Stewart's Funny Farm

Uncle Bobby

2011-12-30T00:07:00.000-08:00

Tausha loves Uncle Bobby.

We all do.

Silly Kids

2011-12-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

The kids in our family sure are silly. For example:

Collin blinding himself with his new mouse.

Hunter bowing.

Hunter trying to do a pull up (and Debbie giving him a boost).

Tausha spinning and spinning under the Christmas tree at the Capitol building to make herself dizzy.

Corryn and Ethan exploring Grandpa Bob and Grandma Katherine's house.

Ethan found a treasure box. He then put the PT Cruiser toy car that Grandpa Bob gave him in the "treasures" box.

Hunter explaining the rules of Settlers of Catan.

And finally, Ethan insisting on being tossed around in a laundry basket until Dad was tired, then he asked Mom and when Mom was tired he asked Nay Nay and when Ranee was tired he asked Grandpa Bob. And when Grandpa Bob declined, Ethan wanted to take the laundry basket home to Nana's, cause she wouldn't be too tired for sure.

Madrid or Bust

2011-10-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning, October 25th, Ranee and I headed to the airport for our much anticipated trip to Madrid, right in the heart of Spain. We left from Seattle and flew to Philadelphia. There we had a brief layover and boarded a long flight (almost 7 hours) from Philly to Madrid.

The flight from Philly to Madrid was nearly empty, by the way, so we were able to spread out and catch a bit of sleep. We left Tuesday morning from Seattle and we arrived Wednesday morning in Madrid. Madrid is 8 hours ahead of Boise time.

65!

2011-09-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

Happy

Birthday

Mom!

Love

YOU!

You'd think something as BIG as the Atlantic Ocean...

2011-08-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

...would be MUCH easier to find.

It took us what seemed like HOURS to find the Atlantic Ocean. The TomTom kept telling us it was just around the bend, but TomTom lied. We finally found the ocean at Laite Beach in Camden, ME on our way to Nova Scotia. We had all flown into Boston (thanks SWA for the free Rapid Rewards flights), stayed the night in Rockport then hit the road for Canada in the morning. We (Ranee) decided to take the scenic route. Which added a bit of time to our already long car ride. Good thing she got the hook up for a sweet road trip ride. Leather seats, spacious, horrible gas mileage...you know the drill.

I love that Collin took his backpack with him the short distance from the car to the beach. I'm not exactly sure WHY it happened, it just makes me smile that it happened. Collin found a bunch of shells. One of them was occupied - but not for long. Collin decided to evict it.

Hunter, however, did NOT bring his backpack with him to the beach.

In just a year we've been to the Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Three down...four more to go! The Indian Ocean (my vote is for the Seychelles), the Arctic Ocean (you're on your own there), the Caribbean Sea (I vote Cuba or Puerto Rico), and the Gulf of Mexico (Matt says New Orleans is one of his favorite places in the US...so we HAVE to go there).

The best of the best

2011-06-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

Below are the best pictures from three cameras. Today we slept in and hung around the house. The twins and the boys went for a walk. The boys also helped David with various chores around the house. The sun came out in the afternoon and the boys help hook up the dock for later firework launching. While the sisters were on the constant look out for dock spiders, swatting bugs, and holding Corryn, they occasionally snapped some sensational pictures.

We're in HEAVEN, are you jealous?

On vacation with technology

2011-06-29T19:00:00.001-07:00

So... Southwest Airlines is excited to offer satellite-enabled WiFi internet access onboard. However, they did not have this handy feature offered on any of the flights Debbie, Collin and Hunter took to meet Ranee in Boston. The hotel in Freeport, Maine had spotty internet which made it difficult for Ranee to work in the middle of the night when she should have been sleeping. :) During the ENTIRE drive from "Nowheresville", Maine in search for the Atlantic Ocean (hello... it's huge! One would think that it would be easily found... not so easy in the fog!) there was NO signal, internet or otherwise, for any of us to make calls, receive calls, check Facebook, play internet games, ANYTHING!

Hooray for technology! In the rental car we've managed to rig up quite the mobile internet cafe. As you might notice from the picture we have a variety of gadgets plugged in and running all of our stuff. We have the boys' computer, the GSlate, Katherine's borrowed TomTom and a cool MiFi thingy all plugged in right now. Thanks Dad for hooking us up with the power adapter AND for getting us hooked on technology! :)

I have to go now as we are now driving in Canada in the dark and apparently there GIANT moose (or is it meese or moosen) we need to watch out for.

Debbie, traveling in New Brunswick

Dancing on the Blue

2011-06-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Through a huge family effort we were able to get Matt dancing on the Blue at Boise State University. Hunter and Dad suggested Matt come to Boise, Hunter also suggested dancing on the Blue. Debbie and Ranee did all they could to convince Boise State to allow the event. Lynda and Dad did a lot of prep work (water, notebooks, etc).

Dad, Aunt Nancy, Katherine, Debbie, Tausha, Brendan, Collin and Hunter joined Matt on the Blue for about an hour (while Ranee filmed the clip). Matt and Melissa were kind enough to take us all to dinner afterwards where Matt & Dad nerded out over airplanes.

Matt danced a jig with Hunter in the parking lot.

Also: Taush and I found this in Dad's car. Of course.

Dad's Field Trip

2011-05-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

One week post surgery, Dad went on a field trip...

...to Walmart.

He says he's healing well, he's sleeping to aid the healing and the Doctor says he can start walking next week. He's looking forward to being able to walk around the neighborhood - he says Katherine won't even let him walk to get the mail. Let's hope he listens to her, cause I couldn't stop him from walking to the mailbox the day he got home from the hospital. What was I going to do, ground him? He'd just sneak out like we did when we were grounded. ;)

I believe you have my stapler...

2011-05-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Dad's home from the hospital today...one day early. Yay!

The staples have all been removed. The doctor said his incisions are healing so well it's like he has the skin of a 30 year old.

The purple bruising...yeah, that's still there.

You know what's NOT still there? The cancer! The surgeon said that the cancer hadn't gone through the intestinal wall and was not in his lymph nodes. Hooray!

What time is it?

2011-05-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

One thing Dad wants to know all the time is: what time is it? He's in and out of sleep quite a bit and never really knows what time it is. The one clock in his room was behind all of his IV equipment and every time we've been to see him, he's asked, multiple times, "what time is it?" He tried to put his watch on, but it wouldn't fit on his wrist due to the IV tubes stuck in there. So the nurses did Dad a solid and put a clock up on the bed across from his. Now all he has to do is look up and his need to know is satisfied. Clever nurses!

Since Dad will be in the hospital for a week, we brought him several things to try to keep him occupied. We didn't bring them to him soon enough though, apparently. Saturday night he kept getting out of bed (he said he was bored) - so much so that the nurses installed an alarm on his bed so they would be alerted if Dad decided to walk around without their assistance.

Here he is playing Trapt on a Tab and you can see the corner of Bobby's laptop on the bedside table - he's watching Inception (paused during our visit). Katherine brought his book and his mp3 players. Hopefully all of that will keep him occupied enough to stave off the boredom, but it's highly doubtful. If you're heading down Fort Street around 2 am on Tuesday or Wednesday night and see a man that looks like Grandpa Bob roaming around looking for something to do, it'll probably be him.

G-Chat with the Great-Grandkids

2011-05-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

We sent to visit Mom today and she got to visit with Tara, Jon, Ethan and Corryn while they were out on the porch enjoying some time in the kiddie pool. Corryn floated around in her tube and Ethan showed us his boat and how fantastic he is at scooping water from the pool and pouring it back into the pool. Mom really enjoyed being able to see the great-grandkids (and the grandkids). Hooray for technology!

Dad's got a new colon

2011-04-30T22:34:00.001-07:00

Dad got a new colon on Thursday (or at least part of one). There was a cancerous tumor about the size of a quarter on his colon that was removed, along with the surrounding lymph nodes.

The surgeon then took part of his large intestine and moved it to the area of his colon that was removed. So I guess he's got a new colon and shorter intestines.

