Columbia Village Gropps

Some Fun in June!

2010-07-28T13:15:00.001-07:00

End of the School Year Celebration

Every year we do something special with the boys to celebrate the end of school and the beginning of summer. This year we had a BBQ and campfire in the backyard. We roasted marshmallows and starbursts. Fun start to summer!

Taylor decided roasted starburst were the Bomb!!

Watch out for those sparks, Brayden!

My boys!

Table Rock Hike with the Schultz Family

On our way up to Table Rock.

The boys love exploring up at Table Rock. Here they are climbing in their favorite cave.

Cute pic of Taylor and Aubrey

The men...what more can I say.

At the top of Table Rock overlooking Boise...beautiful!

Parker with a new pet, Stinky the Stink Bug. (It didn't come home with us :o))

We did it! Here we are at the end, back where we started. Great company, great fun!!

Settlers Park

We discovered Settlers Park this summer! What a great park! Rock wall, oversized instruments, playground, water, snack shack. The kids were lovin' it!!

Brayden, at the top of the rock wall

Adam and Taylor getting a bucket full of water over their heads!

Nicole and Parker...a little hesitant to get wet.

Love seeing them getting along...it happens once in awhile, and here's the proof!

Uncle Ted and Aunt Sheila took Taylor and Brayden to Roaring Springs with free tickets they earned through a reading program at school. So, I took Nicole, Parker, and Julia for a special day in Lisa's pool. They had a blast even though half the day was overcast. It was fun hanging out with Lisa again. With her moving clear across town to Eagle we don't get to see each other as often. :o( We try to make the most of it when we do see each other. It was like old times...Brian's in trouble for not keeping his promise to keep Lisa in Columbia Village once they got married! Should've got it in writing. :o)

Pine Flatts Camping Trip with the McCarrolls

2010-07-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Love spending time with my family, especially with no cell service! Camping is so much fun... once you're there and all set up, that is.

Two peas in a Pod. These two love getting together. They're buds is what they tell us.

Parker attempting to give me a back rub to make me feel better after scaring me half to death! While Tol and I were setting up camp my mom and dad walked down to the Hot Springs. We thought Parker went with them. When they returned 15 minutes later Parker was not with them. My heart jumped out of my chest. Where do you start looking in the woods?! Everyone headed a different direction as Parker came walking into camp. I was so relieved, but it took awhile for me to calm down. He had tried to follow Grandma and Grandpa, but took a wrong turn and ended up by the river! I am so glad he was smart enough to turn back around and find his way back to camp.

Tol and Taylor chillin'

Craig brought up a small motorcycle (it's actually Levi's when he grows into it) to give the kids rides. Being the patient, awesome uncle he is, Craig taught Brayden how to drive and Brayden gave Uncle Craig a ride.

Love hanging out with my sister-in-law, Brandie

"Girls just want to have fun!" Brynlee and Lexie using Bart and Brandie's air mattress as a trampoline...they had a blast! Makes me want to be a kid again.

Bart and Craig became expert MRE preparers while in Iraq. So, they gave us a lesson and treated us all to MREs for dinner.

MREs have a main dish that is printed on the package. The rest is a surprise. Craig holding up a prized possesion...Skittles! The kids were super excited about this!

What are Taylor and Brayden going to get in theirs?

Brandie on the search for Peanut M&Ms. :o)

Papa Mac and his best friend, Diesel, waiting for dinner to be served

Isn't Idaho a beautiful place to live! We feel so lucky to have all of this so close by.

On their way to the Hot Springs; Brayden, Parker, Taylor, and Levi

A true gentleman...Parker helping his mom get down the rough terrain to the Hot Springs

Brayden loves to challenge himself. Here he is laying in the ice cold river for 5 minutes...Burr!

Love this picture of Tol and Levi...what a good uncle. Levi stepped in the river and hot springs with his hiking shoes. So Tol carried him all the way back to camp on his shoulders.

No camping trip would be complete without roasting marshmallows and our new favorite, Starbursts! Yummmmmmm!

Craig and his kids, Lexie and Levi. Looks like Lexie might have a little buzz from the Sprite! :o)

Eggs...anyone?

Brayden got the fire going in the morning. 1st time by himself! Way to go, Brady Bunch!

Tol taught the boys how to pack 2 car loads of camping gear into one car as Bart, Brandie and I watched...we were speechless.

"Yeah, I'm cool like that"

To end our trip we all went on a short hike down to the river...Parker led the way.

Great Weekend!!!

May 2010

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

Taylor's Growing Up

Taylor is officially a Boy Scout, no longer my little cub scout. He and his friend, Zach, recieved their Arrow of Light award in a ceremony at Pack Meeting. We are so proud of Taylor and his accomplishment!

Way to go , T!

Taylor and Zach with their Arrows of Light

Taylor and Zach with their Webelos leader, Brother Thacker

Taylor's 11th Birthday

Taylor's birthday happened to be on the same day as the School Carnival. After a great day at school, we ordered pizza and headed for the carnival. This year he spent the carnival running around with friends. He thought this was really cool. We met up at the end and went home to open presents, eat his choice of dessert (Sour Cream Lemon Pie), and watch his new movie he got from Brayden, "Fantastic Mr. Fox".

Fathers and Sons Stake Campout

The boys look forward to the Fathers and Sons campout every year. This year the whole stake went and held it at Pine Top. The boys and Tol had fun hiking, sitting by the campfire, and playing and visiting with friends.

Parker and his friend, Logan. I hope they stay good friends like Logan's dad, Paul, and Tol have.

Taylor and Brayden hiking.

Typical Parker...no shoes!

Brayden's 9th Birthday

Brayden's birthday was so much fun! He woke up on his birthday to his birthday couch full of some of his favorite things. When he got to school he had a special candy gram delivered to him during his spelling test (from Mom and Dad). The candy gram told him of a special guest that would be joining him at lunch. The special guests (Uncle Ted and Aunt Sheila) arrived right before lunch and brought cookies for his whole class and another special candy gram (from Mom and Dad). This time the candy gram clued him into a special treat at the end of the school day. Miss Hoover handed Brayden his favorite package of candy bars (100 Grand) along with donut holes for his class and the last candy gram (from Mom and Dad). This candy gram told of a special surprise awaiting him at home. When he arrived home he had an array of his favorite healthy snacks and was told we would be going to the YMCA to swim and out to his favorite restaurant (Red Robin). He told his grandma later, "This is the best day I have ever had!"

Brayden about to conquer the "big" slide at the YMCA

This year Brayden surprised me with his choice of dessert for his birthday. He chose key lime pie. Usually he's a cake lover.

April 2010

2010-06-28T10:35:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday

Every Easter the Easter bunny brings the boys swimsuits, their favorite mini cereal, a chocolate bunny, and hides the eggs the boys decorated the day before. Here are the boy in their new swimsuits. I should have taken pictures of decorating eggs and the boys all dressed up for church. Oops, dropped the ball on that this year!

Happy Birthday, Parker!

On April 6th, 2005 at 8:30am we were blessed with a baby boy. We couldn't imagine our lives without our energetic, full of smiles, tough little Parker. He is a joy to have in our home.

For Parker's 5th birthday he got to have a friend party. His birthday party theme was Hotwheels and he invited about 12 friends over to celebrate. It was a BLAST!

Parker is lucky to share his birthday with his good buddy (cousin), Matthew.

The birthday party guests

Parker and his Race track cake

Parker and his birthday couch, full of all his favorite things!

Snow White Play

Taylor stepped out of his comfort zone and tried out for the Missoula Theater Company School Play. He not only got a part but a pretty important one at that. He was King Backwards, Snow White's father. He was hilarious and knew all of his lines! It was so much fun watching him and seeing him grow with this experience. I am so, so, so proud of him!

Robie Creek Race

Tol challenged himself this year to run in the Robie Creek 1/2 Marathon Race. It is one of the toughest in the Northwest.

At the starting line, Taylor, Brayden, and Tol got temporary tattoos.

After crossing the finish line he said to me, "Check". It was brutal and he doesn't have any desire to do it again. He did really great, though. :o)

Timberline Fun Run

Every year we run the THS Fun Run together as a family. The boys do the Kids 1 Miler and Tol and I run the 5k. This year was Parker's first year of finishing the whole mile! Woohoo, he did great! I love this family tradition!

I ran the 1 miler with my nephew, Levi. At the end I slowed way down and he told Uncle Bart, "I was super fast at the end. I even beat Aunt Nikki!" He was so excited!

The boys were excited to finish the kids 1 miler with their best time. I am so proud of them!

Brandie and I ran the 5k together

Tol and me before the 5k

Brayden knew how much his teacher, Miss Hoover, loves running so he invited her to the THS FUN RUN!

