Summers Summary

2009-12-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Summers' Family!

During this Christmas Season, we would like to wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas. We are so grateful for the blessing we have been given through the life, teachings, and atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is such a wonderful time that we can focus on His teachings and example.

We will be thinking about all of you and how blessed we are to have great friends and family this Christmas. Have a wonderful Christmas!

Halloween Outings

2009-11-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

The kids are in their rooms organizing, reorganizing, and categorizing their Halloween candy this morning. What else is there to do with it when it's FAST SUNDAY! (Ha! Ha! Ha! I just have to laugh at them!)

Here are pictures of the fun festivities.

Sophie was a very warm "Snow White." She didn't want to wear the warm clothes underneath, but I think she ended up "thanking" us in the long run. Last week when someone had asked her what she was going to be, she said, "a butterfly." When I informed her she didn't have a butterfly costume, she exclaimed matter-of-factly, "Well just go to the store and buy one, Mom!"

Ben was Burger King. . .Rachel was a vet/doctor. . .
Steven was a "stick man". . .(Thanks for the idea, Cherilyn!)Here are the pumpkins. Steven made Mario--all by himself! And Rachel carved out the moon and stars.Sophie made a Kitty Cat and Ben designed and carved his wide-eyed/mouth pumpkin.Here are the costumes Steve and I wore (as a cardinal/pope and Sarah Palin) to our friends' Halloween party Friday night.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

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Ringling Bros. Circus

2009-09-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

For our last hurrah before school starts this week, we took the kids to the Ringling Bros. Circus. The long circus train has been "parked" along A St. in Auburn all week, so every time we would drive by, the kids would all ask if we were going. So when a friend mentioned there was a 50% off coupon in our Entertainment book, we bought tickets!
Because Sophie has been reading "Olivia Saves the Circus" where Olivia, the pig, uses her imagination as she tells her class that she was in the circus when all of the performers were out with ear infections, she thought she would actually be in the circus. (She said Mommy was going to be the tight-rope walker and Daddy was going to tame the lions.) All weekend long she continually asked, "We're going to the circus, now?!?" (and threw fits when we told her "no.")
There was a meet and greet before the actual show where the kids could dress like clowns, meet the performers and learn about the baby elephant. Sophie and Rachel had fun being clowns.
Steven spent most of the time looking around to make sure none of his buddies saw him there. He wasn't too successful as one cute girl came up and said, "Hi, Steven!"
Ben's wearing the hat that came with the $12 cotton candy. The theme of the circus was "Zing, Zang, Zoom!" and incorporated a magic show with the circus. They "turned" one of the clowns into a tiger.
Sophie didn't like all of the noise at the beginning. She had more fun as the show went on. She especially enjoyed the dancing zebras!
Steve and I were really impressed with the 11 elephants and 12 tigers! That's more than we ever see at the zoo.

What a fun way to end a great summer! We're spending today getting ready for school tomorrow. . .we all slept in a little for one last time! 6:00 am is going to come early tomorrow! :(

Summers' Summer 2009

2009-08-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

So, since we've joined Facebook, we've been neglecting our blog. But we thought we'd catch up on a few things we've done this summer. . .

Trip to Idaho/Montana
We took the kids out of school a day early to drive to Idaho and Montana so Steven and his friend, Zac, could attend Cedar Badge, a leadership camp for Boy Scouts, up in the Tetons. While the boys were at camp, we spent time hanging out in Drummond with Tammy's parents. When the camp was over, we all drove down to pick them up and spent some time with Steve's family.

The boys got to experience a taste of rural life by "goin' shootin" (as we say it in Montana) in Grandpa's back yard. We also got to enjoy Grandpa's bbq dinners. . . and Grandma's Abelskivers! Sophie got spoiled playing princesses with Grandma Lacey. Some of the Lacey's neighbors have several farm animals, so the kids had a fun time petting the animals and riding horses.The kids got a kick out of going to Drummond High School where Tammy showed them where she went to school. This hallway is the ENTIRE high school. (Well the hallway that leads to the 8 classrooms, anyway. . .)
We also visited Garnet, an old ghost town near Drummond. The kids had fun exploring the old buildings that still contain some antiques.At the Packer's Sophie had fun playing with all the babies. Steve's sisters both have infants, so Sophie was a "big kid!" She also loved playing with the kitties.

Rachel had a fun time hanging out with her cousin, Mackayla.

Ben and Rachel were supposed to go camping with Steve's sister, Jeni, but when they got all set up at the camp, it started pouring, so they bundled up the wet tents and brought them home. Luckily, Jeni and Nolan have a large living room, so they were able to "go camping" anyway!!!

Tennis Lessons

The night we got back from our trip, we ran into a friend who told us her son was participating in a tennis camp starting the next day. Because tennis is Steve's passion, we couldn't resist signing Steven, Ben, and Rachel up for tennis camp, too. (It doesn't hurt that Ben's two best friends were in the camp with him!!!) They played Tuesday-Friday throughout July and it ended with a tournament with all the surrounding tennis camp teams. They did a great job!!!

Scout Camps
Steven didn't get enough camping at Cedar Badge, so the week after we got back, he headed off to Scout Camp at Camp Pigott. He earned 5 merit badges, so it was a successful camp. Because there weren't many other adults who were able to go with the boys, Steve got to spend the week camping, too. He had a great time with the boys! We really have a good group of deacons right now!

Now that Ben's 11, he got to go on his first overnight camp out, too. Again, Steve got to spend some quality "bonding" time as he camped out with them. The bummer of the trip was when they found out there was a burn ban and couldn't have a campfire to cook their foil dinners and roast marshmallows, etc. Luckily, Bishop Hatch was able to save the day by bringing up a propane stove to cook the dinners!

Day Trips
We've taken a few day trips this summer. As we were experiencing the record-breaking Seattle heat wave, we thought we'd escape the heat by going up to the Ice Caves near Granite Falls. It was so fun playing in the snow in the hot weather. Even Leia, our dog, had a fun time.

We also had fun attending the 4th of July festivities in Auburn. The kids climbed walls, rode horses and played with animals.

Another highlight was going to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. The kids had fun seeing and playing with the animals.

Summer Projects
One of our summer "projects" has been to potty train Sophie. She's starting to get the hang of it. She even went all by herself at the YMCA the other day. We're looking forward to the day when our garage doesn't stink and when we no longer have to carry diapers with us!

Ben's summer projects have been organizing his Pokemon card collection, learning to play trombone (Last year in school, he played trumpet, but he wants to take after his dad and brother and play trombone.) He's also learning how to sew. (Don't you love his swimming attire--he multi-tasks!) He's almost finished making his PJ's.

Music Camp
Last week, Steven participated in a week-long music/band camp in Auburn. He loves playing trombone, so he was thrilled to be able to play all week. On Friday night he played in a concert. (The pictures didn't turn out, though.)

Family Reunion
Last week we drove 51/2 hours to Osoyoos, BC, Canada to attend Steve's mom's family reunion. With the exception of one cousin, all of Steve's grandparents' family attended. Although it was a little chilly (especially after all of our hot Seattle weather) we had a fun time. The kids played in the water and spent time catching up with cousins. The adults sat around and ate! (Actually, we had fun playing in the water, too. ) We rented a boat for a couple of hours so the kids could ride on an innertube and wakeboard. The hotel we stayed at had free rentals of kayaks and canoes, so we took advantage of those, too!
The kids don't go back to school for 3 1/2 more weeks, so we still have lots of time to have more fun!!! Give us a call if you want to come play!

Rachel's Milestones

2009-05-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

This was a fun and exciting day in Rachel's life! Today she was baptized and confirmed by her dad. We had a wonderful day. Before and after the baptism, Rachel wore a dress that Grandma Packer had made for her. She was so beautiful! She looked like a princess.

Here is the front view:And the back is just as beautiful (the picture just doesn't do it justice!):Here are Grandma and Grandpa Packer with the kids before the baptism. Sophie's been keeping Grandma and Grandpa busy! She keeps insisting that they play hide and seek with her and jump on the "tram-a-boing" with her.
Rachel wore a vintage baptism dress that my mom had made for me when I was baptized over 30 years ago.
Here I am on my baptism day in the same dress:
Here's Rachel with her proud papa!
The baptismal service was beautiful. There were two other girls baptized, too. Rachel was so excited to be baptized. She wasn't even a little bit nervous to go into the water like I was when I was baptized! She said the water was warm, but the air outside of the font was freezing! She was very grateful for the warm, cozy special "baptism towel" Grandma Lacey had sent to her. Rachel said she felt really good inside the whole day.

After the baptism, we had a little party at our house with all of the people who had attended the baptism. We had all of Rachel's favorite foods--no-bake cookies, brownies, a fruit platter, cream puffs, pound cake with strawberries, as well as Mom and Dad's favorite--"cowboy caviar" salsa and chips.
Here is Rachel (she changed her dress so she could eat!) with a few of her friends:
Rachel, we love you and are so proud of you!

Rachel's Ears Pierced

2009-04-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, we fulfilled a birthday promise for Rachel as I took her to the mall to get her ears pierced. She has been waiting patiently as we told her that she had to wait until she was 8. She was so brave! (It only took me 37 years to get up the nerve to get mine pierced!)

Here's the before picture:Here is the actual piercing. (Notice she doesn't even flinch!)

And after!

From Easter Bunnies to Birthday Parties

2009-04-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

April's been a busy month! Last weekend we celebrated Easter. It was especially fun this year because Sophie was so excited. She's been practicing all month for the annual egg hunt by hiding plastic eggs around the house and finding them. I have a feeling I'll be finding them for months!

Sophie and Rachel with the Easter Bunny:
Rachel finding eggs in the woods.
Ben anxiously awaiting his turn!
Later that day, we went to watch Steven play in a water polo match. (He's #19--it's hard to take pictures of water polo!) He played in a week-long water polo clinic during spring break. He had a lot of fun and came home exhausted every day!!!
When we came home from water polo, we colored Easter eggs. Sophie had so much fun plopping the eggs in the water.
Rachel made fancy designs with hers. The kids' favorite part was eating them!

The highlight of this last week was having Aunt Shannon and her friend, Kristen, come visit us during Shannon's spring break. We had fun going to Pike's Place Market and eating fish at Ivar's and feeding the seagulls.
Sophie had fun playing on the "tramp-a-boing" with Shannon. Shannon and Kristen also spent lots of time playing hide and seek with Sophie. She's sad to see them go.
Friday was Rachel's 8th birthday, so we made cupcakes. Sophie had fun licking the beater.
Rachel requested waffles for her special breakfast in bed. Later that day, Steve and I brought her favorite lunch, Subway sandwich, to her at school.
Rachel had requested new bedding for her birthday, claiming that she's "too old for Disney princesses." While she was at school, Shannon and I gave her room a mini makeover. We had to remove the decals from her wall. Shannon and Kristen made a wall hanging with her name on it. Here's the before picture:
And after:
She was thrilled!

That night we had a sleepover birthday party for Rachel. She was bummed that I limited the number of girls she invited this year since it was a "sleepover." (So if your child wasn't invited, I'm really sorry!!!) We made Shrinky Dinks jewelry and stained glass butterflies. The girls had fun playing games and just being really loud! Here is Rachel with her sleepover girls birthday cupcakes she requested from a cupcake book Grandma Lacey had given her for Christmas.

I don't want to post pictures of other people's children at the party, but here's Sophie joining in on the fun of watching the movie, Bolt, with the other girls. Surprisingly, the girls actually went to sleep for their sleepover! Much different from the boys parties in the past!!!
I left the party in the hands of Shannon for a little bit while I sneaked out to Ben's Cub Scout Pack Meeting where he was awarded his Webelos Advancement. Next month he should earn his Arrow of Light. We're so proud of all the hard work and are so thankful for Tara Hatch, Lily Casey, and Wanda Orton, his past Cub Scout Webelos leaders for helping him every week!!!Saturday, we took Shannon on one of our favorite hikes--Boise Creek Falls. On our hike, there were people riding horses. They let Sophie pet one of them.
Shannon took our picture. Notice how TALL Steven's getting! (Oh, wait--he's standing on his toes. . . but he is getting tall!)
We even took Leia along for some fun. She was in little dog heaven.
The kids had fun skipping rocks in a little lake up there.
I had to take a picture of Steven. He got contact lenses two weeks ago and is very excited to be able to enjoy the outdoors without the hassle of glasses. He's in track right now, so he's especially enjoying running without glasses!
Thanks for the fun visit, Aunt Shannon and Happy Spring to everyone!

San Diego---Day 4 & LA--Day5

2009-03-07T16:18:00.001-08:00

The most beautiful day we were in California was Thursday, the day we went to San Diego. On the way to Sea World, we stopped at the temple for a family photo-op.

We were prepared for water at Sea World. The kids wanted to sit in the soak zones for all of the shows we went to. Although they sat pretty close, we didn't get too wet! (I was thankful, but the kids were bummed.) Rachel, however, got really wet and really uncomfortable on the river raft ride.

The kids had fun hibernating like polar bears:Sophie loved the Beluga Whales (maybe because we have them at "our" zoo here?) She loved all of the fish/whales! Now whenever we read stories or sea pictures with dolphins or whales, she says, "I saw that at Sea World!"
At the end of the day, as the park was closing, Sophie insisted on riding the "tea cups." We knew we'd have a melt down all the way back to Anaheim if we didn't indulge her. So, Steve, the great dad that he is, went on the tea cups with all the kids. Thanks, Steve! (You can't really see her face, but Sophie was VERY happy!)On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at Mission Beach at sundown. We found Luigi's Pizzeria and at some yummy pizza! They claim to be home of the 30" pizza. The boys insisted they were hungry, but we weren't that hungry!The next day, we got up early and checked out of our hotel. We had some time to kill before our plane left, so we drove to Hollywood. Duh! We went on the Friday before Oscars, so everything was blocked off. I wish we'd spent our time somewhere else! It was definitely not the highlight of the trip!

Next, we drove by Grandpa and Grandma Andrew's house. It was so sad to see it renovated. It just wasn't the same as I remembered it. But it was fun seeing the MarVista chapel and seeing Colonial Drive. It was fun pointing out to the kids that as a little girl, I used to run up and down the street playing with my cousins. We drove by Venice High where my mom went to school.