He's been pretty groggy from the drugs and until today was in a lot of pain. (Was at an 8, now at a 1.) He's still a bit groggy and drifts in and out of sleep as you're talking to him, but he seems much more himself.

Lynda will have to tell you about the not-lollipop.

More updates to come.

A little sneak peek of time spent with the kids

2011-04-26T23:05:00.000-07:00

Little Corryn giggling at her mama and big brother Ethan showing how adorable he can be :-)

So long...

2011-02-23T09:54:00.001-08:00

Our flight from Rome arrived too late for us to connect to Boise and Seattle so we stayed one night near Times Square. We couldn't find a cab large enough to fit all of our luggage. So we ended up walking the 3/4 mile from Grand Central Terminal (gorgeous!) to the hotel in the freezing cold. The boys were miserable. But our hotel was warm and comfy, so they recovered quickly. They have vowed never to do this again...the one night here, two nights there, carry our luggage everywhere.

On the shuttle from JFK to Manhattan last night we looked out the windows expecting to see ruins. It seemed that everywhere we went in Italy there was some building older than the discovery of America. But, alas, all we saw were buildings and more buildings. Then we came around a corner and there was the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. We decided NY was beautiful and historic in a different way.

Debbie and the boys are on a flight to Chicago then home. I'm at JFK waiting to board my flight to snowy Seattle. I'm wearing short sleeves and refusing to admit I am no longer in sunny Italy.

Good times!

And so it begins...

2011-02-22T02:32:00.001-08:00

...the voyage home. 3 1/2 hours to Dublin. 7 1/2 hours to JFK. Overnight in NYC then home!

Musei Vaticani

2011-02-21T05:08:00.001-08:00

We got up bright and early this morning, rode the super crowded Metro through Rome to Vatican City. It, like all of Rome, was lousy with people. We went on a tour with a very knowledeable guy...who, like the Vatican, was a bit overwhelming. He said that if you were to stand in front of each work of art in the Vatican Museum for one minute it would take three and a half years. There is SO much...art and sculptures and tapestries we could scarcely take it in.

Collin saw a guy that looked like Pele (Collin also thought Rome was a country and all the Italian flags confused him until he realized Rome is part of Italy).

Hunter saw a woman that looked like his Fine Arts teacher, except she had a bigger chin.

Karley said there were paintings everywhere and she and Gloria were blown away by the paintings on the ceilings of some of the halls that actually looked like sculptures.

A good time was had by all.

Colosseo

2011-02-20T04:22:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Rome this morning. This is the view as we walk out the door of our apartment building.

Positano

2011-02-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

We drove down to Positano today. It was a gorgeous drive (more on that later) and a beautiful day. We really lucked out as the weather has been a bit overcast (or raining) for most of our time here in Italy. However, in Positano it was in the mid-60's and clear. Some of us dipped our feet in the Mediterranean and walked on the rocky beach.

This is just before we arrived in Positano. The town is built into the side of a cliff, you can see the houses and buildings in the background.

However, before our arrival, we were following Steven who was following his GPS to Positano. It took us on roads that were obviously built prior to motorized vehicles. Our poor little borrowed Ford Focus barely made it through. Debbie's constant exclamation was: Steven James Wagstaff! There were times when we had only inches of clearance on either side of the car. Shortly after this photo we suffered a minor scraping on the front passenger fender. As Debbie said, the car was not made to bend in the same way the road bends. It was my favorite part of the trip to Italy, until we actually saw Positano.

And THEN Positano became my favorite part of the trip to Italy so far. We all enjoyed the sun and the time to just walk lazily along the beach.

Ercolano

2011-02-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

On Friday we drove from Naples to Ercolano to see the ruins there. Since there are seven of us (Hunter, Collin, Gloria - Karley's friend, Karley, Steven, Ranee and Debbie) we borrowed a friend of Steven's car and drove 2 cars there. AND since Debbie LOVES to drive in unfamiliar places and in strange traffic (HA!). She did a fantastic job and mostly kept up with Steven.

And since Erolano was out of English guides we relied on Steven and Wikipedia to fill us in about what we were looking at. Though I think some of the stories we came up with were much better than the actual truth. Isn't that always the way?

I don't know what they used for paint back in 79 A.D. but it's still pretty vibrant...especially considering all of the ash and lava.

Some of the ruins...terracotta pots.

All in all it was more interesting than I thought it would be, but the boys were a bit disappointed we didn't see any mummies. Darn.

Not quite a convoy

2011-02-18T00:28:00.000-08:00

We woke up to this site yesterday morning. A semi-truck on the Guidecca Canal with Venice in the background (behind the boat with a crane on it).

Venice - Part One

2011-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

Steven, Karley and Karley's friend Gloria met up with us here, at the Hilton Molino Stucky.

The interior is just as beautiful, if not more, as the exterior.

The hotel provided a free shuttle to the docks which gave us access to some beautiful sites.

Here we are, all on the shuttle. Gloria (Karley's friend from Nampa, ID) Karley, Collin, Steven, Hunter, Ranee and Debbie. Notice the umbrellas in hand. It poured rain the night before. The rain didn't stop us from site seeing for a couple of hours and going out to eat though!

The buildings are so colorful!

This is the Accademia bridge. It's one of only four bridges that span the Grand Canal.

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

2011-02-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

...after what seemed like an eternity of flying (3 flights...one from JFK to Dublin - a pretty darn cool airport, one from Dublin to Rome - a pretty old and grungy airport and finally from Rome to Venice - which Ranee and Hunter thought was better than the Rome airport) we finally made it to Venezia! And is it gorgeous! We met Elana and Ann from Florida-by-way-of-NYC at the airport and shared a water taxi to our hotel. It was raining so much we couldn't see out the windows of th'e water taxi. But once we got off the taxi and on land, we were able to see exactly why Venice is so talked about. It's just beautiful. We'll post more photos soon...we hope the rain will stop a bit so we can get some good ones without rain spots on the lens.

La Liberté éclairant le monde

2011-02-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

We headed over to Liberty Island and Ellis Island this morning. We thought it would be pretty empty on a Monday morning in February. We were wrong. The lines were long, there was more security there than at the airport, we had to remove coats and belts multiple times. We got pedestal access and went on a great tour with a Park Ranger. We learned that the Statue of Liberty is only 2 pennies thick AND that the great advantage of having a replica of her face means you can stick your ENTIRE hand up her nose (if you're an 11 year old boy). We also learned a great many interesting things, climbed up (and down) a bunch of steps and got whipped around by the wind - A LOT.

After the ferry depsosited us back in Battery Park, we hoofed it through the Financial District over to Ground Zero. They are busy building the 9/11 Memorial and the new WTC buildings. We got to see a bit of what the Memorial will look like when completed at the viewing room and got a bit emotional at the stories they had posted and showed on the video screens.

While on the search through WINDY NYC (it was amazingly windy and annoyingly so) and the Financial District for some New York style pizza, we happened upon this very odd building. No windows. Just a bunch of vents. If memory serves, I saw this building in MiB. We were a bit enthralled by the building and wanted to know what kind of building it is. We decided it was a top secret facility as there is no name on the building or any writing around it, actually. Just the address: 33 Thomas Street. A phone switch building isn't nearly as exciting as a secret government facility, but a pretty cool building nonetheless.

We finally found some NY-style pizza at some random place. We settled on it mostly just to escape the freaking wind! It was just around the corner from the Brooklyn Bridge. After we ate pizza we thought we'd walk over to see the bridge, but then the wind picked up again and we retreated to the safety of the dark and dank subway system.

We rode the subway up to Union Square and visited a super cool independent bookstore where we all got some books. Then on the subway again and a walk down Broadway to Mood.

It was a long day of standing in line then walking and walking some more (add to that trying to keep our balance on a crowded subway train when we weren't close enough to a railing to hang on). Tomorrow we're off to Italy!

Brighter, Warmer, Cleaner

2011-02-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

We rode the NYC subway to Church this morning. We had to change trains because of construction on one of the lines. I almost fell when the train started to move, even though I was holding on - because Mom fell into Collin (Mom falling again!) Using the subway was very quick to go 2 miles.

