Ranstrom Review

Happy 12th Hunter!!

2012-01-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hunter is officially a Young Man :) He turned 12 today and life is good! He got his cell phone for Christmas, is getting his braces off on Thursday and is loving playing basketball, just like he always has :) The day started with cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury, followed by school where he was spoiled rotten by his friends. Then this evening we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse to celebrate, followed by practice, and finally, ice cream cake. It was a fun and busy day. We love Hunter so much and I especially appreciate the young man that he is becoming. Happy Birthday Bud, we love you lots!!

Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

Last night Hailey and Allie were upstairs playing and Hailey came down to show us a picture that she drew. Pretty cute :)I don't have Allie's or I would have put that on too, but they both did a great job!

Once there was a snowman tall tall tall...

2012-01-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

Do you remember our snowman from Thanksgiving? If you don't, I won't be offended :) Here is a reminder picture... NOW take a look at him. We have renamed him Slim :)

Party for Hazel...Hazyl...Hazell...HeyZell...for our new niece to be.

2011-12-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

We decided to have an impromptu party for Ashlee and Kipp to celebrate the highly anticipated arrival of our new niece to be. We had all of the essentials, Ice cream cake... New I-Phones... Family... A wicked dance-off... Fun games... And of course CUTE clothes... We are so excited for you guys and our new Grand-daughter, Niece and Cousin!!! Now just move closer :)

Christmas at Granna's, part 2

2011-12-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

We continued with Christmas morning at Granna's house. We all were there and had a lot of fun. The girls got some roller skates from Granna which they are already pros at. Hunter and Briggs got new basketball socks, which they were super excited about. They also got a fun new video game. Almost everyone got some sort of new BSU gear. Regan got...well, you will be able to tell by the picture at the end. Also Jami had a gal that she knows make the cute headband for Hailey, which I love. After we opened gifts at Granna's, my family ran to Grandpa and Grandma Ranstroms...but I left my camera :( We had a great time there too and got some fun stuff. After opening gifts, we went back to my mom's and had some yummy dinner, cleaned up, came home and CRASHED :) It was a fun day, but I was pretty tired by the end of it. I wouldn't change it for the world though. I love having our family so close and love that we can hang out with them. We had such a wonderful Christmas. The next day we all went to my Dad's house. Once again, I forgot my camera. UGH! But we had a great time and feel very blessed to have such a great and fun family! Belle didn't get in the "family" photo, so she had her picture taken all alone in her cute Christmas sweater. Ashlee bought Kipp a Bronco onsie for the baby...it was for the Denver Broncos though :) We got a kick out of it :)

Christmas is here...part 1

2011-12-29T21:57:00.000-08:00

After Chineve, we went home, the kids put on their pj's,set out some treats for Santa, then they each got to pick out one gift to open. Then they all nestled down into Briggs' bed waiting for Santa to come. The next morning they waited until 7:00 am to wake us up, which was a Christmas Miracle. They were very happy with the things Santa brought them. Hunter got his cell phone, Briggs got his radio and Hailey got her i-pod and Wuggle pets??? I was a good girl too and got a new phone and Drew got some new hunting gear. It was a great Christmas morning! Next, we were off to Granna's for more Bran Muffins, a favorite and must on Christmas morning, and fun...to be continued.

Happy Chineve...

2011-12-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

This year we started a new tradition...ok, Jami started it, but we all love it! Happy Chineve. We all met at Jami's house Christmas Eve Day, had YUMMY Chinese food, followed by some entertainment by Hailey and Allie. They sang a roaring rendition of Jingle Bells while Regan led. We then got to draw names and divided into 2 cars and went looking at Christmas lights. There were some amazing houses, but the entertainment was watching Jon and Hunter try to outdo the other with Chinese Firedrills. (Very fitting for Chineve). Then we went home, had some tasty Hot Chocolate, complete with as many different toppings as you could think of. Finally, Granna read "The Night Before Christmas" to us all. It was a fun night and of course, a new tradition for us all! Thanks Jami for introducing us all to 'Chineve"

Cousins..

2011-12-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

We got a visit the other night from our cute little twin cousins. Well, they aren't so little anymore, but they are dang stinken' cute!! Our family doubled in cousins last year, and my kids are in baby heaven! We love them all and can't wait for the newest one to get here in January :) And no, I am NOT getting baby hungry ;)

Getting ready for Christmas...

2011-12-21T11:13:00.000-08:00

We have been staying super busy with lots of stuff, but we have found some time to decorate cookies and our tree :) I love Christmas time and all of the fun things we get to do.

The Lone November Post...

2011-11-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

It's not that November flew past me, it's just that nothing too terribly exciting happened during the month. Basketball started for Briggs, he his playing Slam again. He and some of his teammates got to scrimmage during halftime at the BSU vs. U of U game. They had a ton of fun playing on the floor in front of the crowd. Hunter also is playing AAU and so far they have not lost a game. It ends in a week, and then he starts Slam also. We went to the ranch for Thanksgiving. It was fun the first night until about 11:00 when Hailey started feeling sick. It all went downhill from there. Up until then the kids built a huge snowman, made the blessing mix with Uncle Jeff and Hailey helped Grandma make some of her famous bowknots. We went to bed and Hailey, then Drew, were sick the entire night. It was horrible and I felt so bad for them. Briggs and I had been sick Monday night, so we knew what they were going through. Finally by morning they were just exhausted and basically slept through Thanksgiving. No worries though, we had a left-over Thanksgiving on Sunday so they could enjoy it :) So, goodbye November, you boring month. Let's get on to December and let the fun, and blogging, resume!

Trick or Treat...

2011-10-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great night tonight. It started out with a little Jack-o-Lantern Pizza, followed by some trick or treating in the park. Briggs went as Kellen Moore, the BSU QB, Hailey was Elphaba...NOT the Wicked Witch of the West :). Her hat kept flying off in the wind, so we had to tie it on with a scarf. Allie was a zombie bride and Regan was a cute cowgirl. Hunter didn't dress up this year...sigh, he is growing up too fast. He ran around with his friends and just "hung out". We had a great time and are looking forward to weeks and weeks of candy, cuz they got a TON! :)

Family Pictures...part 2

2011-10-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

At our Ranstrom Retreat this year we took some lovely pictures since we were all together with the family and all of the new babies. It was quite a production to get us all to smile but our lovely photographer did a great job. My favorite pictures are the ones that really capture our personalities...and of course the one that captures our dreams of wanting to be just like Lane. That's the best one! :)

Championship Game

2011-10-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hunter's football team, Meridian White Lightning, played in the Jr. Championship game on Saturday night. They went into the game undefeated after three years. They were going up against Syringa, whose only loss had been to us. Well, after a long hard battle that went into FOUR overtimes, we lost. It was a hard night but I was so proud of Hunter and how he didn't let it get him down, he kept his spirits up...well until the next night when it hit home :) The cheerleaders also got to cheer down on the field and they had so much fun. Hailey's cheer coach set it up so all of the dad's came down at halftime and gave the girl's a corsage, it was very sweet. So football is now over and on to basketball...ahh, we love it! Great job White Lightning, we will get that Championship next year!!

Happy Birthday Briggs!