Brayden's 2nd season of Soccer...he's lovin' it!

Minute to Win It

We got into watching the new TV game show, "Minute to Win It". Contestants have 1 minute to do various quirky challenges. Here is a rundown of the challenges we did:

Cookie Challenge - Start with a cookie on your forward, and without using your hands move it to your mouth.

Nose Dive - Move 5 cotton balls from one bowl to another 5 feet away using your nose dipped in petroleum jelly.

Elephant Walk - With a nylon over your head and a basball at the end, swing your "trunk" to knock down 8 water bottles

Junk in the Trunk - Attach an empty kleenex box filled with 8 ping-pong balls to your bum and shake with all your might to get those ping-pong to drop out of the box

March 2010

2010-06-24T07:27:00.001-07:00

Taylor joined the 5th and 6th Grade Choir this year. He has taken after Tol (thank goodness) with a beautiful singing voice. His choir group performed at East Junior High for their final concert with other elementary school choirs. They did a great job!

Taylor walking off from his performance.

"There's a WOCKET in my POCKET! And a FINDOW in my WINDOW...And a NOOK GASE in my BOOK CASE. Sometimes I have a feeling there's a ZLOCK behind the CLOCK."

During Book Fair Week at Trail Wind, the kids all dressed up as their favorite Dr. Suess character. I love helping the kids come up with fun costumes for Book Fair Week! I have just as much fun (maybe even more) as they do! Brayden also brought his class "green eggs and ham". We took 2 pretzel sticks (these were the bacon or "ham"), melted white chocolate in the middle and placed a green m&m in the middle to resemble a fried egg. His class loved the green eggs and ham from "Sam I Am"!

Taylor aka Cat in the Hat, Nicole aka a ZLOCK, Brayden aka Sam I Am

Our family had so much fun watching the Olympics this winter, especially Timberline graduate, Jeret Peterson. When we heard he was down at City Hall signing autographs we jumped in the car and made it just in time to get photos signed and have a photo opportunity, too! The boys thought this was the coolest thing ever! Jeret even let them wear his medal...very cool.

Speedy Peterson

One Family Home Evening, we wanted to teach the boys about sticking to a budget. So, we paired up and drew different parts of our dinner out of a bowl. Tol and Parker chose dessert and a side, Nicole (the sweet little girl I have been babysitting for 7 years)and I chose the drink and appetizer, Taylor and Brayden chose the main course and a side. We all got a set amount of money: $2 appetizer and drink, $3 dessert and side, $4 main dish and side. We then, headed up to Albertson's and seperated with our partner to shop for our part of the meal, not knowing what anyone else was getting. We had a very interesting dinner that night. Maybe our next lesson should be about making healthy choices. :o)

Dinner on a Budget

Appetizer: Homemade baked fries, Drinks: Ice Water w/ lemon slices Main dish: Magic Stars cereal, T & B Side: Pringles Dill Chips, Tol & P Side: French Bread, Dessert: Fudge striped cookies

The Saturday before Spring Break, Brayden had a break. This time it was his right arm. He was walking a friend's dog when it suddenly took off . Brayden went tumbling to the ground and landed on his arm.

Broken Bone #3

Since school was out I had a few extra kids at my house for Spring Break. When I have a lot of kids at my house, I like to make a plan and keep activities going throughout the day. So, the boys and I planned out our week the Sunday before to make it fun and keep me from going insane! Monday we had outdoor activities planned, since it was only nice day of the week, Tuesday was art project day, Wednesday was pajama party day (stayed in our pj's all day and everyone shared their favorite bedtime snacks, watched "Astro Boy", and played games), Thursday was baking day, and Friday was full of getting ready for Parker's birthday party (the kids helped make decorations and clean up the house).

Spring Break

Brayden read his Fablehaven book while everyone else played on the school playground

We walked the Oregon Trail by our house.

Everyone made their own trail mix to take on our walk.

Brayden, Nicole, Maddy, Gavin, Taylor, and Parker at the beginning of our walk

Baking cookies in the kitchen

February 2010

2010-06-23T06:46:00.001-07:00

I turned 33 in February. I was pleasantly awakened by Parker with a bouquet of pink Gerber daisies and breakfast in bed for the two of us. The day continued with a serenade at Taylor and Brayden's piano recital by Taylor. He surprised me with the "Happy Birthday" song at the end of his recital piece. Friends stop by and friends called to wish me a happy birthday. Then, the surprises kept coming, Brayden took me to a movie, "The Spy Next Door",which he paid for. After the movie we were met by Tol, Taylor, and Parker. Brayden hopped in the car and Taylor jumped out. It was Taylor's turn! He and I went shopping and Desseret Book and ate dinner at Pollo Rey. We ended the day with cake and ice cream. I was spoiled and I loved every minute of it!

Happy Birthday, Nikki!

Breakfast in Bed. (Sure glad Tol helped Parker out with this :o))

Before going to the movie, Brayden finished his Valentine's box for school...a soccer field.

We love holidays around our house! After such a great birthday (a week before Valentine's day), it was my turn to show my boys (I include Tol as one of my boys :o)) how much I love them. It's a tradition in our house to have a candlelight dinner on Valentine's day prepared by the kids' (and I'm sure Tol's, too) favorite chef, Mom! I make their favorite dish, macaroni and cheese along with some of their other favs. They leave for an hour before dinner to give me time to set up and when they come home this is what they come home to. It is one of my favorite traditions.

Valentine's Day

The Chef

The recipients

The Spread...homemade macaroni and cheese, sushi (California rolls), salad, rolls, shrimp, sparkling apple juice, and for dessert, our traditional Valentine treat...Chocolate Fondue with fruit.

January 2010

2010-06-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Broncos made it to the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. Unfortunately, we couldn't get there to cheer them on. So, we invited friends over and cheered them on in our living room. Some snow finally came in January. We were able to drive up to Bogus and sled with the kids. The boys and I bought looming kits and made hats and scarfs and Tol went to the Humanitarian Bowl with friends. Take a look at our family fun in January!

Fiesta Bowl Party Night...Go Broncos!!

I think this is the first time Taylor and Brayden were really interested in watching a football game on TV. Parker was cheering along with us until he fell asleep.

Yes! The Broncos won! It was a sweet game!

Sledding

At the top!

Taylor made his cousin, Lexie, a snow hat. She loved it and Taylor loved giving it to her. I love the way she is looking at him...so sweet. :o)

Humanitarian Bowl at the Bronco Stadium

Tol and some friends fighting the elements to watch some football.

Decmeber 2009

2010-06-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

December was a blast, as always! I love Christmas, the snow (the little we had), spending time with family, winter break, New Year's Eve...and we added to our family...no not a baby...a sister! My brother, Wade got married December 23rd. Here are the highlights from December.

Candy Trains and Ride to Look at Lights Night

A true masterpiece of yumminess!

Taylor and his "sweet" train

Tol and Parker were a team. They had the longest train!

Brayden with the most chocolaty train. I think he ate his right after this was taken.

Our friend (more like a daughter),Nicole, also had a train, but didn't want to pose for the picture.

We bundled up in blankets after our candy trains and loaded up in the car to look at Christmas lights in our neighborhood.

Wade and Gina's wedding in McCall

Introducing the newest Mr. and Mrs. McCarroll! :o) They are such a perfect match. And what a beautiful couple!

Christmas Day

Taylor and his goods

Parker and his goods

Brayden and his goods

Twister!

Tol got a BSU snuggie from his brother

New Year's Eve

We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse

"Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakuel"

Beatles Rockband (we got this for Christmas)

Rock on, Brayden!

Time To Update!

2010-06-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is so hard for me to keep up with! So, here I am again..."speed blogging". The next few blogs will be from December 2009 to June 2010, highlighting the main events of our family.

Trip to Dallas

2009-12-22T13:57:00.001-08:00

Every year Tol has an Athletic Director Conference he goes to and I usually tag along with him. This year we went to Dallas, Texas. We stayed in the amazing Gaylord Texan. It is a beautiful hotel. We arrived Friday evening and stayed until Wednesday. Tol was in classes a lot of the time. So while he sat in lectures I slept-in, used the hotel gym (one day :o)), shopped, walked around in the huge hotel, and enjoyed not having any responsibilities for a few days. When Tol did get some free time we went and saw Dallas. It was a fun, hassle-free 5 days!

Outside the Gaylord Texan. It is so big we couldn't fit the whole hotel in, but here is the front.

Sitting out by the fire Sunday night

Inside the hotel

The Gaylord has a huge atrium inside, so, the lighting changes from day to night. It feels like you are outside. So beautiful.

A manmade river runs through the hotel

This is so cool! It is a real, life-size gingerbread house! This was also in the hotel.