Church was in the same building as the Manhattan NY temple. Even though it looked quite different it was the same in some ways (It was long and pretty much half the time I didn't understand what they were saying). The chapel was on the third floor and the temple is on all the other floors. It was awesome having the temple in the same place the church is. And then it also felt weird walking outside the church to a busy city.

I like Uptown better than Midtown (where our hotel is). It felt good having the temple in Uptown because in Uptown it is brighter, warmer, cleaner and I didn't see anybody smoke.

Look who we saw outside the Hasbro store near Times Square.

(Uncle Bobby was jealous.) I'm pretty sure it was the original.

We saw Mary Poppins on 42nd Street in the Theater District (2nd row Mezzanine). It felt like I was watching a live TV show. My favorite parts were when the building pieces would move around - the roof moved to stage level and then up again to reveal Jane and Michael's room upstairs or the main house. When Mary Poppins flew away for the last time I thought about how scary it would be if she was outside my house.

THE END

NYC

2011-02-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Top of the Rock. Nothin'...just the Top...with the Empire State Building behind us.

Ice Skating - Bryant Park. It was hard to ice skate. Um...um...um...I fell on my second time around the rink because I didn't know how to do diddly squat and then Mom landed on me (she considers that not falling) and squashed me.

The only gross thing at Shake Shack. Gross! Grotesque. Disgusting, revolting, unlawful and lethal. Yeah, that seems about right. (Ranee would like to point out that Collin did not taset this hot dog and she thinks Grandpa Bob would really like it, she did.) I would like to start a fundraiser to open a Shake Shack in Boise...and to discard the hot dog above from the face of the Earth.

Collin: What park was that?
Ranee: Central Park
Collin: Yeah, put that. And Top of the Rock again.

Conversation at Top of the Rock when Collin and Ranee were discussing the surroudings.

Collin: I've been to that park before.
Ranee: Really?! When?
Collin: In Spider-Man 3. I really don't like that park cause there's nothing to swing on with your webs and you have actually walk through the park like a normal person. Not the kind of thing you'd find Spider-Man doing...actually walking. I try to avoid that park often.

Start spreading the news...

2011-02-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Bob picked up Debbie, Collin and Hunter in Fruitland and dropped them off at the Boise (not SLC) airport. Then it was off to NYC to hook up with Ranee.

We ended up in a TINY hotel room. The boys had enough of sitting all day in planes and airports so they did what all boys do.... wrestle with blindfolds on.

Seriously the LONGEST stretch Hummer we've ever seen! And it was even Bronco orange!

We went inside the Empire State Building but we didn't go up to the top. We're going to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) tomorrow. We hear the people are super nice and you have a nice view of the ESB. Also on tab for tomorrow: ice skating at Bryant Park. It's free, as compared to NOT free at Rockefeller Center. And speaking of Bryant Park, I wonder if Project Runway is taping episodes right now. I'm in the mood for MOOD now! So much for bringing souvenirs home! My extra suitcase might just be filled with fabric!

And Blessings Shall Come to Those Who Have Faith

2011-01-27T05:04:00.000-08:00

It has been a long journey, but the day has finally come. I've been given the opportunity to work at a different job, one that will give me corporate administrative experience. Within a couple days I will be starting a new career with a company called Ashley Manor. I am excited yet scared at the same time, but mostly excited. My job will entail processing payroll for over 500 employees and processing Accounts Payable for the company, which consists of over 40 locations in three different states. I feel so good about this job offer. I'd like to share with you how this blessing has come about.

Around the beginning of December, Ron and I made a commitment to read the scriptures together daily. We have often struggled with this goal. Oftentimes we would allow outside influences take precedence (TV, friends, computer, etc.) and when we came around to taking the time to read we were tired or cranky or unmotivated. I knew that what I needed to do was to make a sacrifice, myself, to show my commitment to this goal. "Bring forth fruits meet...unto repentance". What I knew I needed to do was to make a more sincere effort to go to bed at a decent hour so that I could get my necessary seven hours of sleep. I calculated that if I were to make sure I went to bed by 10pm, I could therefore wake up at 5am with Ron, which is the time he normally wakes up to prepare himself to go to work. Thankfully, my body has adjusted well to this schedule. I oftentimes will wake up just before the alarm goes off and I feel well rested. Ron and I spend about 1/2 hour studying the scriptures together; reading, pondering, and discussing how they apply in our lives today. We have grown together more spiritually than we've ever been. It feels comforting and I know we are being blessed. There are days that we may miss our time reading together in the morning, but Ron takes the initiative to make sure we stay on top of our goal and he will prompt a study time later in the day. I am grateful for his faith in our goal.

I've also made an effort to listen and ponder on what has been spoken to us in general conferences. The past two general conferences I've made MP3 CD's to listen to in the car while I drive to and from work. It has helped me get in the right frame of mind when I first start my day and has given me reason to rejoice in the blessings our Heavenly Father has given us. I will often find myself thinking throughout the day about what someone may have said in their talk and my heart shouts with gladness that we are blessed with a living prophet and apostles and leaders of the church who testify of the reality of love the Savior and our Heavenly Father have for us. If we do not make their words a constant in our lives, we will forget His love. We must make every effort with all the energy of our soul to remember; remember that we are sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father who sent his Only Begotten Son to show us the way back to Him.

During the past week I have been given reminders of how I should be living and what behavior I need to be emulating. Recently I re-watched the well made movie about Joseph. I am reminded of how the Lord will bless you in your trials, not on our time table, but on His time table. I took time to listen and re-listen to this talk in particular by Elder Richard G. Scott about wholesome character and integrity built on faith. I am ever grateful for daily reminders of our Savior's love for us through acts of kindness, written word and proclamations to the world by modern day prophets.

I have had many struggles in my life, but when I make a consistent effort to live what I know, to witness these truths by the choices I make daily in my life, I am given an indescribable joy in my heart that is promised to me through my obedience to God's law. I wish you all could feel this love too. I know you can if you desire and pray for it and find a way to sacrifice a part of you to make room for blessings unmeasured.

December Cali Visit Part 3

2010-12-31T20:37:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite photos from the trip:

Dad, Kat, Kendra, Tyson and Molly by the Teacups. Molly LOVED the Teacups. She didn't ride them (only Katherine and Ranee did) but she LOVED the lanterns above the ride.

Tara and family in front of Haunted Mansion, all decked out for the Holidays. Haunted Mansion and Small World were the two "must do" rides for almost everyone at Disneyland, both having Christmas decorations incorporated into the rides.

While Tara, Jon and Corryn were riding Haunted Mansion, Ethan found a ramp and started running up and down it. Of course, he didn't mind all of the other people on the ramp at all, he just weaved in and out of them wherever he found an opening until he got to the bottom of the ramp, stopped and looked around for Ranee...who was apologizing to all of the people he was cutting off and she was running into trying to keep tabs on him. Half the people looked at her with disdain - who lets their kid run around in a crowd? (he's not my kid...that's how...I'm just concerned with making sure he doesn't bleed while in my care) and the other half just laughed and smiled that Ethan was having such a great time at the Happiest Place on Earth - jealous that he didn't have to wait in a long line for a ride to have fun...he was pleased as punch just to keep running up and down the ramp.

Above Ethan kindly points out the water he found...that kid loves water...and wheels (see above). The wheels above did not belong to his stroller, nor to the stoller of anyone we knew. Of course, that didn't stop him from playing with them - thanks, Random Stranger, for parking your stroller so Ethan could play with it.

December Cali Visit Part 2

2010-12-31T20:18:00.000-08:00

So it wasn't a complete and total surprise that Tyson and Kendra joined us in Disneyland. I believe they had decided to make the quick trip down while Grandpa Bob was still there visiting them. We sure are glad they joined us! We rode TONS of rides (lots with Miss Molly who enjoyed every one).

Molly got her first set of ears...of the Minnie variety.