Then we went to Venice Beach--the actual beach. The kids had fun playing with shells and chasing birds. We told them they couldn't play in the water because we had a plane to catch! The weather was in the 70's that day which is lots warmer than a Washington Beach in the middle of the summer! This is where Steve and I came for our honeymoon, we we had some romantic reminiscing (as much as you can with 4 kids, anyway!)We finally pulled ourselves away and caught our plane. We're looking forward to going to California again--We figured we'd probably go again in the space of time after Steven gets home from his mission and before Ben leaves. We created lots of fun memories!

California Adventure--Day 3

2009-03-02T16:12:00.001-08:00

Our 3rd day we started at Disneyland because it opened an hour before California Adventure. When the park opened, we made a mad dash to Thunder Mountain. We were able to go a few times without standing in line. (In this picture, we are in the last car where it feels a little more intense than riding in the front. I (Tammy) don't know the physics of it all, but next time, I'm definitely NOT riding in back!) Wednesday we had gorgeous weather!!! We actually felt like we were in California.

At 10:00 a.m. we went to California Adventure. I took Sophie over to Playhouse Disney while the older kids, Steve, and Natalie went on all the wild and crazy rides. Sophie loved seeing the characters from one of her favorite shows, Little Einsteins. (I didn't have the camera with me--so no pictures.)

For lunch, Natalie, Rachel, Sophie, and I went to eat at Ariel's Grotto. This is an interactive lunch where you eat yummy food while 5 of the princesses wander from table to table signing autographs and taking pictures. (If you're planning on going, you need to make reservations up to 60 days in advance.) They gave the girls crowns to decorate with stickers and wear. Doesn't my sister, Natalie, look like Miss America?!?They started out by bringing us appetizers. Sophie's favorite was the cheese sticks that had been cut into little spears. And she loved the watermelon, too!
My favorite part of the lunch was when Sophie kept asking the princesses, especially Snow White, "You want some?" as she held out her fork of macaroni to the princesses.Here's Sophie and Rachel with Sophie's favorite princess, Princess Aurora. My favorite princess was Belle because she was the nicest one. ;) She spent so much time talking to Rachel.
Cinderella was really nice, too!
Sophie's favorite part of the whole experience was the food--especially dessert! It was really yummy--we were hoping she'd let us have hers--but she ate almost every bite! After eating all of the food, we had to go on rides--ugh! Actually we had a lot of fun. I really liked the Tower of Terror. (But it was definitely NOT Ben's favorite ride.) Everyone else like California Screamin'--they'd gone on it while I'd had Sophie at Playhouse Disney. They were excited to see how I'd like it--in the copy of the picture that they automatically take, I look like maybe I'm having fun--I wasn't! :)Sophie had fun in Bug's Life Land. We went to the 4-D Bug's Life Movie which she didn't like so much, but the rest of us did. The movie was a little scary. I just covered her eyes and she was fine.

My favorite ride was Soarin' over California. It's a simulator that makes you feel like you're hang gliding over different scenic areas of California. Natalie knew where to get us seats so we were in the front row in the very center of the screen. It was so much fun!

Another favorite part of the day (no pictures, because we were tired of pictures by then!) was when we went to the tortilla-making factory and the sourdough bread factory where they give out samples. Until now, my kids have refused to eat sourdough bread because they say it's disgusting. . .after eating it at California Adventure, they (especially Ben) now love it! In fact, for dinner, we ate sour dough bread bowls with either chili or clam chowder.

After California Adventure closed, we sent Sophie back to the hotel with Natalie and went on a few last rides in Disneyland. We love Disneyland, but we were talking about all of the other fun things we want to do while our kids are young, and we figured that we probably won't go again until Sophie is Ben or Steven's age. How sad!

Disneyland--Day 2

2009-03-01T17:12:00.001-08:00

In my last entry, I neglected to mention that my sister, Natalie, who lives in San Diego met us at our hotel Monday night. She has an annual pass to Disneyland, so she was our guide, babysitter, sanity-saver, and Fast-pass collector. She also makes the best PBJ sandwiches! Our kids loved them! (And of course, spending time with Aunt Natalie!)

Our second day of Disneyland started out at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. We had bought a 3-day pass that allowed us early-entry on Tuesday, so we got there right as the gates opened and rode Space Mountain--again! Here's our "pose."When we came out, it was pouring, so we pulled out our rain ponchos and headed for It's a Small World. (Steve, Sophie, and Natalie had to go to the store to buy lunch and leather shoes for Rachel since hers were so wet!) As you can see from Ben's picture, we were a little drenched! But we weren't complaining because it kept the crowds away!The next stop was to the Princess Fanfare. This was Sophie's highlight of the day! For weeks, she's been telling everyone she's "going to Disneyland to meet Princess Aurora!" Luckily, Princess Aurora was one of the 3 princesses who was there to greet the little girls that day!Rachel enjoyed chatting with Snow White. . .We met up with our friends, the Carman's and the Kristensen's, who also went to Disneyland that day. We were all able to fit on the Jungle Cruise and we hung out at Toon Town together. Here are Rachel and Amber stuck in the pretend jail.Here is Ben getting shocked at the door that says, "No matter what, do not open this door!" (or something like that!)

We had to get another pose of our family with Pooh Bear. We had one taken 5 years ago . . .And here we are in 2009. . .Steven had fun posing and bouncing with Tigger. . .The boys were jealous when Rachel was the one chosen to participate in the Jedi Training Academy. . .But they made up for it by purchasing their very own custom-made light sabers that make different noises depending on what sound chips you put in them. (Sorry--no picture)

We also had to take a comparison picture of Steven pulling out the sword from the Sword and the Stone. Here is Feb. 2004. . .And here he is in 2009. . .Just one more comparison photo of Rachel from 2004. . .
And in 2009. . .
That night, we went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Mimi's Cafe, which was less than a block from our hotel. It brought back memories of fun friends' lunches we used to have when we lived in Utah! After dinner, we sent Sophie to bed while Aunt Natalie watched her and the rest of us went to Fantasmic, a fantastic water and light show with all of the Disney characters. I had to save our seats for over an hour to get a good spot to see it. (Again, Natalie had told us where to sit to get a good seat.) Steve's favorite part was when the Peter Pan pirate ship came on the river and Captain Hook and Peter Pan are fighting up in the masts. One of my favorite parts was when most of the characters rode by on the steamboat. This picture doesn't even do it justice. I'd highly recommend the wait if you can see it!

The Happiest Place on Earth--Day 1

2009-03-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun on our vacation to Southern California during mid-winter break. The boys had fun playing video games and watching their Zune on the plane. Sophie was excited to ride in the clouds. She kept telling everyone in the airport, "I go to Disneyland to see princesses!" The excitement started with our roller coaster flight. Thank goodness we had the kids with us to say "woo hoo" as the plane went up and down during the last 45 minutes of the flight, or I would have been a little more scared. They were excited! Sophie was starting to look a little "green" as we were landing. I'm glad we landed when we did!

After renting a van, we drove straight to our hotel in Anaheim. We stayed at the Carousel Inn & Suites right across the street from Disneyland. We had to get a suite because we had too many people to stay in one room. We were put in a view suite that looked right into Disneyland! There had been a huge storm that came in that day, so when we went in the gates at 5:00 p.m., they told us they would close at 9:00 p.m. instead of 11:00 and that there weren't going to be any fireworks. Because it was in the 60's and partly sunny, I said, "Oh, come on! It's nice outside!" After all, 60 degrees and partly sunny is June/July weather in Washington!

But it was actually great that the weather wasn't super because we were able to quickly go through the shorter lines! We came prepared with ponchos this year. Last time we went, we got so wet, we had to buy an expensive Disneyland outfit for Rachel (which Sophie wore this time!) We did have to go out and buy leather shoes for Rachel at a nearby store Monday morning because her shoes got soaked! We didn't even think about bringing rain boots!

We separated and I went on the little kiddie rides with Sophie, while Steve explored the more adventuresome rides with the older kids. Sophie loved the Dumbo ride!

The older kids loved riding on the Matterhorn which was my favorite ride as a kid!Rachel was excited to try her racing skills at Autopia! She was a pretty crazy driver. :)

The kids LOVED standing in line. . .Ben even saw one of his classmates in line one day! (Not in this picture.)
Sophie's favorite part that night was the Nemo submarine ride. Since coming home, she has been fascinated with Nemo! It was too dark to take a picture of her in the ride, so here's a picture of her entertaining herself standing in line to get in! She kept climbing up on the poles--one time she almost did a face plant--luckily the lady standing in line behind us caught her before she fell!

6 of 6:tagged by Sunny and Jennifer

2009-02-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

Rules:

1. go to the document/ my pictures site on your computer
2. go to your sixth file
3. go to your sixth picture
4. blog about it
5. tag 6 people

This picture was taken at Boise Falls near Enumclaw, WA July 2005. We were geocaching that day and found some treasures. This was one of the best family times we've ever had. It was so much fun and so beautiful! We need to go back.

I tag:
1-Kristy
2-Shannon
3-Julie H.
4-Cherilyn
5-Nikki
6-Tami

Better Late than Never!

2009-01-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

Because we didn't spend Christmas with family this year, we documented everything with lots of pictures. We meant to post on (or even around) Christmas, but the weeks have slipped by, so for our families' benefit. . .Merry Belated Christmas!

One of our annual traditions is decorating gingerbread houses. The kids had fun decorating their very own houses all by themselves.

Steven's masterpiece

Sophie's Tree

Rachel's detail-oriented house

Ben just wanted to eat his!

Christmas morning began around 7:00 a.m. Rachel had woken up at 2:30 a.m. and I heard her downstairs rustling through the presents. "Santa came and brought me my bike!" she exclaimed.

"Rachel, do you know what time it is?"

"No," she replied.

"It's only 2:30."

"Oh," she replied, "That probably means I have to go back to bed. . ."

"Uh, yeah," I replied.

Ben was excited to know that he was a really good boy this year, so Santa brought him the Kirby video game he really wanted, even though Mom and Dad didn't think he needed more video games! That darned Santa. . .

Here's Steven opening up his Star Wars 3 book encyclopedia. He also got an air-rifle pellet gun--reminded us of our favorite movie, "A Christmas Story" (You'll shoot your eye out!) What the mom should have been saying was, "Make sure you shoot it outside and not in the house or you'll shoot HOLES in the wall!" (They used the gun to shoot targets INSIDE the house upstairs in the playroom under dad's supervision. Mom wasn't too thrilled with the plastic pellets and the mini-pellet holes in the wall--underneath the targets!)

Steven's favorite part of the day was playing outside in all the snow. He made a snow cave.

Sophie was in little-girl heaven with all the new toys and things to do. Here she is playing with a new baby Grandma Lacey gave her. She thought our family tradition of staying in our PJ's all day was "silly." When I gave her the choice of getting her clothes on after her nap, she hopefully said, "No, me want to stay in my pajamas." I said, "OK!" and she giggled incredulously!

Steve saved the best present (in his opinion, anyway) til last. . .Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii. Here's Steven's reaction. . .

We spent the rest of the day rocking out. It was a very Merry Christmas in the Summers house (and a little too loud to take the annual Christmas nap--but lots of fun!!!)

After the aftermath of the presents, we had our annual Christmas breakfast of puff pancakes and sausage. (Steve calls them Popeye pancakes while the kids have named them Sponge Bob pancakes because they look like Sponge Bob.)

Thanks, Summers/Packer and Lacey family members for all of the fun and thoughtful gifts!

Have you ever. . .

2009-01-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

I (Tammy) found this post on my friend, Tami's, blog and thought it was fun. This is to tide you over until we have time to update you on the happenings in the Summers family.

Directions - Bold the ones you've done & post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity --See #67! TS :(
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (We got there in the middle of the night--if that counts! TS)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Except that I (Tammy) still don't have bedroom furniture--but I'm happy enough!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain--(I'm usually too mad because the only time I'm outside in the rain is when we're camping! TS)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or on a TV show
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Had an encounter with a wild animal
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check--(It was a tithing check in college! TS)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Taken a martial arts class

Now it's your turn! I'd love to see it on your blog!

Cancun

2008-12-21T20:52:00.001-08:00

When Steve and I got married 14 years ago, we went the "budget" route when it came to our honeymoon. We didn't have a penny to our name! We used free airline tickets I'd won on the radio to fly to LA where my Grandma Andrew and Uncle Joel and Aunt Mary Lou lived. Grandma paid for us to go to Disneyland, and we stayed in Joel and Mary Lou's "honeymoon suite" in their house. (Thanks for helping us out, Joel and Mary Lou!) We promised ourselves that one day, we'd go on a second honeymoon to a romantic location.

So, when our friend, Kirk, proposed that we surprise his wife by going with them to Cancun to celebrate her 40th birthday, we didn't hesitate! It was Steve's birthday that week, too. We surprised Nannette at the airport with birthday hats and buttons that said, "It's My Birthday!" Our friend, Brian, was celebrating his 40th birthday, too.

On the airplane, we realized that other than flying to LA on our honeymoon, we'd never flown without the kids anywhere. I actually enjoyed the flight!Steve's mom and sister, Shari, came out for the week and watched our kids. (Thanks again!) The kids had a wonderful time with Grandma! (In fact when we came back, Sophie came and gave me a quick hug, then ran back to Grandma!)

We met our friends, Eric and Minnette, at the airport in Cancun. We spent our first day with them, after which they had to leave to go home. Eric served his mission in Cancun, so it was great to have him there as our personal tour guide and chauffeur. Plus it was wonderful to spend some time with them. They drove us to some Mayan ruins at Ek-Balam where we got our exercise in climbing up and down all of the ruins. There were some amazing views from the highest points.

We stayed at the Cancun Palace, an all-inclusive resort. The package we bought included tours, snorkeling, food, and drinks. There was so much to do! The first day after Eric and Minnette left, we went snorkeling. Steve liked the water so much that he also went scuba diving. (I stayed behind to get a massage.)The food there was too good--we ate way too much! They even had Nutella at the breakfast bar every morning. (Nutella was one of the main causes of my 30 pound weight gain on my mission! And I'm sure it contributed to my 5 pound weight gain on this trip!)
One of my favorite places we went was Tulum. Tulum is a group of Mayan ruins that's built right against the beach. It was absolutely beautiful!