2011-10-15T06:02:00.001-07:00

Today Briggs is a decade old. I can't even believe it. Since he is ten today, I thought it only appropriate that I name 10 things that we LOVE about him, though I could probably name a thousand :) 1. His fun personality as shown by this picture...it was his idea :) 2. His freckles...who doesn't love those? People always mention them :) 3. His tender heart. The other day we were talking about if we moved someday, and he got tears in his eyes. He said he has so many good memories in this house, it would be hard to move. He feels emotions and I love that. 4. He is laid back. Briggs will go with the flow. He is so chill and relaxed. Even when he gets sent to his room, he just goes, no problem, no yelling, just an "ok". (Not that it happens often :)) 5. His ability to make friends anywhere. He has always done this. When we would go to playgrounds when he was younger, we would leave with Briggs having new best friends every time. 6. His ability to make others feel special. Briggs has had a chance to do this a lot lately. I didn't know about it until I recently got a letter from a teacher at his school...(not his teacher), and also a call from the principal. Briggs helps kids who others might shun away from. In fact a pretty cool story that the teacher mentioned in her letter was when she saw Briggs pick a boy first for his football team. This boy is usually picked last and on this day, Briggs happened to be captain. He picked this boy first and even threw him a touchdown pass, which everyone was surprised that he caught. I am glad that Briggs is accepting of others and willing to make them feel special and a part of things. 7. His cheeks. They are so stinking soft. Seriously like a babies bottom. I love to kiss them and he is pretty good about letting me :) 8. Of course, his athletic abilities. I LOVE watching Briggs play sports. He is such a talented athlete. It amazes us how he just has great fundamentals in all that he plays. Coaches love him because of his ability to be coached and that he is such a leader. He is strong, fast and dedicated. I can't wait to see where he goes with his sports! 9. He is a great brother. Sure, he will fight with his brother and sister like everyone else, but if somebody else messes with them, WATCH OUT! :) He is protective and loves them to no end. 10.He makes us smile everyday! We love Briggs so much and are so grateful for everything that he does for our family. Happy Birthday Bud, hope you have a GREAT day!!

Family Pics...

2011-10-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

We went and got some family pictures taken from my friend's son who is a Jr. in High school. He did a great job and we had a TON of fun. It was early morning, and kind of chilly but the kids were good and looked forward to their Hot Chocolate from Dutch Bros. if they smiled pretty and just got it done :) Thanks Davis for such a great time and for some really wonderful pictures!! Now I just have to decide which ones to get :)

Go team!

2011-10-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Finally got a picture of all three together in uniform. It only took me pretty much the entire season :)

Feelin' hot hot hot...

2011-09-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Drew and Hunter decided to make some salsa from our garden veggies that we grew. They had fun chopping and mixing and it turned out pretty good. We even got the thumbs up from Connie, who is quite the salsa expert. The only thing Drew would have changed would have been the onions...I haven't seen him cry that hard since Titanic :)

Some 'lost" photos...

2011-09-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Drew and the boys took a quick trip up to their favorite fishing hole the last week in August before football games started. They hiked in to the lake, fished all day and then hiked back out. It was about a 5 mile trip and the boys had to carry all of their gear, so they were pretty tired. But, they had a great time and Hunter even said it was the BEST trip he had ever been on...even beat Disneyland. He might regret that statement next time we are planning a family vacation :) Glad they had a good time. Maybe next time we will get a picture of Drew even :)

Tender Moments

2011-09-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

*** Disclaimer***I have said it before, and I will say it again, my blog is my journal also, so I have to write these moments down for posterity :) Last night I was talking to Briggs and Hailey while were having a snack. They asked me if we would ever move and I said that we would probably move sometime, but that we would stay in the same area so they could still go to the same school. It was quiet, and Briggs had his head down. When he looked up, he had tears coming down his cute little freckled face and said, "I just get really emotional talking about this Mom, cause we have so many good memories here in this house. I will probabaly even cry when I get married and have to leave you." Talk about tugging at the heartstrings. I love that sweet tender kid! I would like to also add that Hailey, after the comment about getting married said, "That's why i am never getting married so I can stay with mom forever" :) How I wish! Maybe her future husband wouldn't mind living with his in-laws...

Happy Belated Birthdays!!!

2011-08-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Ashlee's birthday a little late this year and had some cake for Drew's birthday earlier in the month. Hailey picked out a really cute cake for Ashlee and then Jami and Ashlee invented a really fun game. Ashlee had to describe the cake to Jami and Jami had to draw it. You can see her masterpiece below...you can also see my mom's masterpiece on Jami's head. You now see why she went into teaching and not hair styling :) We also celebrated Drew's birthday and the Nichols brought over a GREAT gift for Drew. He felt it was too thoughtful and wouldn't accept it though :) Oh well, we tried! Happy Belated birthday to my fabulous sissy and my wonderful hubby. Love you both!!

Back to School...

2011-08-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

The kids are all gone and my house is quiet yet again. Hailey started 1st grade, so I won't even have a buddy mid-day. Not sure how I feel about that yet. I will get back to you. I am glad she made it to school today though, she woke up at midnight last night and threw up. She kept crying that she wasn't going to get to go to her first day, which broke my heart. She is so excited to be there all day! Briggs started 4th grade and it's the first year big brother isn't at the same school. It will be fun to see how he grows this year without being Hunter's little(well younger) brother. And speaking of big brother, Hunter is at middle school this year, which will be fun for him, scary for me. I can't believe I have a kid in middle school! Time flies too fast. But it's hard to be sad when the kids are all so excited and happy about their teachers and new adventures! Not gonna lie though, I can't wait until they get home! :)

No Corn for you...

2011-08-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

It's one of her favorite foods, but I don't think she will be chomping on it any time soon :)

Jamboree

2011-08-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

The kids all had their Jamboree on Saturday. Basically you go try to find a parking space at BSU, play 6 minutes on defense and 6 minutes on offense, then you get to head home :) But they all had a blast, the boys both "won" their games and played well. Briggs(#64) had a touchdown(that' him in the backfield right before he scored) and Hunter(#81) threw for a touchdown, though it was called back for a holding call, but we still count it :) Hailey cheered her little heart out and the best part? Hunter got to meet Kellen Moore! It was a fun day and we are so excited for the real games to begin. Go White Lightning and Pioneer Pirates :)

Quick trip...

2011-08-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

Drew and the boys left Thursday night after football practice to go fishing. They drove to Cascade, stayed in my dad's 5th wheel that is parked there, then woke up bright and early to hike into their favorite hidden spot. They had a great time and caught tons of fish. Hunter even said it was the 2nd best trip that he had ever been on. Disneyland was 1st :) They had to make it a quick trip since the boys both had football practice Friday evening, but they still had a great time. Glad we live in a place that they can do that! More pictures to come when I can find the camera that they took :)

Cheer Camp 2011

2011-08-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hailey had Cheer Camp all morning on Saturday. She learned lots of new cheers, dances and had a ton of fun. She loves cheering for her brother and all of his friends and is THRILLED that Lexi gets to be on the squad this year Yay for Lightning Ladies!!

7 Devils...and 5 Ranstroms

2011-08-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

We drove to 7 Devils up by Riggins one afternoon for a picnic and of course some fishing. It was a beautiful place where the boys got in their float tubes and had a great time fishing out in the middle of the lake. Hailey fished but was mostly excited about her fishing vest. We are pretty lucky to live so close to these gorgeous places!

Fishin' in the dark...well almost.

2011-08-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

We have quite the fishermen and women in our family. They caught a ton of fish on the pond in New Meadows. The kids love to fish with their dad and he loves to have someone to fish with. Hunter also was in a wierd mood and put on quite the modeling show for us, but this is the only one he let me put on here :) I had to throw this picture in. Hailey loves to jump in the creek that runs through the ranch and thinks it's her own private Roaring Springs. :)

Tiiimmmber...

2011-08-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

We decided to act like lumberjacks one morning up at the ranch and chopped a bunch of wood up. The kids had a lot of fun and worked really hard. It was great to see the determination on their faces as they attacked a log and wouldn't stop until they were able to chop it all by themselves. It was a fun day, not to mention quite the workout :)

Fun times at the ranch with friends and family...

2011-08-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

All Drew wanted to do for his birthday this year was go to the ranch the one week that we had open. (seriously we had one week between the time baseball ended and football started, crazy!) Anyway, we told our family and friends that anyone could come up the first weekend and hang out and we are so happy that they took us up on it. It was a crowded house with all of us, but it was worth it! The Harris family, Rich family, Nichols family, my Bro-in-law Kipper and our buddy Bo all came up and joined us for a night or two. We had a great time and even held our first annual RLO, Ranch Lawn Olympics. Dustin and Bo were the champions of the events. We had badminton, got balls, pine cone hoops and horseshoes. It was a great weekend and I have way too many pictures(although none of the Rich family, so Wendy, post your pictures) and not enough time to post them all. Thanks everyone for coming up!