She (and Ethan) both found ramps around Disneyland and just kept walking up and down them. Ethan stopped only when he saw wheels or water. Molly? She was like the Energizer bunny...she kept going and going and going. Couldn't blame her though. She'd spent most of the previous 3 hours either in her stroller waiting for World of Color to start or in Ranee's arms watching World of Color. She didn't complain once, but I can imagine she was super excited to walk around undeterred. A Disney cast member sat and watched Molly and kept commenting on how gorgeous she is...which is is absolutely true. Molly is just about the most adorable little girl ever what with her perpetual smile and cute little voice and Princess shaped eyes.

She fell asleep for just a few minutes while waiting for World of Color...everyone around us thought it was super cute how she covered her eyes. Once World of Color started, she was wide-eyed and pointing at all of the lights. I think she enjoyed it.

December Cali Visit Part 1

2010-12-25T02:05:00.000-08:00

Turns out that Ethan is infatuated with wheels. Ranee, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Katherine visited Tara and Jon and family earlier this month. Grandpa Bob on a trek of the Southwestern US, having spent a few days with Tyson, Kendra and Molly just prior, is apparently travelling the country visiting his great grandchildren. Lucky them!

Corryn chilling...but just seconds later she lost it (see Tara's blog for the photo taken 2 seconds after this one).

A neighborhood in Torrance goes ALL OUT with the Christmas lights. We spent several hours walking around, admiring them all and taking out of focus photos.

Ethan is not a fan of the Grinch. At such a young age even he knows that the guy is trying to steal Christmas.

Grandma Katherine meeting little Corryn for the first time.

Next up: Tyson and Kendra surprise us all and join us in Disneyland.

Corryn Rachel Evans

2010-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome baby girl, four weeks early but healthy as ever! 9/25/10 11:41am 6lbs 2 oz 18 inches. Beautiful head of light brown hair. Looks like she's already been the the salon for highlights! :)

Happy 64th Birthday Mom!

2010-09-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

When I get older losing my hair,

Many years from now.

Will you still be sending me a valentine

Birthday greetings bottle of wine.

If I'd been out till quarter to three

Would you lock the door,

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty-four.

You'll be older too,

And if you say the word,

I could stay with you.

I could be handy, mending a fuse

When your lights have gone.

You can knit a sweater by the fireside

Sunday mornings go for a ride.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds,

Who could ask for more.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty-four.

Every summer we can rent a cottage,

In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear

We shall scrimp and save

Grandchildren on your knee

Vera, Chuck & Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,

Stating point of view

Indicate precisely what you mean to say

Yours sincerely, wasting away

Give me your answer, fill in a form

Mine for evermore

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty-four.

We Love You Mom!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGtSpsYURAQ

O Canada!

2010-08-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Collin, Hunter, Debbie and Ranee went to Canada this weekend. We walked around downtown, went to Lynn Canyon Park, played at the beach at Third Beach in Stanley Park, visited Peace Arch Park and generally had a good time (when we weren't doing any of the above, Collin and Hunter were playing Alchemy - we blame Melissa).

Ethan's 1st

2010-07-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my sweet little boy! At one year you can't quite walk yet but you're sure talking up a storm. In your vocabulary- Mom, Dad, Nana, Teddy, Uh-oh, Light, and On.

Ethan's Good Side

2010-04-18T09:14:00.001-07:00

Burger Explosion

2010-03-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Lynda, Ron and Taush came to Seattle to catch a flight to Pittsburgh (Lynda found an AMAZING deal at $200 round trip). We took the opportunity of them being here to visit Lunchbox Laboratory in Ballard.

Here's our entire order, labeled.

The burgers are HUGE and you just don't know where to start.

But start we did, and here's the plates after we finished...Taush and Ranee only finished half of their burgers. The other half sit in Ranee's fridge and will probably end up in the garbage...'cause really...leftover hamburgers are just mushy and gross.

We then stopped by the yummy pie place in Magnolia (Seattle Pie Company) to get some pecan and key lime pie. However, they had no pecan or key lime pie (which resulted in Seattle Pie Company and I being in a fight). So Lynda got a slice of amazingly delicious peach pie. Which we all tried. Did I mention it was delicious? So the pie place and I made up and I got a slice of peach pie that is in the fridge with the leftover burgers and will likely NOT end up in the garbage 1. because pie leftovers are NEVER bad and 2. one could never throw away something so delicious.

The verdict: Lunchbox Laboratory was good, but too much food and too much sauce on the burgers made it all a bit much. However, Seattle Pie Company? A MUST for anyone that likes pie.

Happy Birthday, my Tara

2010-03-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

Twenty-three years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful girl.
Only Heavenly Father knew how much she would change my world.

Three months after she was born, our great journey began.
For three years she melted everyone’s hearts in Deutschland.

Life for her couldn’t get much better, playing in the Oklahoma rain.
But soon it was cut short because her Daddy had to go fight Saddam Hussein.

Back to Boise she went for six months, to live with family, it was bitter cold.
Grandparents gushed over how she was the best behaved three and a half year old.

Soon, she became a big sister, wanting to be just like her Mommy and breastfeed.
In Texas she received 1st prize for a drawing at school. That’s my girl, yes indeed.

After returning to Idaho, she explored soccer, jump-roping and swimming.
Brimming with talent, junior high and high school brought track, volleyball, art and singing.

Excited to move on, it was then time to go to college; BYU was her choice.
Does she know I cried all the way home from Provo? But soon there was a reason to rejoice.

She met a righteous, worthy companion there during her first days away from home.
“Jonathan Evans is his name, Mom, he’s from Canada and wants us to make a life of our own.”

Then it was time for her to receive a precious gift from God above.
Sweet Ethan Patrick Evans brought to her life celestial love.

Now her journey continues in California where there is waves and sunshine.
Dearest Tara, you have been so blessed, know that everything will be just fine.

Love you lots and lots!! Mom

Some very large & inflatable Canadians wanted...

2010-03-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

...to wish Tara a Happy Day! (hee hee hee)

Our new place!

2010-02-23T17:19:00.001-08:00

News from the arctic tundra of Canada

2010-01-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hello from Nova Scotia! Jon will be receiving an offer from DHL via email any day now, wahoo! It's comforting to know that we have a job. We'll let everyone know when we receive the location! Thanks for all the prayers.

Ethan is turning 6 months this week and misses his grandma. He's talking up a storm, mostly "Dad". He has also learned how to fake cry (it's absolutely adorable) and fake cough. He'll be crawling any day now and is chewing on everything!

Here are some pics and videos for everyone's enjoyment.

N.D.

2010-01-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

Heather*, a co-worker of mine, is from Minot, North Dakota. He went home for the holidays. This is a photo of his Mom shoveling the driveway...notice the 5 - 6 foot snow in the lawn area? Yeah...that's the way it was everywhere. Half the high school was buried in snow.

We lived in North Dakota way back when I was born. Grandpa Bob got transferred to Thailand and we had to pick up and move to live with Grandparents the February after I was born. The mobile home was frozen in place...we had to leave it in North Dakota.

I think I speak for all of the Stewart children when I say:

"Mom and Dad, thank you very much for not moving back to North Dakota."

*not his real name

Minot is 5 hours west of Grand Forks, but roughly similar latitude.

View Larger Map

Tausha Senior Pictures

2009-12-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update: Tausha's senior pictures are on StewartsFunnyFarm Picasa Web Album

Here's a little sneak peak:

Thank you soooooooo much to the AMAZING photographer/photoshopper, aka Melissa!!!!!!!!

Baby Food

2009-11-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

Yet Another Ethan Update

2009-11-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Jon wanted his mom's meatloaf for his birthday. It's an interesting recipe with a breaded crust.

Guess who's an 8 !!

2009-10-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ron's afternoon adventures today included him falling out of a trailer he was working on at Nashua and breaking his left wrist, scraping up his face and possibly breaking his right wrist too.