Here's Steve on a wall leading into Tulum. I told him to pretend he was Samuel the Lamanite. He's not as dramatic as my boys would have been!
One night, we got together with the other couples who also went to Cancun to celebrate Brian and Nannette's 40th birthdays. Steve helped design the shirts we wore with Brian and Nannette's faces on them. As you can see, we didn't need the alcohol everybody kept trying to serve us to have a crazy time.
Another night, we had another birthday dinner--this time for Steve. Happy Birthday, Steve!

On our last full day, we went to Isla Mujeros. It is a little island near Cancun where we went shopping and Steve went scuba diving again while I sat in the sun by the pool, listening to Christmas music. It just didn't feel like Christmas!

The last day before we got on the plane, I went down to the beach to lie in the sun. I don't know when the next time will be that I'll see it again!

Now it feels like Christmas. When we got home, there was snow on the ground. The kids had half-days Monday and Tuesday while we were gone and again on Wednesday. They cancelled school, altogether, on Thursay and Friday. Now there's almost a foot of snow! Now I feel bad for complaining about the 70 degree weather we had in Cancun the first couple of days we were there! I'd take that over 20 degree weather any day. But at least it feels like Christmas!One day we're lying at the beach, the next, we're sledding with the kids! Merry Christmas everyone!

Bowling for Turkeys

2008-11-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

Ben's school had a "turkey bowl" in conjunction with their book fair last night. The principal brought his Wii and the kids got to try to win a Thanksgiving turkey by bowling 3 strikes in a row. They had 5 frames in which they could try to get 3 strikes.

For the last few days, my kids have all begged me to let them practice on our Wii. Normally, I wouldn't allow video games during the school week, but since they only have to go to school 1/2 days because of teachers conferences (and since I hoped that by practicing they would WIN a turkey,) I gave in and let them practice after school.

The kids really had their hopes up that they could win one for the family. We've been trying to find ways of saving money so we can afford to go to Disneyland in February, and have been recording our efforts at saving money on the refrigerator. Each of the kids wanted to be the one to write down $15 on our Disneyland chart on the fridge!

Ben was the first from our kids to bowl. We were so excited when he bowled a STRIKE and then another STRIKE, and then were bummed when knocked 8 pins down. But then he bowled another STRIKE, and then he knocked 9 pins down. And then, he bowled another STRIKE, and then knocked down 8 pins. So, he bowled a great game, but didn't win the turkey. He was pretty sad. But the principal wrote down Ben's score and the rest of us tried our luck.

None of the rest of us won the turkey either. . . But that's not the end of the story. As I came out of the grocery store (where there's no cell reception) today, I called Steve. He said, "I hope you didn't buy a turkey!" I said, "That's the whole reason I went to the store--it has to start thawing!" He said, "Ben won a turkey!"

So, Ben ended up with one of the high scores of the night, and because they had extra turkeys left over, he won one. I only wish I could have been there to see Ben trudging up the hill from the bus with his 15 pound turkey and huge grin on his face! When I got home from the store, I took a picture of our provider, Ben! Way to go, Ben! (His favorite part, I'm sure, was being able to say, "See, Mom, playing video games pays off!")

Congratulations, Shannon and Brent and Allison!

2008-11-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we had a wonderful trip to Portland to attend my younger brother, Brent's, wedding, and to be in Portland for my "baby" sister, Shannon, as she went through the temple for the first time. We are so happy for all of them! It was amazing to be together with all of my brothers and sisters and Mom, Dad, Grandma, and aunts and uncle. I just wish it could have lasted longer!Thanks to my brother-in-law, David, we now have some family pictures. We hadn't taken any "official" family pictures since Kristy's wedding 7 1/2 years ago! We need to do a little Photoshop/cropping work before we actually print off a picture to put hang on the walls, but here are a couple of our favorites: The kids had fun over the weekend. Ben's favorite part of the day was the wedding luncheon all-you-can-eat buffet after the wedding! Here's the before shot:

And here's after:He was so full that at the reception that night, he was too full to eat the wedding cake!
The kids had fun swimming in the hotel pool, and Rachel had fun playing with her little cousin, Aimee. (This picture's taken at the wedding luncheon--notice Ben in the background stretching to fit more in!)

Trick or Treat

2008-10-31T20:52:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween, again! Here are the pictures of the kids. . .

Rachel was a cheerleader.
Ben was Luigi from the Mario games.
Steven was the Emperor, Darth Sidius, from Star Wars.And Sophie was a princess. Grandma Packer had made this cute outfit for Rachel, and Sophie's fallen in love with it! She was a little hesitant about trick or treating at first . . . until we got to the first door and they gave her candy! We had practiced saying "Trick or Treat," but of course when it came time to say it, she just ducked her head into my leg. But after each house, she said, "More house? That house!" and we'd go on. (We went to 6 houses!)I took this video with the camera after we got back and she was eating her candy. If you listen carefully to the video clip, you can hear her say "Trick or Treat." It's a little dark because we were in a room with low light, but she's still so cute. Her mouth was stuffed so full of M&M's at the beginning of the clip that she couldn't talk!

Happy Halloween!

Nerd Day

2008-10-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today was "Nerd" Day at Steven's school. I haven't seen him this excited in, well, forever! He put this "costume" together by himself.

By the way, I learned there's a difference between a nerd and a geek. Steve (dad) prides himself in being a geek--a geek is a good thing. Steven is just as proud of his geekdom! He loves Star Wars, playing his trombone, reading Lord of the Rings, and playing video games--which is pretty much the definition of a geek. A nerd is something you don't want to be. Socially backward and alone in the world. In this picture, Steven is a nerd. . . When he wears his Star Wars shirts, he's a geek. (And proud of it!)

Happy Halloween Eve!

2008-10-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's not Halloween, yet, but I wanted to get the pictures of the kids carving their pumpkins. This was the first year they carved them almost totally by themselves.

Steve sat back and watched. We propped Sophie in front of Dora because we didn't want to deal with the mess! The kids all came up with their own ideas for their pumpkins. Steven even designed his Kirby pumpkin all by himself. (His hair's parted down the middle as a result from "nerd day" at school. He looked awesome! I'll post the pictures tomorrow!)Ben chose Pikachu (we need to doctor it up a little tomorrow when we have more time.) Rachel carved a butterfly.
While we were waiting for the boys, Rachel and I made pumpkin seeds. (Kristy, I thought of you the entire time--yum! yum! She's about the same age you were when Sherry shared the laced pumpkin seeds with your class!)Have a Happy Halloween tomorrow!

Pretty Princess Pink

2008-10-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

I got tired of looking at the last post-it was too creepy for my taste, so I have to replace it with something a little cuter. . .We took this picture of Sophie on her birthday. She's such a cutie!
Anyway, I just had to post a couple of cute Sophie-isms. We've been trying to teach her how to match the words for the various colors with the correct color. Most of the time when we ask, "Sophie, what color is this?" she replies, "Yellow." Today, I asked her what color her shirt was. She replied, "Yellow." I said, "No, it's pink." She said, "No, pretty princess pink!" What a girl!

On another topic, I was surprised to find her diaper dry when I got her out of bed this morning, so I asked her if she wanted to go on the potty chair. She was thrilled when she went potty and got candy. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of diapers!

Finally, the older kids have been playing hide and seek with Sophie, so she's heard them count. Last night when I asked her how many fingers she had, she counted them out loud, "One, two, four, five, six, eight, nine, ten, lebben." We practiced a little this morning, and she actually got from one to 10 all by herself without any mistakes! I can't believe my baby's growing up!

The Baby We Never Had

2008-10-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

So, when we first got engaged, people always wondered what our kids would look like because Steve and I look so different from each other. After having four kids, I've sort of noticed a pattern. . .all of our kids start out with blonde hair and blue/hazel eyes (except for Ben who has brown eyes.)

I love each of our kids and their individuality. But I kind of thought with my dominant brown eyed/brown haired genes, that at least one of my babies would have been born with brown hair and brown eyes. Thanks to VW, I get to see what one of our babies would have looked like with brown hair/eyes without going through the pain of child birth! (The first time I tried it, the baby popped up with blonde hair/blue eyes. I resubmitted pictures, and this is the result.)

I'm glad I never had one with dark hair/eyes. This baby just doesn't look like one of ours!

If you want to make your own baby, here's the link:
http://www.vw.com/vwhype/babymaker/en/us/

An Answer to Prayer?

2008-09-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks, we have had family councils, family prayer, FHE, and even a family fast to help us bring more love and unity into our home. Well, to make a long story short, the answer to our prayers came last Thursday when our dishwasher "died."

After spending 3 full hours washing dishes by hand on Friday, I told Steve we needed a new dishwasher now! Then I remembered what my mom would say when our dishwasher broke at home. . ."Why do we need a new dishwasher? I have 7 of them that work perfectly fine."

So, not wanting to spend another afternoon washing dishes by hand, in my most excited voice over the weekend, I asked, "Who would like to help me wash the dishes?" Ben and Rachel immediately and enthusiastically replied, "ME!" I couldn't believe it!
They took turns hand washing and drying the dishes, while joking and laughing as they did it. (These are "real" smiles on their faces! They were having a blast! If only I could get them to do all of their chores this joyfully!)The rest of the weekend they spent playing together. What an ironic answer to prayer. Our kids have really cooperated all week as they've washed dishes together. (But "me" of little faith, ordered a new dishwasher, anyway.)

Happy Birthday, Sophie!

2008-09-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by so quickly, I forgot to post the pictures of Sophie's birthday! She turned 2 on September 21st, and we had a little "family" party. We have a tradition of serving breakfast in bed, but we didn't want syrup all over the crib! We actually had waffles for dinner--I had to make something our birthday girl would eat!She is such a girlie girl! She was so excited to get new clothes:
She's had lots of fun with her new ballerina puzzle:
She knew just what to do when we lit the candles. (Note to my sisters who stress out over the cake: By the time you've made a couple dozen "fancy" cakes, you find you're lucky if you get "fancy" enough to put sprinkles on top!)

It surely tasted yummy!Happy Birthday,Sweetie Pie!

Celebrating 14 Years!

2008-09-22T20:41:00.001-07:00

Sunday was our 14th anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been 14 years, but looking at all of the kids around us makes it more believable, I guess.

We decided to celebrate by leaving Friday for a little piece of Bavaria- Leavenworth, WA. This is a little town in the middle of apple country, where 40 years ago the residents decided to make this a little piece of Germany. I would have loved to be at that town meeting:"All right, we can't all be apple farmers. So the plan is to turn main street into a German town. Joe, open a German restaurant. Janet, put your nutcrackers on display and call it a museum. Bob, you'll have to learn to play the accordian. And everyone, get some lederhosen."

It is a fun little town, though, and since Tammy served her mission in Austria it was full of memories. We got to eat schnitzel and spatzel for dinner! (I can't belive there aren't more german restaurants around). It was great.

We stayed at the Bavarian Lodge, right along main street.

The next morning, we popped into some of the little shops and the art fair that was going on. Our favorite was a little toddler T-shirt that said "All mommy wanted was a back rub!" (sorry, no picture). We got a vase from one of the artists and a Christmas ornament from the Christmas store.

Thanks, Johnsons, for watching the kids for the night. Here's to the next 14 years!

BYU Wins!

2008-09-17T16:57:00.003-07:00

For the first time in many years, BYU came to Seattle to play UW. We made it a special day for the boys and headed to the game!

Several of our friends were there...

And the the boys had friends there too...

We had great seats at the end zone right in the middle of a huge section of BYU fans.

But binoculars helped see what was really going on.

It was close, but BYU won, 28-27. It was a great game- fun up to the last second!

Back to School!

2008-09-17T16:57:00.002-07:00

And now the kids are back in School.

Steven's not going to let us take "first day" pictures for very many more years, but Mom persisted! Steven is starting 7th grade, his second year in middle school.

Ben is in the STEP program again, this time as a 5th grader.

And Rachel is in 2nd grade this year. She loves it.

Sophie's been spending a lot time at the YMCA playing with the "kids," she calls the place "bubbles" because they get to play with them. Sorry, no pictures. We'll have to get some.

Our Summer (Part 3)

2008-09-17T16:57:00.001-07:00

We also visited Fort Worden. This is an old fort that was used until 1953 to protect the entrance to Seattle from invaders along the Pacific Ocean. These bunkers held huge 12-ton guns that could fire across the sound, in case anyone sent a ship in to get us. It must have worked, since we were never attacked they never had to use the guns to sink any ships.

They closed Fort Worden when it was no longer useful to have a fixed fort (we use subs and warships now), and now it is a state park. The kids had a blast exploring the bunkers and the tunnels underground.
The bunkers are a free-for-all, letting you climb all over the wall and through the tunnels.

There are no lights in the tunnels, so we had to use the flash on the camera to light the way.

Since Fort Worden is next to the ocean at Port Townsend, we spent a few minutes at the ocean before heading home. We've got to plan to go back and spend more time- this was a fun trip!

Our Summer (Part 2)

2008-09-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great summer- very busy, lots to do. We didn't leave town on any trips, but here are a few of the things we did after our last post:

Ben made sure that frogs know that if they come to our yard, DON'T GET CAUGHT! (Yes, frogs jump higher when "helped" on the trampoline).

Just before school started, we took one final trip to the Olympic forest. We stayed in Sequim (pronounced "squim," for you out-of-staters). We spent one day hiking the mountains, and found Marymere Falls:

The hike was an easy hike, just about a mile off the road.

Sophie had the easy ride.
Finally we made it to the falls.
Then we hiked around a little more, and found a creek. Sophie had fun just throwing rocks:

The Summers' Summer (so far. . .)

2008-08-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

I just read my sister, Cherilyn's blog. Her kids started school last week! Man, I feel like summer is FINALLY here--the weather's finally sunny! At the beginning of the summer (aka--kids being home from school all day), I was dreading the next couple of months, but now that it's almost over, I don't want it to end. We've had so much fun. (I've been so bad about taking pictures, so I'm sorry there's not a lot of pictures this time!)

