last picture but there were only a few pictures to choose from.

District Pinewood Derby

Caleb's orange Beaver car with flames. Yes, it is the same color as last year and since we still have some paint left, it will probably be the color for next years car too!!

Getting ready to race -

Caleb, on the right, during the race - .

Caleb and his good friend Trevor from school.
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District Pinewood Derby is sooooooo long! We were there for hours and Caleb raced for about 5 minutes. Now I know why someone pays their son not to go ;) I won't name who, but it is a brilliant idea!!

Mother's Day
Lindsay made me breakfast in bed. Yummy homemade waffles!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. I was spoiled. I received my gift a few days before which I was surprised to receive. On Sunday morning, thankfully the Bishopric meeting was cancelled at church so Scott was able to be home. I was treated to breakfast in bed along with a couple treats. I love the box of cereal they gave me. Look at it closely. It is called Honey Sunshine. I have always called Lindsay, Sunshine and Caleb is my Honey! And have you tried those natural fruit leathers??? So good!!

Caleb's Field Trip to the
Wings of Wonder
Butterflies everywhere!

Caleb's third grade class went to the Wings of Wonder, a butterfly exhibit. There were butterflies everywhere. You had to be careful where you stepped because they would land in front of you or on you!!

Here is Caleb and Logan at the Wings of Wonder.
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Meet the Author
"A Day In The Woods" written & illustrated by, Lindsay

One of the assignments in Lindsay's class was to write a hardcover book. The students spent a lot of time with this project and they all turned out very professional. There was a Meet the Author party. Parents were invited and the students would read parts of their stories. They all have such creative imaginations.

Basketball Party
Basketball season is over. Caleb had a fun time this season. He was on a team with all of his friends and he had the same coaches from past seasons. They are getting better and better each season. The team and parents went out for pizza and an award ceremony. As you can see, the boys had a fun night!
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I promise I am almost done, just a couple more events . . .
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Lindsay's 5th Grade Field Trip

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Lindsay's class went on a walking field trip to a few places. First stop was a senior center and the kids took their books they made and read them to the residents. Our next stop was to a museum in our town where they are making a carousel. I (yes, I go on practically every field trip) was so impressed with the work that was being done. Everything is hand carved and painted by volunteers. There are many different animals being created, each with its own unique story. There are about 5 more years until this project is completed. It was so much fun to be there and see the work in progress.

The carousel's platform.
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and last, but not least. . .
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The Iris Gardens

This is a day of my very own. A field trip with MY friends, a day without kids :) Today, Julene, Kris, Sarah and I went to the temple, out to lunch, shopping at Dessert Book and then to the Iris Gardens. What a fun day. Here are some pictures that Kris took with her cell phone. The flowers were gorgeous and very fragrant. I had such a fun day and I appreciate such good friends.

Julene, Kris, myself & Sarah

The gardens were beautiful

Hopefully you were not too bored. If so, sorry - this is also my way of journaling what is going on in our life. School is winding down, just a week and a half left with plenty of fun activities for the kids. We are all anxious for summer break and having a lot of fun!

Our 16th Wedding Anniversary

2009-05-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today is our anniversary! I promise I am not going to get all sappy with this post. I am going to keep it simple. Can you believe that it has been 16 years already?! I am truly blessed with such a wonderful husband and friend. I love and appreciate him so much! Last weekend we celebrated by going to dinner at Chili's and shopping afterwards. It was a wonderful date night.

Now don't laugh at our wedding picture - this image is not the best. Since we do not have a scanner, I took a picture of our wedding picture! The flash made everything brighter :)

The Washington D.C. Temple where we were married-

Harry Potter Books

2009-05-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Lindsay & Caleb have started reading the Harry Potter books. They both are enjoying them so far. Lindsay was undecided about reading this series. She almost started reading them in 3rd grade but decided not to because she thought she would not enjoy them. But now she is and it is fun seeing them read the books & talk about them together. The Harry Potter books are really good for the Accelerated Reading Program at school. After a book is read, students take a quiz to see how well they understood the book. After the quiz, they receive points based on the book's point value and how well they did on the quiz. Each grading period, they have a personal goal that they have to meet.

When Lindsay & Caleb are both done with a book, they want to watch the movie. Personally, Harry Potter is not my favorite but Scott enjoys it. He will answer questions they may have and likes watching the movies with them too.

Food Storage Ideas

2009-05-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at our computer while a 105 page book is being printed on our printer. I HAVE to grab every page when it is completed or else the printer will damage the bottom of each page if I leave it in the tray. Who knows what happened to our printer over the years. I guess it is time for a new one. So I thought I would share a few exciting links that I have recently found while I am grabbing pages.

I am on a food storage kick right now and I want to get organized with our food. Yes we have somewhat of a good amount of food in our storage, but I want to make sure we have all the things that we need. Our storage is mostly made up of flour, rice, oatmeal, pasta, milk, sugar. We have some vegetables, fruit, sauces, among a few other things in there too. But I am asking myself, do I have everything for certain meals? Do I have enough of certain things for 3 months? For a year? How can I be better at rotating our storage? So of course I went to the Internet for some ideas and I want to share a couple that I have found.

www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net

This site is really nice. It has so much information and videos for me to learn from. They have step by step instructions that you can accomplish so you don't forget anything. They will also send you an email every two weeks letting you know what you should do next. There are Excel worksheets where you can put in meals that your family will eat and it will multiply the quantities so you know exactly how much you need. You can put in how much you have on hand so you know if you need to buy more. My suggestion is to go to their website and browse around. I am really enjoying browsing and learning from their cute site. This is where I am downloading the book from.

The second thing, that my mom suggested, is a series of YouTube food storage videos by Wendy Dewitt. There are 9 videos from a class that she taught. As I was watching them, I was really wishing I was better organized. She has every meal planned out for a year. A loaf of bread and desserts for every day too!! I am so impressed.

Wendy Dewitt videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGaTlwYs-s&feature=related

Another blog I found with a lot of good information along with some good sounding recipes is called Preparedness Matters. "This site provides information to help individuals and families become more prepared for adversity in life". This site emphasizes five areas of preparedness:

Food and Water Storage
Financial Preparedness
Spiritual Preparedness
Emergency Preparedness
Provident Living

Prepardness Matters:

preparednessmatters.blogspot.com

And finally, I would like to thank my friend Kris for giving me a start of her Oregon Pioneer Hop Yeast Starter. I do love homemade bread but never take the time to make it. So with this starter, and the recipes she gave me, I am going to fill the house up with the scent of homemade fresh bread. It is going to be so yummy!

I hope you enjoy these sites. If anyone has any other good food storage sites that they like, please let me know. I would love to hear about them.

Video Of Caleb Riding On California Screamin'

2009-04-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

(Link to the California Screamin' video is below)

I feel bad that I have not blogged about our Disneyland trip yet. We purchased a new video camera before our trip and I want to incorporate the videos into our blog. Unfortunately, I am unsure how to transfer the videos onto our computer. Scott has been too busy lately to help me figure it out so that is why I have not posted anything from our vacation. I surprisingly figured out how to get a video onto YouTube.

Before you watch the video, I need to tell you about our favorite ride California Screamin' first. We all enjoyed this ride so much. This is the first time that we all went on a "big" roller coaster ride together as a family. The kids were not interested this year in the Dumbo ride, Toon Town, the Tea Cups or seeing any of the characters. They mostly wanted to go on the bigger rides like the Tower of Terror and California Screamin'. I am not sure how many times we rode this roller coaster. LOTS! It is well worth it to us to pull the kids out of school for a week so we can be there without the crowds and the heat. We would ride California Screamin' and get right back on again and again.

Caleb wanted us to video him on the ride. Caution, this video has some bumps and turns so hopefully no one will get sick watching it. Scott tried his best to keep the camera on Caleb's face at all times but that too was a challenge. Caleb, of course, is being silly, acting like he is scared but believe me, he is still talking about the ride today. "When can we go back? I had so much fun!"

To watch our YouTube video, click on this sentence! (not on Caleb's picture :)

Enjoy,

Easter Weekend

2009-04-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year. We started celebrating Friday night coloring and decorating eggs. I am glad the kids still have fun doing this. Who knows - maybe next year they will be telling us that they are too old to dye Easter eggs.

On Saturday, we went over to our friends Kris & Steve's house for their yearly Hop Along Easter Brunch - lots of good food and fun! I will let Kris tell you about their event - you can read about it here. Since I did not have my camera, I am stealing a picture that Kris took of Lindsay & Caleb. Thanks for having us over for your fun yearly tradition.

Saturday night, the Easter Bunny came to our house. Yes, he was a little early but it worked out better for us that way. Since Scott has early morning meetings at church, we thought it would be better to find baskets the night before. The kids wanted a challenge in finding their baskets this year, but after about 15 minutes, they wanted us to give them clues to help find them. I did not take any pictures :(
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On Sunday, after church, we went to Scott's grandmother's for Easter dinner and a family get together. We had lots of good food, fun and it was nice visiting with family. Since, again, I did not take any pictures, next week I will try and remember to have them dress up in their Easter clothes and take a picture before church. I can just pretend that it was Easter Sunday, right?!?!
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We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter too!
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Love,

A Beautiful, Spiritual And Enjoyable Sabbath Day

2009-04-06T00:10:00.000-07:00

Today was such an enjoyable day. We slept in late, ate our favorite breakfast, then watched General Conference in our pajamas. What a joy it was to listen to President Monson and the other Church leaders! Later in the afternoon, we went to the park because it was so nice outside. The sun was shining, the rain took a day off, and the temperature was in the mid 70's. We took a picnic consisting of hot dogs, macaroni salad, fruit, chips and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Of course we couldn't forget to bring food for the ducks. Lindsay & Caleb enjoyed feeding them bread. What a beautiful, spiritual and enjoyable day. I love spending time with my family.