Dealey Plaza

Looking out to the spot where JFK was shot. They actually have it marked by an X in the middle of the street.

Dallas Mavericks game

Rangers' Stadium

The massive Dallas Cowboys' new stadium

Thanksgiving

2009-12-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was at our house this year! This was my first attempt at having a huge dinner like this at my house. I was really excited and maybe a little nervous. I got some great advice from friends and family and my favorite magazine, Clean Eating, on the best way to cook my turkey to keep it moist. It was so good! I will always brine my turkey. That is the secret to a tender, moist turkey. :o)

The night before, my mom came over and helped make pies. It was fun working in the kitchen together. Taylor and Brayden wanted to learn how to make their favorite pies, apple and peach. So, I helped them along and they did awesome! Parker and Nicole entertained themselves and us as we baked. Tol was the "errand boy" for me when I was in the middle of a recipe and realized I was out of an ingredient. He was also the "fireman" putting out the fire I started in the oven with my pecan pie. My friend Megan warned me not to say the "b" word (burn). But it brought a little excitement and a lot of laughs! The boys thought it was hilarious! Tol was a little sarcastic...surprise.

Brayden had an activity for the family before we sat down to eat. We had to tell 3 things we are thankful for and explain why. Taylor made color-coded name plates for everyone and while we ate dinner he stood up on a stool and explained what each color meant. He used three words for each person to describe them. The funniest one was when he got to Grandma and Grandpa and the first word that described them was old.

Overall, it was a really great Thanksgiving. I loved cooking for my family. I can't wait until it is at my house again.

Parker and Nicole. They are just like brother and sister. I love it!

Brayden and his Peach Crisp Pie.

Taylor and his beautiful Apple Pie

Me and Mom weary after an evening of baking

Tol exaggerating a bit.

Up at the crack of dawn, peeling potatoes, preparing the turkey, wondering who's great idea was this to have Thanksgiving at my house...oh yeah, it was me.

My moist, delicious, beautiful turkey!

The clan I fed, minus the late-comers, Wade and Gina.

After everyone left we got our Christmas decorations out.

Out with one holiday, in with the next!

13 Years and Counting

2009-12-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

My how time flies when you are with the love of your life. I can't believe I have been married 13 years already. It has been more than I ever thought it would be. I have the best husband (at least for me) I could dream of. Sometimes I wonder who is looking out for me on the other side to have led me to him. May sound sappy, but I don't care, it's true. We have our ups and downs as do all marriages, but, I would say they are just little bumps in the road here and there. It would be boring if it was smooth sailing. Sometime or another we have our differences. I like to think we compliment each other most of the time. Tol's goal everyday is to make me happy and I him. That is what has made this 13 years go so fast. Time flies when you're having fun and enjoying life to the fullest!

Tol and I celebrated our 13th anniversary on November 22nd. I got the weekend babysitter and he made the plans. We were short on funds this year so no big trip to see Cold Play this year. But we did stay downtown in a hotel all weekend and had a marvelous time.

Friday night we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Love that place! It was yummy! After dinner we went to the hotel where Tol had flowers and a card waiting for me. He is such a romantic...I love it. The next morning we slept in (heaven) and headed down to BoDo. It was the opening weekend for the movie, "New Moon". Tol and I have both read all the Twilight books, so we went to see the much anticipated movie. It was great, much better than the 1st. We then had a light lunch at Tulley's (they have a really good Chicken/Walnut Salad) and walked around the Farmer's Market and different shops around downtown. That evening we went and did a little Christmas shopping and went to Chili's. We hit a late movie, "Blind Side," and got back to the hotel around 1am. It was great having the weekend all to ourselves.

1st Snowfall in 2009

2009-11-24T14:00:00.001-08:00

The boys were so excited to wake up to snow last Saturday. We got about 1/3 inch. But that didn't stop the boys from trying to sled down the hill. They couldn't find their sleds so they grabbed rubbermaid lids. Later they tried making a snowman. Parker and Mom had hot chocolate waiting for Taylor and Brayden after their fun in the snow. Parker thought it was too cold to join them. Maybe if he would have put a jacket on. :o)

2 Days Out of School!

2009-11-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

The boys had 2 days off school last week for parent/teacher conferences. This also meant I had 2 extra girls and my niece and nephew home, too. Seven kids in my house = planned activities if I want to keep my sanity. :o)

Thursday morning we had a Kiddie Boot Camp. I found some good tunes and made up a routine the kids would have fun with and use some of that abundance of energy they carry all the time!

It wouldn't be a boot camp without push-ups

Drop and give me 20

Here they had to do lunges down the driveway and sprint back

Way to go Kiddie Boot Campers! You rocked!

Friday was our Pajama-jama-jam!!!! We stayed in our pjs all day! I put the girls' hair (those that was long enough) in rag curls early in the morning while we watched cartoons. We ate Froot Loops for breakfast (A real treat in our house), built with K'nex, did yoga, made pizzas, watched a movie, read favorite bedtime books, and ate favorite bedtime snacks!

Back Rub Train

Lexie after we took the rags out of her hair. She is so cute!

Yoga time!

Taylor's favorite pose, the Bridge.

This was hilarious! Brayden's favorite pose is the handstand. He got some air on this pose and landed right on his behind.

Parker's favorite pose, ?????? He made this one up. :o)

My favorite pose, Relaxation pose. Let's stay in this one for awhile. :o)

Pizza time!

Everyone brought their favorite blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals and made their very own space on the floor for the movie, "Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure"(Girls won the pick for the movie).

At the end of the day the house was a mess! But luckily I had 7 great helpers. Everyone pitched in and we got it cleaned up in no time. Taylor even got the vacuum out and vacuumed the house. We had a great 2 days off together!

I don't have a picture for this, but, had to tell the story of our dinner later that night. After our 4 extra visitors left we got dressed and told the kids we were taking them out to dinner. Tol won a gift certificate at the BSU dinner auction about 6 months ago. We had to use it by the 9th of November so we thought it would be fun to take the whole family out. The gift certificate was for a place out in Marsing. The boys were excited. Taylor put on his polo shirt and khakis just in case it was a fancy restaurant. We hopped in the car and away we went.

We get almost to Nampa and Parker says, "I have to go potty!" You know how kids are, they wait until the last minute to tell you they have to go. We couldn't just stop on the freeway, so we told him, "Hold it! We'll stop as soon as we can!" After a few minutes we got off the freeway and pulled into a Subway. Parker said, "I'm OK." Well, we believed him and went on to Marsing. As we drove to Marsing we went past the Sugar Beet Factory and it really stunk that night. It stunk all the way to Marsing! When we got to the "restaurant" Parker got out of the car and whispered to me, "I peed and pooped my pants." I looked down and saw the evidence. I don't think it was the Sugar Beet Factory that stunk so bad that night.

We walked in the restaurant that was actually a bar that also served food. We walked in and they assured us we could eat here with the kids. Taylor whispered to me, "Guess it's not a fancy restaurant." We had a good laugh and the food wasn't too bad. The portions were pretty big. They didn't have a kids' menu, but, that didn't matter. Brayden ate all of his huge cheeseburger and curly fries and helped Parker with his! It was a fun family adventure.

FYI: Tol took Parker into the bathroom and took care of his accident, throwing his underwear away. It's nice having all boys in times like these. :o)

Halloween

2009-11-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

Halloween festivities started out at Grandma and Grandpa Mac's. While all the men in the family watched the big BSU game, the ladies were in the kitchen having a Halloween party with the kids. It was quite the spread with Ghoulish greens, Skeleton bones, Clotted blood dip, Boiled worms, Eyeballs, Jack-o-lantern guts, Spider eggs, and Frog juice to wash it all down. Yum, I think?!

Later, we headed out to Eagle to Brian and Lisa's house for some chili, more football, and trick or treating. The kids made a haul this year.

This year's cotumes: Tol- the doctor; Nikki - the good witch; Taylor - Willy Wonka; Brayden - Harry Potter; Parker - a fierce lion

Nikki trying to get her witch cackle down, too funny!

Carving Pumpkins

2009-11-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

We waited until the day before Halloween to carve our pumpkins. That way they would be nice and fresh. So, Friday after school we got out the carving tools and went at it!

Brayden's

Tol's

Taylor's

Parker and I opted for the Mr. Potato Head type.

Prison Break - Run for it!

2009-11-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Bet, I got your attention with that title! :o)

Like I said in an earlier post, Tol talked me into running a 1/2 marathon. It was located out at the actual prison on Pleasant Valley road. We ran with friends, Alec and Kelly Arhets.