At the beginning of the summer, Ben had fun at Cub Scout Day Camp where he made lots of cool stuff and passed off lots of requirements. Here he is making a clock out of a circle of wood:Last week, Rachel and her friend, Linsey, were in a gymnastics camp. They had an Olympics theme and had fun the last day showing off their new moves to their fans. Rachel's been trying to learn how to do a cartwheel for months. She's starting to "get it!" (Afterward, they allowed siblings to have some fun, too!)While Rachel was at gymnastics camp last week, Steven was in band camp. He had a lot of fun and we got to listen to him play every day after he came home. He had a Scout camp out at Lena Lake in the Olympic Mountains Friday night, so he wasn't able to play in the band concert, but he had a lot of fun camping in the rain. (This is a photo taken last month when he went to Cedar Badge in Idaho.) (OK--so maybe "fun" isn't the right word.) He had fun hanging out with his friends and Scout leaders. They were working on their fishing merit badge, but he didn't have much luck catching anything.

Ben and I had a fun week exercising together. Yes, Lacey family, I said "exercising." (Don't pass out or anything!) When my sister, Shannon, was here, we went to the gym to work out a few times. She's really inspired me to exercise and eat better! So, for the last three weeks, I've exercised at least an hour per day EVERY day, except Sunday. (Thanks for getting me started, Shannon!)

Considering I haven't "intentionally" exercised for an extended period of time at all since people wore Spandex to exercise classes and "In Living Color" and "Full House" were on network television--there obviously wasn't much to watch back then! I drag my kids to the Y with me--while Rachel and Sophie have fun playing in the "play place," Ben and Steven come to the gym. (The last two days, they've protested, so I've let them stay home!)

We've also had fun doing a lot of "free" things around Auburn. One of Sophie's favorite things is to go to the library.We've run into friends at the lunch in the park.They have free movies in the movie theater every Tuesday and Thursday and free live shows at Les Gove Park on Wednesdays.

Rachel was one of the kids chosen out of the audience to help the juggler at today's show. Here's the last clip I took at the end of the show:

I don't know what Sophie's going to do once her "entertainment" is over when the kids go back to school. I guess Leia (who has been neglected all summer) will get her friend back!

Sophie-isms

2008-08-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sophie picking raspberries. . .
Sophie stuffing the raspberries in her mouth!

Sophie, who will turn 2 next month, speaks her own little language. Most of the time, she speaks clearly and we know what she is saying, but other times, it's a foreign language. I know it's only a matter of time before she totally grows up and starts using "our" words, and it makes me sad because I love talking with my little girl in "her" language.

It all started when she'd say, "Ahcup-ahcup-ahcup-ahcup" when she was just over a year old. That meant she wanted her sippy cup. That was easy enough to understand, but then she started to get creative:

Today, Sophie asked for "deekle." I reached into the fridge and pulled out a piece of cheese and as Sophie happily ate it, Rachel asked, "Mom, how did you know she wanted cheese?" I replied, "Because she asked for it." Rachel asked, "How did you know what she wanted?" My reply, "She said, "Deekle."

Whenever she wants something, she'll say the noun, followed by "me." (i.e. "Deekle me" sounds kind of like "tickle me," but it really means she wants some cheese.)

Here are some other Sophie-isms:

"Peenee"--Trampoline

"Walla walla walla"--Water

"Kind"--Cereal (She got this from when we ask her "Do you want this kind or this kind?")

"Denna"--Banana

"Bachel"--Rachel

"Dipsy"--Juice (I don't think she got it from Teletubbies, but who knows!)

Her latest thing to do is to walk around the house singing, "La, la, la" then she clucks her tongue. And she does it over again. It's so cute. I always try to get her to say her little sayings on camera, but so far, I haven't been successful. I'll post them if I ever do!

We love our Sophie!!!

Fun with Shannon!

2008-07-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

My sister, Shannon, came to visit us for 10 days, and we all had a great time. We love having visitors from out of state because it helps us get out of our little comfort zone and explore the fun things around us. (You may notice some pictures on Shannon's blog may look a little familiar! Obviously, I found the missing pictures, Shannon!)

On the way home from the airport, we took Shannon to Snoqualmie Falls and the Seattle Temple.

Sophie made a new friend at the temple. One night we went hiking at Flaming Geyser.While the boys were at Cub Camp and Scout Camp, we took the girls to the zoo. It was Sophie's first visit to the zoo, and she loved the elephants. Here's a picture of Rachel with a tiger in the background.
And we thought ahead and brought swimming suits to the zoo so the girls could play in the water.

We all (minus Steve) went swimming at the Y--sorry--NO PHOTOS there!!!

And best of all, we played tourists and went downtown!

The kids' favorite stop was the Fremont Bridge Troll. My favorite part was the doughnut shop at Pike's Place Market.
Shannon "met" Sylvester in Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.
The boys' favorite part of the visit was playing the Wii with Aunt Shannon. She's really good!

When we dropped Shannon off at the airport, Sophie was sobbing, "Shannon--Shannon!" We had to yell out of the van to Shannon to come back for one last hug. We took Sophie out of her car seat and she wrapped her arms and legs around her for one last big hug. (I wish I'd had my camera--it was so sweet!)

Thanks for coming Shannon! Come back again soon. We love you!

We Escaped!

2008-07-13T18:32:00.001-07:00

We love our kids, and they are great kids, but let's face it- when we signed up for this there were only two of us. Occasionally we like to get back to the basics, just me and Tammy. You know- a chance to say something without the kids asking "Who did that?" (only to find out later how your great kids are lousy secret keepers). Or, a night's sleep without a baby yelling "Momma! Dadda!" at 7:00 am. Or going to bed without first telling 4 kids 64 times "Brush your teeth! Go to the bathroom! Go to Bed!"

So Tammy's sister Shannon came to visit this week and we left her with the kids while we took off. We got a room at the Edgewater for $100 (Thank you Priceline!). The Edgewater is a fancy place on Pier 67- right on the water. For a little more $$, we upgraded our room to a King room on the water. We checked in and looked out our window to see just how close we were to the water- and the cruise ship loading at Pier 65:

We left the hotel and walked down the piers to the ferry station- about a mile, but we caught a ride in a cycle rickshaw. We took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island (#2 place to live in the US, according to money magazine). From there, we walked another mile to a Thai food place- it was incredible! We ate right on the water, looking at all the sailboats at the docks and watching the sun go down. The food was the best Thai I've had.

Of course, on the ferry ride and walk back to the hotel, we spent most of the time talking about 14 years ago and our whirlwind romance. It scares us more every time we talk about it. But it worked out pretty well, we decided.

The next morning, after sleeping in as late as we possibly could, we walked around Pike Place Market where we had breakfast, watched the crowds, and had the fun you have at the market on a crowded Saturday morning:

Then, finally, it was over and we had to go home. But it was great to get a vacation. All we need now is more visits from our wonderful family... anyone want to come see Seattle in lovely Fall?

Cedar Badge

2008-07-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, we sent Steven, who turned 12 in March, on a week and a half adventure to Idaho--ALL BY HIMSELF!!! I must say I'm proud that I put my control-freakishness on hold for 10 days and let my son have FUN! I just let go and didn't worry about him (too much) the whole time he was gone.

Steve's mom offered to take Steven to Cedar Badge at a camp in the Tetons if we could get him to Idaho. Cedar Badge is a leadership camp for Scouts similar to Wood Badge for adults. So, Saturday morning we sent him on an airplane to Boise where he met his Grandpa Trent's niece, Shelley, (whom Steven had never met.) Then he took a ride across Idaho on a shuttle to Idaho Falls--he had to change buses in Pocatello. He had his cell phone with him so we were able to call him once in awhile to check in.
He had a fun time--as far as we can tell anyway--he's becoming a teenager; speaking in one word phrases in responses to our inquiries. (i.e. Mom: What did you do while you were there? Steven: Stuff.) Luckily Steve had been to Cedar Badge when he was a kid, so he knew the right questions to ask. I only wish I'd been there when they were talking so I could have heard all about it.

Steve's mom took pictures of Steven up there. She and Steve's sisters also attended the Cedar Badge graduation ceremony. We only wish we could have been there to see him.

After Cedar Badge, he got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Packer and Shari, Jeni, Heather, and their families. He also got to relive old times by playing in Grandma's sandbox. (Grandma, thanks for doing all his laundry while he was there! There wasn't a speck of sand in his suitcase!)
On the way home, he spent a day with my cousin, Stephanie, and her kids. He loves going to their house because he gets to hang out with cousins his own age. (He seems to always be the oldest kid wherever we go!) Thanks, Steph, for picking him up from the shuttle, letting him stay with you and returning him to the airport!

As we sat and watched fireworks on the 4th of July, Steven actually wanted to sit next to me so he could tell me all the things about the flag and patriotism that he'd learned. I'm very impressed with his new-found patriotic attitude! (After awhile, I had to disappoint him by telling him I wanted to sit by Daddy because Independence Day is a "Romantic Holiday" for Daddy and me--see the post below!)

This week I get to "let go" again as he goes off with our own troop's scout camp. Have fun, Steven! When he gets back, I'll let him write all about his exciting adventures.

My favorite time of year

2008-07-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

(Hi, this is Steve. You need to know this so you don't get confused by this Post)

I love Christmas, I like springtime, and I like most holidays. I love our anniversary, although that's changed a bit now that Sophie was born on it. But there's still one time of year that belongs to Tammy and me, one part of the year that we both love and remember fondly.

We met in 1994 on June 26th, at a Joseph Smith fireside at BYU. After the fireside, a mutual friend introduced us. That was Sunday night. Wednesday night, we met again at another friend's house, and we set up a date for Thursday morning- a walk along Bridal Veil Falls near Provo, UT. We had a great time, and got together again that night, the next morning, Friday night, Saturday morning, and any time that we could find.

Saturday night (July 2nd) we hiked up to the "Y" near BYU and watched the fireworks together. I was into photography so we used this as an excuse to make the hike:

That was the night I told Tammy that I was falling in love- that was the first time I'd told anyone that.

We went to Church together on Sunday, then spent the day together.

Monday morning we went to the parade in Provo to enjoy Independence Day. Really we just held hands and looked into each other's eyes. We were soooo cheesy, it was great.

That night as we sat watching the fireworks from our friend's house, we talked about getting married and started making plans. A few days later, I officially proposed and we started telling our family. We were married on September 21st.

So every year as we come upon June 26th we both look at each other and ask "What were you doing 14 years ago?" Then we struggle a little to remember the exact dates of each of the events of that week. Luckily, we made a video on July 9 to explain it all. We thought it was all moving very fast, but were both certain it was the right thing and we wanted to document it. So we went to the park, turned on the borrowed video camera, and talked for an hour of our whirlwind romance. The best part is watching us - oozing with sap, unable to keep our hands off of each other (ok, maybe that was just me). But it's so cheesy that we can only stand to watch it every several years. I think we've watched it twice since then. Our kids are under strict orders not to watch it until we're dead. I don't think they'll make it through until they themselves are old and almost dead. Maybe I'll post a few minutes of it for you...

At least we didn't sing for America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9pn-LEft_w

I love you Tammy! And happy July 4th!

Ben's Ten!

2008-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Ben!!! Today Ben is 10 year's old. He started out the day with our traditional breakfast in bed. He requested a ham and cheese omelet with toast and orange juice. Dad really impressed us with his culinary capabilities!

Ben celebrated his birthday with a few of his friends Friday night at a birthday "Late Night."

Here's the picture of the boys being "good."

Here's their "real" side!

The boys played his new video game, Smash Bros. Brawl, ate pizza, watched part of a movie, opened presents, ate Ben's requested cake (a chocolate ice cream cake with frosting and Oreos), and then played more video games.
Today, Sophie and I took McDonald's to Ben in his classroom and brought treats for the whole class. And now that he's home from school, he's going to celebrate by playing more video games! (A treat for him because he's usually not allowed to play on school nights.)

Ben, we're so glad you were born 10 years ago!!!! We love you!!!

Bapa-Gump and Bapa-Ma

2008-06-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

On May 22nd I had a hysterectomy. I'll spare you the details--all I can say is it's very painful and it's taking longer to recover than I thought it would. Let's just say my favorite part of the hospital was the PCA morphine drip and my favorite part about being home is Vicodin! My family has been wonderful about helping around the house--especially my sweet husband who has really stepped up being both mom and dad while I've been down.

Saturday afternoon after my surgery, my mom and dad came from Montana to help us and are here until June 4th. (They have been a life saver for us! My mom keeps the house clean and my dad keeps Sophie occupied!)

The first few minutes they were here, Sophie was really hesitant to go to either one of them, but now they're inseparable! She calls Grandpa Lacey "Bapa-Gump," and Grandma Lacey either "Mamama" or "Bapa-Ma." It's so cute! My mom and dad went to Eugene, OR to visit my Uncle Dave for the weekend, so Sophie's been like a lost little puppy without them. She saw a picture of them on the mantle and carried it around all morning saying, "Bapa-Gump bye-bye!" She smiles when I tell her they're coming back!

The highlights of their visits are Sophie's daily walks . . .(Sophie picked out the outfit she's wearing!)

Grandpa reading stories . . .

And Grandma making Danish Cinnamon Rolls just like my grandma used to make when she'd come visit me!

Rachel's Magic Tree House Party

2008-04-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

We finally were able to have Rachel's birthday party. After two postponements because we kept getting sick, we celebrated yesterday. Rachel and 14 of her friends pretended to be Jack and Annie from Frog Creek, PA from the Magic Tree House book series. Here's the fun:

The Magic Tree House

The girls started out in the "tree house" that Morgan le Fay (aka--Dad) constructed. We had blowing wind and flashing lights, then everything was still. Absolutely still. But only for a moment. . .

High Tide in Hawaii

The girls started out by making Leis. Then they played the "Limbo." We were amazed at how low some of the girls could go!

Mummies in the Morning

After returning to the tree house, the girls divided into two teams and wrapped Rachel's brothers up as mummies. They (Ben and Steven) were really good sports!

Dinosaurs before Dark

This was the loudest activity, by far. The girls had to "hatch" their dinosaur's egg by sitting on a balloon to get the plastic dinosaur hidden in the ballon. They were all a lot braver than I was!

Tigers at Twilight

The next activity the girls played was "Catch a Tiger by the Tail." It's similar to "Duck, Duck, Goose," except they said, "Lion, Lion. . .TIGER" and had to pull the tiger's tail that was hanging out the girl's pocket before she sat down.

The Knight at Dawn

Rachel really wanted a princess cake, so I made a princess castle cake to tie into the theme of the party. The girls especially liked all of the candy on the cake. Even though we had the candles on different levels of the cake, Rachel blew them all out in one breath! Hope your wish comes true!