Just Like Grandpa!

2009-03-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night Scott, the kids and I went to dinner at Red Robin - Yum! This is one of our favorite places to eat. As Lindsay & Caleb were looking at the kids menu, Caleb said he wanted to try something different. He wanted Macho Nachos, "just like Grandpa Ken gets". It's an appetizer that Grandpa Ken usually gets for his dinner.
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"A giant platter of crisp tortilla chips, seasoned taco meat, melted Pepper-Jack and Cheddar cheeses, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, (jalapeno peppers, guacamole - Caleb said no thanks to) and sour cream....whew!"
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This is a BIG dinner for a 9 year old so I decided to ask if we could have a smaller kids size version of the Macho Nachos. Caleb was excited - he enjoyed every bite. As we were sitting there, waiting a long time for Caleb to finish, we were talking about how he is just like his Grandpa. A SLOW EATER! No, this is not a bad thing but we are always waiting for Grandpa to finish his meal - he likes to enjoy every single bite.
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I was mad that I did not have my camera until Scott reminded me that I can use my cell phone camera so I was able to take a couple of blurry pictures:

Next time, I think we will order the regular size instead of a smaller size. Caleb probably received 1/4 of a regular portion which is around $10 and they charged us $8. For $2 more, Caleb can take the rest home for lunch the next day or he can share some with us!!

The 2009 Pinewood Derby

2009-03-18T00:47:00.001-07:00

Saturday was Caleb's Pinewood Derby. We really were not prepared for it this year. Scott and Caleb started on his car 4 or 5 days before the race. Nothing like the last minute! Caleb was sick for a few days, Scott was busy at work, and there was so much going on that we procrastinated until the last minute. Caleb's car was not fancy, it was the same color as last year's car, but at least we upgraded it with some decal flames this time!! He was happy, that's what matters most - right?!?!

Scott Cutting and Sanding Caleb's Car

Caleb's Orange Car Is On The Left

Jordan, Caleb, Miles and Toby At The Finish Line

Caleb's Certificate!

He Was Excited Even Though He Still Looked Sick!

(It Says That He Is A Wolf But He Is Now A Bear! :)

Caleb And His Friend Miles -

Next Month, They Both Get To Go To The District Pinewood Derby!

(See You There Miles, Right?!?! :)

Mom, According To Lindsay

2009-03-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

1. What is something mom always says to you?

I LOVE YOU.

2. What makes mom happy?

WHEN I PLAY WITH HER HAIR.

3. What makes mom sad?

WHEN CALEB AND I ARE FIGHTING.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

WHEN SHE TICKLES ME.

5. What was your mom like as a child?

UM, I DON’T KNOW.

6. How old is your mom?

SHE IS 3 YEARS YOUNGER THAN DADDY BUT SHE DID NOT HAVE HER BIRTHDAY YET SO SHE IS 4 YEARS YOUNGER THAN DADDY RIGHT NOW - SO 36!

(I was pretty impressed with how she figured that out)

7. How tall is your mom?

I HAVE NO CLUE. (5'3")

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

DOING SOMETHING AS A FAMILY.

9. What does your mom do when you are not home?

CLEAN.

10.If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

BEING THE BEST MOM IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE (WOW!)

11. What is your mom really good at?

MAKING BEDS.

12. What is your mom not good at?

MATH! (She has that right!!)

13.What does your mom do for a job?

STAY HOME.

14.What is your mom's favorite food?

SHE LIKES A LOT OF STUFF – I DON’T KNOW WHAT HER FAVORITE FOOD IS.

15.What makes you proud of your mom?

SHE CLEANS MY ROOM AND DOES MY LAUNDRY.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character,

who would she be?

SCOOBY DOO – BECAUSE THIS IS MY FAVORITE CARTOON CHARACTER RIGHT NOW!

17. What do you and your mom do together?

GO SHOPPING -GIRLS NIGHT OUT!

18. How are you and your mom the same?

WE ARE BOTH PRETTY PICKY ABOUT HAVING THINGS CLEAN.

19. How are you and your mom different?

I DON’T KNOW, I CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

BECAUSE SHE TELLS ME.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

THAT HE IS STRONG.

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22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

CHILI’S!

Now it Caleb's turn to answer questions about Scott! Those answers are in the post below!

Dad, According To Caleb

2009-03-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

1. What is something dad always says to you?

I LOVE YOU!

2. What makes dad happy?

ME BEING GOOD.

3. What makes dad sad?

WHEN I AM NOT GOOD.

4. How does your dad make you laugh?

WHEN HE DOES SOMETHING FUNNY.

5. What was your dad like as a child?

I DON’T KNOW!

6. How old is your dad?

7. How tall is your dad?

MAYBE ABOUT 6 FEET TALL. (6’3”)

8. What is his favorite thing to do?

WATCH FOOTBALL.

9. What does your dad do when you are not home?

WORKS!

10.If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?

FOR BEING THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD AND GALAXY!

(We did not bribe them on this question - Promise!)

11. What is your dad really good at?

PLAYING GAMES.

12. What is your dad not good at?

I DON’T KNOW.

13.What does your dad do for a job?

WORKS AT (COMPANY NAME)

14.What is your dad's favorite food?

CHINESE.
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15.What makes you proud of your dad?

THAT HE IS LOVING.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?

MARIO FROM NINTENDO.

17. What do you and your dad do together?

MAKE MY PINEWOOD DERBY CAR.

18. How are you and your dad the same?

WE LOOKED THE SAME WHEN WE WERE LITTLE.

19. How are you and your dad different?.

HE IS A GROWN UP AND I AM A CHILD.

20. How do you know your dad loves you?

BECAUSE HE HELPS ME AND TAKES CARE OF ME.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

THAT HE IS HER HUSBAND.

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22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?

SHOOTING RANGE.

You can copy and paste these questions to put on your blog. It is fun to see your kids (or spouse's) answers and it is fun for others to read. Thanks for the idea Alison!

Caleb's 9th Birthday Party

2009-03-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Friday night, Caleb had 5 of his friends come to help celebrate his birthday with him. He invited (from left to right) Jacob, Brandon, Trevor, Bryer and Logan. Unfortunately, Miles could not make it - the boys missed you! There really was not a theme this year. All Caleb really wanted to do was play games with his friends.

One of the highlights of the evening was playing with Caleb's automatic Nerf gun. They all had fun trying to aim at each other. They were shooting down the hall and everyone was trying not to get hit. Scott even shot at them all a few times. There was a lot of laughter and enjoyment with the Nerf gun.

We celebrated with a Wii cake. I tried to talk Caleb in letting me buy him a cake, but he wanted me to make him one that spelled out Wii in blue sprinkles. Lets just say that it took awhile to get the sprinkles to look just right! It was a labor of love!

Present time - Caleb truly loved every gift.
Thanks everyone!!

Night time! Scott was a BIG help in getting the boys to bed. They wanted to stay up until 3 am but we vetoed that idea really fast. They started to get settled around midnight!

The next morning we were woken up around 7 am with the sounds of pop guns and laughing. Hopefully no one was too crabby the next day! :)

Caleb had so much fun! Thanks to everyone for making his birthday so special and for being such a good friend to him.

Happy 40th Birthday Scott!

2009-03-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

Today is Scott's 40th Birthday! Now Scott is not one to celebrate his birthday much, nor was he excited to turn 40, so things were kept pretty low key! We started the celebration early, with Lindsay getting up extra early, to help me make him some breakfast before he left for work.

After a long day at work, we celebrated some more with his favorite dinner - Mom Most's meatloaf, potatoes, corn and salad too. It was nice to have Grandma Stout (Scott's grandmother) come to dinner to celebrate with us.

Last but not least, Scott's favorite birthday cake. Cherry Chip cake with cream cheese frosting! The kids were impressed, he blew out all 40 candles in one breath!

Thanks to everyone who called, sent cards and e-mailed him today. He enjoyed all of his birthday wishes!

I love you Sweets and I appreciate you so much!! Happy Birthday!

Love,

P.S. I am working on the Disneyland pictures but it is going to be awhile. Caleb's birthday is next!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Zeke's-In-The-Tub!

2009-02-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

One of Lindsay's chores today was to brush Zeke. While brushing him, she thought that it was time for him to get a bath since it has been a while. Zeke stays indoors all the time so he does not get dirty but Lindsay thought it was time for him to get freshened up a bit. Luckily, he does not fight us while getting washed - just a lot of meowing. After drying himself all off, Zeke is looking his finest . . . not bad for being almost 15 years old.

Wii Want To Wish You A . . .

2009-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

to family and friends. . .

. . . and a special Valentine from Lindsay and Caleb to all kids, and big kids at heart -

I think the Wii Valentine is funny so I had to include it too. Who is going to be player 1 and player 2 has caused many arguments between our kids. Where's the love?? When mom & dad play Wii instead!!

Love,

P.S. This is my 100th post, but who's counting?! :)

Yoga Class

2009-02-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

Now offering an 8 week beginning yoga class in our home for those, regardless of age, shape or size, who want to experience the many benefits of yoga...no experience or flexibility required. This beginning class will teach each student yoga fundamentals such as alignments, breathing, flexibility and relaxation techniques.