Ready, ready, ready, ready to ru-u-u-u-n! :o)

Tol finished way before me (about 30 minutes) so I wasn't able to get photos of his finish. But, he was there cheering me on at the end. I saved just enough energy at the end to sprint it out. I was spent going through that finish line. Exactly how I wanted to feel, like I gave it all I had.

Alec and Tol were good partners. They pushed each other to do their own personal best. They rocked it!

Kelly and I had such a great time training together. I am so glad we did it together. We helped each other keep going and get out of bed those days we would rather not.

The weather was windy and cold. I was cold before the race. During the race I felt great. After the race we were all freezing. We grabbed our free breakfast and headed home.

RESULTS:

Tol: 1:41

Alec: 1:44

Nikki: 2:11

Kelly: 2:15

A Few Moments from Preschool

2009-11-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Three days a week I have preschool with Parker and Levi. So far, we have learned about ourselves, our bodies, the 5 senses, families, leaves, transportation, fall, colors, shapes, and Halloween! I love seeing them grow and learn right before my eyes. Here are a few photos from our preschool.

FALL and LEAVES WEEK:

We went on a walk and picked up various leaves, brought them home, sorted them into colors and glued them on our paper tree in the hall. They really got into this project.

They raked leaves.

Then jumped in the huge pile!

One day, for snack we had granola bars and spinach leaves. I was surprised at how much they loved the spinach. They asked for seconds! (I did tell them it would make them strong)

TRANSPORTATION WEEK:

We made cars out of cardboard and went to a drive-in cartoon

We took the city bus downtown

On the bus.

Parker and Levi thought it was weird we didn't have to wear seat belts. I kinda wonder why, too.

We floated in a raft and sang songs

We have lots more fun planned for the rest of the year. On to letters next week. This is my last year doing this. I can't believe Parker will be in Kindergarten next year!

Photo Shoot! October 6th

2009-11-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

We decided to take our own "school" pictures this year. Before it got too cold, I took the boys one day, after school to the Train Depot and shot pictures of them. They are so photogenic that it was easy and a lot of fun. I did have to keep them focused at the job at hand. It was getting cold and dark fast. They wanted to explore....boys will be boys. Overall, they were very cooperative and had fun, too!

Brotherly Love

Taylor 5th Grade

Brayden 3rd Grade

Parker Preschool

I told Taylor to be himself. :o)

When it was Brayden's turn for pictures I couldn't find him. All I heard was, "Come find me."

I asked Parker to open his eyes more, and this is what I got. :o)

I love these last three photos and my trio. They make me smile. I am one lucky mom to have these three amazing children in my life. My goal is to enjoy every stage of their life and not wish any of it away. (Well, maybe the talking back moments, whining, and tantrums. :o))

Last 8 Months...finally updated!

2009-10-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER:

I started watching my niece and nephew, Lexie and Levi. Lexie is 2 years old and Levi is 4 years old. Parker loves having them around. I watch them 4 days a week and sometimes overnight. I love having the opportunity to spend so much time with them. Parker and Levi love to wrestle, box, play super heroes, and make a little mischief. They are 2 peas in a pod. Lexie loves to get her hair done, nails done, take care of her baby doll and talk to "Nikkis"(this is what she calls me, it is so darn cute!) all day. They all love to do yoga with me. They even make up some of their own poses, as you can see down below. Kids are the greatest little creatures on earth...man, I love them!

Brayden played soccer for the first time. He loves it! Tricia Midgely was his coach. She did a great job. Brayden had so much fun. He is in the recreation league which does not keep score. But, Brayden, along with all the other boys keep track in their head. It's so great to see him play, work hard, and have fun doing it. He even got a goal at the 2nd to last game. Way to go , Brayden!

My friend, Kelly, and I started training for a 1/2 marathon at the end of August. This is how it all went down; Tol came home from a run one Saturday and said, "Hey, I saw Kelly and Alec on my run. I told Kelly you would run the Prison Break 1/2 Marathon with her." I laughed and said, "What?" I had never ran more than 4 miles before in my life, how was I going to run 13.1 miles in a month and a half? Honestly, though, in the back of my mind I was excited for the challenge and had kind of wanted to set a high goal like this for myself and accomplish it. So, I was happy Tol gave me a little push. For part of our training we ran in the St. Luke's Womens Fitness Celebration. It is a 5K race with thousands of women. We had fun and Alec (Kelly's husband), Tol, and my boys were at the finish line cheering us on.

The Last 8 Months!!..... Continued :o)

2009-10-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

AUGUST:

August, too, was a busy month. We needed to cram all that we had left on our list of summer fun! It started out with me going to Young Women's Girls Camp. It was everything I thought it would be and more! I loved it! I had never gone to Girls Camp before (not even when I was a young women myself). I really missed out! I am glad I have the opportunity now. I had the best time getting to know the awesome women I get to work with and the funny, energetic, sweet, and wonderful girls! I love my girls!

Next, and I mean next, the very next day I got back from Girls Camp, Tol competed in the Emmet Sprint Triathlon. He disciplined himself for 4 weeks prior to the race in his workout regimen and nutrition. It payed off! He got 1st place in his age group. We were so proud of him! His friends; Paul, Nathan, and Alec also participated. Alec got 2nd in his age group and Nathan got 3rd. It was sweet to see all three of them on the stand. You the man, Tol!

On to our hike along the Oregon Trail. I got tired of hearing, "I'm bored. Can I watch TV? Can I play the Wii? Can I play the DS?" So, I took the boys along with the two girls I babysit, Nicole and Julia, and the dog, Zoey, on a hike near our house. We packed up a lunch and Taylor (since he had been before) guided us down the Oregon Trail. It was a lot of fun and we felt pretty tired when we got home.

We had to have one last family BBQ. So, we joined up with my family and enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, and all the other goodies that come with a BBQ at my mom's house. It's so nice to have family close by, I love it!

Tol's dad surprised Tol with an airplane ride in his 2-seater airplane. They flew to Warm Springs and Elk Creek. Tol had a smile on his face the whole time flying with his dad. It was a special time for him to share with his dad. Les loves flying and really loves sharing it with those he loves. Who knows maybe I'll get a chance (I say that with a little hesitation in my voice, it scares the begeebees out of me). It would be a chance of a lifetime. We'll see. :o)

Tol had to take the boys on an all boys camp-out before the summer ended. His main goal was to find a spot where they could get in a hot springs. So, Bonneville was the destination. The boys had a great time spending quality time with Dad. I had a nice time having a little alone time. But, I did lock myself out of my house when I went running in the morning. I had to run down to Lisa's to get her to check all her extra keys. Then, Hannah had to run me to my Mom's to get her extra key. 2 hours later I was finally in my house. At least I didn't have to break any windows. :o)

At the end of August the boys and I, along with Nicole, took Papa (my dad) hiking up to the top of Table Rock. He loved it and was very impressed that Parker did it all by himself. I was, too! It was a hot hike, but really fun! The Boise Zoo was also on our list of things to do in the summer. We hadn't been for awhile and, wow, how it changed. We got to see lions, giraffes, and the bear was actually out this time. The kids loved getting in the Safari jeep and pretending to be explorers. They also liked dressing up in different animal costumes. It was a fun day at the zoo! The fair was a must for this summer. But, because we went

to Silverwood and rode every ride there, we didn't ride the rides at the fair. We went to the petting farm, ate homemade donuts, yummy ice cream cones, french fries, watched Brayden do pull-ups at the Marine booth, and looked at all the exhibits. Brayden wore his Army shirt that he got from Uncle Ted. So, the Marines informed him that it stood for Aren't Real Men Yet. Parker was really funny at the petting farm. He hugged all the animals and talked to them like they were his buddies. "Hey guys, here you go." He would then stretch out his shirt and let the goats nibble on it.

Mt. Borah was something Tol really wanted to do with his friends this summer. Tol, Nathan, Paul, and Alec left on a Friday night. They slept in the cab of Nathan's truck, the back of Nathan's truck, and the ground outside Nathan's truck. They didn't have the best night's sleep. But they were excited and ready to climb the massive mountain early Saturday morning. The climb was difficult as they "panted" all the way up. They ran into a number of people heading down, who hit chicken out ridge and chickened out. The boys were determined to make it all the way. They made the top in just over 5 1/2 Hours. At the top, they could see forever in all directions. It was gorgeous! Tol found himself literally running down the mountain in about 1 hour 45 minutes! It was a big calorie burn. So, they rewarded themselves with a steak dinner on their way home. CHECK!

Last, but not least...The First Day of School

August 31 sent Taylor and Brayden back to school. Taylor is now a 5th grader in Mr. Dinter's class, while Brayden enters 3rd grade with Ms. Hoover. They were both so excited for that first day of school. Everything is so new and fresh and exciting. Mom was excited too!