Stage Fright on a Summer Night

We ran out of time to do "Stage Fright on a Summer Night" and have the girls pantomime and act like the gifts they were giving Rachel as she opened her presents. They had fun posing for pictures, though! She'll definitely have a fun time with all the fun gifts she received.

Pirates Past Noon

Finally, Steve sent the girls on a scavenger/treasure hunt where they had to collect items around the house or draw pictures of things like flowers and cars. When they had finished finding all of the items, they received their treasure boxes with candy and prizes, and we sent them home with their parents.

Then, everything was still. Absolutely still. . .

Ben Earns his Bear!

2008-04-19T10:29:00.001-07:00

Last night at Cub Scout pack meeting, Ben received his Bear Award and 3 arrow points. Way to go, Ben! We're so proud of you!

Tin Grins are In!

2008-04-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to show you a picture of Steven's new smile. He got braces on Monday. Lucky GUY!

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

2008-04-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Rachel's birthday is today. She is 7 years old! How time flies--it feels like she just joined our family. She started out the day with breakfast in bed, a favorite family tradition. She loved all her gifts, including a Yorkie doggy from Grandpa and Grandma Packer, a Puppy in My Pocket playset, makeup set from Grandma and Grandpa Lacey, her very own blow dryer, and some gymnastics outfits. (She's starting at Roach Gymnastics next week! She's sooo excited.)

She was supposed to have a "Magic Tree House" birthday party with a bunch of her friends today after school, but Steve, Steven, Ben, and I all have the flu. Even Leia, the dog, got sick today! So we're rescheduling for Monday--so look for pictures then.

We LOVE our Rachel!!! Have a wonderful birthday!

Spring Break

2008-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Last week we loaded up the van and went to Salt Lake for Spring Break. It was a long journey, but we had a fun time. Here are a few highlights:

We stopped in Boise on the way and on the way back to reintroduce the kids to their second cousins, my cousin, Stephanie's, kids. Her husband, Ryan, and kids, Davis (12), Parker (9), and Maddie (6) were very wonderful hosts!

We arrived in Salt Lake just in time for Steve and Steven to attend the priesthood session of General Conference.

We stayed 4 nights with our long-time friends, Eric and Minnette, in Saratoga Springs. Our kids had a blast playing with their kids, Lauren (9), Devon (7), Jordan (4) (sorry, no picture),

and Ally (21 months.) Steve and I had so much fun staying up late every night chatting and playing Ticket to Ride (choo-choo!) We were so sad to leave--we love their family!!!

Other highlights were watching Sunday conference and enjoying a yummy brunch at Aunt Joanne and Uncle Rich's house. Later on Sunday we went to my Grandma Lacey's house and treated her to lasagna dinner. Monday, Steve took the boys to Provo and did a little brainwashing--BYU--Go Cougs! (Rachel wasn't feeling well in the morning, so she and I stayed home.) The boys are saving all their pennies now so they can go there--some day! (We are so excited that BYU's coming to play UW--Steve bought our tickets for the big game yesterday!!!)

That night we went to my Aunt Mary Lou and Uncle Joel's house where Mary Lou had made dinner--Grandma Andrew's Tuna Casserole--the ultimate in comfort food! Then Joel was the entertainment of the evening. He works at an industrial diamond manufacturer. The boys were intrigued in the diamond-making process, and he even gave them some of the diamond rejects to take home.

Tuesday we visited our old neighborhood in Sandy. Steven even got to see his best friend, Curtis, while we were there!After lunch, we toured Temple Square including the visitors' centers, Tabernacle, Conference Center, Church History Museum, and Beehive House. That night, Steve and I went out to dinner and to Thanksgiving Point with Eric and Minnette while my sister, Shannon, watched all 8 kids! Thanks Shannon!
Here's a picture of Cutie-pie Shannon who is holding Sophie who is wearing an outfit Shannon sewed. Notice in Sophie's hand is Grandpa Lacey's "Poop Duck!"

Wednesday, we headed back home, stopping in Pocatello, ID to visit Grandma Packer,Heather, Barry, Quinton, Jeni,

Mackayla (8), Johnathon (6), Shari, Josh, and Triston. We only wish we could have stayed to visit longer, but it was so fun to see everyone. We are so grateful to the hospitality of everyone we visited and invite all our family and friends to let us return the favor when you come to Washington!

Update on Rachel's Science Fair Project

2008-03-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that Rachel's Science Fair Project, Dogs, Dogs, Dogs!, was very successful! (See the last entry.) She won first prize for her age group. I had to stay home with Ben, who's taking his turn having the stomach flu. (Rachel and Steven have already had it!) So, we didn't get any pictures of her accepting her award.
We also didn't get a picture of "Mad Scientist Steve" who did a demonstration of waves. This picture is from last year. For those of you who live around here, he'll be doing the "show" again at Lakeland Hills Elementary's Science Night in May, so you can see him in all his glory! (He'll "love" me for writing that!)

On your marks, get set, GO!

2008-03-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

We've had a very eventful weekend. We started out on Friday with the Pinewood Derby. Ben had a great time making his super-speedy car, the Golden Flash. He insists that the little divot he made in the front of the car helped to streamline it and make it go so fast! Because Rachel wasn't feeling well that night, I stayed home with her, so we didn't get any pictures other than this video. The video clips don't show his car--but they do show how excited Ben was that night as his car raced down the track!
Saturday morning, the rain stopped for a couple of hours, just long enough for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. We were lucky enough to have been spread out in the age groups for our kids that we were there from 9:00 until 11:00. They had lots of luck finding candy!

Leia had fun, too!

I loved the picture of Sophie standing in the middle of all of the eggs at the beginning of the hunt. She had been having "practice" egg hunts with her friends, Sidney and Alexa the day before, so she know just what to do. We had to keep reminding her that she needed to wait to pick them up, though.

Steven had gone to the tween/teen flashlight egg hunt on Friday Night. He wasn't so lucky--at the very beginning of the hunt, in all of the excitement another kid accidentally knocked the headlamp off his head, and his headlamp and batteries went flying. By the time he rounded up all of pieces, all of the loot was gone. His wonderful friends, Zac and Colton, who he'd gone with were very kind and shared their treats with him.

After the hunt, we came home and colored our own eggs. Ben's favorite color is green, so most of his eggs ended up green. . .

Saturday night we finally celebrated Steven's birthday (his birthday was March 4th.) He had a "late night" with his friends, Zac, Kyle, Nik, Chris, Christian, Josh, and Austin. They each took turns showing off on Guitar Hero and battled each other on Super Smash Bros. They ate pizza and Steven's birthday cake, a "Steven Invention." The cake was sooo yummy. We made the bottom layer brownies. Then we topped it with a layer of ice cream and added caramel, chocolate, M&M's, and whipped cream. It was easy and a big hit with the boys. Finally, they calmed down enough to watch Star Wars: Episode I, until we made them turn it off at 10:00 and sent the boys home so the Easter bunny could come.
This morning the kids had fun doing a little egg hunt. Sophie is especially fun this year. She had so much fun looking for the eggs. She's had more chocolate in one day than she's had her entire life!

Rachel spent the weekend working on her science fair project. She has been working on it for about three weeks. The kindergarten and first grade students are supposed to display collections. She came up with the idea that she could collect pictures of dogs in the neighborhood. So she's been going around for the last couple of weeks taking pictures of dogs. Her favorite picture,(other than Leia, of course!) was the picture of the Andros' puppies.

We're saving the best news for last! Sophie's first day of Nursery in church was today. And best of all--SHE LOVED IT!!! We've lucked out with all of our kids. When it comes to Nursery, they've all gone happily. Brother and Sister Twiddy said her favorite part was "Ring Around the Rosies."

We had a wonderful day celebrating Easter and focusing on the life of the Savior. We had our friends, the Carman's and the Casey's, over for dinner. We had ham, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, salad, rolls, and for dessert, flan! (Lily Casey is from Columbia and made it homemade! Yum!) It was a dinner my mommy would be proud of! (I had to call her from the grocery store to get her recipe for the beans.) We were having so much fun, we forgot to take pictures.

A Little About Me . . .

2008-03-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

1. What were you doing 10 years ago? I was living in Brookfield, Wisconsin with Steve and Steven. I was very pregnant with Ben. We had no cable, so all Steven had to watch was Sesame Street and Teletubbies. (Now that we have cable, suprisingly, the only shows Sophie likes to watch are Sesame Street and Teletubbies. The only difference is that I Tivo them so she can watch them whenever I need her to!) I was the Primary chorister in church. I still remember doing "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" and the older kids laughing because I couldn't touch my toes.) For fun, little Steven and I would go to Barnes and Noble for story time and have play dates with his little friends--there were lots of little kids in our ward. Man, I thought I was busy then!

2. 5 Things on my To-Do List Today...1. Laundry--you know it's bad when your kids complain they don't have anything to wear to school and your husband has to go buy new gym clothes to work out in because there aren't any clean ones. 2. Cleaning my shower. 3. Watching Brandon Carman--this was on my to-do list until Rachel said she wasn't feeling well, so she's staying home and we're playing "school" instead. 4. Setting up a chiropractor appointment--my chiropractor sent a birthday postcard saying I could come in this month for a free adjustment! Yippee--thanks Dr. Dedge! 5. Calling Rufino and getting my hair cut! (Yes, Lacey sisters--it's even worse than when I was in Arizona--at least Kristy helped my avoid the total "she-mullet" by trimming off the back in the hotel room.)

3. What snacks I enjoy...anything! I especially enjoy peanut butter crackers--at 200 calories a pack, not the healthiest snack...I also love peanut M&M's, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers--anything with peanut butter in them.

4. What would I do if I were to suddenly be a Billionaire? Of course I would pay my tithing first, man that would be a huge check! (Sorry to plaguerize, Cherilyn!)Then I would hire a maid to clean my house every day--especially my shower!

5. 3 Bad Habits...1. Having too many projects going on at once. 2. Leaving my clothes out at night--it means I have to pick them up in the morning. (I wonder why my kids do the same thing?!? It drives me crazy when they do it!) 3. Not cleaning as I cook--it drives Steve crazy--but he's learned to live with it.

6. 5 Places I've lived...1. Drummond, MT 2. Provo and Sandy, UT 3. Austria 4. Austin, TX 5. Brookfield, WI

7. 5 Jobs I've had...Kitchen help and waitress at the Wagon Wheel Cafe 2. Telemarketer for Eagle Marketing 3. BYU Bookstore- I was a secretary/receptionist/sales floor. For 3 years, I was the voice of the BYU Bookstore who would page everyone who needed to be paged. 4. Novell/WordPerfect--Sales manual writer/intern (I never did know what I was doing while I was there!) 5. Megahertz/3Com--Internal Sales Rep --I talked on the phone all day to people about modems. I hadn't even used one before! It was back in the mid-90's before the internet.

8. 5 Things People don't know about me. . . I talk so much that most people already know everything about me! Let's see. . .1. I've never colored my hair. 2. I showed a heifer (baby cow for those of you who don't know what a heifer is) in 4-H when I was Ben's age. 3. I would love to go rock climbing some day if I ever get in shape! 4. I hate shopping (but almost all of you know that!) 5. I'm still in my PJ's (and so is Sophie) and it's almost 10:00 a.m.! I need to go get to work!

Ok, so I did this when I read my sisters, Cherilyn and Shannon's blogs. I am supposed to tag 5 of you, but you can just do the survey if you would like.

Pacific Science Center Playgroup

2008-03-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

Friday, the kids were out of school, so we entertained them by taking them to the Pacific Science Center. In January we went to the OMSI when we went to Portland and paid for a year-long membership. We figured we'd get our money's worth out of the deal by going to the Pacific Science Center, where we can get in free by showing our OMSI card.

We were already planning on going to the museum when we heard that some of the moms and kids in our ward's mid-day enrichment play group was going, too. We met at 9:00 and carpooled up to the museum. There were 7 adults and 26 kids (if I did the math correctly!) There were more of us than most of the school groups that came. And the best thing is--we didn't lose anyone--at least not permanently, anyway . . .They've changed a lot of the exhibits since we were there last. One of the favorites was the tree house, or as one of the kids labeled it, "The Jungle Gym." They had butterfly and bird outfits for the kids to wear as they played and danced against a green screen that made them look like they were in the forest.Sophie's favorite part was playing in the toddler/preschool area with the water and bubbles. (I didn't get any good pictures though because I was afraid of getting the camera wet!) She had so much fun playing with all of the "big" kids like Lydia, Abigail, Chloe, Sienna, and Emma. It was the perfect spot for me to be so I could keep and eye on Ben and Rachel as they explored around the science exhibits. (Steven had to stay home with Steve because he'd been sick the night before.)Here we are at lunch time (well, about 1/3 of the kids, anyway. . .) Some of us had brought sack lunches and didn't want to eat in the designated outdoor picnic area, so we ate in a hallway.

Ben's favorite part of the day was the science show which was all about air pressure. He had fun showing off all of his science facts. (The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, if you know what I mean! Dad would have been so proud.)At the end of the demonstration, the "scientist" let the kids ride on a homemade hovercraft. They had a lot of fun.

Rachel's favorite part was the butterfly house. A butterfly even landed on her! Ben had fun taking pictures of the butterflies and flowers with Steven's new camera. (Ben was sad that Steven couldn't come, so he documented the ENTIRE day on camera--he went through 2 sets of batteries!)

Don't feel too badly for Steven, though. He was feeling fine at home and got to play video games all day. He got a new game for the Wii called Boogie, so he spent the day "boogying!" (Here he is playing Guitar Hero. He's getting really good at it!)

Sisters' Retreat

2008-03-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, my sister, Kristy, who lives up in Alaska, were talking about how we really get depressed in February after not seeing the sun for months, so last month, we decided we would go somewhere warm and sunny in February. We decided we'd meet our sister, Cherilyn, who lives in Pinetop, AZ, in Mesa.

When our sisters, Natalie (San Diego) and Shannon (Provo), heard we were meeting, they made flight plans, too. Our brother, Brent, lives in Mesa, so we invited our brother, Paul (Las Vegas), to come, too, but he wasn't able to come.

I got up at 4:00 a.m. and flew out at 5:20 (cutting it close at the airport!) I got in at 9:00 a.m. and within an hour all of our flights came in. We converged on Brent's house and played Guitar Hero and changed our clothes.

