Shupe Family Blog

New Year's Eve Eve Dinner

2011-12-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

The night before New Years Eve, we invited a few friends over for dinner. We have done this for a few years now and it is becoming one of our favorite traditions for the adults. We have one children free dinner at the end of the year to enjoy eachother's company and talk about what the coming year holds. It was fun. Good food, good people and a lot of laughs. Can't ask for a better end to the year! And, I have to say, my table looked pretty awesome too!

Gentleman, start your engines!!!

2011-12-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

This year Scott and I knew what to get the boys, which is a first! We usually debate for the entire month of December and buy their gifts at the last minute. This year we found their gifts months in advance and got an incredible deal! We bought Scott, James and Carter tickets to the Nascar Race in Las Vegas in March!!! They are so excited!!! I can't express in words how much, but anyone that knows my boys, knows that when they are speechless, it's a BIG deal!

Loreli got a ticket too. She gets to have an all girls, all Loreli's choice day. Since she is a girly princess she was pretty excited at this prospect too. It's only been 3 days and the plans have changed about 300 times already, and we only have 3 months to go :-)

Thanks to my mom's brilliant idea and Lego sets that started it all and my dad and brother's generous contribution to the Lego madness, the kids have been busy building their Lego empire for 3 whole days. That is a record for being occupied with one task! It has been awesome to see them getting along. It doesn't happen often so it has been especially nice to see!

The Hero Factory warriors defended the village from the rampaging T-Rex.

Helicopters and various other ground defense helped as well.

Loreli's Lego RV and Lego people had a nice stop at the mini-safari park.

There is also a garage in the background in case they break down and cute little pink farm house B&B in case they need somewhere to stay.

Various other characters defended the gates to the city.

Yes, we have had a fun couple of days! More to come I am sure since the kids also got a 500 Lego Ideas book from my mom. They will never be bored again right?

It has been a great Christmas!!! Thanks to everyone who made it possible!

Thanks to MAD MAL!!!

2011-12-24T10:11:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas to us...a year in the making. My mom gave us the best Christmas present last year and it has taken us a whole year to find time for it. It was well worth it though!

Check out the miracle that MAD MAL Photography brought to pass!

2011-12-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

The grades are in!
A's all around!!!
Scott and I both got straight A's this semester! Not to brag, but we are awesome!!!

2011-12-07T20:16:00.001-07:00

Finals are DONE!!! Oh YEAh!!!!

2011-11-06T15:35:00.001-07:00

We got an amazing opportunity to go on a cruise with most of Scott's family and some extra tagalongs ;-) There were about 20 of us that went. It was so amazing. Seven whole days of vacation from everything demanding. It was great! We can't wait to go again someday! Bear with me, believe it or not I whittled this photo montage down from around 200 photos.

The FREEDOM of the Seas!

Our beautiful home for seven whole days!

Just one of three pools and one of eight hot tubs. And, yes that is a massive movie screen. We got to watch one of the World Series games while we swam.

The kids H2O Zone. They had so much fun!

A picture of my two handsome boys.

Every night our bed was made with a new towel creation... A monkey the first night.

A dog on night 4.

And a lobster for the last night we were there.

James and Scott got to do the Flowrider almost every day!

Loreli got her face painted in the kids club every day. They had a different theme in the kids club every day and never did the same thing twice. Each of the kids had a different club to go to according to their age. They would have been there almost all day if they could and they were a couple of the days when Scott and I were doing homework (yes, I know depressing, but necessary), or in Jamaica (where we didn't dare take the kids off the boat).

Of course, swimming day and night was a definite must!

Leave it up to James to find a butterfly on the ship. We weren't even near land. It was beautiful though!

Did I mention there was a climbing wall? Ya about 45 feet. James and Carter both got to go climbing a couple of times.

Carter was brave!

James made it to the top and got to ring the bell. Everyone there cheered for him! He did a great job!

This beautiful place is Dunns River Falls in Jamaica. We didn't actually climb the falls but we did have fun enjoying the scenery!

Shane and Kevin climbed the falls.

After the Falls we went to Grotto Caves. It was once transformed into a Disco in the '70's and all the pathways are still there. It has since been returned to a tourist site. It was pretty amazing! In the picture above you can see the tree roots growing down from above. They continue down until they find water.

A photo just of the scenery. We had a few storms that followed us perpendicularly and they made for beautiful sunset photos!

We got a cute picture of the family one night in the dinning room.

This is Kumar, our soon to be famous head waiter. He called Loreli princess every day and brought her anything she asked for. She actually cried when we got off the ship because she was going to miss Kumar.

The day we got off the ship to come home, we had about 8 hours to kill before we had to catch our plane. We decided to take the kids to Gatorland. A place that I had been when I was eight years old.

We saw some big 'ol gators!

No, we don't know anyone in this picture. I just wanted to show how big this snake is, because the next 3 pictures are of the kids holding this same snake. A yellow python.

James said it was heavier than he thought it would be and felt like leather.

If you can't tell, Carter was more than a little nervous when it started moving.

Scott had to help Loreli because it was entirely too big for her to handle, although I am sure that she was the bravest of them all. Scott said that it was giving him a hug while he held it.

We saw some gator wrastlin'...

...and some gator jumpin'...

...and just a whole bunch of baby gators hangin' out.

The very last thing we did was ride the train through the whole park so the kids could say they saw it all before we had to go.

It truly was a dream vacation! We had an amazing time!!!

Cub Scout Rain Gutter Races

2011-09-26T07:11:00.000-06:00

Did you know that Jeff Gordon (Nascar driver #24) also has a Rain Gutter boat? I did. It's newly designed by the famous Carter Shupe! I'm not entirely sure how many races Carter's cheeks won him (haha) but he had fun!

Loreli's First Day of Kindergarten!