Just havin' some summer fun...

2011-08-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

Our buddy Cole had an awesome birthday party and the kids had a lot of fun playing in the water. Here is Briggs doing some acrobatics: Thanks Rich family for all of the fun! It was like our own personal water park :)

What a handsome boy...

2011-07-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

Drew wanted me to post this picture so it would go in our book/journal, so this is solely for posterity...but he just is so stinken cute :) Thanks Gabby for another great picture!

The Whole Enchilada...

2011-07-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Briggs and his team, the Meridian Storm, won the Pacific Northwest Regional Championship this weekend. (And PS-If they were 2 years older, they would be headed to the World Series right now, so it's a pretty exciting thing.) They had to play 4 games and beat teams from Montana, Oregon and Washington to do it too. The team played so awesome and it was fun to see how much they all improved over the summer. We had such great coaches, wonderful, fun families that we met and just a lot of amazing and fun memories that were made. Now that the season is over, I don't know what we are going to do...I guess enjoy the little bit of summer that we have left until football starts ;) Way to go Storm!!!

Meridian Storm takes State!!

2011-07-19T14:55:00.001-07:00

Briggs and his All-Star team took 1st place in the state tournament last weekend. They beat everyone by quite a bit until the championship game. It was an exciting game, we were down, then ahead, then down, then tied and then eventually ended up holding Vallivue in the top of the 6th to win the whole thing. This week they play in the Regional Tournament in Meridian and we are hoping they play like they did this weekend. Thanks to everyone who came to support him, we all appreciate it!!! Way to go Storm!

The last hoorah for the 4th of July

2011-07-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

Finally the day was over and it was time to campout in the Nichols front yard for some yummy food. We know the Nichols were out of town, but they have the shade and they knew we were going to use it with or without them...(we keep thinking they will stay in town if they know what kind of riffraff they have hanging out in their front yard :) Anyway, we had some good eats, millions of sparklers, a few fireworks( legal and not so legal) and a great time with family and friends. Thanks for another great 4th of July!

4th part 2

2011-07-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Our tradition every 4th of July during the afternoon is to get pizza and go swimming at my in-laws house with the Rich family, the Harris family and the Nichols family, (when they are in town, which was NOT this year, boo). This year my little sister Ashlee and bro-in-law Kipp joined us too. It was a beautiful, hot perfect day for the pool. The kids had a great time and we got some pretty good action photos of them diving in or getting thrown in. The only casualty was when Hunter switched mid-air from a back flip to a front flip and hit his lip with his knees. He got a pretty good blood blister right away, luckily it went away...he was worried about what the ladies would think ;) We had a great time though and love our day of celebration!

4th of July part 1

2011-07-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

We went to Uncle Marv's house for the annual 4th of July breakfast. Uncle Marv always rents a water slide for the kids which seems to get bigger every year :) Here is Uncle Marv, Hunter, Briggs and my dad. Uncle Marv is such a great guy and the boys love hanging with him, whether it's fishing, golfing, or just eating.

There was a new horseshoe pit put in, so we had a big tournament going on.

My dad is giving Kipp and Hunter a pep talk here.

Here Uncle Drew is tickling Regan's feet, which she can't get enough of!

Crazy, I know :)

We had a great morning and it was a fun way to start our 4th of July Celebration!

Something is missing...

2011-07-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

She had been working on this for a few days and finally got the nerve to just twist it out :)

Guess we will be getting a visit tonight from the Tooth Fairy :)

Meridian Dairy Days

2011-06-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

We haven't been doing much this summer other than baseball and basketball. Briggs is playing All-stars and they seem to have a tournament every week. Here are some pictures from his Dairy Days tournament. They won 6 games in a row to make it to the championship game and then lost in the bottom of the 6th inning. It was a tough one, but the kids had a lot of fun. Briggs pitched some great games and played first base. We love watching him play, even though it rained most of Saturday :) Thanks to my friend Gabby for the great pictures!!

Being a ref is for the birds!!!

2011-06-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hunter had a HORRIBLE experience tonight while reffing a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. He was in tears half way through the game, and then after the game. He was supposed to ref 5 games and would not go back after a coach yelled at him and put his hands on Hunter's shoulders. Hunter was scared to death and there was NO WAY he was going back. It was not the best experience for an 11 year old boy, and I don't think he will be volunteering again. The sad thing is, I said I would help with the 2nd game that he was supposed to do, until somebody from the league could step in. Everything was going hunky dory until about 13minutes into it, a dad made a comment to me. Man, did he get an earful!!! I turned around and told him to NOT EVEN START with me. I said I was doing exactly what his coach and the other coach had told me to do, and I was only filling in since my 11 year old was IN TEARS!!! Ugh!! These are 7 year old kids and the parents are acting like it's the NBA finals. It was quite the eye-opener. I will definitely try harder and watch myself better when I am at my kids' games. That is a Horrible job and one I will NEVER do again. It made me think of this letter that I read a long time ago that has always stuck with me: Dear Parent of a Little Leaguer: I'm an umpire. I don't do it for a living, but only on Saturdays and Sundays for fun. I've played the game, coached it and watched it. But somehow, nothing takes the place of umpiring. Maybe it's because I feel that deep down I'm providing a fair chance for all the kids to play the game without disagreements and arguments. With all the fun I've had, there is still something that bothers me about my job. Some of you folks don't understand why I'm here. Some of you feel I'm there to exert authority over your son. For that reason, you often yell at me when I make a mistake, or encourage your son to say things that hurt my feelings. How many of you really understand that I try to be perfect? I try not to make a mistake. I don't want your son to feel he got a bad deal from an umpire. Yet no matter how hard I try, I can't be perfect. I counted the number of calls I made in a six-inning game today. The total number of decisions, whether on balls and strikes or safe and outs, was 146. I tried my best to get them all right, but I'm sure I missed some. When I figured out my percentage on paper, I could have missed eight calls today and still gotten about 95 percent of the calls right. In most occupations that percentage would be considered excellent. If I were in school, that grade would receive an A for sure. The purpose of Little League is to teach baseball skills to young men(and young women). Obviously, a team which does not play well in a given game, yet is given the opportunity to blame that loss on an umpire for one call or two, is being given the chance to take all responsibility for the loss from their shoulders. A parent or adult leader who permits the younger player to blame his failures on an umpire, regardless of the quality of that umpire, is doing the worst kind of injustice to that youngster. Rather than learning responsibility, such an attitude is fostering an improper outlook toward the ideals of the game itself. This irresponsibility is bound to carry over to future years. As I sit here writing this letter, I am no longer as upset as I was this afternoon, I wanted to quit umpiring, but fortunately, my wife reminded me of another situation that occurred last week. I was umpiring behind the plate for a pitcher who pantomimed his displeasure at any call on a borderline pitch that was not in his team's favor. One could sense that he wanted the crowd to realize that he was a fine, talented player who was doing his best to get along, but that I was a black-hearted villain who was working against him. The kid continued acting like this for two innings, while at the same time yelling at his own players, who dared to make a mistake. For two innings the manager watched this. When the kid returned to the dugout to bat in the top of the third, the manager called him aside. In a voice loud enough that I was able to overhear, the lecture went like this: "Listen son, it is time you make a decision. You can be an umpire, an actor, or a pitcher. But you can only be one at a time when you are playing for me. Right now it is your job to pitch. And, you are basically doing a lousy job. Leave the acting to actors, the umpiring to the umpires, or you won't do any pitching here. Now what is it going to be?" Needless to say, the kid chose the pitching route and went on to win the game. When the game was over the kid followed me to my car, fighting his hardest to keep back the tears, he apologized for his actions and thanked me for umpiring his game. He said he had learned a lesson that he would never forget. I can't help but wonder how many more fine young men are missing their chance to develop into outstanding ball players because their parents encourage them to spend time umpiring. I hope that I can remember the next time I want to yell at an umpire or ref. how my son felt today and the real reasons we are there and the purpose of sports...not to make millions but to have fun, learn teamwork and enjoy the game!!