The trailer was outside the plant and he was finishing up a door framing job. He went to step on a ladder device which wasn't flush with the door frame and he missed the first step, tripping over a rubber seal in the threshold. He flew down head first. (Ron said his cape malfunctioned and he should get his money back!) Anyway, he went to brace himself for the fall and the brunt of his fall was on his left wrist. He graveled up his face also. His right wrist is possibly broken too, but only slightly enough that it has a removable splint on it for now. He also has some pretty good bumps and bruises on his shoulder and one of his thighs.

Ron was driven to the emergency room at St. Luke's downtown by one of his co-workers. I was called by another of Ron's co-workers and I knew it wasn't good when he said, "I wish I were calling you with better news...." So, I rushed to the hospital and found Ron in lots of pain on a gurney. Ron told me that the nurse asked what pain level he was at and he said that he was an 8 or 9. It took a long time before Ron was able to get his shot of morphine though. Ron got exrayed and it showed that he broke his left wrist pretty bad. The ER doctor referred him to an orthopedic surgeon. They wrapped his wrist and arm in a "sugar tongue" splint. (Katherine, you'll know what that is :-) Ron's right wrist isn't as bad, possibly a small fracture, but the doctor couldn't tell. His face was full of dried blood clumps and the nurses and doctor didn't seem to care about how he looked, only how he felt. So I took some wet paper towels and proceeded to get dried blood and gravel off his face.

By the time Ron was checked out of the hospital, he already had a long list of things to do: "Go get his prescription for Norco filled, while that's being filled at the pharmacy, drop by his work and get his stuff out of the car and pick up his check, then go back to the pharmacy and pick up his prescription. Oh, and why don't we go to Costco to see what they can do about my scraped up glasses. Oh, and go by the bank and deposit my paychek....."(I'm guessing the morphine was talking, not Ron!)

We went to Albertsons by his work and Ron insisted on coming in the store with me. I asked if he was sure about that and he said yeah, yeah, he was okay. I told him that he might scare people with his face all bloodied up. He said, "Naa, I'll be fine." We didn't get too many stares when we went in to drop off his prescription, but when we went back to pick it up after it was filled, the gal at the pharmacy window had a look on her face like, "What is this bloodied up man doing here standing in line?!"

I told Ron that he scared her. It didn't phase him one bit! So, we finally got home and I had to help Ron with his shower so his spint wouldn't get wet, but somehow we managed to get it a little damp. A sister and brother in our ward brought dinner to us, which was so nice. By the time I got done doing everything for Ron, I sure didn't want to fix dinner. Here's Ron at home finally, all cleaned up.

Ron has an appointment on Monday afternoon with the surgeon.

Molly Lou is here!

2009-10-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

Molly Lou Wagstaff was born on October 15, 2009 at 23:23 hours.
She weighed 5 lbs 12.4 oz to be exact!
She measured 19 1/2 inches.
Her head measured at 13 1/4 inches and her chest at 12 inches.
Mom and dad are doing well. Dad is a little tired but mom is not.
Nanna drove in last night from Fruitland and has officially claimed
that "Molly is the cutest baby in the world!"
She's been sleeping most of the night and day.
Dad has changed a couple of diapers with one leaving a
mess all OVER the place! (ask Tyson... it's funny)
Mom is doing what good mom's do - snuggling and nurturing.
We're so happy she's FINALLY here!

Katherine Graduates

2009-10-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Bob sent me an email a few weeks ago and asked that I post it here on the blog...we're going to have "How to Post on the Blog" lessons over Thanksgiving. Some of the photos didn't come through in email.

Congrats to Katherine!

In August, Nancy and Rodney visited with us. Here are some shot of them taken then.

Brian has several chickens and getting 3 eggs per day. Here is Katherine next to the chicken food he is growing.

Katherine graduated from LPN training with a 4.0. All the kids sent her TWO dozen roses. She was quite pleased.

Katherine's dad and Jo came to visit for a week in their 33 ft motor home. they went with us to Katherine's LPN Pinning ceremony and picnic. Brian, Melissa and their kids also were there

This is a very proud husband putting the pin on an equally proud wife and honor student

Here is the LPN Pin she received along with the Diploma

Latest Adventures

2009-09-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

HUGE spider Jon found in our bathroom. I can't wait to get out of this apartment!!!!

Disgusting mushroom covered in dirt/mold on a pizza that we ordered. I emailed a complaint but haven't heard back yet, HA!

It's fall! Ethan's first exposure to falling snow.

Reasons why I love being a stay at home mom (currently).

1. I get to experience all the new things with Ethan first, before anyone else. HA!

2. I love breastfeeding in bed that turns into a mommy/baby morning nap.

3. I love the fact that Ethan can recognize me faster than anyone else and always greets me with a huge smile.

4. I love treating myself to cookies and milk after an afternoon of dealing with a gassy baby.

5. I love going out and being stopped by strangers to see my cute baby boy.

6. I love kneeling around Ethan's crib for family prayer.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

2009-09-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to love about Hunter...his inquisitive mind, his desire to learn absolutely EVERYTHING, his ability to have fun at anything he does...

..but mostly I love that he can make me smile - always. Happy Birthday to one of the awesomest kids alive.

First Thursday (May 2009)

2009-09-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

So I was cleaning out old photos from my microSD card in my G1. They were photos that I had taken when I owned a Blackberry Curve. Anyway, I found this group of pictures of when Tausha and I went to participate in First Thursday. This was in May 2009, mind you. So they're a little old. But Tausha and I had fun.

We had to start our evening with the usual tasty treats from downtown. It really doesn't get any better than this: A pita from the Pita Pit (Falafel with sprouts, hummus and tzatziki sauce of course), croquettes from the Basque Bar and Carmel Apple Cider with extra whip from Starbucks.

We then headed over to The Modern Hotel. This hotel was remodeled and opened for the public to see. The hotel opened thirty-four rooms, with more than 65 visual and performance artists to display their talent. It was pretty cool. I did not get any pictures of the insides of the rooms and how the artists diplayed their stuff. There were rather interesting ways how the artists "took over" the rooms. Some of them prominently displayed their talent, others just made their room look "lived in" like their room was their art studio.

When Tausha and I were walking back to our car, we saw these, just sitting on a business window ledge outside. We thought it was hilarious.

And, of course, you can't go downtown and not climb on this and try to look cool.

Isn't she so cute?

Happy Birthday Tyson!

2009-09-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Tyson!

Hope you had lots of fun and gots of loot.

Ethan almost 7 weeks old

2009-08-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ethan's new skill is smiling!!! He can't wait to show it off to all those who come for the blessing! We're excited and miss everyone! :)

Does Cat Stevens like Stewart's Funny Farm?

2009-08-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

So, I was talking with Ranee tonight about the new T-Mobile commercial of which I had not seen. She said that she really likes it because it has a Cat Stevens song on it and she totally loves Cat Stevens.

I asked Ranee if the song on the commercial was "Peace Train". She told me no and she played me the sound from the T-Mobile commercial.

This is why I asked Ranee if the song was "Peace Train".

(Video taken on August 20, 2009 on the drive to Dad and Katherine's house to see Aunt Nancy and Uncle Rodney.)

......I knew there'd be a reason someday that I could post this video on our blog :-) Isn't he fun? I wonder if Cat Stevens would like us as much as we like him.

Grandma

2009-08-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in Seattle

2009-08-09T15:40:00.001-07:00

A Nice Visit with Mom and Bill

2009-08-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ron and I went to visit Mom and Bill last week and Mom showed off her piano playing skills quite well. Hooray for Mom! I'm so glad she has G-ma's piano. I could tell it gives her some comfort.

Jon feeding Ethan... well, kind of.

2009-08-01T21:01:00.001-07:00

Jon's nose, although not able to produce milk, is fairly appetizing to Ethan at least. Also, Ethan carries a good left hook! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

2009-07-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

About 1 Year Old

About 10 Years Old

About 19 Years Old

Dad and Aunt Nancy, summer of 2009

Dad and Katherine, June 2009

Happy 67th Birthday!! We Love You!!

Yet Another July Anniversary

2009-07-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Tara and Jon!

Another July Anniversary!

2009-07-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Tyson and Kendra!

Kendra and Molly

2009-07-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest photo of Kendra and her baby bump. Can't wait for Molly to get here!