We checked into our hotel and sat in the sun for awhile. We were a little cozy in the hotel room with 5 of us plus Cherilyn's 3-month-old baby, Amie! At 5:00, we went to Massage Envy for massages. (Brent opted out! He watched Amie while Cherilyn got her massage.) Needless, to say, it was one of the highlights of the vacation!

Brent "waiting" for us to all get beautiful. . .

Kristy's husband, Brett, sent flowers and a balloon to Kristy at the beginning of the weekend for her birthday.

Every night we were there, we stayed up late talking. We all get along so well and are so chatty, that we didn't want to go to bed. I felt like I was back in college talking to my roommates!

Saturday morning, Brent met us to go hiking. We had so much fun. We enjoyed Kristy's rendition of the Little Mermaid and Natalie and Cherilyn's impersonations of a cactus and a lizard.

It was in the 80's that day, so we were loving life!

That afternoon, we tried to get into a spring training baseball game, but it was sold out, so we went to see Vantage Point, instead. I'd highly recommend it. Kristy said she looked down the row and we all had our hands by our mouths biting our fingernails or covering our mouths in suspense. While we were waiting for Cherilyn to feed her baby, we posed with a promotional cardboard cutout of Patrick Dempsey. This is Shannon--isn't she adorable?!?

After the movie, we went shopping. Again, Brent was very patient and went his own way while we helped Natalie pick out some new outfits.

Sunday was one of the highlights as we invaded Brent's singles ward. It was the largest singles ward I've ever seen! We promised Brent we wouldn't embarrass him enough to damage his social life. We were so tempted in Relief Society when they introduced us to say that we were taking applications for Brent to find a wife for him. There were tons of beautiful, talented, and sweet girls there. After church, we gave him our input as to which girls he could try to "get to know." (Poor Brent--I feel bad for him having 5 sisters teasing him--He was SUCH a good sport!)

Sunday was also Kristy's birthday, so we made lasagna dinner and cheesecake for dessert to celebrate. While we were waiting for the lasagna to cook, we went to the Mesa temple and walked around the grounds. There is a really beautiful cactus garden that we took pictures at on the grounds. Inside the visitor's center, there was an amazing photograpy exhibit of the life of Christ photographed by Mark Mabry. The man who portrayed Christ is the same actor for the Easter Pageant at the Mesa temple. Here is a link to Mark Mabry's videos of the process of taking the pictures: http://www.youtube.com/user/reflectionsofchrist

We had a fun dinner after we got back. We teleconferenced with our brother, Paul, and his family. We really, really missed having Paul this weekend, so it was really fun to have us "all together."

Kristy loved her cheesecake. She even blew the candles out on the FIRST try! Way to go, Kristy!!! (I should have put more candles on the cake.)

After dinner, we were sad to say good-bye to Shannon and Natalie Sunday night. Monday morning, we went shopping (again,) this time to stores that accomodated our post-baby/mommy bodies. We also spent a ton of money at kids clothing stores--but Kristy and Cherilyn found cute Easter outfits for their kids. While Kristy was trying on clothes, I went to the furniture stores next door to try to find a bedroom set I liked. (Still, no luck! I'm too picky!!! I'll do another post another time to get input from everybody.)

My favorite part of the day was when we went to the pool and just lay in the sun. (Sorry--NO Pictures!!!) It was only 70 degrees, but to me it felt comfortably hot. I got just enough sun for Steve to say that he could tell I'd been on Arizona.

After an uneventful flight, I walked off the plane and FROZE! I could see my breath as I walked from the plane to the airport. (I was still wearing capris and sandals.) Steve laughed at me as he pressed the seat-warming button on the car. I'm just glad it was sunny today, so the adjustment wasn't so bad.

I'm so thankful for my kind and patient husband who allowed me to go guilt-free. I didn't worry about anything while I was there. He was amazing! (I even came home to a clean house!) He even taught Sophie to sleep until 7:00 a.m. and got rid of her bottles while I was gone. One morning she awoke too early (probably 4:30 or 5:00) and he made her stay in bed without giving her a bottle. In her sweet, little voice, in between sobs she said her first sentence, "Where. . .is. . .Mamma!" Needless to say, she didn't leave my side all day today. I'm also thankful for wonderful friends who watched Sophie Friday and Monday so I could play. I'm ready to be a mom again. (I think!) But I'm already planning our next sisters retreat.

Cinderella

2008-02-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Ben played the part of a stuck up, snooty lord in Missoula Children's Theater's performance of Cinderella. Auditions were held Monday, and he spent every evening practicing at the school. Ben's new school has a lot of drawbacks--it's older, more run-down, and in a scarier part of town, but the kids there really have a lot of personality! Also, only half as many children tried out at his school, so every child got a part. (Rachel tried out at her school for the same play a couple of months ago and was devastated when she didn't get a part!)

Steven and Rachel had a great time watching the play. They giggled as Ben had to DANCE with a girl during the ball scene. I threatened them with their lives not to tease him! I know Steven didn't tease him because he knew Ben would come up with his own "ammo" teasing Steven about girls he has a crush on! (It was the same week as Valentine's Day.)

Ironically, Cinderella is the same Missoula Children's Theater play that my sister, Shannon, was in when she was in elementary school in Drummond, MT. Oh, the memories---"Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie!"

Sophie Sits at the Big Table

2008-02-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

Another milestone has been met. Sophie has decided that it's more fun to sit at the table with the rest of the family than to sit in her highchair. So we went to the store and bought a booster seat Saturday. She was so excited!

Sunday, we learned that Sophia knows how to open the door to the garage. Rachel came in and told me she was out in the garage and wanted to come back in. She's gotten her fingers caught a couple of times--you'd think she'd learn that she shouldn't do that!

Almost a Snow Day

2008-01-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we woke up to snow on the ground. There is a reason we moved to the Northwest. It's not supposed to snow here! The kids beg to differ.

(I don't know why I hate snow so much. Maybe it's because I've lived in Montana, Wisconsin, and Utah and have reached my snow quota. Maybe it's the MESS it leaves all over my house!)

Anyway, because Steven didn't have school yesterday because of a planned teacher work day, we were looking forward to sleeping in an extra hour. (He usually leaves an hour before the other kids.) Ben had different plans--when he looked out the window (at 6:15 a.m.) and saw that it had snowed, he woke us all up by hurrying to empty the dishwasher, his assigned morning chore, so he could go play outside. We told him he had to wait until 7:00 a.m. to go outside.

Our school district delayed the start of school 1 hour, so the kids were able to make a snowman before they had to leave for school. Ben and Rachel were pretty bummed that school wasn't cancelled. Steven got the good end of the deal! He got to spend the day playing with his friends in the snow. When the snow melted, he came inside and spent the rest of the day playing on the Wii.

The teachers at school got Ben and Rachel's hopes up by telling them that we were supposed to get 2-4 inches last night. We awoke again this morning at 6:15 a.m.--this time, to the sound of someone sobbing. Steve crawled out of our nice toasty bed (we just got a mattress pad with a heater in it--makes getting out of bed even more difficult!) to go see what was wrong. Ben was soooo sad that it hadn't snowed.

To lift Ben's mood, I changed the subject. I taught him how to make French Toast. Watch out Emeril--he did it almost all by himself! Then he came up with the idea that we should have a special "Spotlight a Kid Day" and that today should be his day. So Ben got to pick what we had for dinner tonight--tacos--and eat them on the special red plates. And he got to choose what we would do as a family tonight--play Settlers of Catan--Cities and Knights. He was looking forward to it all day because we usually only play it on the weekend.

So this afternoon when Steve said that we had a Court of Honor for Steven tonight, we moved dinner up to 5:30 so we could squeeze in a game of "Settlers." We obviously didn't make it through the whole game in an hour, so at 6:30 we declared the winner--ME! :)

Stevens Awarded his 1st Class Rank Advancement

Vroom, Vroom--Cubanapolis Style!

2008-01-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

Note: As soon as we can, we'll post the much-anticipated video of the parents' races of this event!

Friday night was Ben's Cub Scout Pack Meeting. This is a race where the boys decorate cardboard boxes and run around the gym. As they run, they occasionally have to stop at the "Pit Stop" where a family member changes tires (shoes), wash the windshield (spray bottle in the face), and fill up with gas (drink a cup of water.)

Ben spent a couple of days making his car. It was a super-fast black and red car. Ben's a lot like me (Tammy)--not too detail-oriented or crafty. So he was planning on bringing a box. Yes--just a box. Steve talked him into at least painting it. He went outside and spray painted it using some leftover paint from a Pinewood Derby car. When I mentioned that he might want to add some details, he just rolled his eyes. I got out some paper plates for wheels and some red and yellow paint for head and tail lights. (I got him excited about putting wheels on by telling him he could use the glue gun!)

Daddy was his "Pit Crew." He had a fun time running around the track.

The best part of the race was when it was the adults' turn! First, the dads ran the race.

Next, the moms ran the race. Well, some of the moms ran the race. I started jogging, but was quickly reminded (as pains shot through my stomach) that I'd just had surgery the week before!

Finally, siblings (including Steven) ran the race.

It ended up being a fun, little car! Way to go, Ben!

Christmas Fun--Christmas Eve and Morning

2008-01-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

This year, Christmas was spent here at home. This was the first time in awhile that we didn't spend any time with family, but we thought, since we traveled so much last year, it was OK. We really missed our extended families and thought of them lots, but we created a lot of fun memories with our little family.

We had such a fun, relaxing break. We spent Christmas Eve with our friends, Chad and Barb, who had invited us over for a nummy ham dinner. (We brought our camera, but forgot to take pictures!) Chad is famous for using huckleberries in recipes. Even though he had just had surgery, he sacrificed to make huckleberry smoothies for us. He also used huckleberries in making the ham. Everything was soooo good!

We went home at 7:00 to celebrate with our own family. We sang songs and watched the DVD the church came out with a couple of years ago about the Savior's birth. It's so fun now that our kids are older and can understand that Christmas is more than just Santa.

The kids opened up their new PJ's and quickly went to bed. (Again, I was a slacker in the photo department--I usually take pictures of the kids on Christmas Eve.)

Christmas morning began at 6:45 a.m. We opened presents until 9:00 a.m.--a new record! The kids really took their time opening and appreciating each gift.

Ben kept saying, "This is the best Christmas ever!" (If you know Ben, he doesn't get overly excited about much, so obviously, he got what he asked for--a Nintendo DS.)

Rachel was happy with her own DS and Webkinz. She was disappointed when she tried to get online the first few days after Christmas, because obviously, every other kid in America got Webkinz, too, and their servers were down. But she's having fun, now!

Steven has officially joined the "tween" years--he got a Zune and a cell phone. (Well, a 10 minute SIM card for one of our old cell phones. He doesn't actually talk on the phone. He said if he does, he'll buy his own minutes. He wanted it for the games, etc.)

Sophia scored, bigtime. Her friend, Alexa, had handed down some of her fun toys, so we put them all in a gift bag from her and let her at it. She got some fun, new bath toys that she LOVES! She had the most fun with the banana that was in her stocking!My favorite gift was my new big scriptures with a nice case. I've been using my compact set of missionary scriptures that are falling apart. Steve bought the larger print ones--it's actually fun to read them now because I can read them!

Steve's favorite gift was a Wii with Guitar Hero III. We spent the entire Christmas day (and next days, too!) playing.

(Notice I said "WE." I even played--note from the picture that I stayed in my pajamas all day! I was having so much fun playing with everyone that I didn't even take my annual Christmas nap!) I'm sure he'll post a blog one of these days telling how far he's gotten.

The kids were happy the whole Christmas break. Everyone was happy--and you know what they say, "When the kids are happy, Mom's happy!" (OK--I know it's the other way around, but this works, too.) I love Christmas!

Christmas Fun--Gingerbread Houses

2008-01-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

So, this post is a little late! We've been a little preoccupied by other stuff--but enjoy the first post of our Christmas festivities~~

One of my fondest memories as I was growing up was decorating gingerbread houses with my mom. When we were in elementary school, we always made gingerbread houses for each of our teachers. (No wonder I was teacher's pet.) Mom helped us make the most beautiful houses. I've made them in the past with the kids, but I've always done most of the decorating. This year I had the kids decorate the houses by themselves. Mom always made the gingerbread. I cheated and bought the gingerbread houses through Ikea--I highly recommend them!!!

They turned out really well--not the elegant ones that Mom made, but they were their own and they were creative. (I'm bummed I didn't think to take pictures of the finished products!)

Steven took the idea of being creative to the extreme. He made a CSI gingerbread house. The poor gingerbread man had been massacred, so he turned the house into a crime scene. (There was A LOT of eye-rolling on my behalf!)

I'm really glad we restarted this family tradition. The kids already have plans for next year's houses!

Sophie's New Face

2008-01-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

I know we still have a lot of catching up to do on our blog--ie--Christmas, etc., but I just had to take a second to post Sophie's new "face."

When she's doing something she's not supposed to (and she knows she's in trouble!) or when we tell her, "No!", she sticks out her bottom lip

and "tells" us, "Just try and get me to stop!"

But the rest of the time, she's as cute as pie!

A Day in the Life of Steven (aka The Overscheduled Child)

2007-11-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

Note: My family keeps asking us "what we're up to" so we've decided to spotlight what each of us has been up to, starting with Steven.

I wanted to start with Steven, since he's been "up to" the most over the last few weeks. The other day at the bus stop, one of the other moms was talking about the book, The Overscheduled Child--I told her it sounds like I need to read it! School is going by in a blur. Steven's already finished with his 1st Quarter of Middle School. He LOVES school. He says middle school is the best! He loves his teachers and is doing really well in his classes. He says the best part of this year is that there's not as much homework as elementary school because they give him a chance to do most of it in class. Also, they have lots and lots of fun at school!

I had to go spy on him the other day just to see if it's as fun as he says it is. Each quarter, the PTA puts on a Way to Go Lunch. This is an incentive lunch that 30 kids get to participate in during the lunch hour. All quarter, kids earn tickets for good behavior. At the end of the quarter 30 tickets per grade level are chosen to eat at the front of the cafeteria with all their buddies watching. Fast food restaurants around Auburn donate a bunch of junk food for the kids to eat--McDonald's cheeseburgers, shakes, sausage McMuffins, apple pies, Arby's sandwiches, pizza, etc. They get to eat as much as they can stand! Steven didn't win one of the spots, but because I was helping out, they let me give him some of the food.