2011-08-29T08:50:00.004-06:00

The boys were so proud to have their baby sister at the bus stop with them! They couldn't wait for me to leave so that they could show her the ropes without my interference. Guess they will have to save their wisdom for tomorrow because I wasn't leaving until she was on the bus safely! I got a tiny bit emotional (but not until the kids were gone). It's funny because I didn't get that way when the boys went to school, but Loreli was a little harder to let go of. She was nervous this morning too, so I am sure that contributed to it. She is so excited to be at school all day! We are all in school this year (all 5 of us). It is going to be a test of endurance for all of us, but I think that we are going to make it :-)

Having Fun Playing with my Photoshop!

2011-07-30T17:47:00.001-06:00

I figured out how to merge two similar photos so that everyone one was smiling at the same time. Technology is a miracle!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-07-30T17:27:00.004-06:00

Scott bought me a ticket to visit my pal Kristie. We had so much fun spoiling her kids and playing with the new baby, who is the sweetest thing ever! I sure love my hubby who understands that sometimes a girl's gotta have a break :-) It was so fun! Thanks to Ryan and Kristie for providing a place of refuge :-)

Scott's BBQ Competition

2011-07-30T17:10:00.004-06:00

Scott had a lot of fun and got some good experience! He didn't win but he got lots of compliments. The kids were more upset than he was. They kept saying, "Dad, we will make you a trophy when we get home!". It was sweet of them to worry that Scott got his feelings hurt. ...pork butts that is :-)
The smoker in the center is the one that Scott built himself!

Please refrain from drooling!

NASCAR at Home Depot!

2011-07-30T17:08:00.004-06:00

Loreli Had a Birthday Too!

2011-07-30T17:05:00.003-06:00

Loreli did have a birthday complete with cake and everything, but no pictures. I need to glue the camera to me so that I do better next year ;-). She turned "the big, fat 5" (her words!). She is so excited to go to school this year! She got accepted to all day kindergarten. Life is going to change this year!

James 11th Birthday

2011-07-30T16:58:00.007-06:00

James and Loreli got new bikes for their birthdays. They have been riding them as much as possible, not a picture to go with it yet.

The CRAZY month of MAY!

2011-05-31T19:54:00.004-06:00

Carter had play to do for his reading class called The Nest. All the kids were animals, waiting for their friend Bird to visit. They had to figure out where Bird would stay since not one of them lived in a nest. It was a fun experience for the kids!

Loreli graduated from preschool!!! No more preschool ever! WooHOOO!!! As they called the kids onto the stage they announced what each kid wanted to be when they grow up. There was the usual astronaut, mom, veterinarian, and rock star. Loreli wants to be a paleontologist. Who knew?

James received his Arrow of Light award in Cub Scouts. They had a special ceremony just for him. It is the highest honor you can receive as a scout. It is also the only badge that can be transferred to his Scout uniform. He had to accomplish a lot of tasks to get this award and it could not have been done without the most awesome Scout leaders ever! He is so lucky!!!

Scott and I got to go to the U2 concert!!! It was amazing!!! The opening band was The Fray and the music all night was incredible!!! WOW!!! Can't say enough! That is one show that I would definitely go see again!

Miracles do happen! That is all I gotta say ;-) After 12 years, our house finally looks like somewhere you might want to be. We finally took out the railroad ties around the flower beds and put in garden stones and actually put in plants. Shocking I know!

Carter Got Baptized!!!

2011-05-01T07:39:00.003-06:00

Carter and his good friend Spencer got to be baptized on the same day. They were both so excited. It was so awesome to see them so happy! It was a great day!
Carter's Grandma Andrea and Grandpa Yehuda drove out from Missouri for the occasion. All family that could be there was there and the support from friends was awesome. Between our family and Spencer's family we had about 60 people there. It was amazing! Carter felt so loved and I am so grateful for that!

2011-04-28T13:49:00.005-06:00

April 26th, 2011

Carter got to have his friend Josh and his cousin Josh over to eat pizza and watch a movie.

James figured out how to make Tron discs.

They had an epic battle after watching the movie :-)

Carter and his friend Josh were a little bit crazy. But they did have a lot of fun!

Carter was shocked and awed when he opened his present from us! He couldn't believe it. Harry Potter Lego Hogwarts!

It only took him two days (a patient mother helper) and 1200 Legos to finish the job.

Pretty darn amazing feat! Go Gryffindor!!!

You can't see very well in the photo, but the kit included a Lego form of Harry Potter, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagal, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, Filch, 2 Dementors and Lord Voldemort. Also a bat, a rat, a spider, Filch's cat, snakes (for Slytherin), the sorting hat, owls in the owlery, a telescope, books in library, the sword of Gryffindor the Quibbler, the Daily Prophet a knight, a chandelier in the great hall, and the feast too. Those Lego people are brilliant!

Just Because She is Beautiful!

2011-04-28T13:48:00.000-06:00

ALOHA HAWAII!!!

2011-04-24T21:39:00.003-06:00

Scott got the opportunity to go and do some work at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. I got the opportunity to tag along! Here are a few pictures to share with you. It was hard to choose, we took almost 200 photos :-)

5 am just as the sun is coming up. This is of course, the beach just outside the house.

Moon rise over the ocean. Once again, the beach just outside the house. We are so lucky to get to stay in such a beautiful place!!!

Bird of Paradise flower

Hawaii state flower, the Hawaiin Hibiscus

2011-04-24T21:24:00.002-06:00

We went to see Pearl Harbor one morning. It was a great historical site! We learned a lot about the sacrifice that was given that fateful day. December 7, 1941 a day that will live in infamy.

The USS Bowfin (a submarine)

We visited the Arizona Memorial. Above are the names of the people who died. And, below, is the memorial itself. Below the memorial is the USS Arizona. Standing on the memorial, you can see where the ship still lies.