Stewart's Funny Farm just grew by one

2009-07-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

6:52 am on Wednesday, July 15th, Lynda sent a text message that Tara's water had just broke and she and Jon were on the way to the hospital.

Pat, Ashley, Lynda and Tausha all hopped in their respective cars and headed to Utah. Lucky for them, but not so much for Tara, Tara's birthing experience was like Grandma Sharon's. Long and...long. They all made it to the hospital with plenty of time to help with the birth by holding Tara's legs and offering words of encouragement.

After more than 12 hours, at 7:11 pm, Ethan was finally here! 8 pounds 13 ounces...what a big boy! I hear Jon was a wonderful coach and Tara was a trooper and, as you can see for yourself, Ethan's just as precious as can be. Welcome Home Ethan.

Week 40 Pictures

2009-07-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here it is! This is as big as I get!

Our 4th of July

2009-07-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

July 1st was Canada Day and Jon wore all of the Canadian garb he could find to work and had me paint a big maple leaf on his face. He is also wearing his cool Inuit moccasins (sp?) that a family friend made him for Christmas last year.

On the 4th, Provo had a huge festival starting early in the morning with hot air balloons. The picture taken was the view right outside our house, I didn't even have to zoom in! Later that morning we sat on the crowded curb for the parade. That night there was a big concert at BYU stadium where Jonas Brothers and SheDaisy performed. Jon and I live so close to the stadium that we had an awesome view of the fireworks show, which is I guess is one of the largest in the west.

By the way, I went to the doctor today and I'm 1 centimeter dilated and 40% effaced. In the next day or two, if I'm not already in labor I'm going to get my membranes stripped to get the process going. Woo hoo!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

The First July Anniversary!

2009-07-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Steven and Karley - July 2nd, 2004

Happy Anniversary!

Steven, Karley and Brennan

How adorable is this photo of Collin and Hunter?

Steven! Italy!

2009-06-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Steven has uploaded photos to Steven and Karley's Picasa web albums! He's got photos of his super quick and unexpected layover in D.C. and of where he and Karley will be living (Karley will be joining him in Italy when she graduates next year).

Here's a DC pic and link to the DC album:

And here's the front of their house in Italy. And a link to more photos of it.

As you can see there is tons of extra room to accommodate visitors! Karley says they are in need of extra beds and bedroom furniture to furnish all of the extra rooms. So if you have a mattress you want to get rid of or get bored one day and find listings for free bedroom furnishings on Craigslist, get it. We'll see if we can find a way to get the bedroom furnishings down to Karley before they need to pack up their household goods for shipment to Italy.

We miss you Steven!

Flight Museum

2009-06-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Copy of the Hotrod (Lunar Rover) we left on the moon. It's around the size of a VW bug. The wheels look like squirrel cages made from hardware cloth wrapped around to form the tires.

This is a Concorde, not a copy. We got to tour the inside of this. It flew for over 30 years before going out of service.

Air Force One here, was the first jet Presidential airplane. Eisenhower was the first president to use this one and Nixon was the last president to use before it was replaced with a much newer jet.

Here we see a SR-71, otherwise known as the Blackbird. The skin is all titanium so it would not melt due to the high speed air friction. I flies faster than 3 times the speed of sound. I never knew it could launch a Drone from the top. This is the first time I ever saw the combination.

Pike Street & Space Needle

2009-06-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

As promised, we visited the infamous gum wall this morning. Here's Grandpa contributing. Aunt Nancy was disgusted by the whole thing.

We happened upon this gorgeous Disney flowers. I call them that because I don't know what they are truly called (anyone know?) and they look like the kind of flowers that only exist in Disney movies.

Here they are under the Pike Place Market sign...you can't see it because I'm not fantastic at photo composition. To see both them and the sign, you wouldn't really be able to see them. They'd be itty bitty at the bottom of the photo.

After Pike Place Market they went to Seattle Center and actually went up in the Space Needle and Grandpa got some amazing shots of Seattle and Puget Sound.

Tomorrow they're heading to Renton...we'll see what they find there.

Ballard Locks

2009-06-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Bob and Aunt Nancy are visiting Ranee in Seattle this week. Today they visited Ballard Locks. Above is a railroad drawbridge that is up to allow boats to pass.

Aunt Nancy is walking by the Salmon Fish Ladder that allows the fish to aclimate from the salt water of Puget Sound to the fresh water of Lake Washington.

The above tree was thought to be extinct with the dinosaurs. Scholars found an existing tree in China in 1941 and shipped the seeds to a university in the States. The University provided the seeds for this tree. The tree looks like a bunch of trunks growing together but it is actually one tree. Similar to trees Grandpa has seen in the bayous of Louisiana.

At the entrance to the botanical gardens we thought these were thistles but they are actually very beautiful flowers.

For dinner tonight we went to a Lebanese restaurant in Bellevue called Mediterranean Kitchen and had delicious food. Ranee had Shishtawook, which is chicken with a garlic sauce served over some lemon rice with a side of yummy hummus. Dad and Aunt Nancy had some prawn dish that contained tiger prawns (so big it took you 3 bites to get to the tail), artichokes, carrots and HUGE okra which Aunt Nancy diligently fished out of her dish and gave to Grandpa, cause he likes gross food like that. Aunt Nancy says it was a wonderful flavor explosion of taste. The portions were so huge we all came home with leftovers for 2 days. Hooray!

Tomorrow we're off to Pike Place Market in the morning...watch this space for fotos of Grandpa and Aunt Nancy adding to the Gum Wall!

hair dye, ACT testing and a Ray of Sunshine!

2009-06-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Last night Tausha and I "henna"ed her hair, and yep....it's Orange...

Today, I dyed mine....and it's almost black....it was supposed to be dark mahogany brown...I guess that's the same thing as almost black.

Tausha took the ACT today and she got to test in her very own room because she had an accommodation for Diabetes (being able to eat/drink during testing). After picking up Tausha, I asked her how it all went. She said that Math and English was a breeze, but she's pretty sure she completely failed the Science portion (she said she guessed on every Science question).

While Tausha was taking the ACT, Ron and I took a 3 mile walk, Ron with his Ipod, me with my G1. I have Imeem (like Pandora) on my phone and so, I put in Michael Buble and listened to some Jazz for a while. It turned out all the Jazz was a bit too slow for a fast paced 3 mile walk. So I switched to Bananarama. Yeah, that's what I needed. Soon thereafter came a song I officially haven't heard since the 80's. I think I may even have the cassette tape that this song is from. It's "Ray of Sunshine" by Wham

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5w0Oh33rD0

Move it move it, baby
Can't you see I'm ready to dance?
And I can't stop this rhythm in my heart.
Move it move it baby,
Can't you see I'm ready to dance?
Without this beat my life would fall apart.

Shuffle on your feet till the floor is hot,
Gonna make a lot of money,
Gonna break your heart.
Watch out boy, (watch out boy)
Shuffle on your feet till the floor is hot,
Gonna make a lot of money,
Gonna break your heart.

But I'm the only one with a key.
And that's me.

Sometimes,
You wake up in the morning with the bass line,
A Ray of Sunshine,
Sometimes,
You know today you're gonna have a good time,
And you're ready to go.

What a way to end an nice walk. I was ready to dance! I know, I know....I'm cheesy, but I am an 80's girl, you know. :-)

Word of the Day...

2009-06-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

While in DC Debbie discovered the Sneaky series of books that she subsequently ordered for the boys. They've done several activities listed in it and this morning they decided to make break-a-way glass with sugar and water.

While prepping for this they had the following conversation with their Mom.

Instructions: Remove from burner before sugar turns brown.

Collin: What's brown sugar?

Debbie: It's sugar with molasses in it.

Hunter: What's molasses?

Collin: It's a thick gooey substance that tastes kind of bitter.

Hunter: Oh....so it's viscous. I like viscous things, they're my favorite.

Collin and Hunter currently in grade school and already prepping for a 2400 SAT.