The week before last, all of the 6th graders got to go to Round Table Pizza for all-you-can-eat pizza because they'd met some incentive goal in their class. Steven and his friend, Zac, took this seriously and ate all they could--17 pieces each! I told him I wouldn't let him go anymore if he was planning on doing that again. I couldn't believe he was able to play basketball after school that day.

This leaves time for extracurricular activities. Steven wants to try everything to see what he likes. His morning starts out at 6:00 a.m. (ouch! His mom and dad are NOT morning people!) He leaves for Jazz band at 6:30 a.m. His band teacher is Mr. Paustian who was also, ironically, Steve's band teacher in Idaho 20 years ago! He plays trombone and really enjoys it.

In school he's taking the regular classes--English, Math, Science, plus an Industrial Arts elective. He just informed me that he's been asked to be the Student Representative for his class next quarter, so his elective will be the Leadership class.

After school from 2:30-4:15, Steven's been participating in 6th grade basketball. He played forward, so he got lots of practice rebounding. This is the first time he's played on an organized team, so it's been a learning experience for him. The coach kept calling him Stevie for some reason--I hope that doesn't stick!

After coming home and practicing trombone and finishing homework, Steven goes to Savior of the World Practice on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Our stake is putting on the Savior of the World play/musical Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st. It's really an amazing production about the Savior's birth. Steven is playing the part of Nathan, a shepherd boy. He has a couple of solos and some speaking parts. It's a huge time commitment, but we're really enjoying the experience.

On Wednesday's, he goes to Scouts. He's been working on the 1st Class Rank Advancement and really enjoys going every week and going on the campouts.

In addition to all of these obligations, Steven still finds time for a social life. On Thursday, he went to a skating party at Auburn Skate Connection with the other 6th graders. He was excited that he won a skating race.

He also likes to walk Leia while his buddy, Zac, walks his dog, Scuppers. (Sorry if I spelled his name wrong, Johnson's!) On Saturday afternoons, he goes to Puppy Obedience Training to teach Leia to be a good doggy!

Finally, to make money, Steven's been raking leaves for neighbors. They've been very generous, and although he tells them he's doing it just to be nice, they insist that he put it in his mission fund. We have great LDS neighbors!

We're looking forward to January when most of these extra activities will be over. Last Saturday, we had a window of nothing to do, so Steven really enjoyed just being a kid playing video games and watching TV!

Halloween Happenings

2007-11-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

We've had an exciting Halloween at the Summers' house. It all started last weekend when Steve and I went to an annual Halloween costume party. In the past, we've gone as individual characters. This year, we wanted to dress up as a couple.

I went online to get ideas. On ebay, I saw a few ideas, including Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. But, HELLO! They were bidding over $150 for them! I don't think so! So I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics, spent $25 on felt and $10 on accessories and made them myself. (Mom and Grandma Lacey--thanks for all that time and patience you took teaching me how to sew! I get to use my sewing annually for Halloween costumes.)

There was only a little drama (well, a lot, at the time) when we tried the costumes on and realized they wouldn't fit over our hips. The costumes were lined, and apparantly I'd goofed up on the seam allowances for the lining and the linings were smaller than the outer shells. Thank goodness for seam rippers!

The party was so much fun. The highlight was the power tools pumpkin carving contest. The winner carved his
with a chain saw!

Steve with his Gremlin pumpkin

Monday night we made carameled apples and carved pumpkins for Family Night. In the past, we've gone to a pumpkin patch to let the kids each pick one out. This year we were too busy, so Steve took the kids down to Albertson's to pick them out.

Steven insisted on carving his pumpkin all by himself this year. He made a very detailed witch. It turned out great! (Dad ended up "helping" a little to speed things along--Steven needed to go to bed!)

Here are the final versions of the Pumpkins. Don't you love the kids' assortment of "jammies?!"

Ben wanted to make a Pac Man pumpkin. Steve learned a cool trick from the power tool pumpkin carving contest--drills make really great holes in pumpkins! So, Steve even made the little dots PacMan needed to eat. We heard some really excited trick-or-treaters exclaim that they loved the PacMan pumpkin.

Rachel wanted to make a dog--it was too hard to design, but she was able to make an adorable pumpkin almost all by herself!

On Halloween (Wednesday night,) we started the evening by going to a tri-ward carnival at the church. Sophia, dressed as Piglet, had so much fun. She especially enjoyed the cupcakes. Rachel was a beautiful Sleeping Beauty.

Ben was a mad scientist--complete with a balding white wig and safety goggles, but when anyone asked him, he replied, "I'm my dad!"

Steven dressed as Dracula. (We never got a picture of him, though!) The middle schoolers were allowed to dress up for school, so he wore his costume all day. He started out wearing a black wig, but by the end of the day, it looked like a dead rat, so he didn't want to wear it trick or treating.

The kids didn't want to stay at the church for the dinner or "trunk or treating." They wanted to come home so they could go out with friends. Trick or treating was a new experience this year. Steve and Sophia stayed home to pass out the candy while I went out with Ben and his friends, Connor and Ethan. Rachel went with her friend, Christine and Christine's mom and sister. Steven and his friends, Nik, Zak, Kyle, Sam, and Aaron, decided they didn't want any adults hampering their progress, so we let them all go together. They had cell phones and set boundaries and an 8:00 curfew to adhere to. They were home before 8:00, so we'll let them do it again next year! They all came home with lots of loot. They've gotten wise over the years. They're keeping it stashed in their bedrooms so Dad and Mom can't eat any of it. (We told them if we saw any of it down here, it was ours! We didn't want Leia, the dog, to get into any of it!)

Happy 1st Birthday, Sophia!

2007-09-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Our baby turned 1 on September 21st (which also, by the way, was our 13th anniversary.)

My sister, Cherilyn, and her son, Ryan, were here visiting from Pinetop, AZ. (We took this picture of them when we went to the Pacific Science Center on Saturday. We had so much fun while they were here. Thanks for coming, guys!)We had a little birthday party, complete with pizza, cake, and ice cream. Our neighbors, Barbara, Christine, and Elizabeth Davis came. Chad Carman and his kids came, too--Barb was out of town, so we figured we could be their entertainment for the weekend!

Traditionally, I've made all of the kids' birthday cakes from scratch and have decorated them myself, but I cheated this year and bought the cake from Costco. I'd made the cake and when I went to decorate it, I found out it didn't quite get baked enough. The frosting, I'm sure, was lots nummier for Sophie. We had so much fun watching her eat the cake. She had never eaten sugar before, and she's decided she loves it! She coated her fingers with frosting and just sucked on them for a long time. I thought she'd get tired of it, but she ate almost the entire piece!

She loved opening her presents, but with all of the "help" she was getting from all the kids, she was a little overwhelmed. (That's why she's not smiling in these next pictures.) Her favorite present was a Fisher Price train from Daddy.

She's been showing off all week to everyone that she can walk as she follows the moving train around the room. She also likes the rooster flashlight that cock-a-doodle-doo's when it's turned on that the Carman's gave her. I've noticed a theme with almost every gift she received--they ALL make noise! She loves them!

I really can't believe how quickly the last year has passed. Today, I spent an extra few minutes talking to Sophie today, singing to her, and holding her as I captured pictures of her in my mind as my "baby." Before I know it, she will be a big girl!

I took this picture of her last week playing in Daddy's office--she'll always be spoiled--that's for sure!

My ears are still ringing!

2007-09-27T10:11:00.001-07:00

Awesome! Tammy and I went to the Def Leppard/Foreigner/Styx concert last night. WOW! For the last 6 months, everyone we've told about it has laughed at us, I'm not sure why. Maybe we don't strike people as metal-heads. Well, we went and had a great time.

We bought our tickets last spring, for our anniversary last week. We had great seats at the White River Amphitheater just outside of Auburn. Here's the seating map, the yellow circle is where we were sitting:

Of course, I left the camera in the car so the only pictures I got were on my phone. But, just so you know we were really there, here are some of the pictures:

Styx started out and they were my favorite group. Yep, I even bought a T-Shirt to prove it. The crowd was thin at the start, but filled in as the concert went along. I couldn't believe it when the guy next to me asked "Are they the opener?" Yeah, buddy, Styx is just the opener. And Star Wars was just a preview of Star Trek. Geez.

By the time Foreigner started, the stadium was full. They turned the amps up to 11 - that's one louder than 10, if you're not familiar with Spinal Tap. Tammy's favorite song was Urgent- a Sax solo that knocked her shoes off. Literally.

Finally, Def Leppard came out. They proved that this is really their tour. My apologies to the guy next to me. Wow! Foreigner and Styx were loud, but only painfully loud. If the amps were at 11 before, they jumped to 111 for Def Leppard. We had to lean toward the stage to keep from being knocked over by the thump of the bass guitar. I'm guessing this has something to do with the ringing in my ears this morning. Congratulations, Gents, you've proven that Def is all yours.

Any one of these groups was worth the ticket price. All 3 together was, like, 3 times as good. Plus, we go the fun of watching everyone there (Yes, Jackie, we saw you gettin' Def with your friends). Believe it or not, we weren't the oldest ones there- most of their fans were listening to these groups in the late 70's, so many of the concert goers were 5-10 years older than us. Many had been drinking, some had desperate looks in their eyes, a few were smoking some brand of cigarette I hadn't smelled before...

So I'm looking for another concert to go to. I'm not sure what could top this one, but it would be fun to get a group of friends together for the next big concert.
-- Steve

Sophie, the Toddler

2007-09-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

On Monday, September 17th, our baby turned into a toddler. Sophia started walking! Wasn't she just born last month?!? Oh, wait! Her birthday is this Friday! Yikes! Time flies.

We were kind of shocked that she just started walking. She's been cruising along furniture for a few weeks, but hasn't shown any interest in standing on her own. We decided to try the same trick we used with Rachel. Sunday night, we got Rachel's doll stroller and had Sophie push it along for awhile. She was squealing with delight as she tried to keep up with the fast stroller.

On Monday, just for fun, I got down on the floor and stood Sophie up out and towards me a few feet and let go of her. She stood there, grinned, and took her first steps. She was so proud of herself--almost as proud as her Mommy!

Ever since then, she has been trying to walk everywhere. When she's on a roll, she even tries to walk when she falls down, crawling/standing upright on her knees. Of course her older siblings are more than happy to help her in her new-found skill.

Doin' the Puyallup!

2007-09-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

For Family Night, we “Did the Puyallup!” I’m referring to the annual fall fair in Puyallup, WA. We had so much fun. We started out by taking the shuttle bus from the Sumner train station. The kids had as much fun riding in the back of the bus as they did on the rides at the fair.

We had initially told the kids that we would not be riding any rides. We started out by walking through all of the exhibit buildings. Rachel’s favorite exhibit was a lady bug collection from an 11-year-old girl. Steve’s favorite part was listening to the live accordion music. My favorite part was people watching (and all of the food, of course!) Sophia’s favorite part (I guess) was watching the clowns do their magic show onstage.

I made the kids walk through the livestock barns with me. They couldn’t believe that their own mom had taken a heifer (baby cow) to show for 4-H when she was Ben’s age. I explained that I had to hang out in the barn the 3-4 days that fair was going on to watch Violet, my heifer. They gagged and held their noses because of the “cow poop” smell that permeated the building!

After the wonderful aroma of the livestock building, we moved on to the food areas. The boys wanted the Walla Walla Burgers—huge hamburgers with grilled onions—and curly fries. Steve and Rachel split a Soba Noodle plate. We all split an elephant ear. I had a scone (fresh, hot biscuits filled with jam ) for dinner—no nutritional value, whatsoever, but yummy—plus bites of the boys’ hamburgers!

We reluctantly told the kids they could each ride one ride before we left to go home. When we got to the ticket counter, we realized that it was “cheap ride night at the fair!” All rides were just $1 each. We splurged and bought 6 tickets so each kid could go on 2 rides. (We had to hurry and catch the shuttle back, so they couldn’t go on more—darn!) The kids were pretty bummed. We heard a lot of “No fair! You mean we walked through a bunch of boring buildings and smelled smelly cows when we could have been riding more rides?!?” We told them they should be thankful they got to ride any rides at all because we’d told them we were just going there for dinner and the free entertainment.

On the way out of the park, Steven bought a fake wooden snake with his allowance money. He had fun freaking people out while we were waiting for the shuttle bus. In the dark the snake looked very realistic. (I'll post a picture of Steven and his snake when I take one!) Until then, look at how much fun Sophie had riding on Daddy's shoulders!

Back in the Swing of Things

2007-09-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

We're officially back to "real" life again. The kids all started school Wednesday, and what an exciting (and long) day it was! First, at 7:00 a.m. we sent Steven off to middle school. For those of you who know me well, know that I am NOT a morning person. So this will be a new experience for me! It will only get worse soon, as Steven starts Jazz Band before school, and since the bus doesn't pick him up, I get to drive him a couple of days a week. Oh mannn!

Next, we sent Ben off to his new school, where he will participate in STEP (Student Teacher Enrichment Program). STEP is designed to challenge kids who might drive their teachers crazy in a normal classroom setting. They go at a little faster pace and have more interactive projects and assignments. The school is near downtown Auburn. It's kind of rundown, but they have excellent teachers and, more importantly to Ben, a fun playground. Luckily, the bus comes to pick him up near Rachel's bus stop, only a few minutes before her's comes, so I only have to make one treck to the bus stop in the morning.
At 9:00, we went to a teacher conference for Rachel's class. We met her new teacher. She seems so nice, and Rachel is just thrilled to be back in school. She was sad that her best friend, Kylie, isn't in her class this year, but she has another friend, Payton, in the class, so she's happy. Rachel didn't actually attend class until Thursday, so she had one more day to stay home and play with Sophia and Leia (our new puppy.)
Everyone came home from school and reported that everything at school was just fine. Steven said middle school is a lot like elementary school, except there are a lot more rules. He had been nervous about the whole locker combination thing and finding his various classrooms, but he did just fine. He's bummed that none of his friends are in his core classes. He does have a couple of friends in Wood Shop and Band, though. The boys brought a whole recycling bin full of papers home with them, and I spent the next 2 hours filling out forms.