Our instructor is a compassionate and knowledgeable professional who loves what she does. Class size is limited so

pre-registration is necessary.

Yoga mats will be provided.

As you can see, the class is almost full. I was told that the chimpanzee is an excellent instructor. Lindsay had the "studio" set up one day and asked me to take a picture. I thought it was so cute how she thought to use paper for their mats. I smile every time I look at this picture. I love it when they are creative and use their imagination.

Lindsay's Birthday Slumber Party

2009-02-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

Lindsay had a slumber party for her 11th birthday last weekend. She had 5 of her friends come and celebrate with her. This was the first year that I did not plan any games for the evening. In years past, I always had games planned for the kids to play at their parties. This year, I told myself and Lindsay that they were old enough to entertain themselves. That's less stress for me!

The girls were funny to listen to. They all pretended to have different accents from around the world and they talked like that for most of the night. For example, Emily was from Australia, Savannah was from England and Sierra was from Kentucky. Sierra had the whole "redneck thang goen on". It was hilarious!!! They played Wii for awhile, had a few imagination stories they acted out, watched the American Girl Kit movie, among a few other things that kept them entertained. They sang to Lindsay as she blew out her candles from her cookies and Lindsay loved all of her gifts.

I told Lindsay ahead of time that she was NOT going to stay up all night. If it was up to her, she would since she is a night owl like me. So the girls went in the spare bedroom around midnight to watch some Disney, play games on their DS and talk. At 1 am I told them to turn everything off and it was time for bed. I was pretty proud of them because they were asleep shortly after 1:30. I did, however, have to play a prank on them. I got out the trusty fart machine. I put it in the room and as they were in bed with the lights off, I pushed the remote from the front room and FFFFAAART!!! (Oh the simple things that crack me up). The girls were blaming each other, laughing and saying "Gross!" I waited a minute and pushed the button again, FEERT. (Just so you know, I am laughing as I am typing this because I am imagining this in my head!) This time, Lindsay realized that it was the fart machine and they all started looking for the thing as I am constantly pushing the button, pushing the button, pushing the button!! Oh, what fun!

The next morning they slept in until 8. We had pancakes for breakfast and then it was time for the party end. Lindsay had a wonderful time and we hope that everyone else did too.

Top Left - Lindsay & Rachel

Top Right - Emily & Sierra

Bottom - Savannah & Melissa

Birthday Cookies!

...Happy Birthday To You!

Sleeping or Pretending?

Some Are Smiling and Peeking :)

Pancake Breakfast

Friends!

Emily, Sierra, Rachel, Savannah and Melissa

.... .. ...and

Lindsay's Birthday Dinner at Red Robin - "YUMmmm"

2009-01-30T09:15:00.000-08:00

Last night we went out to Red Robin for Lindsay's birthday dinner with Scott's parents, Ken and Vicki and his grandmother, Elaine and cousin Rachel. Did you know that if you sign up for the eClub on Red Robin's website, everyone in your family will receive a free meal around their birthday every year? The e-mailed coupon expires a few weeks after your birthday so you don't have to rush there to use it. Anyway, the food was good and it was nice to visit with everyone. The waitresses came and sang Happy Birthday to Lindsay and brought her a sundae. Well Caleb enjoyed the sundae since "Miss Picky" did not like the whipped, cream and sprinkles. The waitress noticed and was nice enough to bring her another one with just ice cream and hot fudge. After a few bites, she informed us that it did not taste good either. Oh my goodness!! Caleb wanted that one too but it sat there to melt instead.

Today, we have a few last minute things to get ready for her party tonight. She is sooo excited - me, not so much! (Mom, look at the shirt Lindsay is wearing - it is really cute on her :)

Happy 11th Birthday Lindsay!

2009-01-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

Today is Lindsay's 11th Birthday and we would like to wish her a Happy Birthday! It was kind of hard to celebrate her birthday today since there was a lot going on but we did the best that we could with some of her favorite meals. For breakfast, she requested a German Pancake, also called a Dutch Baby, or what she likes to call a "Big Pancake". For lunch, I brought Burger King to school. She really likes their chicken fries. Later on in the afternoon, there was a small celebration in her classroom. We brought chocolate chip cookies and milk to share. Lindsay is our extremely picky eater when it comes to sweets. As most of you know, she does not like cake or candy along with many other treats but she LOVES chocolate chip cookies - so tonight we will be putting a birthday candle in a cookie! And finally for dinner, she requested spaghetti, garlic bread and salad! We will be celebrating her birthday more at the end of the week. On Thursday we will be going out to dinner with her Grandparents and Great Grandma and on Friday, she is having a slumber party. (YIKES!) A tradition that we have every year is to give our kids a Birthday Minute Kiss. A kiss from us on the minute they were born. So tonight at 10:25 p.m., Lindsay will be getting a kiss from mom on one cheek and a kiss from dad on the other! We sure love you Sunshine! Enjoy your special day!

School Swimming Lessons

2009-01-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

Each year, the third, fourth and fifth graders in all the schools in our district receive free swimming lessons during 8 days of school. They have had this program for a few years now thanks to a generous anonymous donor. Caleb's class just finished their session and Lindsay's class starts next week. The kids enjoy getting out of school for 90 minutes each day. It was nice for me to go and watch his class too. On the first day, they are tested to see what level they are in. They have lessons for the next 6 days and then on the last day, they are able to have fun going off the diving board, swinging on the rope, playing water basketball, and volleyball. Caleb had a lot of fun and enjoyed being able to have swimming lessons with his friends. The pictures that I took on the last day are a bit blurry but it was hard to capture him in the air while swinging and jumping with my camera. :)
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-Natalie

Caleb "Rode On Through The Night" At Cub Scout Lock In

2009-01-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

(Place your curser over the pictures for a description)

Hi this is Caleb. I went to Cub Scout Lock In on Friday night. Lock In is a night where hundreds of Cub Scouts from the area come to the fairgrounds for fun activities and also to spend the night. I went with Dad and saw a lot of my friends there including Miles and Trevor. This year's theme was western. When we first got there we had to check in and then go put our overnight stuff in a box. Then we had to listen to some people talk about Lock In. They then opened up the curtains with the booths behind it. First I went to a bucket of water where I put on a scuba diving mask and put my face in the water to see what it was like to breathe underwater. Afterwards I went to a blown up event where I had to throw a baseball at a catching mitt as hard as I could. Some other events were BB guns (where I got a bull's eye), archery, painting, digging for fake gold, learning to use a lasso, bean bag toss, fishing, an egg race, and a lot of other fun activities. Then we blew up our air mattresses and laid out our sleeping bag. We got to watch movies all night long on 3 big screens. I tried to stay up as late as I could but I fell asleep at 2:00 in the morning. We had to wake up at 6:00 and had a doughnut and fruit for breakfast but I gave my fruit to Dad. We came home and I went back to bed and slept until 11:00. I had a lot of fun!

-Caleb

Staying Up Late

2009-01-16T01:54:00.000-08:00

This happens quite often. I am tired, ready for bed but I decide to go and check e-mails or friends blogs to see if there is anything new before I go to bed. Then I get distracted ..... Tonight's excuse was me thinking that it is time to change the background and the header on our blog. I tell myself that it won't take very long - or so I think. It is now a couple hours later and it is almost 2:00 a.m. Why do I do this to myself? I know I am a night owl but in the morning it is going to be so hard to wake up. But hey - at least the new background and header are done!
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Time for bed!
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-Natalie :)

An Evening With My Brothers

2009-01-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Last night my brothers Wade and Neal were here. Wade and his family live in Alabama and Neal and his wife live in Tennessee. They were in Oregon on a business trip so we were glad that they were able to come over to visit. The kids were so excited to see their Uncles. They came for dinner and we spent our evening visiting with each other while Neal and the kids played the Wii. We wish they could have stayed longer - we had an enjoyable evening and it was nice to see them.

Caleb And Uncle Wade

Uncle Neal With Caleb And Lindsay

(The Ziggy shirt Lindsay has on was a gift that Neal made for me for my 16th Birthday. It says "Love Is Contagious, We Get It From Each Other". Lindsay now wears it as a night shirt.)

My Brothers And I

All Of Us

Neal is always trying to mess things up in my house because I am a little "OCD" with certain things. My linen closet is an on going battle with him. This time I thought I would be clever and have the video camera in the closet to catch him when he opened the doors. It was there for a laugh. I did not even have it turned on but Neal did not know that at first! My towels and sheets got messed up anyway (amongst a few other things!)

-Natalie

SLEDDING in the SNOW on SATURDAY

2009-01-04T22:06:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went with our good friends, Clark, Stephanie, Melissa & Katie to a snow park to go sled riding for the day. We had an adventurous day. It took us FOREVER to get there. We had to chain up on the way since there was so much snow & ice. It should have taken us 1 1/2 hours to get there but instead we arrived 3+ hours later. It was worth it though. We decided to be "rednecks" and take the camp stove with us to make our lunch. Hot sloppy joes tasted really good on a cold afternoon. We left around 4 and again it took us 3+ hours to get home. We spent more time in the car than we did sledding. The kids were a bit sore the next day but they had so much fun. Thanks Clark, Steph, Melissa & Katie for inviting us!

Our Family

Stephanie, Katie, Clark and Melissa

Katie, Caleb and Lindsay Trying To Build A Snow Castle

Lindsay's Hat Is Practically Covering Her Eyes!

Caleb

Such Good Friends

They have played together since they were only a few months old!

Look At Their Faces!