Toddy's all growed up

2009-06-08T01:02:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago Todd graduated from Parma High School in a nice and quick ceremony at the Parma High track. It was super hot outside and those of us sitting on the cement bleachers were very grateful the ceremony was so quick because our bums were burning from the heat of the cement.

A week before his actual graduation we had a combo goodbye Steven/congratulations Todd party at Debbie's where Todd was presented with a mountain of gifts to open. He received lots of his favorite food...cereal...and concealed in a cereal box was a laptop.

After graduation we all met up at the Elementary School for a taco salad lunch and celebration. Debbie and Todd had put together a nice display of Todd's first 18 years.

It's been a fun first stage of your life, Todd. You were an adorable little boy that's grown into a fine young man. The next stage of your life will be fraught with bills and decisions and fun. Love ya!

No Air...

2009-05-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

Early Tuesday morning (1:30 am) Debbie got a call from Tyson letting her know he was going to land at Mtn. Home, AFB around 11 am on his return to Nellis from Kuwait and asked if Debbie could get Kendra from her Mom's in Parma to Mtn. Home, AFB as soon as possible after his landing so they could see each other and so Tyson could see Kendra's cute tiny pregnant belly.

Debbie, of course, said sure she could pick Kendra up after Debbie finished work in the morning. Debbie then realized that she wouldn't be able to get Kendra to Mtn. Home until a few hours after 11 am and tried to come up with any way for Tyson and Kendra to be able to spend as much time together as possible.

So Debbie called Ranee and asked if Ranee could ditch work on Wednesday and drive out to Parma, pick up Kendra and take her to Mtn. Home. Of course Ranee could do it. Kendra arrived shortly after Tyson disembarked from the plane.

And, as you can see, Tyson and Kendra were very happy to see each other after Tyson's TDY in Kuwait.

There was a lot of drama about whether or not Tyson would be able to 1. leave his hotel room or 2. even leave the base; which would put plans of seeing others at risk. Debbie, Collin and Hunter arrived in Mtn. Home a few hours later and we all hung out in Tyson's hotel room on base while Tyson helped his troop unload their equipment from the truck and into their rooms. And since Tyson is such a fantastic troop, he was able to leave the hotel and the base! Yay! We went to Mtn. Home and spent some time with them then he and Kendra spent some time with Darren and family who had driven down to see Tyson after he got off work.

The best part? Kendra was able to stay with Tyson until the next morning. Next up for the cutest couple? Kendra's got her ultrasound appointment next week and within 2 weeks they'll know if they are expecting a baby boy or a baby girl.

McCall, Idaho

2009-05-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

We went up to Grandpa Bob and Grandma Katherine's condo in McCall over Memorial Day weekend. Collin and Hunter climbed up the rocks behind the condo.

We ate some yummy food, played the Wii, spent some quality time together.

Saw some beautiful scenery around Payette lake.

And Lynda got a tick.

Taush's Final Choir Performance of the Year

2009-05-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Bob, Grandma Katherine, Lynda and Ranee went to see Tausha's final choir performance of the year. Of course, Famine Song was great, Taush sang with four other girls during one song. Taush's friend Conda had an amazing solo in Can't Buy Me Love and Grandpa Bob said that Taush and one other girl were the only one's showing any sort of emotion and feeling while singing the songs.

Way to sell it Taushina! American Idol here she comes!

Setting Up Sunday

2009-05-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

So, Tausha has this totally awesome friend who she loves to sing with, Brenna Wasser. They really sound great together. Tausha and Brenna are in choir together at school. Today, I taped them singing a Meg and Dia song, "Setting Up Sunday". They did a great job! Tell us what you think.

Here's a link to Meg and Dia singing "Setting Up Sunday". Hmmm, I think I like Tausha and Brenna's version better. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgN1nISa-00

DC!

2009-05-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Adventures in DC Day 1: So... Hunter, Collin and Debbie joined up with Ranee at BWI airport Saturday evening. The flights from Seattle and Boise were long but HEY, we can't complain, we partook in the miracle of HUMAN FLIGHT! We took a bus from the airport to the Amtrak station and waited for a little less than an hour for our train which then took us to New Carrollton. Our hotel's shuttle service picked us up and we got settled into our room. We called it a night and got a good night's sleep. Hunter said he slept like a baby, a non-screaming one. Collin fell off the bed and didn't remember in the morning. Debbie heard the fall and made sure he was ok. Ranee had to get Collin to sleep on his side of the bed and NOT diagonally across the bed!

Soaking wet in DC Day 2: We slept in ENTIRELY too late, waking up sometime after 8:30 a.m. After figuring out what we wanted to do today we headed to the Metro Station to catch the orange line to the Smithsonian stop. Thus began our first day at The Mall.

We went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History...

We saw the Washington Monument...

We saw the World War II Memorial...

and found a friend of Styx. We saw the Lincoln Memorial and have some slight discrepencies in steps from the reflecting pool to Lincoln (Hunter: 85, Collin: 86, Ranee: 88, Debbie: 89, National Park Service: 98). Someone is wrong, and we think one of them is the National Park Service. We did all of this in either the pouring rain or the sprinkling rain. It was fun and SUPER WET.

Sing, Sing, Sing. I Like To Sing. I Like To Sing A Song. Sing, Sing, Sing.

2009-04-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April 15th, Tausha left Meridian, Idaho and headed to Seattle, Washington on a bus with her school choirs. It turned out to be a lengthy trip due to one of the three busses breaking down. I'm told the kids were in good spirits and didn't complain about the extra time on the road. Lynda flew into Seattle where she met up with Ranee.
While in Seattle Tausha sang with her school choir groups at an exchange concert with a local high school. Ranee was able to attend and was brought to tears when she heard "Famine Song".

After the "Seattle fun" the choir students traveled to Pasco to be a part of the Columbia Basin Jazz Festival. As quoted from a news article about the Jazz Festival, "The annual Jazz Unlimited Festival has become a popular venue for high school music departments throughout the Northwest to strut their stuff every spring. About 5,200 music students from around the Northwest converge on CBC for the competition."

This was the first time Mountain View High School participated in the event. On Friday and Saturday night, two choirs from Mountain View were invited to sing as the last school performance of the evening, quite an honor I'm told. So, congrats to them and Mr. VP, their choir teacher.

Needless to say, it was loads and loads of fun to be with Tausha and the choir kids. Go to my Youtube page to view "Famine Song" and other songs sung by the Mountain View High School Choirs. Enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/snowflakethedog

Supreme Kai Musical Abilities Tests

2009-04-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

So I think that anyone in this family that has any musical abilities or talents at all needs to go and take these 3 tests. They don't take very long at all. Probably 10 minutes on average. Like I said, there are 3 tests. One for pitch, one for tone, and one for rhythm. I might warn you that they can be very difficult and addicting if you are like me and want to really put your musical abilities to the test and keep getting better scores.
Have fun with them and send them to your friends that may be interested!!
go to http://www.bored.com/musictests/pitchdeaf.htm or click here
Oh! And post your scores as a comment please and thank you.
Love you all!!
Todd

Belly Photo

2009-04-07T21:44:00.001-07:00

Mine! Mine! Mine!

2009-03-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

In February Tara came up to Seattle for a visit and a foto gig. We went to Pike Place Market and got a dozen of the yummy donuts. We had a bunch left and decided to feed the pigeons. Much to Tara's surprise the seagulls swooped in within seconds. Swooped in. Almost attacking Tara...notice the flinch?

The seagulls were not sharing with the pigeons at all.

Here the seagulls are at least pretending to listen to Tara's lecture about sharing. But it didn't stick in their little bird brains. Poor pigeons.

ASIMO

2009-03-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

ASIMO is a robot that Grandpa Bob and Grandma Katherine saw at Disneyland and that is featured in Hunter's Cool Stuff 2.0 And How it Works book.

Here he is at Disneyland in some sort of presentation.

And here he is in Hunter's book - sort of.