The Last 8 Months!

2009-10-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

I knew it had been a while since I last posted, but 8 months! I just read an article about a family that blogs together in my Family Fun magazine. It inspired me to update and maybe repent and do better. This is the only journaling I really like to do. So, I better do it more often. Here is the run down of our last 8 months.

MARCH:

Spring Break was a blast! We stayed home and had a "Stay-cation". We turned our house into the "R & R Bed and Breakfast". After we checked into our "hotel rooms" we headed out for a hike up to Table Rock, where we ate sack lunches at the top, explored the top and caves surrounding, and picked up litter. Then we were off for a treat at Powell's Candy Store. From there we went back to our hotel, ordered pizza, and played the Wii in the hotel lobby. The next morning we woke early to grab a quick breakfast at Tully's and visited some historical places in Boise. We ate a great lunch at Elmer's and headed for our next activity, miniature golf at Boondocks. I believe Dad ended up winning, but the rest of us were not too far behind! We ended our evening with a private movie at Timberline with pizza (of course) and snacks from the concession stand. The next morning the boys woke with their favorite complimentary breakfasts delivered to their rooms. It was so much fun! We can't wait for our next stay-cation!

APRIL:

We celebrated Parker's 4th birthday on April 6th. Parker woke up to some of his favorite things on his Birthday Couch (a Cars blanket, playdoh, m&ms, fruit snacks, sidewalk chalk, balloons, capri sun, goldfish crackers, and a new birthday outfit). We went to his choice of restaurants for dinner. His choice was the wonderful McDonald's. For his cake I made him a big, yellow smiley face. this was a perfect cake for him because he is always smiling, even when he's being naughty. He is such a wonderful part of our family. Full of energy - I love it (most of the time :o)). Also, I was called as the Young Women's president in my ward.

MAY:

We had 2 birthdays to celebrate in May. First was Taylor's 10th. He decided to celebrate his with an overnight camp-out in the backyard with a few of his friends. We roasted hot dogs, had a Dutch oven dessert making contest, had Wii competitions, watched a movie on the trampoline with a projector (it was really cool), Tol and the boys slept in the tent while I got the cozy bed to myself. Taylor's Birthday Couch consisted of Cheetos, Jerky, cotton candy, fiddle faddle, twizzlers, Sunny D, Webelos book and neckerchief, bubblegum, The Candy Shop War book, Butterfinger bites, and a new outfit.

Brayden's birthday pictures are lost, I can not find them or his baptism pictures anywhere! But I can recall what we did. His theme was a sports theme. We had a HUGE birthday party down at Timberline with about 20 kids. We had each kid check-in and make up a nickname for themselves, which they were called by for the whole party. The Timberline mascot, The Boss, came by and kicked off the party and played Red Rover with the kids. We played soccer, had scooter races, an obstacle course, Blimpie sandwiches and cake. His cake was a huge soccer ball, with cupcakes decorated like basketballs, baseballs, footballs, and soccer balls. It was chaotic but a lot of fun! Brayden's Birthday Couch consisted of BBQ chips, Cracker Jacks, bubblegum, Holes book, Wolves book and neckerchief, Crunch bar, Bolt the movie, powdered candy man, Sunny D, and a new outfit.

Also, in May, Tol received his Masters from U of I in Administration. We are so proud of him!

JUNE:

June was a busy month. It started out with Brayden's baptism. We had lots of friends and family that came to celebrate with us. Unfortunately, I have no pictures! Brayden is such a joy in our family. He is so smart and easy going. This day was a great day for him. He was asked to speak about his big day in the Primary program in September. He did an awesome job. We are so proud of him!

We visited Tol's grandpa in Sandpoint. We love Sandpoint. It is so beautiful and relaxing there. While we were there we went to Silverwood Amusement Park. We started our day with the whole family going on the Timbers of Terror roller coaster. After that, Taylor and Parker were not too keen on the big roller coaster rides. But, Tol, Brayden and I rode them all. It was a lot of fun!

We had a family camp-out in McCall with Tol' mom and dad, Joe and Janice's family, and us. We spent most of our days down on the beach and our nights around the campfire. Only one injury...the first night we were there, Parker grabbed the top of the lantern and scorched his hand. It was awful, but he was tough. The next morning he was checking out his wounds and said, "Look, Mom, this is a cool owey!"

We also celebrated Tol's birthday. I think we lost those pictures, too! To celebrate his birthday I planned a whole day of outings for him. He was served breakfast in bed with a breakfast made by Taylor. He and Taylor ate breakfast together. Tol had class to go to. When he got home, he was met at the door by Brayden. Brayden and I had packed a lunch for the two of them. Brayden had Tol drive them to a park for a picnic and some one on one time. Next, Parker was waiting for him when they got home with 2 movie tickets. He took Dad to the movie "Up". I honestly, can't remember if I took him out for dinner or I made him dinner. Either way I am sure it was fabulous! :o) I know I made him his favorite pie, blueberry cream. YUM! I just remembered! We had to set up for our yard sale that night. So, I bought some Sushi and we worked all night. So, maybe it wasn't so fabulous. But we did make $250 that night while we were setting up.

JULY:

Fourth of July we started our day with a Pancake Breakfast at our church. The boys participated in a Bike Parade while were there. They decorated their bikes with red, white, and blue and joined other kids in a parade around the church. We went swimming at the pool and headed to Lisa and Brian's for a BBQ and fireworks! The kids loved the sparklers and Brian purchased big fireworks, too, that the the kids and adults were mesmerized by. My favorite part was when the next door neighbor's dog came out and tried to attack the fireworks. It was a fun 4th and no injuries. :o)

Tol and I, along with my parents, went down to California to watch my brother, Craig, compete in the 2009 Crossfit Games. What an amazing competition! I was so impressed, not only with Craig, but all the elite athletes that competed. It inspired me to do better. While we were there, Tol and I took an afternoon and went to the beach. I love the ocean.

At the end of the month we went to my family reunion with relatives from my mom's side. Island Park is where the reunion took place. So, we went a day early and went to Yellowstone. It was so amazing. We only scratched the surface, but what we saw was breathtaking and beautiful. I was a little disappointed we didn't see any bears, wolves, or moose. I kinda had this picture in my head that we would see all these wild animals all over the roads. Like, we would have to stop for herd crossing. But, that wasn't the case. We saw deer, elk, and finally buffalo. We actually got pretty close to a buffalo (not dangerously close, but close enough). It was pretty cool. I got a little scared. :o)

The family reunion was really great. My great aunts fell in love with Tol. They thought he was the best (and they're right). We rode motorcycles, 4 wheelers, went boating, swam, sang by the campfire, reminisced, ate way too much, and had friendly competitions. One morning I went running with my mom and dad, which was fun. At the end we sprinted to the top of the hill where the cabin was. My dad and I were neck and neck, man he's fast, I just couldn't shake him. It was so fun to see people I hadn't seen for a very long time and introduce them to my little family. I can't wait until our next!

This is my sweet, sweet grandma (on the right) with her sisters, Wilma and Alice. They were a HOOT!

To Be Continued (just a couple months to go:o))......

We're going Red! (At least in the kitchen)

2009-02-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

About a month ago we decided to Go Red in our kitchen. I've always loved red kitchens, but was too afraid to do it. So, when Tol and I were discussing redecorating our house we decided to be bold and just go for it! I am so glad we did. We love it!!

I didn't take a before picture. So, I had to search my photos and find a picture that had our kitchen in it. This was taken a couple of years ago after Taylor, Brayden, and TJ built an amzing marble maze out of toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and duct tape. As you can see we had a very cheery bright kitchen!

First things first: Gotta cover up that green with a gray primer. Parker was in charge of the behind the stove area. He could have at it back there. He loved it!!

I left the room for a minute and next thing I knew Brayden had climbed up on the counter and was painting away. (Did I mention he had a full leg cast on!) That lasted as long as it took for me to take a picture, then, he was kindly escorted to the couch. :)

Taylor loves to paint and he is really good at it. He was a huge help one week later when I decided to surprise Tol by painting the living room and family room while he was at work.

- Thanks, Taylor, couldn't have done it without you!

Yes, even Tol grabbed a roller and painted away. It was so fun to do this project as a family!

Who needs a ladder when you've got a fridge! :)

With the gray primer we only had to paint 2 coats of red. Yay!! Great tip from the Home Depot paint man!!!

Anyone that has been to my house knows about my Dinner Choices sign. I had to keep that, then add a couple more.

And here it is!!!

Ice Skating

2009-02-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

One of the things Taylor and Brayden wanted to do during Christmas break was go to Ice World and try out ice skating. Tol was happy to stay home with Parker and I was excited to take the boys. So off we went!