Katie and Caleb Eating Lunch

-Natalie

Lindsay's New Ride

2009-01-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Lindsay received a new bike. She has been wanting to "upgrade" for some time now. She was telling us that she was going to start saving her birthday money for one. Every time we would go to the store, we would look at bikes and she would tell me which one she liked best. Well on Christmas morning, she looked at her bike and walked right past it. After a few minutes, we asked her what she thought of it, thinking that she did not like it since she did not have a reaction at first. She did not realize it was hers. She thought it was for her cousin Kristin! We told her it was hers and then she was excited! Her new bike is pink and purple -her favorite colors! Unfortunately, she could not ride it until a few days after Christmas. The weather was too rainy. So when we received a (small) break from the rain, she was outside riding around.

-Natalie

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T19:16:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. We were able to spend time with Scott's family. His sister Donna, her husband, David and their 2 girls Katie (19) & Kristin (16) came from Wyoming for a week. We missed Kevin who is on a mission right now in Mexico but it was nice to be able to talk to him on Christmas day. We had a fun filled week traveling back and forth from our house to Scott's parents home (who live 40 miles away). We spent Christmas Eve at Scott's grandma's house and then spent the night at his parents house and opened presents there on Christmas morning.

Our Christmas tree at home before we took all the presents to Scott's parents house for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we received a big package from my mom & dad. We enjoyed opening presents from them while talking on the phone. My mom made Lindsay & Caleb their own robes. Caleb wanted Steelers and Lindsay wanted "plain" pink. They love wearing them all the time!!

Here are pictures of Katie & Kristin and one of Donna & Dave. Kristin is playing Guitar Hero in the top left picture. The top right picture also has cousin Rachel along with Katie.

Grandma Vicki & Grandpa Ken's house (Scott's mom & dad) on Christmas morning.

At Grandma Vicki & Grandpa Ken's

Lindsay opening some of her gifts

Caleb opening some of his gifts

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we would also like to wish you and your family a

Happy New Year!

-Love, Scott, Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb

12 Days Of Christmas

2008-12-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

This Christmas song is dedicated to my brothers and my dad! (Mom, I would dedicate it to you too but I know what your reaction will be.) Anyway, it's sad to say that I have enjoyed potty humor my whole life. It is gross but funny. My brothers use to tease me by saying "diaper" or "potty" and it made me laugh. So this Christmas, one of the gifts that my brother Neal and his wife Sarah gave us is a calender called What's Your Poo Telling You? It is a daily calendar that delivers a years worth of poo trivia, interesting nuggets, dates in digestive history, and illustrated dookie descriptions. We will definitely learn a lot! So here is a song to thank you. When we saw this, we had to watch again and again and again! Enjoy!
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(Don't forget to pause the music on the bottom of the page!)

Farting Elves: 12 Days of Christmas Funny Jokes at JibJab

Yes, Lindsay, There Is A Santa Claus

2008-12-19T14:57:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday night, Caleb had Cub Scouts so Lindsay & I decided to have an hour of Girls Night Out. We decided to do some shopping at the mall and at Target. As we were walking in the mall, Lindsay asked me if she could go and see Santa. I was a bit surprised at her request. It was something that I did not think of doing this year since they both know the "grown-up secret". When we arrived, surprisingly no one was around. I suppose since it was a school night, Santa had some time to relax. Lindsay walked right up and started talking to him. He asked her to sit and asked her what she wanted for Christmas. As I stood there, (this may sound lame) I started to get tears in my eyes as I am now, thinking about this. For you to understand my emotions better, this past week we have been watching videos of the kids when they were little. We just started transferring the old tapes onto DVD's. We have enjoyed sitting down as a family and revisiting the past. I cannot believe how fast Lindsay & Caleb are growing up and how so many of the videos we watched seemed like yesterday. As she was sitting on Santa's lap, he was the sweetest, most caring Santa I have even seen. (Nothing like "Grouchy" Claus who we saw later in the week at Scott's work party for the kids). As Lindsay sat there talking to him, he had a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He was slowly rocking her back and forth as he listened to everything she had to say. You could just tell that this Santa truly has a love for children. As I was fighting back the tears watching my little girl sitting there, knowing how precious she is, I was realizing how fast she is growing up. Next month she will be 11! Next year she will be in middle school! We always hear how we need to treasure the time that we have with our kids. I have always felt like I am trying to do so but now I hope to treasure our time and relationship even more before another year passes us by. Thank you Santa for your kindness and for listening to my little girl's Christmas wish! I love you Lindsay!

"Yes, (Lindsay) there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy." -Francis Pharcellus Church

-Natalie

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2008-12-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like...

This week we have snow! This does not happen much in Oregon but I personally love the snow and dislike the rain! It started on Sunday, snowed off and on during the week and it is still snowing today! Since Oregon is not equipped to handle the snow, even if it is an inch or two, they will cancel school. So the kids did not have school on Monday, Tuesday or today this week. Some schools in the valley were cancelled all week. I bet those kids were happy to get a 3 week Christmas break!! Lindsay & Caleb were excited when school was cancelled except for today. They were looking forward to their classroom Christmas parties. But instead, they are having fun outside playing, enjoying the snow before it goes away! Caleb has been out there for awhile now. He is trying to make an igloo. I think it is about a foot high now. I don't think he will get much further. I am making hot chocolate for him right now to warm him up. Thanks to Alison, I have a cool hot chocolate maker that I received last year for a birthday gift. It is getting used quite a bit!

The Banks (Scott's sister and family) just left from Wyoming today for Oregon! Can't wait to see them! Only 6 more days until ...Christmas!

-Natalie

Kids Christmas Party

2008-12-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

Every year, the company that Scott works for has a few of Christmas parties. There is one for the kids, teenagers, and the adults. Last Saturday, the kids had their party. There are a lot of games and activities for them. Lindsay had fun having her face painted, Caleb enjoyed the games. There was pizza, chips, cookies, pop and cotton candy to eat. Of course Santa came. He arrived in a golf cart throwing stuffed animals everywhere. I was really proud of Lindsay. She caught a few stuffed animals and then decided herself to give them away to younger kids who did not receive one. Both kids also saw "Santa". When you look at the Santa pictures, take a good look at him. He looks looks really grumpy. It probably is because he was obviously having a bad hair day!

Caleb On The Right

Dance Dance Revolution

A Balloon Sword

Caleb Enjoying Some Cotton Candy

Lindsay With Grumpy Claus

Caleb & Grouchy Claus

-Natalie

Salmon Release

2008-12-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Caleb's third grade class went to the river and released baby salmon. They have been raising salmon and learning about their life cycle and habitat in school. Once the fish reached about an 1.5 inches, the kids took a small field trip to release them. It was a cold day and thankfully it was not raining. The fish were in a big bucket and the kids each received a small cup containing a few fish. The kids had a lot of fun releasing them and watching them take off down the river.

I Better Hurry Because...

2008-12-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

It Will Be Here Before We Know It!!!

Hope You Are Enjoying This Holiday Season!

Our Dancing Elf Family

2008-12-08T19:46:00.002-08:00

Caleb requested that we "Elf Ourselves" again this year. This was something that we did last year and had so much fun with it. It is so funny to watch ourselves dancing as elves. The kids were in tears because they were laughing so hard. Since you can add up to 5 members of your family, the kids wanted Zeke to be a part of it too. We put the dances in the order that we like the best. 1. Disco, 2. Country, 3. Classic, and 4. Charleston. Please let us know which one you like the best. If you "Elf" your family, please let us know. We would love to see your family dance around too!

(Before you select play on any of them, remember to pause the Christmas music at the bottom of the page!)

Elfed Ourselves - DISCO

2008-12-08T19:46:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elfed Ourselves - COUNTRY

2008-12-08T19:27:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elfed Ourselves - CLASSIC

2008-12-08T19:21:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elfed Ourselves - CHARLESTON

2008-12-08T19:19:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Basketball

2008-12-01T23:49:00.000-08:00

Caleb just got done playing basketball. He had fun and learned a lot. Many of his friends from school were on the same team which was nice. Caleb enjoys trying many different sports but he told me that basketball is his favorite sport to play so far. He is already looking forward to next season.

Caleb with ...

Logan (top left)

Miles (top right)

Jacob (bottom left)

Coach John (a.k.a. Jacob's dad)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T02:54:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were able to spend the holiday here at home with Grandma Vicki, Grandpa Ken (Scott's parents) and Aunt Barbara (Scott's Aunt). We had lots of things to be thankful for and plenty of good food to eat. This year we decided to deep fry a turkey for the first time. It was delicious! Friday morning, we hit some of the sales starting at 4 am. Thanks to Aunt Barbara who willingly stayed home with the kids. The rest of us are crazy, I know, but we had a fun time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Scott, Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb

Seattle

2008-12-01T01:45:00.000-08:00

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is right around the corner. Who has time to blog? I certainly don't but will try to find time to do so even if it means staying up late. I don't know how much will get posted tonight but most importantly I have the background changed and added Christmas music! Can you believe it is already December 1st? I can't and I am very excited for this time of year.
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Anyway, I wanted to post some pictures of our trip to Seattle. Like I said in the Forgotten Carol post, we were gone for 2 days. The main reason was to see the Forgotten Carols but while we were there we decided to see some of the famous sites as well. The day we arrived, we went to the Space Needle. We decided to walk there since our hotel seemed so close by. We could see the Space Needle and it was close - or so we thought. It is just big - that is why it seemed close by. The kids were pretty good about not complaining while walking there. It took awhile since we did not have a direct way there but once we arrived it was worth it. What a sight to see! It was a beautiful day so once we were on top, we had a wonderful view of Seattle.