Almost 12oo people lost their lives in that one ship as it sunk. So tragic!

The USS Missouri Battleship. I am always amazed at how big they are!

2011-04-24T21:01:00.006-06:00

We got to spend a whole day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We visited as many of the villages as we could fit in.

Samoa

Hawaii

The Canoe Pageant was really neat! We got to see all of the villages represented. They were beautiful!

Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Even got a temporary tattoo :-) Isn't it pretty! It is a symbol of life.

We ate at the Luau and watched the night show. It was called "Ha, Breath of Life" It was amazing! They had fire-knife dancers and amazing artists. I was so tempted to take pictures but the were forbidden. Bummer!

2011-04-24T20:38:00.004-06:00

There are wild chickens all over the island. They are just walking along the side of the road, in the yard, and everywhere in between! The first morning I was woken up by a rooster. I thought I was dreaming! I looked out the window and there was a rooster in the middle of the yard. Weird!!!

Scott just chillin by the bay :-)

Waling along the beach we were staying by. It was so peaceful, just sitting and listening to the water come in and out! I could do that all day!

Sunrise out the back door of the house we stayed at. Isn't it amazing?!

We spent about 3 hours at the Laie, Hawaii temple. It was so peaceful and beautiful!

The last morning we were there, we went snorkeling in Hunauma Bay. The dark parts of the water is the reef. It was so beautiful! We had so much fun, but we got so burnt! The plane ride home was a little uncomfortable ;-) It was worth it though!

The Money Pit

2011-04-10T11:50:00.004-06:00

Just in case you were wondering about the gaping hole in the driveway, it has been filled and the concrete is redone. It has been working great...that is until the sump pump that the french drain empties to went out last night. 2 hours with the carpet extractor still hasn't gotten out all the water. We have now relpaced both sump pumps. Have you ever seen the movie "The Money Pit" with Tom Hanks? If not, rent it and you will see what it is like to live in our house. Not quite as funny in real life though!

2011-03-31T17:56:00.003-06:00

We had a great visit with my little brother this week. He came for 3 days and spoiled my kids rotten with attention, which of course they loved him for. We had 2 big dinners with both sides of the family, watched movies, played video games, and just hung out together. It was great! It was so nice to see him and to see that he has healed well from his accident last summer! On his last day here, we went to the park with the kids and had a blast (even though it was freezing)!

Mitch's Visit

2011-03-31T17:45:00.006-06:00

Mitch and his Mini-me :-)

Mitch and his gorgeous big sisters!

Posing with the 3 stooges

Controling the craziness for me!

That's one way to make them listen. Thanks Mitch!!!

p.s. last time he tried this they weren't quite so tall :-)

Fruity Treats for 5 Fruity People :-)

2011-03-21T20:17:00.002-06:00

What do you get when you add strawberries, pineapple, cantelope, apples, skewers and toothpicks, and 5 crazy people? 5 crazy Fruit Robots of course!
Loreli's dog-bot.

Carter's boy and his dog-bot.

James' spaceship with detatched landing gear.

Sara's conga line dancing-bot.

Scott's fruit of passion-bot.

Needless to say, we all had fun! We had fun taking it apart and eating it too. As you can imagine, James (anyone who know's him) had a great story as his was being eaten by a ship eating monster. The long skewer became a spere and the strawberry head took the hardest hit, it got eaten whole:-)

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

2011-03-17T08:33:00.003-06:00

Green shamrock pancakes, green syrup, green milk to drink. Green clothes to wear, green stamps on face, green candy and shamrock pencils to hand out to classes. I think my old neighbor Bob, a big fan of St. Patrick's Day celebaration, would be proud!

Last-ditch Effort!

2011-03-17T08:27:00.003-06:00

We had to put in a french-drain outside to fix our water problem in the basement. They cut a section of our new, beautiful driveway out. They had to dig a 30 foot long, 3 foot wide and 10 foot deep hole. Then, they put in perforated pipe and filled it with gravel. If it ever stops raining, they will replace the concrete. If this doesn't work, nothing else will. I really hope that it works! I am done with mandatory home improvement. It is not fun!

Finally...Enough Snow to Sled!

2011-03-02T09:19:00.004-07:00

James tried snowboarding for the first time. He didn't make it very far before he fell, but he sure had a ton of fun!!!
Loreli started in the middle of the hill the first time. She got brave pretty quickly though.

Carter tried going down backwards. It didn't work very well. He flipped around forward by the time he got to the bottom. He thought that was awesome!

Strawberries and Snow

2011-02-20T12:10:00.004-07:00

I got 8 pounds of strawberries yesterday. It felt like spring!!! We ate strawberries galore! We made Strawberry Muffins.

We made 10 half-pints of freezer jam.

And a strawberry cheesecake, of course!

Then, this morning we woke up to this.

The day before yesterday, it was 56 degrees. We got 8 inches of snow just since last night.

It's not spring yet, but at least our tummies are happy :-)

2011-02-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

The Middle Child

2011-01-23T08:40:00.002-07:00

Carter often gets overlooked because he is the one who causes me the least amount of trouble. He is such a good boy most of the time and that means that he sometimes gets the least amount of attention. His Grandpa took this picture and I think it is the best one of him I have seen yet. I just thought it was time that we feature Carter and give him some recognition for being the kid I can almost always count on. He is the child who tries to bring peace and harmony to our family. I will always appreciate him and love him for it!

A Meager Christmas?...I think not!!!

2011-01-12T09:27:00.004-07:00

Before Christmas, we had a discussion with the kids about how we didn't have a lot of money for presents this year and that we wouldn't be getting them very much from us this year. I made them new quilts and was able to pull that off without them knowing, thanks to a great hubby! Apparently though, that wasn't a very necessary conversation because they got everything they wanted anyways. Thanks to the generosity of Grandpas and Grandmas and Aunts and Uncles, they got it all and a little bit more! Spoiled is not even an adequate word!