There were a few falls, actually a lot of falls when we first hit the ice.

But, then they got the hang of it.

Brayden was not afraid off anything. He was rippin' it up on the ice!

We were having so much fun! Before we knew it, it was time to go. They begged to go around one more time. I said, "Sure! Meet me at the gate."

Next thing I knew Brayden was screaming as he crawled out of the gate. I carried him to the car, rushed home, called the doctor, and Tol took him to get x-rayed. Our fun adventure ended with Brayden crawling out of the rink with a spiral break to his leg. Same leg he broke last year!

He says he will never skate again. We'll see!

Christmas

2009-02-15T16:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is the best! I love Christmas morning. Waking up to the magic... Santa's plate of cookies and cup of milk gone except for a few crumbs, new gifts left by the jolly old man, the excitement of giving and receiving, and kids!!! Kids make the magic. The look on their face when they first walk in from a restless night sleep is priceless and makes all the hard work and preparation so worth it!

Our kids are so excited to give their gifts that they have made at school. Here Tol is with our newest ornament made by Brayden.

The big gift from Mom and Dad was Outdoor Challenge for the Wii!

Brotherly love, I love it!

Tol is sporting his new "Big" towel for the gym.

Outdoor Challenge is so much fun and you can really work up a sweat!

While Tol, Taylor, and Brayden tried out the new Wii game Parker and Mom checked out the tabletop air hockey.

The big guy even brought Zoey a new shirt and jacket! She's stylin'!

Candy Trains

2009-02-06T14:28:00.001-08:00

Our family loves traditions! One of our traditions at Christmas is to take the leftover candy from Halloween and make candy trains. The kids love this and I love that it tends to cut down on the candy consumption at Halloween.

Brayden is frosting up a candy bar to add to his masterpiece. Yum!!!

As we create we may nibble on a candybar or two!

It's mine....all mine....hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

The finished products are scrumptious looking. But they are not eaten, only admired by those that visit our home during the Christmas season.

Take notice, Parker did not make it into any of the photos. He fell asleep right after dinner that night and slept right through all the fun... bummer!

Trip to San Diego

2009-02-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

Tol and I went to San Diego one week before Christmas. He had a Athletic Director Conference he had to attend and I tagged along.

My brother lives there. So we met up with him and headed for Old Town for some authentic Mexican food.

Since Tol was in conferences most of the day on Sunday I called up Craig and we went to the Midway Museum.

This is where I really wanted to be... a cruise... someday!

Inside the Midway...

Just outside the Midway there is this amazing statue of a sailor and his girl. It's pretty cool!

Tol and I were excited to get away from the clouds in Boise. But it rained 2 out of the 4 days we were in San Diego!

Isn't it called Sunny California?

Despite the rain, we still had a wonderful time!

12th Anniversary

2009-02-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

November 22, 2008

Tol and I celebrated our 12 years together in Salt Lake City. We were joined with Aaron and Emily Williams, Nathan and Melanie Williams, Paul Rutter, and Julie Rutter. The first night we were there I got sick, sick, sick with the flu...what fun! This is the morning after...still a little pale and not 100%, but I was not going to lay in bed all day!

A Salt Lake trip would not be complete without a trip to Temple Square.

After some shopping and relaxation in the hotel, the real reason for going to Salt Lake...The Coldplay concert!!!

We sat with Paul and Julie on one end and the Williams' clan was on the on the opposite side. The concert was awesome!

We had a great time rockin' out to all the songs! It was a great weekend, minus being sick! :)

When we returned home I surprised Tol with a Bart McCarroll (my brother :)) original... one of Tol's most inspiring sports heroes of all time, Michael Jordan. He displays it proudly in his office. I love surprises, and this one was so great!

Vegas, Baby!

2008-12-03T15:12:00.001-08:00

November 6th I went with my parents and brother, Wade to the city that never sleeps. Here we are in downtown Vegas.

OK, so the title of this post should probably say Henderson, Baby! For that is where we spent our weekend. We did go see the sights and crazy life of Vegas, but just for one afternoon and evening. The reason for going was to support my brother, Craig, as he participated in the toughest triathlon in the world...The Silverman!

Craig on the left and his fellow Marine buddy, Scottie at registration. At this point they were saying to themselves, "We're Marines we can do this, right?"

Wade's saying to himself, "Better you than me!"

They swam 2.4 miles in the cold Lake Mead. When they finished the swim, there were people there called wetsuit strippers. Their job was to strip the wetsuits off the athletes. And, man, they were fast. Craig looks a little nervous because he wasn't wearing anything under his suit! He yelled out, "Don't strip me! I don't have anything on under this!" and quickly made his way to the changing tent.

After a snickers bar they were on their way to the 112 mile bike ride.

After a full day on the bike (about 8 hours!) They were ready to go run the marathon leg of the race... I can't imagine! These guys are crazy! They're saying to themselves now, "What the heck were we thinking?"

The Team Recon cheerleaders...my dad, mom, Wade and me! We did a lot of cheering, sporting our Team Recon t-shirts that Craig had made for us. And a whole lot of waiting and waiting and waiting.

Fueling up at Mile 11...just 15 miles to go! Crazy, I tell ya!

He made it, not crippled and still smiling!

Every time we saw him, Craig had a big smile on his face. This smile looks like a, check mark, I'll never do that again! And at the time that is exactly what he was thinking!

Craig's son, Levi. "My dad rocks! Way to go!"

It was a great weekend. I am such a proud sister. Levi is right. His dad rocks! Love him to pieces!

Typical Night at the Gropp's

2008-12-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

Who can make Mom and Dad laugh the most...

It all starts with one...

Brayden came out of his room dressed as his favorite book character...Captain Underpants! He got a pretty good laugh from Mom, so....

Parker gave it a shot!

"I strong, look at my muscles!"

And it continues through the night...

with a show put on by Big Belly Bill and his trusty sidekick, Big Buns Benny.

It's funny the things kids say, especially 3-year-olds. At the end of the Big Belly Bill and Big Buns Benny show Parker shook his head and said, "The brothers are so funny!" I love how he refers to Taylor and Brayden as "the brothers". Can I just stop time right now, I don't want them to grow up.

Parker and Levi

2008-11-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

Parker's cousin Levi has moved to Boise. Parker loves having him over.

Makin' Cookies.

SUPER HEROES

Tough Guys...."Show me your muscles!!"

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T14:02:00.000-08:00

It's not a Halloween without carving pumpkins. We carved pumpkins the night before Halloween. Taylor and and Brayden did their own.

OK, Dad had to step in a couple of times for the trickier angles.

Are you having fun, boys?

Brayden was very proud of his carving job. Spooky!

And here they are...Tol-Moon and Bat, Taylor-3 Ghosts, Brayden-the Grim Reaper

Parker and I opted for the Mr. Potato Head look. Hey, someone had to bake the pumpkin seeds, clean up, and take photos! :)

The next day...

Halloween!

Mr. Clean and a friendly witch stopped by.

We had my Mom and Dad and brother and his family over for a whole array of spooky food, like; Peter Pumpkin Eater Pie (pizza), Bones and Blood dip (breadsticks and pizza sauce), Snake eggs (grapes), Ghoulish Greens (green salad) w/ frog juice (ranch dressing dyed green), Monster Brains (guacamole), Eyeballs (mini donuts to look like eyeballs), and a witch's brew!

Tol had to work at a Timberline Football game that night, but he took a quick minute to take a quick family photo. I took the boys out trick or treating while the witch and Mr. Clean handed candy out. I told Mr. Clean he could practice what he's good at and clean up my house while he was there...he said he was retired! It was worth a shot. We finished our night sorting candy while watching, "Monster House".

Emmett Triathlon 2008

2008-08-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Tol participated in his 2nd Triathlon on Saturday with his friends, Paul Rutter, Nathan Williams, and Alec Arhets.

Pre-Race at Black Canyon Dam

Alec and Tol about to swim.

Transition from Swim to Bike

Parker sleeping on the bridge..."where is dad?"

Tol at the Finish Line

Post Race

Tol Placed 2nd in his age division.

Let's Go Home!

TWIN FALLS TEMPLE

2008-08-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

We spent the day in Twin Falls to attend the temple open house. It was beautiful!

While we toured the baptismal font of the temple, Taylor leaned over to Brayden and said "This must be Heavenly Father's hot tub".

Tol and Nikki

Tol, Taylor, Brayden, and Parker

Cheerful Boys

"Shoshone Falls"

The boys loved viewing the powerful waterfalls!

Camping in Cascade with the Gropp Gang

2008-07-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Meet the two that started this crazy group...

Les and Sherry Gropp

(nice headband, Dad. Sweet tube socks, Mom. You guys rock!!)