Father's and Sons...

2011-06-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Drew and the boys went up to father's and sons a couple of weeks ago. I just found the camera that I sent with Drew and thus I am just posting :) I think they had a ton of fun, cuz there are only 3 pictures :) They drove up with our good buddies Cole and Dustin and came home smelly, dirty, tired and happy. Always a great thing after camping :) Glad they found a weekend that they could go and have some boy time...Hailey and I think our girl's trip is going to be something more like shopping in NY or swimming in Hawaii :)

Where is the Blogger I used to love?

2011-06-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is the only way I can let my fellow bloggers know that I am TRYING to comment on your blogs. I promise, I read them whenever I see a new one. In fact, I regularly check to see if there is something new for me to read, (I have issues). But I love hearing all of your stories and seeing your pictures and hearing about your lives. However something has happened with Blogger and I can no longer post a comment on everyone's blogs.(I am also having problems posting my blogs, but that will be a different blog:)) This is happening quite often, and to lots of others too I have found out, so I am no longer taking it personally or thinking that I have been "banned" from your blog. ;) So, just know that I am reading them, and I am making quite witty, funny and interesting comments. Unfortunately, you just can't read them :)

School's out for the Summer...yippee!!!

2011-06-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

The last day of school we had graduation and then a family picnic out on the playground. The kids ran around, said goodbye to all of their friends and teachers and took off to enjoy their summer vacation. We are looking forward to sleeping in, swimming lots and playing lots of summer games. :) Have a great summer!!!

Graduation

2011-06-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hunter and Hailey have graduated...(Briggs also, don't worry, they just don't celebrate 3rd graders, though they should :)) Anyway, Hunter is on his way to middle school and I just can't believe it. He had a great year and ended up winning the Presidential Award, along with about 15 other kids. We are so proud of him and all of his accomplishments. Hailey also had a graduation for Kindergarten. I can't believe that next school year I will be an empty nester...I can't even think about it, I am tearing up(OK, half might be tears of joy, but mainly tears of sorrow). She had a great year and also loved her teacher and all of the friends that she made. We are so proud of her as well. Congrats Graduates!!

Great Strides 2011

2011-06-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

We had such a great turn out for Regan Kate's Great Strides team this year. Thank you to everyone that either came out and walked for this sweet little girl or to those who were there in spirit :) We had a beautiful walk along the greenbelt and could not have asked for better weather, what a great day!! Here are just a few pictures... Hailey and Uncle Kipp

Cole after running the race, it made him hungry! Ashlee, Dad, Shar and Jami

Mom and her adopted daughter Wendy.

The proud parents

Regan and Hailey having fun

Jackson, Regan and Hunter finishing up the walk

My buds, Amy, Lori and Howie, who was camera shy

Regan loves her Uncle Drew!

Good buddies!

We have the bestest friends!! The grand total for what was raised for Cystic Fibrosis was...(trumpets blaring)

THAT IS AWESOME!!!!! Thanks again to all of my great friends who either came and walked or donated. My family loves you all and is so grateful for your support! See you next year :)

The Storm is coming...

2011-05-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

Briggs is playing All-Stars this year and is on the Meridian Storm. He is playing pitcher and 1st base and is loving it. He has some great coaches who really know their game(yes, dad is in there) and has some good buddies on the team too. They play in a few tournaments around the valley and then end in the middle of July. This has been great for Briggs. He is such a talented player and is so much fun to watch. Go get'em Storm!

Poor Rapunzel...now what?

2011-05-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

Regan apparently is not a Rapunzel fan... or maybe she thought she could use a good trim. It was actually the funniest thing I had seen in a long time, all of that golden hair piled on the floor in Hailey's room. Until I looked a little closer and noticed pieces of NOT so golden hair. Good news is: 1-Jami is pretty used to her daughter cutting her own hair so she wasn't really surprised when I called. 2-It was lucky that she cut underneath her top layer, so you really can't even tell, unless she tucks. 3-Hailey was very sweet about her dolls hair getting chopped off and didn't even throw a fit. 4-Jami still trusts me to watch her kids and only asks that I hide sharp objects until Regan is the ripe old age of 12.

Doing the Can Can...

2011-05-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Jami and I have a serious addiction to these cans....Christmas, girl's camp, and of course, Regan's Great Strides. You can find them in any Honk's stores, Souper Salad, Raffinata in Nampa(has modest dresses and things, very fun!). Anyway, drop your change in there and help us find a cure for my sweet little niece :) We also are walking on June 4th at Ann Morrison Park if you want to join us :)

Anyway, they are so fun to do and I have even started making some other things as well...

I just need to get Hunter's room painted, then he will have one too :)

How does your garden grow...

2011-05-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

Time to plant the garden. Drew has been dreaming about this day since about mid-January. Luckily Thursday was a beautiful night, so after celebrating Cinco De Mayo at Casa Mexico, we went and bought our plants and got to work. We learned a lesson last year and decided not to go with the pumpkins and watermelon, they took over everything :) We are so excited for our home-grown veggies!

The Big Game...

2011-05-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's the one we have been waiting all season for, the big game, Jayhawks vs. Tar Heels. It was a fun game and the kids laughed and high-fived the whole time. Good job Cole and Hailey!!

Hailey got to play catcher and yes, she is smiling under that mask :)

Easter Sunday...

2011-04-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we decorated some eggs...well, Hailey, Drew and I did. I could only get the boys to come in for a staged shot :) The next morning the Easter Bunny delivered some fun baskets filled with candy, some movies that we really wanted and a BSU snuggie for each of the kids :) Then it was time to look for eggs. Briggs found a very creative egg that the bunny hid :) After we found all of the eggs, ate way too much candy and watched one of our new movies, it was time for church.

Hailey loved this dress when she saw it, and I really think the main reason was because it came with a matching dress for her doll :) She carried her doll to church and every other place all day long :)

After church we came home, had a turkey dinner with Granna, ate some more candy and then just relaxed and had a nice and peaceful Easter Sunday. It was a beautiful day!

Pinewood derby, here we go again...

2011-04-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Briggs was the only Ranstrom to race this year in Pinewood Derby.

He and Drew worked, ok, painted their car, (we love Hobby Lobby) and

went to the races.

They had fun and it was great to see all of the cars and

the different styles. And I have to give a shout out to my friend Dana. Her

son's car was one of the top 3, and she did all of the work on it.

So Dana, can you do ours next year? :) Drew said he is willing to pay BIG BUCKS!! :) Another year done...only one to go :)

The Tar Heels season has begun...

2011-04-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hailey had her first tee ball game last night.

It was a nail biter, but I think we pulled out the win :)

Doesn't she look good in her uniform?

Look at that swing. She was aiming for the fences.

Made it home eventually. Here she is going for a grounder. She has been practicing those

a lot with her big brothers, so she knew what to do :)

We got really lucky and somehow Hailey and Lucas got on the same team.

They love playing together and are so cute :)

Yippee, we love our baseball. Go Tar Heels!

Happy Easter...a little early.

2011-04-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

We had a fun get together with the Ranstrom Family this weekend. We had Holly's baby shower and then a fun Easter egg hunt at Grandma's and Grandpa's house, complete with lots of candy, eggs and even a couple of live bunny's. It was a lot of fun! Thankd Grandma and Grandpa!

Checking out the treasures...

These two are more and more alike every day :)

Baby Merrill came for a visit...he wasn't sure about Uncle Drew.

They will be such great parents.

Cute little cousins

Looks like someone has been practicing his posing...

looks almost like a Sr. Picture.

Hailey getting some help with finding an egg...

Gameball...

2011-04-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Briggs had an awesome game tonight, despite a team loss. His first time up to bat he hit a home run that was soooo close to going over the fence. Then his next time up, same thing, another homer that was almost out of the park. He also pitched great and had a really good game. We love watching him play! His team gives out a game ball, and tonight it went to Briggs. So congrats Briggs, keep playing hard and having fun!

Baseball season is here...