The Seattle Space Needle

After we went to the Space Needle, we decided to take a Taxi back to our hotel. I think the kids were just as excited to take their first taxi ride as much as anything else. All I can say is at least it did not smell! We then were off to see the Forgotten Carols.

We had a really nice room to stay in. The kids were excited to have their own bedroom and their own bathroom.

The next morning, we decided to go to Pike Place Fish Market. We had to at least say that we have been there and hopefully see the guys throw the fish. We have seen the fish market on T.V. a couple of times so I thought it would be fun to see in person. Not only were we entertained seeing the fish get tossed around, there was also plenty of shopping. Lindsay wanted to see all the fun crafts, jewelry and hair accessories. She finally decided on a multi-colored, rainbow, twisty, hair clip accessory with a panda charm on the end. I am not sure what the technical name of it is but she had to have it. Basically there were a lot of stores selling various things and it was like going to a Flea Market. Lets just say the girls had more fun than the boys while shopping!

And finally, the last activity of our tip, was taking a ferry ride just for fun. We bought round trip tickets to go to one of the islands to turn around and come back again. It was fun especially for Caleb watching all the cars drive on and then off the ferry. On the way back to Seattle from the Island, the captain spotted a whale. A few other people saw it but unfortunately we missed it.

The Ferry Ride

After the ferry ride, we headed home. Even though our time in Seattle was short, we accomplished a lot. It was fun and well worth the trip!

-Natalie

The Forgotten Carols

2008-11-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night, we went to see Micheal McLean's The Forgotten Carols near Seattle. (Our Seattle trip will be posted later after I have some time to create some fun scrapblog pages!)

Anyway, for those of you who have not heard of The Forgotten Carols, the story is about a nurse who's name is Constance Chamberlin and an elderly gentleman named Uncle John (played by Micheal McLean). Constance is assigned to visit and care for John in his home during the Christmas holidays. Constance, or Connie Lou, as Uncle John likes to call her, has reason to think that her patient John has deep psychological problems because he insists that he is over 2000 years old. But his constant cheerfulness and compassionate attitude makes him appealing to her. "The Forgotten Carols" are sung by those who played a small part in the Nativity when Jesus was born. John is reminded of them when he places ornaments from them on his Christmas tree. He received the ornaments from people like the innkeeper who turned away Joseph and Mary, a shepherd who followed the star and one from an a young angel who tried out for the heavenly chorus to sing on the day of Christ's birth. Of course in the end, John isn't what he seems, and Constance comes to understand his gift to her as he shares the real story of Christmas.

Scott and I saw this play when we were at Ricks College 16 years ago. We really enjoyed it and every year we enjoy listening to the Forgotten Carols CD. We have been wanting to see the show again but it was always too far away since most shows are in Idaho and Utah. When we found out that it was near Seattle, we took the kids out of school for a couple of days because we did not want to pass up the opportunity. This trip was a great way to start our 2008 Christmas season, and for us to keep in mind what Christmas is truly about, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

-Natalie

"When I Grow Up, I Want To Be An Artist"

2008-11-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

Caleb has been telling us that he wants to be an artist for a long time. He loves to draw and make projects. His creative mind is constantly thinking of something to make or draw. A phrase we hear often is, "Can I use that for an art project?" He could be asking for a paper towel tube, plastic cups, foil, empty jars, pop bottles, and so forth. Unfortunately, he only receives about 1/4 of his requests and the rest goes in the recycling bin. We just don't have room for a bunch of extra art supplies around the house waiting to be used. If only we had a basement .... he could have an art corner all to himself!

Anyway, one day he came home from school very excited because there was a contest for all the students to draw a new school logo. It was going to be printed on sweatshirts and t-shirts. (I have to mention that Lindsay was excited too and drew an awesome drawing to submit). Caleb drew a flying eagle, the school mascot, with a circle of stars. A couple of weeks went by with them both patiently waiting for the winner to be announced, and .... Caleb won!! He was sooooooo excited and I was so proud of him. I was also proud of Lindsay for being a good sport and also for the fact that she was truly happy for her brother. An order was placed and the result is exciting. Way to go Caleb!!!!

Caleb With His Winning Design

A Happy Sister

-Natalie

Blog Class

2008-11-13T23:13:00.000-08:00

The blog class is now over. It was a lot of fun and there was a nice turnout. I wanted to take a bunch of pictures so I could "blog" about the class., but with everything that was going on, I forgot!! I did, however, take a few pictures before everyone arrived. Thanks to Kris & Steve, we had a projector and a screen which made it nice for everyone to see. I appreciate everyone who came. It was fun seeing the changes you made on your blogs already!

-Natalie

Calling All Bloggers . . .

2008-11-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

Kris asked me to teach an Enrichment class on blogging. Why me?, I wondered. There are a few sisters in our ward who have blogs but I have to admit, I LOVE spending time blogging. Here are a couple of reasons why.

First, it is a great way for me to keep in touch with family whether they live here or elsewhere around the country. All of my family and some of Scott's family live out of state so it is a good way to let them know what is happening in our lives. I remember the days of getting pictures developed and sending them to my mom in Ohio to see. Now I can just put them on our website and write about what is happening. This works for good friends too. Who could forget Adrienne and her family. Even though they moved and now live in Minnesota, we can still see what fun things her, Steve, and their 3 girls are doing.

The second reason I love to blog is because it is my way to record the events in our lives. Yes, it's sad to say that I don't write in my journal every night before I go to bed or even on a monthly basis. Blogging motivates me to document what is going on in our lives - even if it is just about something like the kid's fish! So even though I am keeping in touch with family and friends, I am also doing this for myself.

Think of blogging like scrapbooking. This way, however, you don't have to have a lot of supplies all over your kitchen table and it can be instantly shared with those you love! You can personalize your blog by adding different colors, backgrounds, music and more. We are also going talk about safe ways to publish blogs since the Internet is an open invitation to everyone!

In order to give me a good idea on how many people will be attending, please either let me know or for fun, use the RSVP poll on the sidebar. Of course I will have treats but if we have a really good turnout, I will just have to beg Kris to bring her Blondie Brownies, Serena to bring Peanut Butter bars, Alison to make the Bomb Cake, and Melanie to bring the Cinnamon Rolls that I have been hearing all about!

Hope you can make it, Thursday, November 13th at 12:30, here at my house. If you have any specific things you would like to learn about, please leave a comment.

-Natalie

Trick-Or-Treat!

2008-11-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a fun-filled day for us. Lindsay was a witch & Caleb was an OSU Beaver fan! It all started with a party at school. At the end of the school day, all the kids could put on their costumes and parade around school and then have a party in their classroom. Earlier that morning, Scott told me not to forget our camera so I could take pictures of Lindsay & Caleb with their friends. Well I remembered the camera but I left the memory card at home in the computer. So unfortunately, I did not take any pictures at school.

When we arrived home, it was time to carve pumpkins. We should have carved them earlier but since we were gone, it was put off until the last minute. Caleb picked out the biggest, thickest pumpkin possible. Luckily, Scott carved his and I helped Lindsay with hers.

Lindsay was not going to go trick-or-treating this year. She was excited to pass out candy. Can you believe that she does not like candy??!! It use to be that she liked plain chocolate like a Hershey bar but now she does not like those either. I wish I had that problem. But at the last minute she decided to go trick-or-treating with her friends. Not for the candy but for the company. So I took Caleb and we went with his friend Jake and his sister Rachael. It was so fun going with him because they run into everyone they know from school and the group of friends that you are going with is getting bigger and bigger. There were a few times that the boys needed a break. Running from house to house was exhausting for them. So occasionally they would sit on the curb to rest their feet and have a small treat.

Well, Halloween is now over, Caleb told me tonight that he is starting to think about what he is going to be next year. I am sure his mind will change many times before then but I guess it is fun to think ahead!

The kids were really excited to help me design these pages below!

Carving Pumpkins

Caleb Dressed Up As A OSU Beaver Fan!

Lindsay Dressed Up As A Witch!

Caleb, Jake And Friends!

-Natalie

Our Vacation To Eagle Crest

2008-10-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

We just returned home from spending 5 days at Eagle Crest. It was a much needed vacation. Scott has been gone a lot with either traveling or hunting so it was time for some relaxation. We really enjoy staying here. It is about 2 1/2 hours away in Central Oregon. The weather was beautiful - in the 70's! We spent a lot of time outdoors (mostly swimming) but also spent a day shopping at the outlet mall in Bend, went to see High School Musical 3, and enjoyed taking some walks. It was so much fun spending quality time with each other and not worrying about the daily routine at home.

Here is a picture of the condo we stayed in.

Our "traditional" breakfast here is Belgium waffles with homemade strawberry jam, bacon (or sausage) and eggs! At home, we are usually running around in the morning getting ready for school so breakfast is usually quick. Cold cereal, eggs, or frozen waffles.
.

Every night we play a game. Some of the kids favorite games are Life, Kids vs. Grown-ups, and The Price Is Right.

The first thing we are asked every morning is "When are we going swimming?" They both love to swim. There was an indoor pool and an outdoor one. They both loved going to the heated outdoor pool especially at night. We would spend a few hours there swimming, then getting in the hot tub, swimming, back in the hot tub, swimming - well, you get the idea!

Probably one of the highlights of the trip were the deer. They were so tame and cute! They would come right up to us. Scott (the hunter) wished he had his gun. Me, on the other hand, was glad I had my camera. "Quick, shoot a picture!"