So to explain the picture from Hunter's book...The G1 has many wonderful applications, like the Coloroid game and Tangram Lite/Pro. But for Hunter the best application is PicSay that allows you to embellish fotos with titles, birthday cakes and, like Hunter's foto above, thought bubbles and diamond earings that are made with peer gold.

http://asimo.honda.com/

My favorite class

2009-03-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some candid shots taken during my photography class. My professor took us to his car and then passed out 5 or 6 $8000+ cameras to play around with. We were learning about lighting, the girl in black was our model. Cool, huh? If only all my classes were as cool as this one.

Blast from the past...

2009-03-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

Next month is Todd's (and probably our) final choir trip with Parma Singers. One year we were lucky to have both Manda and Tyson on the same trip to SFO. That was fun! We saw the crazy bush man, went to Alcatraz and here's a photo of Tyson, Debbie and Manda at Six Flags just before they were hoisted lots of feet in the air then dropped in a group bungee jump. They loved it. Me? I almost wet my pants just watching.

Who...

2009-03-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Who's a pretty, pretty Princess?

Update

2009-03-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one posting here? Come on, let's hear what everyone else is up to!! Here's the latest picture of my ever huge belly. I'm 23 weeks along now.

Disneyland!

2009-03-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I'm totally late posting this, but I'm trying to catch up. Grandpa Bob, Grandma Katherine, Ranee, Steven and Karley went to Disneyland the first week in February. We had tons of fun, took lots of fotos, and even encountered an old acquaintance.

Here's Karley being smushed by Steven's very LARGE, very good deal TV in the back seat. Thank goodness it was only 10 minutes from the airport to the hotel.

Here's our acquaintance we made the last time we visited the Haunted Mansion in April of last year. He was just as creepy this time as last.

And here's Katherine being attacked by Baloo.

We had a great time...the grandkids and older kids got pretty tuckered out.

Tara's 22nd Birthday

2009-03-03T10:00:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who texted, called, emailed, and facebook'd me yesterday, I'm so loved! Here are some pictures from my adventures yesterday.

Jon decorated a cupcake for me. The red frosting mass is supposed to be the Canadian flag and the blue frosting mass is supposed to be an American eagle. :)

Ranee on the Mission

2009-02-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hey, look at what I found hidden deep within the depths of facebook! We love Aunt Ranee!

IT'S A BOY!!!

2009-02-26T13:15:00.001-08:00

Baby Belly

2009-02-03T12:34:00.001-08:00

Here I am, half way through my pregnancy! I'm going to the doctor this week and will keep the blog updated with all the fun details. :)

Feb 7th- Jon and I went to the doctor for the first time. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat and finally got an accurate due date: JULY 15th!!!! We will have an ultrasound on the 26th, votes for the gender anyone? I'm thinking it's a boy.

Happy 17th Birthday Tausha!

2009-01-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

On January 21, 2009 Tausha May Huston turned 17 years old. She wanted to hear the story of when she was born, so here goes:

Sometime before you were born, we acquired a little gray kitten. This kitten had a wild-like behavior. It was so wild that when we put the kitten out in the back yard, it would instead start climbing on the screen door. It would get about halfway up and meow and meow until we brought it back inside. (The importance of the kitten will work in the rest of the story in a bit.)

When Mommy was pregnant with you, before you grew too big, the doctors had known that you were in a breech position. So Mommy made an appointment to have the doctors turn you around. One doctor stood on one side of Mommy's belly, another doctor stood on the other side of Mommy's belly. They began to push on you in opposite directions. There was plenty of fluid for you to spin around in, but because you were soooo stubborn (even before you were born!) you would not budge!! (Whenever Tausha hears this part of the story, she beams a happy smile and has a look of victory on her face!) Since you were breech, we scheduled a planned C-section.

Mommy had to stay the night in the hospital the night before the surgery. On the morning of January 21, 1992, in the town of Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in an Army Medical Center on the Army military post, Daddy was to meet Mommy at the hospital bright and early so that Daddy could be in the surgery with Mommy. As the morning came and the minutes passed, Daddy was not showing up. Mommy was so worried. Mommy tried to call the house to try to see if Daddy was still there and the phone was busy. Mommy kept trying to call Daddy and the phone kept being busy. Mommy began to wonder if maybe the wild kitten had knocked the phone off the hook and that Daddy was still sleeping. So Mommy called someone that worked with Daddy to see if he could go by the house and knock on the door and/or windows to try to wake Daddy up.

Daddy ended up coming to the hospital right when Mommy was being wheeled to the operating room. Daddy got to sit by Mommy's head while the doctors cut Mommy open to get you out. When you were born, the nurses wrapped you tight in a blanket and gave you to Daddy. Daddy then brought you up by Mommy's head and showed you to Mommy. When Mommy saw you, Mommy said, "Oh!! My litte baby!!!" Mommy then gave you kisses.

After you came home with Mommy and Daddy we loved you so much. Your sister, Tara, loved you so much too! You often would have a hard time getting calm, so Mommy would put you in a baby swing, give you your binky (which was so big it almost covered your mouth and nose!) and then turn on the vacuum and put the vacuum in the corner of the room. You would then fall fast asleep!

Your skin was red when you were born, but eventually your skin turned normal.

(Picture to be inserted here of Tausha when she was a baby!)

(We ended up not keeping the kitten because it peed on your Daddy's big green bean bag, which he was not very happy about.)

Tausha, you are a beautiful daughter of Heavenly Father and we are glad you are in our lives.

We love you!! Love, Mom

P.S. Tausha requested shish kabobs and artichoke (her favorite food) for her birthday. Here are pictures of her birthday dinner (a few days past her birthday) on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

The baby...

2009-01-18T22:37:00.001-08:00

Look at how big the baby is getting! (see widget) Last time I talked to sTara she said she felt the baby move, or she had gas. She didn't know for sure. hee hee hee

Any other fun updates kids?

Holiday Fun!

2009-01-04T23:28:00.000-08:00

Here we all are at the tubing place in Garden Valley. Great fun was had by all, as well as several spills by many ('cept Tara, thank goodness, gotta keep that baby safe). Ranee took a big spill and couldn't breath for quite a while. Ended up with some seriously bruised ribs and decided to take a break from the tubing and took a whole mess load of fotos that can be found here. Jon, Collin and Grandpa Bob were the most adventurous. But each person pushed their comfort envelope a little bit. Hunter went down the hill "Superman Style," Jon and Shelby tried tamales for the first time. We recommend the tubing hill for anyone looking for one. Close to home, and super fun.

After everyone's individual Christmas morning events, we all met up at Lynda's for some ham and trimmings. Notice Grandpa Bob and Bobby...standing exactly the same: arms, head, everything. Totally hilarious.

Steven and Karley brought Remy to join in the fun. What a cute little dog. Turns out everyone that meets her wants to take her home. We opened gifts, lots from Argentina. Steven surprised Karley with some boots she thought she didn't get for Christmas. Debbie's family got a Wii and all the trimmings, which made for lots of Wii fun. More Christmas Day fotos can be found here.

On New Year's Day we went to Grandpa Bob's and Grandma Katherine's for some Chili, Wii, Hot Tub, S'mores and roasted Starbursts (very yummy, actually). Most everyone had a chance at playing the Wii. Raving Rabbids were pretty popular. Lynda, especially, enjoyed the musical games. Notice the jumping up and down in the foto. More fotos from New Year's Eve night can be found here.

We also stopped by to see Mom and Bill at their new house. It sure was nice to see them.

And here's a super cute foto of Steven and Karley that was in the background of another foto. Love it!

Happy New Year everyone and Happy Birthday Steven!

There's No Place Like Home!

2008-11-28T19:31:00.001-08:00

Dateline: November 23, 2008

In the wee small hours of the morning, look who showed up at the Boise Airport.
Welcome home Brian, Brendon and Shelby! Thanks for the pics, dad.

Go Broncos!!

2008-11-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

Boise State has another UNDEFEATED season AGAIN !!! YEA !!!

Ron and Dad watching Boise State beat Fresno State, 61-10

Great "Expectations"

2008-11-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

We're pregnant!

Brian's Kids...

2008-11-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Yay!!
Brendon & Shelby will be moving back to Idaho this weekend to live with Brian & Melissa.