Santa was very generous this year!

2011-01-12T09:21:00.003-07:00

Besides all the other things that were under the tree, Santa brought the kids a few extra things. He brought Loreli new dresses and the pillow pet that she couldn't live without :-) James and Carter got new coats that they so desperately needed and they also got a couple of toys. Carter got a hot wheels track and James got a Knex set to build his own remote control car.

Thank you Santa! (you know who you are) You are the best!!!

Books and More Books

2011-01-12T09:15:00.004-07:00

The best kind of present (to me) is the crisp new paper smell of a good book and there were plenty of those to go around this year!!! Thanks Grandma Andrea and Aunt Jill!

By the light of her Christmas Tree

2010-11-28T07:13:00.002-07:00

Grandma Shupe gave the kids a Christmas tree for each of their bedrooms. Loreli has a stack of books ready and waiting for her to read...by the light of her Christmas tree. She isn't related to me at all :-)

A Big Blizzard Welcome to Jill!

2010-11-23T19:42:00.004-07:00

My sister Jill has been here for a little over one week and this is her welcome party! A nice big snow storm in the form of a 24 hour blizzard. This picture was taken at hour 2. It's hard to tell in the picture, but about 4 inches have already fallen. The storm was/is predicted to be a doozy, enough that they have actually closed some businesses and cancelled classes at the local universities for today and tomorrow. Portions of the freeway have also been shut down. That is a big deal in a state where everyone is used to and expects snow! Should be fun. The kids can hardly contain themselves. If I let them they would be building snowmen and sledding down the little hill in the backyard right now! Jill and I are a little less enthused :-)

If only...

2010-11-09T20:21:00.002-07:00

If only all my kids could love homework like Loreli and her cousin Isaac. They had a play day and asked if they could do their homework while they watched cartoons. Why couldn't that attitude be contagious? That is one "disease" I wouldn't mind spreading around :-)

2010-11-01T21:06:00.002-06:00

Happy 42nd Birthday Scott! We love you!!!

A Happy Sad Day

2010-11-01T21:00:00.002-06:00

Our beloved next door neighbor, Suzy, passed away yesterday. She was 93 and lived a great life! She was one of the greatest ladies we have ever been privilaged to know. Loreli will especially miss her! She always ran next door to give Suzy her daily hugs. Even though we will miss her, we know that she is in a better place. She is with her husband and daughter who went before her. She told us every day how her husband loved to "give her hell" (her words, not mine) and that she couldn't wait to get to heaven and give it back to him. I am certain that the family reunion was a great one! We will miss her and I am so glad that we got to be part of her life for almost 12 years!

Preschool Halloween Parade

2010-10-28T12:36:00.002-06:00

Carebears and dragons and faries, oh my!!!

Spidermans and Captain Jacks and other things that fly.

Witches and werewolves are coming to get you.

All they want is your treat

so you better come through

with the best candy you can

or else they'll eat you!

What a cute little Strawberry Shortcake!!!

It's the one's that smile that you should be afraid of :-)

Beautiful October Fall Day!!!

2010-10-20T21:06:00.004-06:00

Just some scenery pictures. It was such a beautiful day!!!

There are pictures of our family toward the bottom :-)

Tribute to a great kid!

2010-10-19T23:44:00.002-06:00

Carter often gets overlooked because he doesn't create to drama that the other two create sometimes. I just wanted to put it in writing how much we love and appreciate Carter and all that he contributes to our family. We had parent teacher conferences today and Carter's teacher had nothing but good to say! He got straight "A's". We are so proud of him!
This picture came from his Grandpa Shupe when they went fishing a few weeks ago. Carter caught this fish for his principal. She had mentioned that she loved to eat trout and so that was his mission on their fishing trip. When Carter presented her with the fish, she said that she was having a family party and that his fish would be the reason for their celebration. What a neat lady she is! That totally made Carter's day!

All Due to the Generosity of Friends

2010-10-16T14:52:00.004-06:00

We are so blessed!!! I got a phone call from a friend this morning and they wanted to give us a bed for Loreli! I can't believe it! We have been wanting to get her a bed frame for a while and haven't been able to yet. Now we got one for free. Thank you for answered prayers! And, thanks for a happy little girl!

What a poser!

2010-10-14T20:54:00.003-06:00

Loreli just got this beautiful new poncho from my mom! Isn't it amazing! Good job mamacita! Loreli loves it!

Check it out!!!

2010-10-08T16:56:00.002-06:00

After our house was robbed and I lost most of my photos, I decided that online is the way to go. I had a whole bunch of pictures of the things that I have made over the years, just to keep my ideas, and of course they now belong to whoever stole my computer. So check out my new craft blog. I thought it would be a fun way for me to keep my ideas flowing. Feel free to suggest patterns or new project for me :-) I'm always on the lookout for new ideas!

http://saraslatestcreation.blogspot.com

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-08T06:47:00.005-06:00

The Farmer wife starts out by telling the kids about the scarecrow's job in the field. Then the scarecrow says "hello" and a few kids decide this might not be cool after all. One little boy actually said "I think I am done. I don't want to come anymore."

Once we explained that it was a nice grandpa with a pumpkin on his head the kids seemed to be okay with it. He let them try it on too if they wanted. Loreli was one of the only ones brave enough. What she won't do for a candid shot :-) Isn't their preschool class adorable! It was so fun to go and take photos!

Class of 2011

A Great Read for Halloween!!!

2010-10-07T08:31:00.001-06:00

A must read with your kids!!! Take some time to laugh out loud with them and be mildly grossed out :-)

2010-10-01T15:32:00.001-06:00

Is there anything better than a good, rolling on the ground giggle? I think not :-) Have a giggle of a day!