One morning after breakfast, there were 5 deer that came up to our back porch. The kids were so excited. I know we are not suppose to but we quickly ran inside to get some food. As long as we were feeding them, they hung around. We were hoping they would come back the next morning. Caleb was saving a waffle for them but I guess they had a better offer somewhere else.

One of Caleb's favorite activities is the play with his "mote" control cars. He loves the one that Aunt Donna and Uncle Dave gave him for Christmas. He tries to drive his monster car over daddy's small car (the one Lindsay is driving).

Caleb is on a basketball team so Scott & Caleb took some time to practice with Lindsay joining the fun.

And finally, at the end of a long day, Lindsay's favorite thing to do is to take a big bubble bath. This night, however, we put too much bubbles in the water. So after relaxing for awhile, she headed for the shower. There was no way she was going to get all those bubbles off of her in the tub.

Well it is back to school and work. We wish we could have stayed longer but everyone would have been too far behind. Plus, Zeke missed us! It was a fun time. I am so thankful for my family and I love them very much!

-Natalie

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-10-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Since we were gone, this festive picture is a little late. We are glad that you had an enjoyable day. Wish we could have been there to spend it with you!

We Love You!!

-Natalie, Scott, Lindsay & Caleb

A Day At The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch today with some members of our family - Great Grandma, Grandma Vicki, Aunt Anette, Amanda, Rachel, Aunt Karen & Carlos. It was a beautiful day. The weather was nice - not too cold and thankfully it was not raining and muddy. Lindsay, Caleb, Rachel & Carlos each had a chance to drive the tractor for our hay ride to and from the pumpkin patch. Each child picked out a pumpkin and of course most of the adults had to carry them back because they were too heavy for the kids to lift. The kids also enjoyed playing on the hay bails and going through the corn maze. After going to the pumpkin patch, we went out to dinner at Izzy's. It was a fun day. Too bad Scott was not with us (yes, he was gone again - home one week and gone the next). This time he was off hunting with Grandpa Ken and his friend Kendal. Luckily we are able to text each other while he is gone. So far, no luck with finding an Elk.

Enjoy the Pumpkin Patch scrapbook!

-Natalie

Lindsay's New Haircut

2008-10-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Lindsay FINALLY decided to get her haircut. Scott & I would constantly suggest that she get her hair shorter but she wanted to have long hair. Before school started both Lindsay & Caleb got a haircut and she ended up getting an inch cut off. I have to admit, I was the same way. When I was younger, I too would end up only getting an inch off as well. I would come home (from my next door neighbor, who cut hair) and my mom wouldn't believe that I actually got a haircut. For Lindsay, I think she finally changed her mind after having so many knots in her hair and the daily struggle of getting them out. I also told her that I would take her to a really nice salon instead of one of the cheaper, more convenient places. It is now much easier for her to manage and she can still wear her hair in a ponytail. We think it looks really cute on her!

-Natalie

Lindsay's Virtual Makeover

2008-10-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to Aunt Sarah's idea, Lindsay & I had fun tonight looking at different hairstyles on the Taaz Free Vitual Makeover site. Lindsay enjoyed choosing the following styles and colors for herself:

And Finally, A Glimpse At A Possible Look Into Her Near Future Wearing Make-up

No - I did not put make-up on Lindsay. You can choose to add different make-up applications to your picture. Lindsay keeps telling me that it is my turn. We shall see. I think my hair only knows 1 style. Straight with bangs!

-Natalie & Lindsay

Cousin Rachel

2008-10-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

Scott's cousin, Rachel, loves to come to our house and spend the night. Lindsay and Caleb love to have her over too. I enjoy it when she is here. She knows where everything is and is such a big helper. It is also nice because she is a peacemaker between Lindsay & Caleb. They all love to play their Nintendo DS games, play Wii, enjoy stories with their American Girl dolls (without Caleb) and play hide and seek. Rachel is 11 and is in 6th grade. They are such good friends!

-Natalie

While Scott's Away ... We Will Play!

2008-10-06T00:29:00.000-07:00

Scott is on a business trip to Washington D.C. and Denver. He left early on September 28th and will not be home until the evening of October 8th. For me, this is a long time for him to be gone and I miss him a lot. It was a long time for us to be separated when the kids and I were in Ohio and I am now complaining about 11 days! I know that my brothers travel a lot, so honestly, how you do it Heather and Sarah? I really admire you. Is it hard for you too or are you use to it?

This last weekend, the kids and I decided to have a fun night out. We went bowling, hung around an arcade watching Caleb play some games, went to dinner, spent some time at the mall and at Target. It was a nice break for us especially after a long week. This year, both of our kids, especially Lindsay, are coming home with a TON of homework! Lindsay spends so much time on it since she has quite a bit to do. So Friday night is finally here and we decided to go have some fun.

Lindsay Bowling

Caleb Bowling

Caleb decided that he wants to be an OSU Beaver fan for Halloween. Here is a hat he is wanting for part of his costume. What do you think Scott?

We also went to the Hallmark store in our mall. On a certain day, once a month, they have their own version of the Webkinz Wheel Of Wow! Here you can win prizes (and nice ones too!) Lindsay spun and won a free Webkinz seal. Caleb spun and won a Webkinz magnetic bookmark.

Another thing I have been doing while Scott is away, is spending a lot of time on the computer. YIKES! The kids go to bed and there is nothing on T.V. that I want to watch. So the computer has been keeping me entertained. Well, I found a new, really fun site! It is Scrapblog.com. Here you can make scrapbook pages on your computer. I have never been into making traditional scrapbooks. I truly appreciate them and all the time and love that is put into making them. I guess I did not want to go and buy all the paper and gadgets and then find a place to store them but this site is so cool and it is free! You can choose from pages that are already made or you can make your own. You pick your background paper, stickers, add photos, embellishments and more. I have made a few so far and this is the Halloween scrapblog that I made.

If you have some free time, check it out. They have a video that will show you how to make a scrapblog. It is a fun site to use. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Off to get some sleep!

-Natalie

Fall Is My Favorite Time Of Year

2008-10-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Click On The Picture To Enlarge

I cannot believe that fall is finally here. I love this time of year. Even though I am sad that the kids are back to school, it is an exciting time with the season changing, and holidays approaching. The kids are thinking, and keep changing their minds, on what they want to be for Halloween. Even though Lindsay is getting a little bit too old to go Trick or Treating, and the fact that she does not like candy, she still wants to dress up to pass out treats and also for her party at school. Looking thru pictures, I found some of the kids from past years. Lindsay has dressed up as a Teddy Bear, a Strawberry, a Steelers Cheerleader, a Ballerina, Hannah Montana, a Kitty Cat, Magenta from Blues Clues, Peach from Mario, a Baby, Cinderella and Snow White in no particular order. Caleb has dressed up as a Dinosaur, a Boxer, Buzz Lightyear, Mario, Luigi, Dash from The Incredibles, and a Football Player. Hopefully they will make up their mind soon so I don't have to wait until the last minute to put costumes together. Halloween will be here before we know it! Have a great month!

-Natalie

"My Fish Died"!!!!

2008-10-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

As we were rushing to get ready for school this morning, Caleb came to me 10 minutes before the school bus was about to arrive, very sad! "My fish died"!! (I know, it is only a fish but to an 8 year old, this is devastating). I felt bad because I felt sorry for him but at the same time, he had a bus to catch. He was looking all over the house for an empty Tic Tac box. I told him a while ago that when my brothers and I were little and one of our fish died, we would take a Tic Tac box, place the fish in it and bury it! A perfect size don't you think?! Well I told him I would look for one while he was gone and for him to try and not think about it at school.

When he came home from school, he was fine. He wanted to know where the Tic Tac box was so he could put his fish in it. He then dug a hole in the backyard, buried him and put a octopus figurine on top.

But then, as soon as he was done, he found a new pet. On the fence was a praying mantis. Lindsay helped him catch it and he is excited to look at it for a day or two (before we let him free)! I don't know what we are going to do when Zeke kicks the bucket. I mean, lets face it, he is getting up there in cat years. That will not be a good day, week or month for the kids!

Caleb With A Pretend Sad Look On His Face Standing Next To The Octopus

-Natalie

Our Children

2008-09-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

I found this wonderful free program called Picasa 3 that I downloaded yesterday. This is probably a program that most of you are aware of but I was really excited to come across it. I have been enjoying making collages and organizing our pictures. It is so much fun to see pictures of Lindsay and Caleb through out the years and it brings back so many memories. Some of these pictures seem like yesterday -time goes by so quickly! We love you two so much!

Lindsay, You Are My Sunshine!

2008-09-30T01:28:00.000-07:00

Caleb, My Honey Bunny!

2008-09-30T01:26:00.000-07:00

A Visit With Uncle Neal

2008-09-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

My brother Neal was here on a business trip so he was able to spend the evening with the kids and I. We had tacos for dinner, played some Wii, and watched the Steelers - too bad that Scott is on a business trip as well because he would have enjoyed watching the game with Neal! Anyway, we are glad that you were able to come - we enjoyed your visit!

Uncle Neal With Lindsay & Caleb

Playing Wii

Spending Some Quality Time With Zeke

and then . . .

I had to check my linen closet as soon as you left. I figured you were up to something!

I don't know why you always have to mess up my nice, neat stacks!!!!

-Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb

Beautiful Perennial

2008-09-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have this beautiful, enormous perennial in my backyard that has so many daisy like blooms. I am going to definitely move it to a different location when it is done blooming so next year it won't be taking over. As you can see it is about 8 feet wide and as tall as the fence. I am not sure what is is called though. I am thinking it is in the mum family since it is now blooming. What do you think mom? Call me!