2011-04-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Briggs is playing for the Arizona Sun Devils this year. He has a couple of his good friends on the team and Drew is helping coach. He had is first game last week and the team looked really good. Briggs played first base, pitched and got to play catcher. He also hit a triple to the fence. It was a lot of fun to watch and we know it's going to be a really fun season! Way to go Sun Devils!!

Little sister enjoying the game :)

Golfing in Glenns Ferry...(for Jami's birthday)

2011-04-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

During the week of spring break, the boys went to Glenns Ferry for a couple of night with Grandpa Darrell. They went fishing, they golfed, they did it all. On Thursday we went up to get them and decided to play 9 holes for Jami's birthday...Jami wasn't with us, but we still thought we should celebrate :) It was fun and we all had a decent shot or 2. They weather was beautiful, so warm and we just enjoyed being outside.

Cutest caddie I have ever seen!

Like I said, it was Jami's birthday so that night we celebrated with some ice cream cake from DQ. Yummy!! It was fun and we love having them so close. Now if a certain little sister would just move back to ID, life would be perfect ;)

We got golf passes to Eagle Hills so the 4 of us are going to be golfing LOTS this spring and summer, at least that's the plan. Can't wait.

Happy Belated Blog Birthday Jami, love you lots!

Look Mom, no training wheels!

2011-03-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hailey has had a bike with training wheels for about 2 years. It was kind of a big bike, (Dad picked it out thinking of the future). Well, she wanted nothing to do with it until this weekend. She was outside with her dad for about 10 minutes and came running in to tell me to come watch. She is now LOVING her bike and loves riding with all of the kids in the culdasac. Yay for Hailey, she did a great job!

I love her big smile, she is so excited!

Hailey and her Coach.

Where have we been??

2011-03-27T08:25:00.001-07:00

***Disclaimer*** Sorry, my blog is my "journal" so it's a boring blog and mainly for posterity :) I promise to get back to pictures soon! It seems like we have been doing tons, just nothing to really show for it :) Last weekend the boys played in a basketball tournament in Twin Falls. The 4/5th grade team asked Briggs if he would come and play with them. So both boys got to play and they had a lot of fun. They even ended up playing against each other in the semi-finals with Hunter's team winning. Then it got crazy. Briggs had to play against a team that let's just say the fans were not very nice. The day before during Hunter's game one of the moms even got kicked out. So right before the game, Briggs starts throwing up. I don't know if he was sick or nervous but we told him to just sit on the bench. Well, his team was getting beat and about 3 minutes into the 2nd half, he decided to play and ended up helping his team win. I was so proud of him and the way he played. Then Hunter's team played in the championship and ended up losing by 3. They played hard but just couldn't pull it out. This weekend they got to play on the same team, which was fun too!! They had a few plays together and it was fun to hear the buzz of Briggs only being in 3rd grade :) So, after the games last weekend ended at 7:30, we got to drive to Orem to see our new little nephew/cousin Merrill get blessed. He is so cute and I tried to download the pictures I have, but they won't download, so trust me. He has the sweetest smile and the cutest face. We had a lot of fun hanging with our family, even though it was only a few hours that we got to see them. We also have been spending a lot of time watching March Madness. I am so glad my family loves basketball as much as I do. It's fun to sit together and cheer on our teams. I think Hunter is the only one left who has teams playing, but we still enjoy watching and love the excitement of March Madness. And Hunter enjoys trash talking with his Aunt Jami who is equally, if not more so, obsessed :) This weekend is Spring Break, so hopefully we will get some fun pictures to post. :)

Hailey's playing basketball

2011-03-06T09:13:00.001-08:00

Hailey and Allie are playing YMCA basketball this year. It has been fun and quite the learning experience for Hailey and me. I am coaching with Jami and trying to entertain 7 little girls for an hour is not as easy as you would think :)

Look at that defense with a smile, just like we like it.

Look at the fire and intensity...she's a born baller :) It's been a fun year and I hope Hailey likes it as much

as the rest of her family does and that she sticks with it :)

Happy 6th Birthday Hailey!!

2011-02-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Our little girl turned 6 yesterday and I can't believe that she is getting so old. She is so sweet and the light of our lives. She makes us laugh everyday and we feel so blessed to have her in our family!

Here she is opening her present that she just couldn't wait

until the evening to open.

Hailey got to "design" her new American Girl doll and picked

out the outfit for her too. Her name is Sara...and sometimes

Zoe, not sure what it is today. This is also her new

birthday outfit that she wore to church :)

Blowing out the candles.

Hailey got Just Dance from her cousins...

and that is just what they did. Personally I think

Jami bought it so that she could come and

dance while the kids are at school...she was

having quite a bit of fun :)

Happy Birthday Hailey Lyn, we love you to the moon!!

Team Regan Kate

2011-02-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

Check out this video that Jami and I made to Kick-off Great Strides 2011...

Hunter gets his Arrow of Light

2011-02-23T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hunter received his Arrow of Light Tuesday night at Pak meeting. This means he did all of the requirements for his Cub Scouts and now he is an official Boy Scout. Here he is receiving his arrow. Here I am getting pinned since the mom always helps :) Going down the row getting handshakes from all of the Cub Scouts. They did hug :) The proud parents of a new 11-year old scout. Way to go Hunter, this is an accomplishment you should be very proud of :)

Last days in Paradise...

2011-02-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

We spent our last couple of days chilling by the pool, walking out to the cliffs and watching the whales and spent a morning golfing with Drew's parents. It was such a great trip and we enjoyed the warm weather, the beautiful scenery and just chillin' with each other. We can't wait to go back! This course was amazing!!

Days 3 and 4

2011-02-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

We went and toured the other side of the island and found the Waimea Canyon. It's a beautiful canyon that goes on forever. These were the only waves Drew was riding in Hawaii this trip. Not sure, but they looked cool and authentic :) We also had a lot of pool time, but don't worry, I will spare you those pictures :) John Travolta was also spotted at our hotel...I missed him though :( Dang it, serves me right for running late. But I did see lots of whales, sea turtles and a sea lion even came onto the shore by our resort for a little rest. It was still alive, I promise! and this... I almost stepped on it and I really wish I would have put something next to it to show you just how big it really was...at least baseball size. GROSS :) final days to be continued...

Days 1 and 2 of our trip to Hawaii

2011-02-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

Drew and I had the chance to go to the island of Kauai last week. We had a great trip and really just sat back and relaxed. Here is the first day of our trip... The second day we thought we would go explore the North side of the island. We had heard there was a trail that led to a spectacular waterfall... Then we got to the trail...uh this sign says you could be seriously hurt or killed on this trail. That sounds fun! :)

It really was a beautiful place to hike except for the rain

that was pelting us like pebbles. It was crazy.

We got a little soaked but we decided that a rainy day

in Hawaii sure beats anything else!

to be continued...

Trip to the Ranch

2011-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

We went up to the ranch with the Rich's and a couple other friends of Hunter's this weekend, Bo and Jackson. Here is the gang The boys thought they would be tough and run through the snow out of the hot tub. Not the smartest move they have ever made :) Here is my awesome gift from the Rich's...sonic gear. Can't beat that. I bet I can get some free drinks with this stuff :) Playing in the snow

We went and saw the snow sculptures in McCall too.

We had a great time and enjoyed the games, the food

and the company!

Random Pictures

2011-02-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

These 3 are going to be TROUBLE when they are teenagers :) LOVE this picture...so cute!

Not sure what this kid is doing,

but she's a cutie :) Hailey won a free Chicago Connection

at the BSU game. Her brothers never want her to

go, but now have decided she can since she ALWAYS

gets on the jumbotron and wins things :)

Dressing up...they are so fashionable. Regan got her cute new glasses and can actually

see the world now. I am hoping she won't

break a pair on my watch! :)

Portland Basketball Tournament

2011-01-31T19:09:00.000-08:00

We had a fun road trip to Portland this weekend. The boys played in a tournament and had a lot of fun playing hoops and hanging with their friends. We just wanted to take a picture to show that we were in 3 different states this weekend :)

Hunter's team won 4 games and lost one in the semi-finals.

