First Day of School 2011

I'm a little (ok...maybe a lot late!) posting the latest back to school pictures. Things have just been so hectic that I haven't had time to even download my pictures to my hard drive, let alone actually post anything! I guess I will have to work a bit harder at that! Anyway- this is Chelsey on her very first day of high school. She is a freshman at Declo this year and has been working really hard on her grades. She wants to go into the medical field, so good grades are a must! She ran for freshman class secretary and won so she is really looking forward to planning some fun things for the school.

Here is our not so little man! He turned eight just a few days after he started third grade so he was incredibly excited to start Boy Scouts! He has had the same teacher for the last three years in a row, so he finally got to move up to the bigger class and get a new teacher. He likes school so much better this year and has been behaving himself for the most part. Now if only he would read more and work on his AR points!

And last, but not least is Mikayla. She is now in her Junior year of high school and loves going to all of the games and supporting the teams. She is old enough to drive and date now so that is an adjustment for her dad and I! She also has been working really hard on her grades and had a 4.0 on her first report card!

Grandpa Stapelman's birthday

On this date in 1919, my grandpa, Lester William Stapelman was born and the world was made a better place!

I was only 6 when my grandpa passed away, but I still have lots of good memories of him! He used to tease me all the time about the way I couldn't pronounce my r's. He would ask me to say,"put your shoes on the porch" every time he saw me. Of course it all came out funny and he would just laugh!

I also remember riding with him on the back of Lucy. He made her buck and it scared me so bad! I remember just wrapping my fingers around his belt loops and praying they didn't come loose from his pants.

We almost always went to grandpa and grandmas on Sunday evenings. We would watch Lawrence Welk and the Disney Sunday movie. Grandma would make popcorn and homemade fudge. Sometimes, it would get a little rowdy and the ropes would come out. Grandpa would tie the kids up and see how long it took us to get loose.

I remember how hard grandpa worked up until he got sick. He was always out doing something: farming, hunting, working with his horses. I don't remember seeing him relax much.

I also remember going on a trek with my grandparents. We went with another family and we took the horses and the wagon that my grandpa built. They cooked chicken over a fire and let me tell you, it was BLACK!

So many good memories! Just wish he had been around longer to leave us with more. I know he still looks down at us and sees what kind of people we've become and I think he would be proud!

Dad's 65th birthday

Dad and Alta came up for a few days at the end of July. We decided to go to the Minidoka Dam and have a little birthday party/get together while they were here. Everyone was there; all of the kids and grandkids from both families came. That really doesn't happen very often! My aunt Shawna even showed up! We all brought our own dinner and Chelsey made a german chocolate cake and some cupcakes for the kids. The kids got to splash and play in the water and some got to tube and jet ski.

Lindsay had just gotten her belly button pierced and this was the first time she could get wet after the piercing!

In typical grandpa fashion, my dad let ALL the kids help blow out the birthday candles...one can only imagine how many germs were just blown over it!

My dad moved to Pendleton about 15 years ago or so. I sure wish he lived closer so the kids knew him better. They only see him about once a year, twice if they're lucky. I feel bad that they won't ever really know him or how much he loves them.

Jason and Sally got there late because they had another family reunion earlier that day. The kids had already been swimming so they didn't want to get wet. This is Whitney! She's getting so tall and beautiful!

CJ took each of his boys out on the jet ski. They both really loved that...guess what CJ will need to buy next?

Braquel and Keven are getting married!

They've finally decided to pick a date and get married! Braquel told me the whole time she was in high school that she wanted to get married and start a family right after high school. I told her she was crazy and she had all the time in the world to get married. Luckily for me, Keven agreed. He didn't want to jump in right away so they agreed that they would live together for one year and see how it goes.

Well, I guess it's been going well because he proposed earlier this summer! I know how much it means to her that he asked her and didn't just assume they would tie the knot! It's so cute when they start planning things because she tries to include him in every decision. (and he's actually really good about giving his opinion on even the little things.) I'm so excited for them! One night we were having a bonfire and I told him thank you for asking her; it made her so happy. And he looked at me and said,"She makes me happy." It was so sweet!

Jones Family Reunion

The Jones Family reunion is pretty much always held at Indian Hot Springs. The kids really look forward to it because they enjoy swimming. Ellie was too small to let in the pool without Gary or I so she spent a bit more time playing with some of the other little kids. They all know each other pretty well so she was a bit hesitant at first, but by the end of the day, they were all good friends.

This is Gary's cousin's little boy, Nick! He's a bit on the shy side, but I think he is so adorable, I had to get a picture!

This is Gary's cousin, Shawn and his wife Carrie, and their son, Quentin. Shawn and his twin brother are close to Gary's age and it's always fun to get together and hear their stories from when they were kids.

This is Gary's cousin, Mandy and her niece, Akosha. Mandy is getting married next month and we're excited to see her and Colby start their lives together.

This is Sadie, Gary's cousin's daughter. Aren't her cheeks just totally pinchable? She's a doll and we can't get enough of her long hair!

Of course, the best part of any family reunion is the food! There are certain things that people always bring, and this year was no exception. Gary's aunt Sharon always does a spaghetti-type dish that everyone loves and there is always dutch oven food along with fried chicken, ham, salads, pies, etc. We never go hungry, that's for sure!