Guess What Today Is?!

2008-09-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

I just realized something. Time is going by so quickly. School has started, fall is arriving, Halloween will be here next month with Thanksgiving following the month after. And then in December, CHRISTMAS!! I was shopping today and saw Christmas merchandise being placed on the shelf. Now I know why. BECAUSE...

-Natalie

Picking Blackberries

2008-09-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

My Helpers, Lindsay And Caleb

Lindsay Is About To Eat One For The First Time

Caleb Enjoys Eating Blackberries

Finally Tried One And Decided It Was Not Bad

On Saturday, the kids and I decided to pick some blackberries in the woods behind our neighborhood. It is fun to go back there since there are trials that lead you around the neighborhood, by a river, and you feel like you have escaped to the mountains for awhile. We found many blackberries and picked a container full. When we got home we then decided to make a batch of freezer jam. We had a lot of fun. This morning we then enjoyed the jam on our waffles (except for Lindsay who is our picky eater!)

-Natalie

Relief Society Retreat

2008-09-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Jackie, Natalie, Julene, Sarah, Heidi, Megan and Kris

At Beverly Beach

This weekend I had the opportunity to go on our Relief Society Retreat to Beverly Beach. I must admit however, I did not want to go. If it was not for Kris being in charge of the retreat and her saying "You don't have a choice - you are going since you are my friend", I would have stayed home instead. But I must say that I am happy that I went. We had fun taking a walk on the beach, talking and laughing!! We stayed in a yurt which was really nice especially since there was electricity and a heater. Thanks to Kris, Sarah, Julene & Jackie, I had a great time!

To read a funny post on Kris's blog, click here!

-Natalie

The First Day Of School

2008-09-07T21:51:00.001-07:00

Well the time has finally come - the first day of school. Lindsay is in 5th grade this year and Caleb is in 3rd grade. Lindsay is excited and Caleb is not. It was hard for them both to find out that many of their friends are not in their class but there is always recess to have fun with them. Here are some pictures!

-Natalie

A Trip To The Oregon Coast Aquarium

2008-09-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium and to the Beach on Labor Day. The kids had fun at the aquarium seeing all the underwater creatures. After the aquarium we went and toured a light house and then headed for the beach for some fun in the sun and digging in the sand. It was a fun family day before the first day of school!

-Natalie

Our Trip To Ohio, and ...

2008-09-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post is going to be really, really long - a lot happened on our trip since we were gone for 3 weeks so in order to make sure I have documented everything, this is going to be a looooooooooooooooong post!!

The kids and I had the opportunity to go to visit Granny & PapPap, my Mom & Dad, in Ohio for 3 weeks. Unfortunately, Scott was not able to go. He stayed home and worked while we were out having fun and spending all his hard earned money. We left August 6th and the only flight that we could get that was a good deal was a red-eye flight. We left Portland at 12:50 am. If that was not bad enough, we had a 3 hour layover in Minnesota in the early morning. I was so worried about the kids and how they were going to handle it but they really pulled through and did a wonderful job of being helpers with a good attitude!! So to keep them entertained during our layover we rode many moving sidewalks and rode the tram many times especially since we were the only ones on it -

Then we found an arcade and they played lots of games -

Then, after our second flight, we finally arrived in Ohio - very exhausted but excited to be there and to see Granny & PapPap!

So here are some of the activities that we did while we were in Ohio. I cannot go to Ohio without taking a trip to North Canton where I grew up. We decided to make a day trip there so we could go shopping and see our "old" house. We tried to talk Dad out of going since we knew he would be bored with all the stores we wanted to go to but he still insisted on going (I'm sure he regreted that decision later especially after our first stop to the Flower Factory which only took a couple hours.) After a morning at the Flower Factory we stopped at Dogwood park for lunch -

And then drove by our "old" house-

That was a fun day (except for Dad and the kids who were bored after an afternoon of more shopping!)

Another thing we did while we were in Ohio was to visit Gramma (the kids call her Ma.) It has been awhile since we have seen her. She was sure excited to see the kids. We had a good visit with her and here are some pictures from both our visits -

Gramma saved 4 Saltine Crackers from one of her meals for the kids to feed the fish, ducks and turtles. I told them to break off small pieces to make the fun last longer.

You can barely see them but there were a lot of fish!

Dad and Gramma - I know, not the best picture but I think it is cute (funny) how they both have the same facial expression.

And then the last Ohio activity that I took pictures of is when we went to the park -

PapPap and Caleb - So Handsome!

There were many other activities that we did in Ohio but that is most of the pictures that I took. We went to Kirtland to visit the Church sites (I forgot my camera that day - so mad!) The kids had fun fishing, golfing and feeding the ducks with PapPap and Mom & I shopped a lot for school clothes and much more. Even though our trip was 3 weeks long, we also went on some another trips during our trip - does that make sense?? We went to Tennessee to see Neal & Sarah and to Alabama to see Wade, Heather, Collin, Trevor & Ryland. We also took the kids to Niagara Falls, but since this post is really long and there is so much more to come, I am going to create separate posts for the trips to my brothers and to Niagara Falls.

-Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb

To Be Continued ...

...Tennessee, Alabama and ...

2008-09-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

While we were in Ohio, Mom & I, along with the kids planned a visit to Neal & Sarah in Tennessee, and Wade, Heather, Collin, Trevor & Ryland in Alabama. It was nice since we have never been to their houses before and it has been awhile since we have seen them. Since Dad was getting ready to go back to work, he did not come with us. The traveling was not bad. Again, I was worried about the kids and the long trip but we did not hear too many "How much longer until we get there" questions or have to stop many times for bathroom breaks. It took 9 hours to get to Neal and Sarah's and then only an hour and a half more to get to Wade and Heather's. Here are some pictures of our trip there -

After we arrived, we went out to Mellow Mushroom for dinner (DELICIOUS! - Wish there was one in Oregon) and went to paint pottery. That was really fun - Lindsay painted a cat container with a lid, Caleb painted a monkey bank and I painted a "You Are Special" plate. The kids had so much fun and they keep asking to go again. I did not take a picture while painting but when we were leaving the pottery place, there was a big chair that we took a few pictures on-

While at Neal and Sarah's, the kids had fun playing with their dog Capo, Lindsay went to Activity Days with Aunt Sarah and they both went swimming at their neighborhood pool. School already started there so they had the pool to themselves -

We also went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner one night - YUM!

We had a lot of fun in Tennessee. After spending a few days there, we were off again to Alabama to see Wade, Heather, Collin, Trevor and Ryland for a couple days. Neal, Sarah and Capo came for one of the days too.

The kids were so excited to see everyone and to go swimming in their pool. They were also excited to play some Wii games with Collin & Trevor -

Trevor, Lindsay, Caleb & Collin

And Lots Of Swimming -

Swimming With Ryland - He Is So Cute!

Lindsay Loved Playing With Ryland

The Boys Had So Much Fun!

Capo had a fun time swimming too.

There are also some funny videos on Neal and Sarah's site if you want to see Capo jumping off the diving board. It was really funny.

Before we left, we took some pictures of everyone -

Funny Pose

We had a lot of fun with everyone - (The kids cried when we left). We would like to thank everyone for a wonderful time and hopefully we will see everyone again soon.

-Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb

To Be Continued...

... Canada Too!

2008-09-07T19:09:00.001-07:00

After we got home from Alabama and Tennessee, we took one last trip before heading home to Oregon. This time, Dad was able to go. We took the kids to Niagara Falls. After a 5 hour drive we arrived and had some lunch -

Then Went To See The Falls

We Also Went Behind The Falls

An Opening Behind The Falls

A Picture Of The Maid Of The Mist

After we saw the falls, we went to an IMAX movie "The Falls - Legends And Daredevils". It was really entertaining and interesting. Here is a picture of Lindsay and Caleb with the barrel that Annie Taylor went over the falls in -

The kids were excited to be able to see Niagara Falls and to say that they went to Canada. They sure had a fun summer visiting with family and seeing many new places. Hopefully they will remember this trip for a long time. I too had fun and am thankful that we were able to go and see everyone and visit fun places. Thank you for everything Mom and Dad. We had a wonderful visit and we love you so much!

-Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb

Company Picnic

2008-08-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, we went to Scott's company picnic. The kids are so excited when it is time for the summer picnic or the Kids Christmas Party that work has because there is a ton for them to do. We did not take that many pictures this time but some of their favorite things to do are rock climbing, laser tag, sumo wrestling, bungee jumping (on a trampoline), inflatable slides and an obstacle course to name a few. It was a fun day!

Caleb Rock Climbing

Lindsay Rock Climbing

Getting Ready For A Game Of Laser Tag

Scott Enjoying The Laser Tag Game!

Lindsay As A Tiger

Caleb With Pikachu

Cub Scout Camp

2008-07-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to go to Cub Camp this past week. When I say we, I mean Caleb of course, Lindsay and myself. They had a separate group of girls who were able to participate in all the same activities as the boys. If the girls mom was going to help at camp then the daughter was able to attend too. So Caleb (and Lindsay) were excited to go.

The theme for camp this year was Pirates. There were many activities for the kids to participate in. There were 11 boys in Caleb's group and he knew most of them from our ward and our previous ward. His leader, Capt'n Brian was from another pack and was a good leader. He was very organized, prepared and patient. All went pretty well through out the week. The kids and I were pretty tired when it got to Wednesday but the kids pulled through and had a blast. But on Friday, I was ready for it to be over. I am glad that I went though. Caleb had so much fun with his friends and being able to participate in the fun activities. Lindsay had a great time too. I wish I saw her more during the week but we saw each other every once in awhile. Scott came up for one afternoon to walk around with us but maybe next year he will be able to attend for a whole day or two!