Are You Ready for Some FOOTBALL!!!

2010-09-29T21:02:00.003-06:00

Flag Football that is :-)
James started playing this year. I have to say, it is way more fun to watch than baseball...sorry all you fans out there. Actually MLB isn't bad, but James and Carters games were painful to endure, even though I know the kids are just learning.

James has a great coach. He encourages the kids to do their best and played them in all different positions to find their strength. James is great at running and snatching the other teams' flags!

This picture of James makes him look so old! He has grown up no matter how much I tried to slow down the process. He is so rebelious :-) We love him anyways!!!

GO JAMES GO!!!

School Daze!

2010-09-16T16:14:00.003-06:00

Finally, some back to school pictures :-) Loreli is in Preschool this year, getting ready for Kindergarten next year, and loving every minute of it! Who wouldn't love being the center of the world for 2 hours 3 days a week. At least that's how she looks at it.
Carter is the big man on campus. 1st grade won't best him. He is already a top reader in his class.

James...well he's still James. 5th grade, 2 strict teachers, and a kid with mischief on his mind. We will see how his story plays out this year :-)

My Walk by the River Today Was Awesome!

2010-09-16T16:04:00.002-06:00

Isn't my walking companion scary and ferocious? He certainly barked threateningly at some of the rather interesting folks I walked past today. I was so very grateful! It is amazing that a grown man can be scared of an ankle biter like Remi! It sure gave me a good laugh though!

Conversation concerning spiders

2010-08-14T20:40:00.002-06:00

James and Carter swear that they keep finding spiders in their room. Really I think its a tactic to avoid going to bed. Tonight the conversation went like this:

James: Mom, there is a huge spider under my bed.
Mom: James for the 100th time, go to bed and say your prayers.
Loreli yells down the stairs: TALK TO JESUS!

Man I love my kids. I hate it when I'm mad and they make me laugh when I don't want to :-)

Carter's Castaway Buddy

2010-08-12T20:27:00.005-06:00

Although Carter has never seen the movie "Castaway", I couldn't help but laugh when he made his soccer ball into his pirate buddy. He is the middle child and sometimes gets left out. He is the best at entertaining himself. We sure love him!

Finally...a moment to reflect.

2010-08-05T10:30:00.003-06:00

It has been a crazy couple of months. Not really very fun either. My brother gave us a good scare when he tried to leap off a cliff and win a fight with a boulder. I flew out the day after the accident and got 2 weeks of "bonding time" as Mitch put it. It really was great to be with my family, all of us together after 5 years. I only wish it had been under different circumstances. He is doing well thankfully! It really is a miracle!
While I was out of town, our house was burglarized. Not really what we needed at that moment in time. Thankfully no one was home. I am so grateful that it was only "stuff"!!! I could care less about the stuff, I am really glad to get things back in order however!

This past week, because our lives were getting boring, Scott's body decided it was the perfect time to have a kidney stone. Ya, like we needed that too. He has had one unsuccessful surgery and will go in for another procedure tomorrow. I really hope and pray that it works. I hate to see a grown man cry! Especially one as tough as Scott!

All things considered, I do want to mention how grateful I am for friends and family. We have been well taken care of through all of our trials these past weeks! I can't be thankful enough! Life has given me a lot of lessons in perspective lately. I only hope that I can continue to remember what is really important in life!

Loreli's First Preschool Graduation

2010-05-18T06:36:00.001-06:00

2010-05-09T08:23:00.002-06:00

Happy Mother's Day to All of US!!!

Is it Spring or what?

2010-05-06T12:43:00.002-06:00

This is the only proof I have that it is Spring!!! Today's high was 45 degrees and that was this morning. It is now snowing. That is so WRONG!!!

At least I have this proof that winter can't last forever. We are going to have so many apples this year! It's awesome!

Food Co-op! Oh Yeah!!!

2010-04-28T12:35:00.002-06:00

Do you have a Food Co-Op near you? If you don't know, it is well worth researching out!
Look at all this food I got for $15!!! Isn't it amazing!!!

Basket contains:
1 bunch of swiss chard
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch of celery
1 bunch of romaine lettuce
1 bag of apples
1 lb bag of baby carrotts
6 oz of blackberries
7 large tomatoes
5 oranges
1 pineapple
2 bunches of bananas
25 large red potatoes
$15 WOW!!!

Carter is 7!!!

2010-04-28T09:23:00.003-06:00

Carter wanted to have Pizza for his birthday dinner at the "Pizzarira". They were awesome and let us bring Carter's cake and we sang to him in the restaurant.

I am not sure where Carter got his love of notebooks from (might be hereditary) but he has one hidden in every nook and cranny of the house. I got him this so that he would have a "cool" one to record his stories in.

His cousin Josh watches on as Carter opens present after present, Bakugan after Bakugan. He was so spoiled! He had so much fun!
Happy Happy Birthday Carter!!! We love you!

James' Baseball :-)

2010-04-28T08:59:00.002-06:00

If you put your cursor on the picture there are captions. If you double click on the slide show you can watch it in a separate box. It might be easier to see. Have fun and enjoy James the superstar :-)

Carter Is Wildcat of the Month!!!

2010-04-09T14:27:00.002-06:00

Good Job Carter!!! We are so proud of you!!!

The Best Thing Ever Invented! (so far)

2010-03-16T19:33:00.004-06:00

So awesome!!! My kids got a chance to see their Uncle Alex and Aunt Emilie who they haven't seen in more than 4 years. It was so fun! I recommend this to anyone who has family out of town! All you need is web cam on both ends and you get free video calls. It was so much fun because my brother took us on a tour of their home and we got to see Jill and Mitch and Grandma Andrea and Grandpa Yehuda. Thanks Alex for making that happen!