More Water Fun

First off, I have to apologize for the out of order pictures! I forget that blogger puts them up in the opposite order that I pick them! ha ha! We took the kids out by the KOA one night when Gary got home from work. Everyone else wanted to be in the water, but Ellie just wanted to fish! She got a princess fishing pole for her birthday and she wants it in the water all the time!

These two pictures are before we got the boat into the water. Ellie has discovered that she can play on the boat ramp and get in as much or as little water as she wants! It's her favorite place to play now.


Here is another out of place photo! Should be one of the last...Treven was pretty afraid of the water last year, but this year, he's done so much better. He likes to jump into the water and do tricks.

Here's one of those tricks! He wanted to do a back flip into the water, but since we don't have a boat that allows the bounce, he had to try a front flip!

My crazy husband! He told the kids he was going to jump from the edge of the boat, onto the tube, and then into the water! He did it in that order, but he barely hit the tube! He's a nut when it comes to the water...thinks I should drive the boat all the time now so he can tube! Then he acts like he's so bored and that I drive the boat like a grandma!

We have a hard time getting Ellie to put down her fishing pole and getting into the water! She gets pretty nervous when there's so much water around her.

Here's our other water nut. She'll tube, ski, dive, whatever into the water! Her and Treven were trying to outdo each other in their tricks. I hate water, but I'm so glad that my kids are little fishies!

Treven attempting another dive! I think this one was on the less risky side! He has to gear up for the big tricks!

I'm afraid we're going to have to say goodbye to summer and the boat soon! It's so sad and we didn't get to spend near enough time on the water!

tubing

On hot summer afternoons, we love to go out on the water for some cool down time! On this day we went to Minidoka Dam with some friends. Braquel and Keven came out for awhile and went, too. Sometimes it takes awhile for Braquel to get convinced that she wants to get on the tube!

Someone pretty much has to hold on to Ellie when we're out on the boat because she likes to stand up and lean over the edge. Braquel was taking her turn with her baby sister!

This is our friend, Tad. The week before, our tube ripped while Tad was on it and we had to order a new one online since we couldn't find one locally. We let Tad have the first try on the new tube! It really gets air if only one person is on it to hold it down!

What a little face! Gary says that when she is graduating, this is the picture we're putting on the slide show! She's such a little ham.

There was a small inlet where the kids played while we waited for everyone to show up. There are lots of little rocks and Treven and Ellie had a ball playing there. Treven loved messing around on the tube and doing tricks with it.

Treven tried to tell us he found diamonds in the water when really he found little clear rocks. Ellie went along with him and started digging for her "diamonds!" It's always fun to relax and spend time with the kids out on the water.

4th of July

One of the main entries every year in our local parade is this bell. It belongs to one of our neighbors and it comes through town at the beginning and end of the parade. It's kind of neat to hear it and sets the mood.

Treven and a few of his friends wanted to ride their motorcycles in the parade instead of riding on the school float. They got special permission to ride on public streets since they're not actually supposed to ride on the roads without a drivers license. Treven was so excited he couldn't even stand the wait!

About halfway through the days events, Ellie finally gave up and took a short nap. She fell asleep on Mikayla and then Chelsey took her home for the rest of her nap. It's always such a long day and a rest is much needed! I really wish that I could have come home and napped, too!

They did the greased pig, a bunny, and kitty catch again this year. I'm so happy to say that Treven missed all of the creatures and we didn't have to worry about finding anything a home!

These a few of the local kids that were riding bikes in the parade. The kid in the front had a big tube full of confetti and he shot it off right by us. I missed the actual confetti popping out with my camera, but it looked really cool.

Mikayla's softball team took 2nd in state, so they were asked to do an entry. She asked me if I would pick up some water things at the dollar store, and against my better judgement, I did! They thought it was pretty funny to soak everyone! I didn't think it was too funny!

We sat toward the end of the parade route, so while we waited, Ellie got a bag of cotton candy. That kept her pretty busy while the floats made their way toward us. It turned out to be a good 4th and made me very thankful and proud to live in this country!

Strawberry Thief

We have a flowerbed full of strawberry plants and every year I anxiously wait for strawberries. Every year I am disappointed because the bugs and birds get the strawberries before I do.

Not this year! There is a certain two year old little girl that has beaten the birds and the bugs! She combs through the plants every day and picks everything that is even close to ripe! (Some not so close, too!)

She is so thrilled with each little strawberry that she immediately eats them; she won't even wait to get them washed! I'm pretty sure she has been so over zealous that she has eaten a few of the stems,too.

How I love this precious girl! She was the biggest surprise ever; but our family just wouldn't be the same without her. She brings so much joy to all of us and is constantly saying and doing funny things to keep us laughing!

Wood Family Reunion

We went to North Heglar for the annual Wood Reunion over Father's Day weekend. I had to work Saturday morning, but we left as soon as I got off. Right about the time we got there, it started raining; just a drizzle at first, but then a pounding rain. We all took cover under anything we could, but we were all pretty soaked! Treven talked Gary into taking his little 50 motorcycle and he and Sam had lots of fun taking turns on it...until they ran it out of gas!