Freshest sushi you'll ever find! Go for it, Brayden!

Scott and Amanda with a 1/2 dozen or so kids. Super Joe on the knee board! Tol showing off to the ladies on the beach.

Guess Parker wasn't too impressed.

Taylor and Brayden lived in the water from sun-up to sun-down.

Hangin' in the water...

Hangin' on the beach...

Building sand castles...

Hangin' in the sun with great company...paradise.

Something we learned on our excursion: Adults should, at all times, be in charge of the roasting forks at the campfire. Poor Jordan...after roasting marshmallows the darn roasting fork flipped back and branded him! It was so dark, we didn't know if it left marks or not. He was just screaming that it burned. So, Geri to the rescue...Silver was sprayed on his face to stop the burning. The next morning this is what he woke up looking like. Luckily no bad burns. He was such a good sport!

Overall, it was a really fun camping trip. Lots of laughs, sharing of memories, making new memories, and lots of dirt...glad we were next to water.

King for the Day!

2008-06-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Dad. Happy Birthday to you...

We celebrated Tol's birthday in Royal style. Here are the 3 silly jesters. They practiced their tricks, jokes, and story-telling all day to make this a special birthday for Dad.

The goal: Make Dad feel like "the man" on his big day!

The plan: Give Dad the Royal treatment. King for the day...or at least a few minutes.

Jobs: Mom: the Royal cook, Taylor: head jester in charge of magic tricks, Brayden: jester in charge of incredibly funny jokes (at least for a 2nd grader), Parker: jester in charge of stunts and funny faces.

As Tol walked in the door from work he was kindly escorted to the Royal Quarters and the "Royal" robe and crown were placed upon him by the jesters. From there the king was escorted to his throne in the backyard and served a fresh strawberry lemonade and given his favorite book to read while dinner was prepared.

Side note about preparation of dinner: As the Royal cook was grilling the dinner (steak and shrimp kabobs) she had a little trouble. At one point she was in tears because the smoke was so bad, billowing all around her, it was burning her eyes. The King asked, "Are you alright over there. Do you need some help?" The cook was determined to do this without his help and looked over with mascara running down her face and said, "No way, I've got it handled. Relax, enjoy your entertainment." Little did she know the best entertainment of the night was watching her stumble through using the grill! It was quite entertaining for the jesters, also.

Finally, after 2 lemonade refills dinner was ready. Despite the mishaps at the grill the food was great! Steak and shrimp kabobs, green salad, homemade rolls, rice and corn on the cob...Yummy!! For dessert, what else but raspberry cream pie...Tol's favorite!

It was a fun evening and even in my red, fuzzy robe...I think he felt like "the man" on his birthday!

Brayden's 7th Birthday

2008-06-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Brayden woke up to his "Birthday Couch". Some of his favorite treats and a few gifts were the first things he woke up to on his big day! This is going to be a great day!

Camping was the theme for the day. To go along his theme for his birthday, Mom made a giant smores cake! Look at all that gooey chocolate and marshmallow...yummmmmm!

We invited family over to celebrate. Brayden wore the traditional birthday hat while he opened his presents.

No campout is complete without a campfire and marshmallows! Parker also performed a little hoe-down dance for entertainment.

The night ended with Taylor, Brayden, and TJ sleeping out in the backyard in the tent.

Camping Birthday - success!

COLORADO TRIP

2008-05-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to LaJara Colorado this past May, home of Nikki's dad. Her grandma, Uncle Mark, and Uncle Dave still live there. We stayed at her Uncle Mark's house and the boys had a great time riding horses, shooting guns, feeding the chickens, learning to rope, riding the tractor, and visiting family. We were able to see where "papa" went to school, the house he grew up in, and the farm he worked on. We attended church and met some of his old friends. It was a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

Brayden and Parker riding on "Sugar" and Taylor riding on "Heaven". Nikki did not really like being on the horses.

Brayden and Parker shooting guns with Uncle Mark. Taylor and Parker feeding the Lamb. Brayden holding "Sean" the footless Rooster.

Brayden learning to rope and Uncle Mark driving the tractor. The boys in front of Papa's school.

We stopped at Treasure Falls on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass.

We stopped at Four Corners....Nikki in Utah, Brayden in Colorado, Taylor in New Mexico, and Parker in Arizona.

The boys grew "bug eyes" from watching too many movies in the car!!

TAYLOR'S 9TH "MAGICAL" BIRTHDAY

2008-05-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

Taylor's birthday began with the "birthday couch". He woke up to all of his favorite things and a few gifts sitting on the couch.

We then took him to IHOP for breakfast

And at his party he was given a Magic Hat Cake

Of course for entertainment, Taylor provided a "magic show".

He did some tricks that many of the guests couldn't figure out. For example, he asked each of us to write a word on a piece of paper. All 8 of us did. He then held the piece of paper to his forehead without reading it and repeated the word. He was right on every one!! He is a true magician.

Happy Birthday Taylor!!

PARKER

2008-04-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

Parker thought it would be so much fun skating, but.....

He hated wearing the gear!

T-BALL 2008

2008-04-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Brayden played his first t-ball game of the year.

Coach Chip Schultz giving pre-game instructions

Parker and Brayden on the bench

Brayden playing second base

Brayden plays with such determination...look at him getting ready to hit the ball off the tee!

"Hey Catcher"

THS Fun Run

2008-04-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

We participated in the 3rd Annual THS FunRun at Timberline High School. Parker ran the first few yards of the 1 miler with Taylor and Brayden. They had a great time. Nikki and I ran in the 5K Race. The family had fun supporting Timberline Athletics. Results are at the following website: www.wolvesathletics.com/booster/boosterHome.jsp

Parker, Tol, and Brayden at the Finish Line

PARKER'S THIRD BIRTHDAY

2008-04-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Parker's Third Birthday lasted all week long. A party at the McCarroll home with every attendant wearing a spidey t-shirt. A party at home, and a combined Matthew and Parker birthday party at Scott and Geri's.

Relay Race in the Backyard

Bart and Dick

Brandie and Brynlee

Tol and Nikki decked in spidey shirts.

Parkers Cake

Favorite Cousins!! Matthew and Parker were born on the same day

Parkers Birthday Couch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER

Merry Christmas 2007

2008-01-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

Parker, Taylor, and Brayden made out like bandits.

AND we welcomed the addition of our first daughter....ZOEY!

AD Conference in Nashville Tennessee

2007-12-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

Gaylord Opryland Hotel and The Country Music Hall of Fame

Tol attended the AD conference at the Nashville Convention Center. Nikki came along for the ride. The hotel had EVERYTHING indoors! Waterfalls, restaurants, the convention center, flower gardens, shopping, a boat ride. Simply amazing. We also ventured to downtown Nashville and visited the Country Music Hall of Fame. I caught Nikki....

Kissing the man!

She later made up for it by kissing the Real Man!!!

11th Wedding Anniversary

2007-12-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

THE PLAN:

Tol and I switch off years on planning how we will spend our Anniversary.

This year it was my turn.

So here was the plan to show Tol how much I appreciate and love him.

I found out the night we would be celebrating our anniversary was the same night BSU would be playing Hawaii. So I made reservations for The Anniversary Inn. I found the perfect room...The Sports Central Room. It looked like a dream room for an athletic director or any sports fan...A 60" TV surrounded with seven 27" TVs, fooseball, recliners, a putting green, unlimited popcorn, soda, chips, and peanuts! It would be a perfect surprise! Tol would have no clue he would get to watch football on his anniversary with his most favorite person in the world.:) I was so excited I could hardly wait!

2 Weeks Later:

It is finally here! I love surprises! I dropped the kids off at Gammy and Pappy's and went down to check in to the Anniversary Inn. It took me about 40 minutes to figure out the 8 TVs! But I got it! I wanted the pre-game to be on when Tol walked into the room. I rushed home and picked up my hot date. Blind-folded he followed me to the car and we were on our way!

TOL'S REACTION:

I was picked up by my wife thinking we were going out to dinner at a fancy restaurant (she had told me to wear a shirt and tie). As you can see, she blindfolded me! We drove off for our destination. She stopped to pick up some food and a few minutes later she asked me to take off the blindfold...SURPRISE!!! We had parked at the Anniversary Inn! Wow, what a nice surprise. I still did not know her full plan.

ANNIVERSARY INN:

As we walked in, she led me down the hall to room #22 (our anniversary was on November 22nd). She opened the door to a foosball table, 8 TV's, a putting green, and SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS! She then explained that we were watching the Hawaii - BSU football game! Wow, never had I expected to be doing this! I was amazed at my beautiful wife and her extreme love.

She had brought Pizza from Papa Joe's (oh soooo good). AND she had made me a blueberry cream pie for dessert, my favorite! We had such a good time cheering on the Broncos and spending the evening together.