Finally found my camera :-)

2010-03-16T19:03:00.002-06:00

We had a busy month of February! We got a weekend out of town, made a new pet, learned to see better, competed in a drag race, and I got almost 100 hours of therapy, all in one month. Amazing! Awesome! Spectacular!

Scott and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary in Vegas. We went to Hoover Dam and saw this bridge that they are building across the canyon. I know that this is a strange picture, but I thought the architecture was really amazing. Happy 11 years to us!

Loreli wanted a snake. So I made one. This snake is a lot less threatening than a real one and therefore, her Grandma Shupe will still come and visit us.

Carter got glasses. The picture stinks but he really looks handsome in them!

James had the pinewood derby and came in 8th overall (out of 56). We were so proud of him! He competed against a few kids that either had there dads do it for them or hired professionals. James picked the design and helped Scott with every step. Most important thing, he had fun!!!

I got to go to Seattle and visit Kristie. We made a list of things that we wanted to make for her sister's miracle baby. The amazing thing was that we accomplished everything on her list and still had time to go for walks, pay attention to her kids, go shopping, make dinner every night, and spend a lot of time laughing. It was a very cheap form of Therapy for both of us.

Sled 'till you Drop!

2010-01-04T14:41:00.002-07:00

Loreli's "Shirley Temple" moment

2010-01-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Oh man, are we in for it or what? If she looks this beautiful at three, we are in big trouble!!! I don't ever want her to grow up! I don't think I get to win that battle though!

2009-12-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Family parties are fun...right?

2009-12-20T13:14:00.002-07:00

This time of year is always really crazy. We went to 2 family parties in a row yesterday, we have one today and one more Wednesday. Every year we try to cut out something, to simplify. It never works. That is why my kids save the day. The joy on Loreli's face when she got "the Lion I always ever wanted my whole life" makes it worth all the insanity! Thanks Keith for capturing this candid moment!

Glad to know they listen...Sometimes.

2009-12-07T20:29:00.002-07:00

Hello All! Happy December!!! Tonight we went as a family to see some Christmas lights. There is a great place near our house that you can drive through in your car. Did I mention that it is a frigid 20 degrees out? Anyways, you drive through in your car and see all the fun of Santa mixed with the true spirit of Christmas. They have music playing and so many fun seasonal light displays! We had a blast!

On the way home I asked Carter to tell me the story of when Jesus was born. I was so proud that he knew most of the story (only a few made up details which were quickly put right). James also told us about when Jesus was separated from his family and they found him teaching the scholars. It truly makes a mother proud to know that some of the things we try to teach our children really do get through. It's good to know that even when I am sure they aren't listening, they are...sometimes.

James is in trouble....again!

2009-11-19T11:24:00.002-07:00

James was doing something not so nice the other day. Not unusual lately for him to be disobedient. The what doesn't matter so much as my reaction. I was so very mad...I took his head in both my hand forcing him to look at me and said "James, please use your brain. God gave you a good one and it would be a shame to see it wasted." I went upstairs to cool down before I did anything more stupid. Loreli barreled into me and hugged me and said "I use my brain mom, I love you." Guess if I am going to yell, I should do it quieter. They have such an awesome way of making me feel like such a bad mom. Oh well, live, love and learn, right?

Stupify...now pay attention ;-)

2009-11-02T19:38:00.003-07:00

Are you paying attention yet? If not, Carter knows a couple of unforgivable curses! He also knows how to banish a Dementor. Expecto Patromum! We tried Silencio! on James and Loreli but it didn't work (go figure).

We did manage to conjure up a dragon and a shark. Pretty terrifying aren't they!

Loreli Goes to High School!

2009-09-25T16:37:00.003-06:00

I was told about a preschool program at the High School a couple of weeks ago. Loreli was sad that she was going to be the only one not in school. Well, now that is solved! She goes to preschool with 4 other 3 year old kids from our neighborhood. She is loving it! She is the big girl now! It is weird not having anyone but me in the house for 2 hours a day, 4 days a week, but I'm managing ;-)

Loreli coming out of her preschool class on the first day. She had so much fun! And, of course, she knows everything now!

Loreli goes to school with the big kids! They actually teach the class. Loreli has learned about how to make hand and foot prints with paint. She also is learning how to do "show and tell", which she is loving. What 3 year old wouldn't love being in the spot light for a few minutes every day?

Loreli walking home with her buddies Mia and Teagan. Aren't they adorable! I love that their backpacks compete with the size of their little bodies!

Labor Day Weekend With Grandpa Roly and Sherri

2009-09-10T16:12:00.000-06:00

A Day of Boating at Willard Bay

2009-08-28T13:21:00.005-06:00

Loreli watching the action

James and Carter bracing for the wave
James showing off big time!

Me and Loreli. She was laughing histarically and yelling "I love you Daddy! Thanks!" and "Go faster Daddy!Faster!"

Beatiful end to a fun day!!!

Watch out Mr. Van Halen!!!

2009-08-12T12:10:00.003-06:00

James had his first guitar lesson on Monday. He is so excited!!!
Expect a video concert sometime in the future ;-)

Bear Lake is Awesome!!!

2009-08-07T08:19:00.002-06:00

Scott and I got to go to Bear Lake yesterday for the whole day! It was so awesome and such a needed break! Thank you to my mother-in-law who made it possible! We took the boat up for a youth group to water ski and ride on the tube. It was a blast! Kids are hilarious (especially when they are flying five feet up in the air and the boys are screaming like little girls)!!! I am so toasted today though. I even wore sunscreen this time, but I am still totally lobster-like :-). Sorry for the boring pic though. I forgot my camera. I am so bummed. I could have had some awesome pictures. Next time I guess.

I couldn't take it anymore!