As I was filling out the forms, I noticed Leia (the puppy) on the porch with something bright orange (and pretty big) hanging out of her mouth. I quickly went over to her and instructed her to "drop it." Of course she didn't! She swallowed it! She kind of gagged as it went down, and I opened her mouth to see if I could see it anymore. Nope! Gone! I figure it was one of three things--a nerf dart from the boys' gun, a broken piece of plastic shovel that was recently chopped up by a lawn mower, or (hopefully) a Rhodedendron leaf. (Although Rodies are poisonous to dogs.)

I wasn't too worried at first because she ate a bunch of her dinner later, so I thought, "She's fine!" After I got the kids in bed and Steve was out taking care of bishopric business, Leia started writhing around on the floor in pain. She started gagging. I picked her up and ran outside. As soon as I got to the porch, she threw up.

Now for those who know me, I have a HUGE aversion to anything to do with throwing up. I try to keep my kids away from other sick kids, I have them wash their hands a lot during flu season, etc. just so they don't get sick. Steve is such a wonderful husband that when the kids do get sick, he cleans everything up. For some reason, doggy vomit is not as vile as kids' vomit. I didn't freak out too badly--except that I was really worried now about what the dog had swallowed.

I called Steve, and as he came home, I called the after-hours vet, and they said to rush her in. I just knew she was dying, so I went upstairs to the boys' room and told them to give her a hug before Dad got home. There was weeping and wailing and lots of prayers said for our sick, sick doggy. I was really afraid we'd never see our new puppy again and I wanted our boys to be able to say "good-bye." Steve, the eternal optimist, gave me an "Oh brother!" look when he came home and said everything would be fine and told the boys not to worry.

Leia threw up in her kennel on the way as Steve took her to the vet. Steve left the dog at the animal hospital and came home. I asked him how much it was going to cost. He said, "Around $300." We've never even spent that much on all of our kids combined for visits to the emergency room! The vet took x-rays and said he couldn't see anything solid, but that things like Nerf toys and plastic don't usually show up on x-rays. Well, duh! Then why did he take the x-rays?!? So he induced vomiting and the only thing that came up other than dinner, was a bunch of strings from, ironically, a toy the vet had given us last week! I went back at midnight to pick up Leia and brought her home.

The next day she was a little lethargic (and boy was I, too.) We watched her closely and the kids said lots of prayers and asked about "doggy heaven." I told them she'd be fine. It's funny! Now we don't have as much of a problem getting the kids to go out and play with her now. I think they have a new-found appreciation for her.

Rachel had fun her first full day of school. She came home super tired, but really happy. She said first grade "wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!" Just wait! Sophia just crawled around the house all day saying, "Da-dull" (Rachel) and looking for stuff to do. She REALLY misses the kids! And so do I, but it sure is quiet now. :)

Dog Days of the Summers'

2007-08-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Summer has flown by. We have been keeping so busy, and we're even busier now because we've added a new member to our family. We'd like to introduce you to Leia, our new Miniature Schnauzer puppy.

I know my family will faint because I've never been a known dog lover. But, the kids have been asking us for a dog for the last couple of years. Whenever I've tried to send them outside to play, they always say that our backyard is too boring and that it would be so much more fun with a dog.

For Ben's birthday in June, we told him that his present could be getting a dog. But, we would spend some time researching what kind of dog to get, and we would need to learn about caring for an "inside dog" before getting the right one. We checked out every book from the library on choosing dogs, training dogs, etc. Our family is now officially dog-trained!

When I first went online to search for what kind of dog we should get, a website popped up with the reply, "You want a cat!" We finally decided on a Schnauzer because they don't shed, they don't smell, and they're kid friendly if they're raised with kids. We even helped a lady in our ward bathe her Schnauzer, just to make sure this was really something "I" could handle! It was just like bathing Sophia, just a little wetter!

Two days ago (Tuesday) we went to the dog breeder in Olalla, WA. We got to meet a couple of her litter mates and her mommy, Jessi. She was the sweetest little one there. She came right up to us and instantly everyone decided she was meant to be part of our family.

Coming up with a name was a brief cause of contention among the kids, but they finally agreed to "Leia" after "Princess Leia" from Star Wars. They originally wanted to name any dog we got "Obi" after "Obi Won Kenobi" but I insisted on getting a female dog!

She has been such a good, little doggy. She follows me around everywhere I go. I never, ever imagined that I could like a dog, but I really think she is sweet. She snuggles up in our arms just like a new baby. But she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night to eat, so it's even better!

After the first morning up with her at 5:00 a.m. (I'm NOT a morning person!), I wondered, "What have we done?!?" It's really been crazy around here trying to make sure she doesn't go potty on the floor--(no accidents yet!) and keeping Sophia and Leia from each other, but the kids have really stepped up and are doing a great job learning all about RESPONSIBILITY. I'm just wondering, "What do I do when the older kids are in school!?!" At least Sophia won't be bored.

Leia was just what we needed right now because the kids now have a "project" for the next two weeks before school starts. They really love her!

Party at the Lacey's!

2007-07-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

We're in Drummond, Montana visiting Tammy's parents for a family reunion. All of Tammy's siblings are here, along with their kids. There are 27 of us. Here's a quick picture of all of the kids:

We're spread out in tents, trailers, and various rooms in the house. The kids are having a great time, and so far we've been able to keep up with them. Tammy's having fun with her sisters:

and Sophia is meeting her cousins:

So far, we've ridden in the boat (Steven wakeboarded!), roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, played all kinds of games, changed 657 dirty diapers, and eaten 7 million calories. It's the perfect 4th of July vacation!

Our Little Vacuum Cleaner

2007-06-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

Our little Sophia turned 9 months old this week. How the time flies! She is having so much fun trying to keep up with everyone. She is very independent now. She loves to explore the house. We no longer need to vacuum or sweep the floor because she takes care of it for us! Just kidding--we sweep a couple of times a day, but she still manages to find something to put into her mouth.

Sophie has also started "singing." Her favorite songs are Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam and The Wheels on the Bus. She even likes to dance along when she sings--it elicits more of a reaction from her adoring fans. Jabbering is also a favorite pasttime. She can say her own little versions of "Da-Da," "Ra-Ra" (Rachel), "bbbbbb" (bottle.) The last couple of days she has learned to shake her head "No!"

Here's a picture of one of her favorite places to play--under her bouncy chair!

Finally, Sophia is trying to learn to stand up with the help of furniture. As a result, she has little bruises all over her forehead from falling into chairs and walls. Her latest bruise coordinates with her purple pants she's wearing today.

We're all happy that stranger anxiety and separation anxiety haven't set in, yet. Steve and I were even able to go out to dinner and to see Ocean's 13 last night while Sophia and the other kids stayed home with our friend, Barb Davis. Thanks Barb!

Ben's Birthday!

2007-06-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Ben's 9th birthday. Happy Birthday Ben!

Since it is Sunday, we celebrated his birthday yesterday. It started off with breakfast in bed:

French toast, of course. Breakfast in bed is a funny tradition at our house, since the kids always wake up before the parents. So it involves sending the birthday kid back to bed while we make breakfast. But they love it, so we keep the tradition. All meals served on birthdays are done on the "red dishes."

Ben's birthday party was a skating party at Auburn Skate Connection. It was loud, noisy, and hot, but we didn't have to plan anything so it was great. Ben and his friends had a great time:

Tammy made Ben's cake. She went for a simple design that would appeal to a bunch of 9-year olds: Cake with candy on top.

It looks like Ben is having a great birthday weekend. We love having Ben in our family, there's nothing better in the whole world than a happy Ben.

Steven's year-end concert

2007-06-10T15:08:00.001-07:00

Steven finished his first year of band this week, with a concert on Monday night. This was their second concert, they had one earlier in the year. It was a pleasure to see how much they've improved! Wow!

Steven plays the trombone, and his teacher decided to feature the trombone section with a special number. All 6 of them came to the front of the stage and played this song:

After Steven's 5th grade class performed, we stayed for the 6th and 7th grade bands. We're looking forward to next year when the band practices together every day.

Afterwards, we went to Ben & Jerry's (or, as Ben says, Me and Jerry's) for ice cream.
Great job, Steven. You did a great job this year!

Good-bye Grandma and Grandpa! And Grandma!

2007-05-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

Grandma, Grandpa and Mom (that's grandma to the kids) left yesterday to head up to Vancouver. Grandma's having surgery on her back. We loved having them here, and we'll miss them while we wait for the next time we see them. Grandma, you're in our prayers during your surgery.

We did snap a quick 4-generation photo for Sophia. She really took to my Mom. And now she really misses everyone.

Warning to Snakes Everywhere: Stay Away from the Summers!

2007-05-29T16:34:00.001-07:00

So every summer I find a couple of snakes in the back yard. With my lawnmower. Aside from the mess that follows, they freak me out. I don't know why- I grew up in rural Idaho, after all. I had friends who brought rattle snake meat as part of their school lunch. But I've never been able to handle the thought of holding one of the critters in my hands. Oooh- I've got the creepies already.

(No, this isn't Tammy writing this. It's brave old Dad).

So the other day the kids found a snake wandering around our backyard. Instead of chopping it up with the lawnmower, I let the kids play with it. For hours. and hours. It kept looking at me with "please kill me" eyes. By the end, the poor thing was barely moving.

But I had a plan- that evening, we let it go back into the weeds behind the house. That way, it could warn all of the other reptiles in the area that this is one house. We'll see how well it works as the temperature rises. My thermometer says it reached 92 degrees today!

I'm back from Camp Auburn!

2007-05-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Camp Auburn was awesome! I had a great time at Camp Auburn. Camp Auburn is a camp that is like a scout camp that everybody from 5th grade attends in the Auburn School District. (If they have permission from their parents). (Here's a newsreport from the Auburn Reporter.)

(Mom and Dad will post pictures when the film gets developed. They wouldn't let me take the digital camera!)

What we do there is we do things like boating. We also do campfire at night. It is really cool because we sing songs so we can have dinner. There are people called hoppers who have to eat really fast because like every minute he/she has to go get food for everyone. The bad part is we have to learn manners. AHHHHHHH!!!. A good part is we can bring a gallon sized bag of candy. We also get to build a fire, roast hotdogs, go on a hike, build a shelter,and make rope. We get three huge meals a day and get letters, pennants (flag-like awards), and lots of dessert.

There are also points so we can get a really special pennant called honor cabin for a boy cabin and a girl cabin. Some things aren't so cool like we have to clean our cabins and our showers and bathrooms

There are also special people from high school called rovers and counselors. The counselors are high school students who act like adults for your cabin. The rovers are people from high school who encourage you to scream out as loud as you can so you lose your voice on the first day. They can be really annoying and really fun. The camp fire is hosted by the rover (yes the really annoying ones) where you do skits and sing. I had a really really fun time at camp and I will never forget it.

Written by and a witness to Camp Auburn,

STEVEN SUMMERS

Grandma loves me best!

2007-05-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Gardner are in town visiting this weekend. Yep, out of all of the places they could have gone they decided to spend Memorial Day weekend with us. It's been great to have them over- we always have a lot of fun when we get to see them.

OK, we weren't Grandma's first choice. She had surgery scheduled for this week in Vancouver BC, but the hospital didn't have any open beds. So, instead of driving all the way back to Southbank they came down to Seattle to wait for a bed to open up.

We do get a two-fer out the deal, though. My Mom flew up to be with Grandma during her surgery, and she's stuck at our house too. But I prefer to think that they chose to come over.

We spent today driving around near Mt. Rainier today. Of course, the clouds came out and we couldn't see the mountain at all, but the surrounding forest is a cool place to visit.

And, since it is Grandma, she made sure we sat for a photo.

- Steve

Ben Stays Home from School

2007-05-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Ben. I'm staying home from school for the second day in a row because I've had a fever. I wanted to go back today, but Mom said I had to wait because I was still sick last night.

Grampa and Grandma Lacey came to our house yesterday (and the day before and today). I taught my grampa how to play Poke'mon ruby. (It took him awhile to understand HP which is Health points or Hit points).

Before I got sick, I got to go to my friend, Chris's, birthday party. I gave him a 20 Questions Game. His birthday was fun.

I like staying home from school because I get to drink lots of 7 Up. After I do my homework I get to play video games a lot too.

Steven left to go to Camp Auburn. He left before I even woke up. (Mom's note: Camp Auburn is a 4 day, 3 night camp for all of the kids in the school district in the 5th grade. We'll have Steven tell you all about it when he gets back. Here's a picture of Steven with all of his gear.)

Father-Son Camp 2007

2007-05-19T21:31:00.001-07:00

I spent last night with Steven and Ben on our annual "Let's camp in the rain because drying wet tents is so fun" event.

We had a great time, despite a little bit of rain. I left work a bit early and took the boys to set up our tent at Game Farm Wilderness park, just down the hill from where we live. The nice part about camping so close is that we can go home to get anything we forget. The bad part is that I end up driving up and down the hill several times to get all of the little things that I could probably live without.

After a bit of catch, baseball, and kickball, we cooked dinner- hot dogs, to keep it easy. In fact, we just begged hot dogs off of one of our good friends so it was even easier than I thought it would be.

After a campfire put on by the Stake, we went back to our tent site with all of our friends from the ward. We spent several hours cooking marshmallows, eating snacks, and poking the fire. Finally around midnight we went to bed.

The morning started early, since it was our Ward's year to fix breakfast, and as YM President that luck task fell on me. Luckily, we have great people in the ward and everyone pitched in. We made breakfast burritos and fed 150 people by 8:00 in the morning.

I've gotten pretty good at drying out wet camping stuff. It had rained on and off all night, and especially in the morning, so I got to put my skills to the test again. I have our garage figured out- I know where all the little hooks are to hang my tent, rain fly, sleeping bags, and other camping stuff. Even on a wet day, the wind will usually dry it all out pretty quickly.

It was a lot of work, but alot of fun. The boys had a great time running through the trees with their friends.

Rachel learns to ride a bike!

2007-05-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Big milepost today- Rachel learned to ride her bike with no training wheels. Yesss! For weeks I've been worried about the whole training routine- you have be in pretty good shape to run behind a bike shouting "Pedal! Pedal!" So it was with some worry that I removed Rachel's training wheels today. We tried this a couple of months ago, only to quickly put them back on.

But something clicked, and rachel took right off. First she figured out how to balance the bike, then how to turn, and finally how to take off with no help from Dad. Within an hour she was biking around the neighborhood.

So I'm done running behind bikes. For a few years, until Sophia needs a little help.

- Dad