They ended up taking 3rd place. Not too shabby.

Hunter had some great games and is really becoming quite the shooter.

He plays with a lot of heart and loves the game.

Briggs had a great tournament too and his team took 2nd place.

He had soo many blocked shots, and not just cuz he is the tallest out there.

He blocks the big kids too.

He is also really getting good at shooting from

the outside and just is a really good hustler. Here he is with his medal. We sure had fun and can't wait to go back next year!

Happy 11th birthday Hunter!!

2011-01-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

Hunter turned 11 and we can't believe it!! We had some cake and presents to celebrate the night before since all 3 kids have basketball practice on his real birthday. :) Uncle Jon was telling us about a shirt that he got when he was about Hunter's age. Hunter thought it sound like the coolest shirt...so of course Jami made him one of his own. Hunter making a wish... on his girly cake that he wanted :) He told Aunt Jami,

who picked it up for us, to go as pink and girly as she

wanted. I think he didn't think she would :)

Then of course we had to have some candles in

our sticky buns breakfast for his actual birthday.

We love you Hunter and are so proud of who you

are. You make us laugh and we are so glad that

we are your parents!! Have a great day!

Fun at the park...

2011-01-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

Monday was such a beautiful day. I think it got up to the high 50's. So we headed to the park. We had a lot of fun and can't wait for SPRING!!! :)

Just keep stacking...

2011-01-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

I really wish I would have known this BEFORE Christmas...

All these 2 are doing nowadays is stacking cups. They love it. They build it, then they knock it down and start all over.

So much fun and a pretty easy clean up...can't beat that!

So if you need ideas for birthdays,not just for my kids,

just pick up some plastic cups...

cheap and fun entertainment :)

America, she's got talent!

2011-01-11T14:45:00.001-08:00

So Hailey has this dream of going on the show America's Got Talent. She can't decide if she wants to sing a song, do a dance, sing a song WHILE she is dancing, or this... CUP STACKING She thinks that maybe if she sings while she is stacking that she will be a shoe-in... what say you America? :) On a side note, since this is my journal and I need to remember these things...Briggs told Drew the other day that he wants a "bacon pouch" for his birthday. He said since he loves bacon so much if he could have a pouch, then he could just eat it all day long. What a funny kid! PS- Just got my blog book for 2010...FUN!! I love blogging and the books make it all worth it!

Bowling Day

2011-01-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the first day in a long time that we didn't have any basketball games. So we decided to hit the bowling alley. Hailey got some help from the bumpers and her dad. Briggs and Hunter really got the hang of it by the 5th frame and Drew only beat me by 15 pins...It was a good day :)

Happy New Year!! Adios 2010!

2011-01-01T14:14:00.001-08:00

To celebrate New Years this year we played games...

ate WAY too much yummy food...

hung out with friends and family...

danced around...

showed off our talents...

chilled with each other...

even wrestled a little...

We had a great time all together and are so grateful

for the fun times we have with our family and friends!

2010 was a great year and we look forward to what

2011 has in store for us.

Happy New Year to all of our Family and Friends!!

Boise Slam Basketball

2011-01-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

Hunter ended AAU Basketball and is now playing Club basketball for Boise Slam. This weekend he played in the Bryan Dunn Memorial tournament. These kids just all started playing together on Monday, though 5 of them were all on the AAU team together, which helps :) He loves to play with his jersey, so I had to take a picture :)

Taking a much deserved breather

Drew is helping coach for the Slam program.

He is coaching with Mark Owen who was/is

a big time basketball player and coach around here.

He was even drafted by the Portland Trailblazers :)

Drew is loving the experience and what he is learning!

And loves having such a great coach for Hunter!

One of Hunter's favorite things about playing

in all of these tournaments is all of the friends

that he makes. This is Max who he played in

the AAU All-star game with. They get to guard each other

which makes it fun :)

We love our basketball games,

and it's a good thing since Briggs is playing also

and we have 3 tournaments in January :)

I wouldn't change it for the world :) I just would add

Hailey into the mix!

The rest of Christmas...

2010-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

The last of our Christmas adventures...

Hunter got cold and of course grabbed the BSU Snuggie

Briggs and Grandpa ready to open

Grandpa was very excited about all of his gadgets.

That's my honey :)

The boys with their new BSU snow hats.

Always the posers!

Holly with her cute Christmas ribbon in her hair. Briggs opening his new remote control car

Hailey with her new Princess kitchen. Somebody said to me we should call our holidays Christmakah instead of Christmas since we celebrate for about 5 days with all of our family :) It was a great week though and we love having so much family around. We are very blessed!

Christmas part 3...

2010-12-29T08:05:00.000-08:00

Ashlee and Kipp finally made it to Idaho for Christmas, Yippee!!

Jon was thrilled with his jolly ranchers Jami with her basket of goodies. Briggs waiting with anticipation The girls with their cute aprons that Aunt Ashlee

made them. Me practicing with a wii remote and my new

Mario Monday shirt that Jami made me...with her

famous quote on the back.

The boys got some fun new games for the wii Granna and Hailey so excited to celebrate Christmas together Granna opening her new kindle from the grandkids They LOVE their Strawberry Shortcake!!

Christmas Part 2

2010-12-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning the kids woke us up at 6:30. Here they are waiting for us to check and see if Santa came or not Luckily he came and I guess thought the kids were pretty darn good this year. Briggs got his video camera that he wanted. Watch out Spielberg and Lucas, Briggs is coming :) Hunter got the I-pod touch that he has been begging for. He was pretty happy! Hailey got her puppy that she wanted, the only kind that mom and dad can agree on too. What would Christmas be without BSU gear?!?

Drew got a new golf shirt to go along with his golf lessons. Hailey, always the "arteest" with her new paint set.

We had a great Christmas morning and all were spoiled

way more than we should have been. Next, off to visit

the grandparents. We like to make Christmas a week long event :)

Christmas Part 1

2010-12-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve letters to Santa...Hailey's says she wants a make-up kit :) From "Eve" we all got really cute hats to wear, this was Hailey's, which I LOVE! The kids after the Christmas Eve party at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. They are so excited to go to bed so they can see what Santa brings them in the morning! Oh, and Santa came early for me and I got a fun new camera to take all of my blogging pictures with. I might just blog every hour, it's so much fun :)

It finally looks like Christmas around here...

2010-12-07T19:40:00.001-08:00

We went and got our tree Saturday night...finally :) Now it feels like Christmas is coming. Hunter helped Drew get it all set into the tree stand. Thank goodness, I am really bad at that job :) Hailey had fun decorating the tree and also going through all of our fun Christmas books that we have. Briggs had fun looking through everything and asking where it came from, what it meant and where does it go. He is so helpful :) Getting the thumbs up from Drew.

Hooray, all done with the decorating, now

bring on Christmas!!

The Big Give

2010-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

We had the 3rd annual "Big Give" on Saturday with the Lewis family. The rules are each family takes $20.00 to spend on others but it can only be $5.00 max/item/store/person. We had a lot of fun and always look forward to this night.

Here is Jon going over the rules for the night.

Our first stop was at Little Caesars. We went in and paid for a pizza

for the next people that came in. It's fun to see the excitement of the

workers as you include them in it :) Sorry though, no pictures here.

Next we went to Walgreens and bought 40 candy canes.

Then we gave them to the clerk and asked her to pass them out

to customers throughout the night.

We wanted to go buy canned food for the Idaho Foodbank

but they weren't accepting cans at the store we went to, just money. So we put $5.00 in

the red bucket and the kids got to ring the bell. They thought that was pretty cool.

Our last stop for the night was Honk's, the best dollar store out there :)

We took five 1 dollar bills and put this note on them.

(sorry, it won't rotate)

Then we went through the store and hid the bills in different places.

Can you spot where Briggs hid his??? It was fun and we hope one day we can hide even

higher amounts of cash for people :)

Here are the kids after our Big Give night. It was a lot

of fun and we loved spreading some Holiday Cheer.

Thanks Lewis family for letting us

be a part of this great tradition!

Snow Day!!!