THE EVENING:

During the game, we looked out the window to see an entire family of raccoons and a fox. Our own little view of nature in the middle of town! After the game (The Broncos Lost), we stayed up until 3:00 am playing games, watching movies, and celebrating 11 years of happy marriage.

THE NEXT DAY:

We slept in the next morning and enjoyed the room as long as we could. Breakfast was served in the room. Last year we went to Ceramica and painted a fruit bowl together. We had so much fun we wanted to make it a tradition. We spent the afternoon at "Artist for a Day" working on our family cup.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-27T12:23:00.001-08:00

"Parker! Parker!"..."Tol, have you seen Parker?" "Boys, have you seen Parker?" "Did he already get in the car?"
"Maybe?"..."He's not there!" "Parker!"
In a frantic I finally found him taking a little snooze, of all places, under his bed!

Call me crazy, but I love the night before prep, visiting with family while preparing more food Thanksgiving day, and the chaos of a big family!

Here we are out in Nampa at Scott and Geri's for our big family feast...

what noise, what laughs, what chaos...

what fun!!

There was a meer 33 of us in all. There were so many we had to take two different photos to assure everyone would be seen!
Note: Parker and Matthew sitting on the floor are exactly the same age, born only a few hours apart! I love watching them play together, they're good buddies!
You can imagine how much my boys love the holidays when they get to see all their cousins...they love every minute of it!

Tol and I are so grateful for family, good friends-old and new, 3 awesome boys, 11 years of marriage bliss:)(ok maybe not every moment has been blissful, but pretty close),
and BSU football (Tol had to throw that in:))

And now Christmas is just around the corner!! Can't wait, I love this time of year!!

In The Kitchen With Santa

2007-11-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

"Are you ready for this, Nik?" "Heck yeah! Bring it on!"

We met Wayne (aka Santa look-a-like) when we went to Seattle in August.

We hit it off from the get go!

A little bit about our friend Wayne Gnomes; A Hawaiian native, married to Kathy, really truly gets mistaken for Santa Claus, very intelligent, a really big guy with an even bigger heart, and an awesome cook!

He promised me in Seattle that next time he was in Boise (which is quite often) he would teach Lisa and me some of his secret recipes and show us how easy cooking really can be.

Wayne, very patiently, giving me tips on how to make

yummy pan fried noodles with pork and veggies.

Viola! Pan fried noodles...and so easy to make. And they were so-o-o-o-o good!

Onto sushi rolls! Tol and Hannah in deep concentration,

you know how competitive Tol can be! Who will be named best Su chef?

Hailey jumped in on the fun, too! And if I remember right she had expert looking rolls!

Hailey taking her victory lap with a few attachments. :)

Thanks, Wayne! See ya next time!

"Zeitgeist Half Marathon"

2007-11-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

Nathan Williams, Alec Arhets, and I ran in the "Zeitgeist" half-marathon today. The race started at the optimist football fields on Hill Road, climbed up the hill past Seamans Gulch and through Hidden Springs, down cartwright road back to Hill Road and the finish line (same as the start). We had plenty of concerns coming into the race (will we be able to run the whole thing, will our ailments prevail over us, and will the numerous hills do us in?). We were able to finish under 2 hours, never needing to walk, and Nathan and I ran together for the entire race. My knee began to hurt after mile 1, but not terribly...by mile 11 my leg numbed past pain so I could finish the last two miles.

Results below...

http://results.racecenter.com/2007/zhm07.htm#overall

Halloween 2007

2007-10-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

The boys carved their own pumpkins this year!

Tol did a wolf, Taylor did "Happy Hal" and Brayden carved "Patty Melt"

Brayden, Parker, and Taylor

"Trunk or Treat"

2007-10-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Nikki dressed up the boys and herself for trunk or treat on Saturday night. Brayden is a dead fireman, Taylor is a vampire, and Parker is Winnie the Pooh. Nikki stepped out character to play "A witch", and all I could do is throw on the basketball head!

Brayden is spooky creepy!

"The Pumpkin Patch Field Trip"

2007-10-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Brayden's class took a field trip to "The Maze" in Meridian today and Tol had the opportunity to go with him. Brayden hobbled around in cold weather to each part of the day. We started with an "old macdonald" song, rode the pedal carts...
...played in the "corn box"...
...walked through the "pirate ship" corn maze.
...ate lunch together...

...picked out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch...

...took a hay ride, and had a great time with Brayden's class.

BARBER TO BOISE RACE

2007-10-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Barber to Boise Race took place this Saturday. Nikki and Brandie ran the 5k race starting at Albertsons Corp. on Parkcenter and ending at Ann Morrison Park. Nathan and Tol ran from Barber Park to Ann Morrison Park for the 10k race.

Nathan and I were able to stay together the entire time, finishing one second apart. We started the race with the idea that we would go "slow", but the competitive nature in us kept urging us forward to pass the next runner. In the end, we were passed only once by a man in a "Tighty Whitey" shirt. We kept our eye on him and passed him up with our final sprint to the finish line.

Brayden "breaks a leg"

2007-10-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Nikki and I finally experienced what it's like to have a child with a broken bone.

On Tuesday at about 2:00 I got a call from Nikki saying that Brayden fell down at recess and had been in the Nurses office for the past hour complaining about his ankle. I went to pick him up and brought him to Timberline to have Fitz take a look. We saw no swelling and Brayden did not complain to his pokes and prods. We concluded that he must have a sprain since he would not even attempt to stand on it. (I carried him everywhere). Any bump to his right leg brought crying and tears.

Brayden laid on the couch at Timberline while I worked the Volleyball game until Nikki could pick him up at about 6:00. He slept in our bed without any complaints all night long, but in the morning - any touch or movement caused him to cry once again. Off to the doctor for x-rays.

The poor guy had a spiral break in his right tibia and miraculously did not break his fibula. Apparently in an adult that's not possible, but for a child - the bones are still soft enough.

We made an appointment to get a cast and Brayden thought he was cured to the point of asking the doctor "can I walk out of here?" The doctor said he could try, so he hopped off the doctor's table to instant pain. Needless to say, we still carry him, but he has learned how to "scoot" around the house (picture below) and has tried to take a few steps. He's gotten to be rather fast. He has had a number of friends and family sign his cast as well. Brayden appreciates all of your concerns.

Parker sleeps in the "Big Bed" for the 1st Time

2007-09-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, we realized that Parker's pack and play was too small for him to sleep in any longer, we attempted to put him in Brayden's bed and move Brayden to the top bunk, but he wanted to stay in his little crib. We finally packed it up so it was no longer an option and laid him in his own bed for the first time.

THe Very Hungry Catepillar

2007-09-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

Reading "The Very Hungry Catepillar" to the kids gave me an idea for snack time...Catepillar Kabobs!!
Payton, Parker, Nicole, and Julia twisted and turned wire into the shape of a catepillar. Fruit was added with 2 raisins for eyes.
Voila...Catepillar Kabobs!

"Are you sure I can eat this, Mom?"

Roasting marshmallows in the backyard

2007-09-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

While Brayden was off camping with Grandma and Grandpa Dilly...we roasted marshmallows in the backyard with our new firebowl. IT WAS SO FUN!!!

Tol can't keep his eyes open for the camera.

Training Parker with the roaster.

A little closer babe.
mmm, that's good!

Tol's a little excited about that marshmallow.

Don't fall in Parker!

We finished off the night looking up at the stars on the trampoline!

Peek-a-Boo Parker

Come on Parker - come out from under the covers!

1st Day of School

2007-08-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Taylor and Brayden began their first day of the 07-08 school year at Trail Wind Elementary today.

The first day of school is always bittersweet. I'm excited for the boys to start a new year but a little sad to see my babies grow up so fast.

Taylor starts the third grade with Mrs. Bushee and Brayden begins the 1st grade with Mrs. Sly.

Emmett's Most Excellent Triathlon

2007-08-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Tol participated in his first "sprint" triathlon on Saturday August 11, 2007 in Emmett Idaho with his good friend Nathan Williams. They were able to finish the race together placing 25th and 26th overall (out of 121) (Results) and 4th and 5th in their age group...not too bad for a couple of first timers! The Boys made signs to cheer Dad on!

"Thumbs up on the signs".

Nathan coming in on the bike.

Tol and Nathan at the Finish!

Sleepless in Seattle

2007-08-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Seattle! August 3rd-5th.

Nikki and I at the Mariners-Red Sox Game - Safeco Field with friends Lisa and Brian.

Brian and Tol outside Qwest Field
Revisiting the same park bench in Pioneer Square from 11 years ago. (see below)

(May 1996)