2009-07-20T17:48:00.003-06:00

I couldn't take it anymore! I needed a furry thing again. We found Remi on the Internet. Isn't he cute! He is a dachshund/chihuahua mix. He is 3 months old and a perfect size for our family! Yeah!!!

Yeah!!! The Dirty Old Tree is Gone!!!

2009-07-03T08:51:00.003-06:00

BeforeAfter

After 10 years of living with this awful tree, it's finally gone. It would drop these terrible, sharp, long bean pods two times a year and flower in the middle of the summer. No more mess! Yeah!!!Amazing the little things that can make me so happy!

Our Fearless Loreli

2009-06-20T19:46:00.006-06:00

Loreli loves to be on the boat. But riding is not enough for her. She wants to drive too.

Loreli wanted to touch all the animals at James' pet show and tell at school. She especially liked the bearded dragon. I have the weirdest kid. My mom's love of animals must be hereditary.

2009 Birthdays

2009-06-20T19:31:00.004-06:00

Carter's birthday was so much fun! We went out to eat (pizza of course) and then had cake and ice cream. James doesn't like cake, so every year we get to be creative. This year we sang Happy Birthday with his stack of birthday pancakes. Later that day we went bowling and miniture golfing.

Loreli is the queen of bling! We took her to breakfast for her birthday and she actually wore all of this stuff to IHOP. We got some interesting looks from people!

We Are the Dinosaurs!!! What do you think of that?

2009-05-19T22:11:00.005-06:00

My favorite song from Carter's preschool graduation. Those kids are so darn cute!

Graduates of 2009 (preschool)

2009-05-19T21:42:00.004-06:00

Listen closely to what each kid wants to be when they grow up. They are awesome occupations!!!

Funny Telemarketers!!!

2009-05-05T07:54:00.001-06:00

I got the most hilarious sales call last night. It was late, so I was not in the mood to be nice to the telemarketing stalkers. But I decided to be civil. The guy proceeds to tell me how if I could listen to a 90 minute presentation I would be entitled to an all inclusive trip to beautiful MEXICO. I literally laughed at him. I actually said "With all the news lately, you think you could entice me with a trip to Mexico? No thank you!" That company, whoever they might be (I didn't stay on the phone long enough to find out) must live under a rock! :-)

Spring is HERE!

2009-04-22T08:59:00.001-06:00

As Carter put it, "I think, this is a great day for a walk!" Man was he right! Everything is starting to bloom and it is beautiful here! I hope that we are lucky enough to have the weather last for a while!I know, two slide shows in a row is a bit much, but there were too many photos to post any other way. Enjoy with us our walk along the river.

2009-04-22T08:58:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter! Our's was so fun!!!

2009-04-13T13:40:00.002-06:00

The Llama Farm :-)

2009-04-09T09:18:00.003-06:00

My Uncle Kent was nice enough to let Carter's preschool class come to his home. He has a whole family of alpacas and one llama. The teachers were trying to prepare the kids for what kind of animals they were going to see. It was really funny trying to explain to a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds what a llama and an emu are.

The kids were a little scared at first but that soon changed to fascination. They got to feed them and pet them and, as soon as they learned to be quiet, you couldn't keep the animals away from the kids either. The animals were as fascinated with kids as the kids were boggled by the animals.

My Uncle also has a couple of Emus. That was fun explaining to the kids what that was! All the new words were a little confusing. I am just trying to imagine the kids trying to tell the parents what they saw! I bet that was a hilarious conversation!

March At a Glance

2009-03-25T10:15:00.003-06:00

It has been a pretty busy, crazy month! Lots of fun though!

It was Carter's turn to take the treats to preschool and so we went all out this time (another of my mom's brilliant ideas by the way).

They each got a treat bag with the following message:
Before you eat this special treat
Find your partner for you see
One has "x" and the other "o"
Play a game of Tic Tac Toe

Half the class got homemade "x" cookies and the other half got oreo's. They each got a licorice to make their tic tac toe board. Watching the kids try to play was hilarious! One of the younger kids, about 2 minutes in, said "Teacher, can I just eat my cookies please." In the end, everyone had fun and they all shared their cookies so that everyone got some of both kind.

FREE BLARNEY SOLD HERE!!!!

James almost got into big trouble for his green Mohawk on St. Patrick's day. It was such a bummer of a day at school. They didn't get to do anything fun. I felt rebellious for him ;-).

Reading Time is Fun!!!
How does reading time at your house go? What a bunch of monkeys!!! I sure love that they love to read though!!!

James had to do a project at school on ecosystems. He had to pick one and make a 3D representation of it. He (of course) chose the rain forest. Good thing we are crafty at our house! He was one of the few that actually made, not bought, their animals. He had a good time doing it too!

Click on the picture to enlarge. Can you find the following?:
Scorpion, 2 Snakes, Parrot, Frog, and of course a big spider.

A "Force" to be Reckoned With

2009-02-26T14:23:00.003-07:00

Carter and his cousin Josh were playing Star Wars Clone Wars Light Saber Duels. Man am I glad that it is just a game! Josh is a "force" to be reckoned with for sure!!! He beat Carter and then laid on the floor and said "I weared out Sara!". Gee I wonder why? :-D

Cheap Entertainment!

2009-02-02T13:43:00.001-07:00

Loreli loves more than anything when I have an empty laundry basket. She will play in that all day. Eat her lunch in there, take a nap in there, watch a movie in there, whatever works. As long as no one bugs her she is a happy camper (in a laundry basket).

2009-01-29T14:13:00.002-07:00

Loreli got a new bed this week. She needed a big girl bed. A toddler bed just would not do any longer (sad). I got her afghan done too. She loves it! And yes, I know the walls are still blue, but until Loreli stops writing on them what's the point in changing that? We will get there someday.

James got his first award in Scouting last night. He earned his Bobcat award. Go James!!!