2010-12-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

Yep, after a week out of school for Thanksgiving, we got dumped on by Mother Nature and the kids had their first snow day in 3 years. And boy did they take advantage of it! I was out shoveling the snow off of the driveway and our neighbor Gary came to my rescue with his snow blower! My hero!

Although I don't know who was happier, me or the kids :)

It was so much fun and the kids played outside all day with their friends.

Yeah, Hailey finally has enough snow for her snow angel...

I told you I thought snow would be coming :)

I have been lazy...here's Nov. in a nutshell

2010-12-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

November went by so fast, I can't believe I didn't blog anything...I might need an intervention for blogging laziness :) The boys have been playing basketball every Saturday. They each have 2 games, Briggs in Caldwell and Hunter in Boise. They keep us busy but I wouldn't change it. I love watching my kids play sports and watching them grow and improve. They both also played in a Thanksgiving Tournament. Briggs played so hard and we have heard a lot of compliments about him and the type of player he is going to be if he keeps working hard. His team lost both of the games, but he really did an amazing job and like his coach says, "He gets it done!" Hunter played with some of his friends from his AAU team. They won the 5th grade division and got medals, and then played in some close games against some 6th grade teams. He loves the game and is starting to really become a smart player. Plus he is making some amazing passes, which is a miracle in itself if you know him and his daddy :) We didn't get a lot of snow in November, but my kids used what they got. Here is Hunter's name written out in the neighborhood park for the world to see :) Hailey tried to make snow angels in the little bit that we had. I am pretty sure more is on the way though :) Hunter decided one day after church that he wanted to make a cheese ball. So he did, and can I say, it was delicious!!! He loves to cook things and I am really trying to push that love :) Thanksgiving snuck up on his this year. We spent it with my side of the family. We ate lots, played lots of games, watched some football, (sniff sniff, BSU lost) and just had a TON of fun! I was once again lazy, and didn't take a lot of pictures. I don't know what my deal is :) Granna gave all of the kids an early Christmas present. It's a cute Christmas tree that changes colors. Very fun and my kids love watching it while they drift off to sleep at night.

And since I always do my Thankful list, here it goes:

Healthy, fun, sweet kids whom I ADORE
A loving husband who works hard for his family and still thinks I am the most beautiful girl in the world...(I am thinking of getting his eyes checked :)
That we can live so close to family and that we love to be with them!
That we have family that lives close enough to travel home and that we can go see them...and that we love to be with them too!
Mario Mondays
Good friends who are there for us always!
Taco Tuesdays and BSU Parties
The Gospel in my life and the peace it brings to me and to my family.

Now goodbye November, hello December, I promise to be better with my blogging :)

A full weekend of Halloween...can't beat that!

2010-11-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our annual Trick or Treat in the park. The kids dressed up, well kind of. Hailey was a genie, Briggs was an "all round athlete" and Hunter wore his AAU jersey. Hey, it was a cheap year for costumes, so I can't complain. The next night we went our with friends and family to hit a few houses Hailey decided to be Minnie Mouse this time and Allie was a scary vampire. This time Briggs went as a BSU football player, winning the Heisman I guess :) Hunter stuck with his AAU jersey. (He just started games this weekend, so I think he was excited to wear it) Cute little Minnie. Getting ready to hit the neighborhood... with the neighborhood :) Hunter and Briggs went around for a little while with some of their friends. It's nice that they are old enough to go around without us, plus it's WAY more fun for them. Check out his stash...too bad he can't eat 1/2 of it thanks to his braces ;) Hailey was smart and stashed all of her candy into her backpack. If she has to make a quick getaway, easy access! Doesn't he look so happy? Not as happy as our dentist is going to be :)

Fun at the Farmstead

2010-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

We headed out to the Corn Maize last Friday for a little fun.

It was the first time that we had ever been out there as a family.

The night before Drew and I went to the Haunted Maize with our friends the Osterhout's and it was SCARY!!! Especially the little 6 year old dressed in black that kept attacking me and wouldn't let me pass. I was too scared I couldn't even take any pictures cuz my hands were covering my eyes the while time :)

Anyway, this was a much more pleasant experience

AND the Osterhout's joined us which made it even more fun!

Here are the kids waiting to ride the cow train.

Hailey coming down the slide

Ahh, so cute hanging in the hay

Here we are getting ready to make the great voyage.

We made it to the center of the maize!

The kids didn't want to leave!

Addy just didn't want to have anything to do with Drew!

Straw Palace for the princesses

Even kids with braces want to ride the cow train!

Here are the boys shooting the corncob guns. They were getting ready

for their big hunting trip with Dad the next day.

Hailey having fun on the trampoline

It was a great night and so much fun to just enjoy the outdoors!

Can't wait to go again next year!

Look who got braces!

2010-10-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

He was ohhh so excited about getting them on. You can't see it but they are blue and orange, of course :) He goes in next week for his bottom braces. I can't believe he is old enough for this. Ahhh, Hunter, can't you stop growing up on me? :)

Weekend Fun

2010-10-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun this past weekend. Ashlee and Kipp came for a visit and we packed a lot into those couple of days.

We celebrated Briggs's birthday

we ate at all of our favorite places, shopped at Old Navy (I walked out of there feeling like I had robbed them blind it was such a good sale)we played Family Feud boys vs. girls,

and even made some yummy sugar cookies.

Not to mention the boys had their final games of the season.

Both of them won and ended their seasons undefeated.

And of course Hailey ended her 1st year of

cheerleading with her daddy/daughter dance.

It was such a great weekend and always makes us wish that Kipp and Ashlee lived closer!

We hate to see them go!

PS-Kipp is doing much better and only has one cast on now.

He is one lucky fellow!

PSS-Mom was around here too...

don't know why we don't have pictures of her though.

Love you mom :)

Dancin' Daddies

2010-10-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

FOr your viewing pleasure...

Happy Birthday Briggs!!!

2010-10-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Briggs! I can't believe he is 9 years old already!!! Briggs is such a sweet compassionate young man. He is so talented in many areas. He loves to play sports, he loves to draw(and is very good at it), he loves to make people laugh and he makes others feel good. He always is watching out for the "underdog" and just is a great kid. Plus he is a cutie :) Our friends informed us yesterday that they are a little nervous at the way their 4 year old "gazes" at Briggs :) He is a great kid and we love him so much!

Briggs with his new nerf gun from his siblings and cousins :)

Briggs got set up with all of the stuff that he needs to go fly fishing next year...waders,

float tube, fins, fly rod, reel and line. He just can't wait to go!

Here he is with his cool Nitro Circus shirt from Aunt Ashlee and Uncle Kipp.

They are do really cool bike tricks... surprised you didn't know that :)

(Nitro Circus, NOT Ashlee and Kipp)

Fun at Football

2010-10-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hailey had a really fun practice the other night at cheer leading. They played a bunch of games and had a bunch of races. This one was hilarious and so much fun for the girls. There were 3 teams and one player from each team wore a shower cap covered in shaving cream. Then their teammates threw marshmallows at the cap and tried to stick as many as they could on the girls head. It was pretty cute and painless :) The girls all giggled like crazy. Also, Hunter's team had a really big game this past week. They haven't lost a game in 2 years and were playing against one of the only other undefeated teams. The scoring went back and forth...they scored, then we did, then they did, so on and so on. Well, we were down in the 4th quarter by 6 with a minute and thirty seconds left. It was our ball, 4th down and 15 yards to go. All of a sudden I see Hunter down field, his budding throwing him the ball and him running to the 5 yard line. He set up his team for a touchdown and with 8 seconds left, we scored!!! It was so exciting and the whole crowd was going crazy. They had a lot of fun and what an amazing game by these boys! It was fun to actually have a game that wasn't a blowout :)

Way to go White Lightning!

ESPN College Game Day...GO BRONCOS!!