-Natalie

P.S. The last couple pictures are the kids in the car. Since we had a 40 minute drive each way, we took some entertainment and the Nintendo did the trick! Sharon, one of my Beehives came as well. She volunteered her time in the Tot-Lot all week watching the younger kids. It was funny though listening to the boys in the car and their conversations!!

Video Games With Caleb

2008-07-22T19:19:00.001-07:00

Caleb LOVES

To Play

Video Games!

Playing Nintendo

With All Of

Caleb's And Lindsay's

Webkinz

After Caleb saw the entry of Lindsay reading to her Webkinz, he thought he would bring all of their Webkinz in the spare bedroom to watch him play Nintendo. Please don't try and count to see how many animals they have because we know it is too many - they are just so cute!!
.
-Natalie

The County Fair

2008-07-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to the County Fair. It was a lot of fun. We saw a "Cowboy" show and a Circus show. Also, there were many activities for the kids - the Tractor Pedal Pull race was one where you have to pull a certain amount a weight according to your age, an inflatable slide, horse rides and a petting zoo to name a few. There were many things on display as well. Lots of animals that were stinky and some that were gross. We also watched a rodeo which was really entertaining. The food of course was good but spendy - nachos, elephant ears, shaved ice and much more. And finally we listened to country music Terri Clark before heading home. Caleb wanted to come back again today but he will have to wait until next year.

Natalie's Birthday

2008-07-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday! Natalie celebrated her 36th birthday on Thursday by watching Caleb play his last baseball game of the season and going out to dinner at Mongolian Grill. Of course there was cake and ice cream for dessert.

We love you!
From Scott, Lindsay and Caleb.

Baseball

2008-07-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Scott just got done with a season of baseball. It was a pitching machine league for 3rd and 4th graders. Caleb was very happy that Dad was coach and Scott had fun too. It was a great time for everyone and a good learning experience for the kids. They did not keep score and each player had a chance to hit each inning. Caleb is now trying to decide which sport to do next: Basketball, Tennis, Golf . . .

The Athletics

Look At Caleb's Face!

Third Base

Short Stop

Our Yard Is Finally Finished!

2008-07-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

We had some changes that we were making in our yard a little at a time since we moved in. Well I think we are finally finished. We bought 6 1/2 yards of mulch as the final project. I spent hours before that putting in weed fabric which was very time consuming but I am glad that it is there. I don't want to spend hours weeding. (Brings back bad memories of having to weed when I was about 13 years old and being charged .10 cents for every weed I missed!!) So glad that it is done - now onto the next project!

Our Front Walkway

Front Side

(The Neighbor Needs To Mulch Too)

Shed In Back

Backyard

-Natalie

Triangle Lake

2008-07-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

We were invited to spend some time at our friends lake house this week. We had a blast! There were lots of kids there for Lindsay and Caleb to play with and plenty of fun things to do. I had a good time relaxing and socializing with friends. Here are some pictures of all the activities. Thank you Sarah!

-Natalie

Bedtime Stories With Lindsay

2008-07-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Lindsay LOVES

To Read!

Reading Stories

To Zeke, Our Cat,

And Her Webkinz

I went to tell the kids that it was time for bed and found Lindsay still reading. She had all of her Webkinz and Zeke lined up at the foot of her bed as she read them some stories. I thought it was so cute I had to take some pictures.

-Natalie

Swimming Lessons

2008-07-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

The kids just finished taking swimming lessons. They learned a lot this session. I can remember so clearly them both scared to death to get water on their face. Lindsay was even once worried about being baptized so we had to practice lots in Granny's big bathtub. Now it is impossible to get them out of the pool. They both love to dive for rings and jump in the deep end. I had a fun time too sitting by the pool and talking with my friend Shannon.

Lindsay (With Her Eyes Closed)

Lindsay Loves To Swim On Her Back

Caleb

Caleb Diving For Rings

Caleb Swimming

Playing With The Swim Noodles

Caleb With Lindsay's Goggles On

Handsome Boy!

-Natalie

Camping

2008-06-30T09:42:00.001-07:00

We went camping this weekend with our good friends Clark, Stephanie, Melissa, Katie, Greg, Jenifer, Mason & Noah and had so much fun. Our campsite was perfect - not too many people, quiet and shady. There was a nice loop for the kids to ride their bikes and scooters on so they were busy with that or playing in the dirt and finding caterpillars. We were next to the river so we spent the afternoons playing in the water and enjoying the sun. This is our tradition to go every year and we are already planning next years camp out. We would like to thank our friends for the wonderful and enjoyable time.

-Scott, Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb

Camping - Part Two - Playing In The River

2008-06-30T09:27:00.001-07:00

We spent a lot of time enjoying the river while we were camping. The kids had hours of fun playing in the water and digging in the sand. The weather was wonderful and the water was not too cold.

An Hour At The Coast

2008-06-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

On our way home from camping, we decided to head for the coast to walk on the beach and have some lunch. We were not able to stay long because we had all of our stuff in the back of the truck and we were anxious to head home! The time we did spend was fun, and even though it was windy, it was not too cold. The kids are anxious to come back.

I, Caleb, Promise To Do My Best . . .

2008-06-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Caleb's pack meeting and he earned his Wolf Badge. Caleb was very excited to work on all of his Cub Scout Achievements so it did not take him very long to earn his badge. Hopefully his enthusiasm will not wear off in years to come. Here are some pictures of tonight's event.

We are very proud of you Caleb!!

Flag Ceremony

Gutter Boat Race

Keep Going!

That Was Fun!

Receiving His Wolf Badge Upside Down

. . . To Do My Duty To God And My Country,

To Help Other People, And

To Obey The Law Of The Pack.

Wearing The Wolf Paw Print On His Hand

Jacob and Caleb

2008-06-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

On the last day of school, Caleb's class had a water balloon toss. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, they all had a popsicle and here are a couple of pictures of Caleb and his friend Jacob.

Silly Picture

Serious Picture

Caleb!!

2008-06-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Drinking milk out of the carton with a straw is funny one time - but don't do it again!!!!

Last Day Of School

2008-06-13T10:32:00.001-07:00

Well summer vacation is finally here for Lindsay and Caleb. They are so excited that school is done for awhile. Can't believe that Lindsay is going to be in 5th grade next school year and Caleb into 3rd. Here are a few pictures of their last day of school.

Lindsay, Kaytie, & Savannah

Mrs. Hammond & Lindsay

Lindsay & Her Teacher Mrs. Galvan

Caleb and His Pal Brandon

Caleb & His Teacher Mrs. (Sister) Perry

Jacob, Rachael, Lindsay & Caleb With Their Principal Mrs. Monson. This Was Mrs. Monson's Last Year As Their Principal. We Will Miss You!

Happy 14th Birthday Zeke!

2008-06-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

This month is such a special one

it's birthday time for you,

We'd really like to celebrate

this happy day with you,

A can of cat food and a toy

is what we bought for you,

Let's sing a song that we all know,

Meow, meow, meow, meow to you!

(The Flash Made His Eyes Yellow!)

What A Life! Sleep All Day!

(Usually Found On Lindsay's Bed)

Self Manager Bowling Party

2008-06-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

Lindsay went bowling on Thursday with other Self Managers from school. A Self Manager is someone who is meeting their reading goal, turning in their homework, doing well on their spelling tests and one who is being respectful. There are a few special privileges in school for Self Managers (like longer recess for example). This is for kids in grades 3 - 5 and is earned each grading period. To attend the bowling party, you have to be a self manager all year. I think this is the last field trip for the year!!

The French Fries At This Bowling Alley Are The Best!

Accelerated Reading Swimming Party

2008-06-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and Caleb attended a swimming party with other kids from thier school on Wednesday. Kids who met their reading goal each grading period were able to attend. Here are a few pictures that actually turned out. Most of them were too dark!

Caleb With His Friend Brandon

Lindsay Getting Ready To Go Off The High Dive!

Sierra And Lindsay

Handsome Boy!

(He Looks Mad But He Was Just Cold)

Silly Girls!

The End Of The Oregon Trail Field Trip

2008-06-02T10:52:00.001-07:00

Lindsay's fourth grade class went on a field trip to The End Of The Oregon Trail Museum. They have been learning about pioneers for quite awhile now and Lindsay even had a chance to do a report on the Mormon pioneers. I personally thought, being a chaperon and not knowing what to expect, that this trip was going to be really, really boring. But to my surprise, I really enjoyed it and the kids really liked it as well. It was very informative and entertaining. The presentation was wonderful and the movie was interesting. The hands on learning center was fun for the kids too. I am actually anxious to go back when Caleb's class is able to go in 2 years.
.
-Natalie

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village Field Trip

2008-06-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

Caleb's second grade class went on a field trip to the A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village, a interactive, hands on museum. This was a fun time for him and his class. The highlights for Caleb was the bubble room, the craft room, the train room, theater room and the outdoor play structure. Here are a few pictures. I should have taken more.
.
-Natalie

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-05-20T15:29:00.001-07:00

We would like to wish you a happy birthday and thank you for all that you do for us. We love and appreciate you so much. We miss you and are excited to see you this summer.

Have A Great Birthday!!

-Scott, Natalie, Lindsay & Caleb