No more book blog

2009-01-23T08:58:00.003-07:00

I decided that I have too much to do to keep up with everything in cyberspace. I can hardly handle the space around me (my house, family, ya know the important things). So, I decided that I am not going to keep up with BOOKS 2 LUV. That is ok though. I have a "goodreads.com" account and I can list all the books I like and read on it. Join if you want to. It's fun to see what everybody else reads to get ideas for your next adventure!!!

Life is Fine in 2009!!!

2009-01-10T10:30:00.002-07:00

We are doing great so far this year. I know, I know we are only 10 days in but it has been a pretty good 10 days!

Scott has been working really hard. I know that you are all shocked by that :-). But he is working on our bathroom and trying hard to get it done. So at least he is not only working hard @ work. He joined a bunch of people at work who are competing in a weight loss competition. As of January 1st he has already lost 6 pounds. Go Scott!!! We are all rooting for him!!! We now own a spin cycle so that should help him in his efforts!

James is back to school as of the 5th. I am not sure how excited he is about that but I know he is partly glad to not be at home 24 hours a day! :-) He is busy doing homework Monday through Friday, trying to earn time on the Wii. Right now we are reading "The Tale of Despereaux". James kept seeing the ad for the movie and we made a deal, if he reads the book with me I will take him to the movie. Carter is in on that deal too. We are almost done with the book so they are pretty excited!

Carter is busy with preschool. It's good for him to have something that he doesn't have to share with James or Loreli. He loves the Wii too and kicks all of our butts boxing! James always proclaims "Good job Carter, now lets play something else." James doesn't like losing. Too bad! ;-)

Loreli. Well what can I say more than that. Anyone who knows her knows that her name means "mischief" or "one who gets into everything one is not supposed to" or "Princess get's whatever she demands" or something like that. Is that how it's supposed to go? I didn't think so but Loreli explained the truth to me :-)! Hey at least she is happy, right?

I am busy being mom. I am just plain busy with trying to keep or get or sonthing my house in order (good luck to me!) I can't seem to get my children on board with that concept. I will not give up. I am Woman!!! (haha! another funny!) Besides the everyday stuff, I am working on yet another crochet project, reading as many books as I can, and playing Wii fit. It is kicking my butt, but that is the point right! I joined the masses on Facebook this weekend. I found a few long lost friends from high school. That was kind of fun!

That is our life at this moment. It may not be exciting to some, but the fact that it is mellow and happy is the excitment for us!!! If only everyone could be so lucky!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

A Wii Christmas

2008-12-26T14:32:00.008-07:00

Wow!!! What a crazy, fun day. The kids (of course) were spoiled rotten (as they should be;-)). They got a Wii system and everything good that goes with it, thanks to all of the family that helped contribute! They also got a lot of other stuff to play with and to keep them busy until school starts again.

James' favorite presents are a pair of spy night vision goggles and spy gear and the Wii. He also loves the movie "The Cat From Outer Space." He has watched it 5 times since last week!

Carter's favorite presents are a bow and arrow set, the Wii, and a bag of Doritos (go figure).

Loreli's favorite presents are her princess shoes, feather boa and her crown. She boldly declares "I am King!"She also earned that title. Last night playing Star Wars Clone Wars on the Wii, she defeated James in a light sabre battle. Girl power rocks!!!

After opening gifts at our house we went to Grandpa and Grandma Shupe's house for breakfast and more presents. Then we went home for a brief nap. Later that afternoon we went to Grandpa and Grandma Hunt's house for lunch and to see Scott's extended family. It was a busy day, but sure fun!!!
They all love their light sabres! Loreli almost always wins because she doesn't play fair. Conking your brother on the head is not the way to win. So far, she is yet to be convinced of that fact. She wants to win by any means necessary!

Merry Christmas Eve Day!

2008-12-24T16:05:00.003-07:00

We had a fun morning just playing in the snow.

The slide didn't work too well the first time :-)

Swinging in the snow is awesome!!! Just ask Loreli.

James and Carter taught Loreli how to make snow angels.

I know your jealous we got almost a foot of snow in 2 days. We are supposed to get up to 12" again tomorrow. Anyone want to trade some snow for some sunshine and warmth? Anybody?
I didn't think so. Have a Merry Christmas! At least ours is white!

Better Days!

2008-12-21T17:37:00.002-07:00

Thank goodness for busy weekends! We had 4 family gatherings this weekend. I can't think of a better way to get out of a funk than to be with family and friends. Plus the kids got spoiled which always helps too! Anyways, just wanted to blog that life is better today. Have a Merry Christmas!!!

Sad Day :-(

2008-12-17T13:14:00.002-07:00

All of the Hedgehog babies died. The boys as you can imagine are really sad. The only reason I am writing this depressing blog post is to let you know the reason there will be no pictures. Hopefully with all that is going on in the next week they will be able to get past this sadness.

Aaaahhhh

2008-12-16T09:17:00.003-07:00

Aaahhhh! We woke up yesterday, went about our daily routine and came home from getting the kids from preschool. I went downstairs to check my email and lo and behold we have hedgehog babies. I didn't think that she was pregnant because she is past her due date. So I panicked!!! Thank goodness my mom knows all things furry because I would have had no one else to ask what to do. We got all 4 babies safe with mom in a nest and my heart is beating regularly again.In about a week Mikko (hedgehog mom) will calm down a little bit. Pictures will follow soon. Wish me luck and the babies well.

2008-12-14T18:40:00.002-07:00

My mom called the other day when the kids were supposed to be cleaning their room. They had been cleaning on and off (more off than on of course) for several hours (no kidding). She had me put her on speaker and issued a challenge to them. She said that she had to clean her room too so how about a race? The winner got bragging rights. This is the hilarious response to the challenge given to them.