2010-09-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hunter woke up this morning at 4:15 am to head down to the BSU Stadium with 13,000 other die-hard fans. ESPN broadcast their College Game Day here in Boise and boy was it HUGE. Hunter went down with his buddy Bo and they had a great time. They made posters last night and wore all their Bronco gear. I was worried about them being tired for their game at 11:00 this morning, but they both played great...might have been the Krispy Kreme sugars kicking in too :) Now I just need to get him to take a nap before the big game tonight. It's a great day for Boise!! Go Broncos!!!

Who knew that losing a tooth could hurt so bad??

2010-09-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

It didn't hurt her but it killed me...cuz my baby...(sniff sniff) is growing up...(sobbing now). Look how excited she is. Of course it happened ten minutes after I walked out the door. UGH :) She didn't even know that Drew had pulled it out, she didn't feel a thing. (Which is the complete opposite of when her brothers had her pinned to the ground and were trying to yank it out...she felt that. Seriously, Drew walked in and they had their own dental practice going right in our front room). Apparently the ToothFairyman is a big softie who has a special place in his heart for cute little girls who lose their first tooth...but don't get any ideas Missy, we are in a recession and it's quarters and dimes from here on out! :) Congrats Hailey, you are growing up. Next thing you know, you'll be driving cars, dating boys and you won't even want to be seen with me...wahhhhh. If you will excuse me now, I am going to go drown my sorrows with a big bowl of ice cream :)

Hanging with Regan

2010-09-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky, I get to hang out with Regan Kate every Wednesday and Thursday. She is such a funny kid and cracks me up. Anyway, my goal this year while I have her, is for her to gain 20 pounds. It's hard for CF kids to gain weight, but I think I am doing a pretty good job so far :) She usually doesn't like ice cream, so I have started to call it "cold milk". We put ice cream, milk and whatever fatty, yummy thing we can find in the magic bullet and presto, a yummy, high calorie, fattening shake. In this picture she was also chowing down on one of her favorites, powdered sugar donuts! Love that grin! She also insisted that only yellow M&M's went in the shake :) In this concoction, Regan was eating all of the cream filling that I was scraping off...pretty soon we just started dumping the while cookie in. Duh Aunt Jeni :) After school we get to have Allie over for a little while too. These girls love to play dress-up and pretend. They are all such good buddies and have so much fun together!

1st games of the season...yep I am a little late :)

2010-09-08T14:33:00.001-07:00

The football season has arrived. Briggs and Hunter played in their first games of the season on August 28th. Briggs is still a little bitter that he didn't make the weight limit to play up to tackle, but his team sure is happy to have him. He touched the ball 2 times and scored 2 touchdowns, one of them a 70 yarder :) He is so fast and so much fun to watch!

Hunter and Hailey had their first game and had a great time. Hunter's team is undefeated from last year and have never even been scored on. Let's just say every team is gunnin' for them. They won 14-0 this game, so the streak stays alive.

Hunter is #81, playing tightend.

Here he is kicking off :)

Hailey is having a blast cheering for her older brother and all of his buddies. Her coach calls her the "giggle monster" which is quite fitting for her. She loves it and also loves practicing all of her cheers and dances at home, much to the dismay of her brothers.

After the game, ahhh, so cute :)

I love Fall! I love all of the changes in the weather and in the leaves, I love making soups and cooking in the crockpot and I love football season! I really think Fall is my favorite time of year!

The chicks have flown the coop...

2010-08-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

First day of school was today. I can't believe all of my kids are gone. (Luckily Hailey is only gone half the day right now, which Drew thinks is a very good thing for my sanity. He wasn't sure I was going to stop crying this morning after we got home from dropping them at the bus stop :)) It's hard to be too sad though when all of the kids, especially Hailey, are so excited to go back. Hunter is in 5th grade this year,

Briggs in 3rd

and Hailey is in kindergarten.

This is Hailey with her buddy Cole, who is also in kindergarten, and our neighbor who is too. Bummer deal, none of them are in the same class!

Here is Briggs with his buddies at the bus stop.

Here are the kiddos getting ready to get on the bus.

Really, how can you be sad when she is so stinkin' excited :) I can't wait to hear all about their day! Only one more hour until she is home :)

Last trip to an undisclosed fishing location...

2010-08-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you where though because my husband is a dork and wants to keep the fish all to himself! (seriously, that is what he told me. See what I have to live with :)) Anyway, Drew, the boys and my dad went fishing up in Casca...(oops, too much info.) to a place far, far away. They hiked in

and fished for about half a day.

It was the last "hoorah" before school starts on Monday. They had a great time and luckily Briggs didn't fall into the lake until it was time to go :)

Glad they had a good time and that the boys are old enough to join in on these fishing trips now!

Jamboree 2010

2010-08-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

The kids all had Jamboree for football today down at BSU. Hunter's team got to play on the smurf turf, while Hailey cheered. Briggs played out on the grass outside of the stadium. They were really short games,maybe 6 minutes for offense and 6 for defense, but it was fun to see all of the players out there and got them excited for their real games that begin next week. Here is Hailey at the end of the line with some of her friends. Briggs getting ready to "make the tackle", ok, steal the flag, whatever. That is Hunter out there in the white somewhere. He threw a touchdown pass to his buddy today. We like to call it the "backyard connection" cuz they always practice in our backyard. :) After Hunter's "game". Briggs is # 42

Hailey cheering her little heart out.

The kids all had fun and we are so excited to start a new season of football. We love Fall!!

Go White Lightning and Pioneer Medicine!

Cheer Camp 2010...yes you read that right, CHEER CAMP!!

2010-08-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

I know, Drew and I can't even believe that we have a daughter cheering. Who would have thunk it? But here she is.

Hailey and about 12 other little sisters are cheering for their brothers in tackle football.

They had a half day cheer camp today and the theme was "Grease Lightning". They had lightning bolts on their little poodle skirts (They cheer for White Lightning) and cute little saddle shoes.

Anyway, she had a great time learning all of the cheers and dances and hangin' with her friends. She also was so excited that they won the "Spirit Stick. She thought she alone had won it, and I just couldn't break her heart that it wasn't just hers :)

Here they are with the players. The boys were so sweet and yelled and cheered for all of them.

And of course her brothers were super proud of her too! She had a great time, and even though I know that is all that matters, I still am glad that she has promised to play basketball in the winter :)

Not your everyday b-day...

2010-08-09T13:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Drew's 35th birthday. He had a very exciting day. He started it with a 6:30 am meeting (he also had been up most of the night sick), followed by 3 hours of church, followed by a 2 hour audit that he had to perform for church, followed by a visit from someone from church :) He had a very busy church day. But we finally got to celebrate that evening with my family and our friends/practically family. (We had celebrated with Drew's family the Tuesday before :) Anyway, Drew got some very interesting and thoughtful gifts. First off, he got this new whistle for when he coaches basketball from Cole. Drew has a weird look on his face because he just said to Cole, "Now, you didn't use this, right?" to which Cole replied, "It's ok, I wiped off all of the spit". :) Next was this great t-shirt that says, "Welcome to the Gun Show" from the Nichols. What a beauty, and he will wear it proudly! The next gift was from Allie and Regan. A package of Airheads, with maybe one or two already eaten :) Plus he got a thank-you card and get well soon card from them both.

Finally Hailey's gift. The night before, I had tucked Hailey in and had just gone back to check on her. Well, she was almost asleep, but said very seriously, "Mom, I know what to get Daddy for his birthday. A Sonic Card so he can get drinks whenever he wants". Well we didn't have a Sonic card, but we did have a few coupons :) Plus, she wrapped up one of her favorite rocks.

The final gift was a "surprise cake"

We made Drew his favorite cake, yellow with chocolate frosting and then also surprised him with a DQ ice cream cake...which EVERYBODY loves :) It was a great day and we are so lucky to have such a wonderful, fun, supportive dad and husband who takes such good care of us!

Happy Birthday Drew! We love you lots!!!

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

2010-07-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Before...

and After...

This is Drew's little baby, he loves his garden. Actually everyone does. We had our first green pepper and everything last week. Pretty fun and we can't wait to see the pumpkins. If the way the plant has taken over the entire backyard is any indication of how big the pumpkins are going to be, we will have some big old Jack o' Lanterns :)