The Storer's

2009-07-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

HARRY POTTER and the SLEEP OVER at AUNT MARISA'S

Finally, the much anticipated Harry Potter movie swept thru Idaho Falls like a tornado!! A few of my siblings are big fans - mem not so much. So, I got to have a sleep over with all my nieces and nephews!! And we had a blast! We started the evening out with the smaller kids upstairs watching Bolt. Look at them sitting so nicely watching the movie!! I thought to myself, "see, they are so good! There's nothing to it!"

And the girls were downstairs getting their forts built so they could watch "Princess Protection Program." Come on Jess, give me a smile!

Soon after the first ten minutes of the movie, the kids decided it would be funner to PLAY Bolt instead of watch it. Then somehow, it turned into the Star Wars droids that were after them!! Oh the imagination of kids! I love it!

OK, does it get any cuter than this?!! Look at Tyler!! TOTAL CONCENTRATION!!

JOSEPH, and the AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

Hannah had the opportunity to be in the children's chorus for this production. A lady in our ward is very involved in the community theatrical stuff and came to our house back in February to see if Hannah would like to try this type of thing. Well, the rest is history. Hannah had a blast! She would sing the songs in the shower, on the way to the store, at the dinner table. I don't know how many times she showed us the dances. It was so much fun to watch her learn and love it. On opening night when the curtain opened and I saw her up there on the stage, my eyes filled with tears! I was so proud of her and so excited that she was getting to experience that! There's a proud moment for this momma!

Hannah sold so many tickets and got one for free. She immediately informed me that the ticket was for Jessica to come to the show. So closing night, Jess was able to see the show.

Hannah was part of the tribe of LEVI, but her favorite brother was Benjamin!

These were the narrators. Hannah became pretty fond of them both. They had beautiful voices and did a great job. Something about genetics makes the voices blend and create a sound that you can't get anywhere else. It was fun to listen to them.

Here's Hannah with the "Pharoah" and the lady from our ward Lynne Mitchell. Hannah thought that the pharaoh was hot!!

And here she is with the star of the show, Joseph. He had a fantastic voice. What a pleasure it was to listen to him. Hannah got to be right next to him in a couple of the scenes!! He called her Hannah Banana.

2009-07-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

JONAS BROTHERS WORLD TOUR 2009!!

"Nick's my pick!!!!"
"Kevin = Heaven!"

In February, my sister-in-law texted me and said that she'd just bought tickets to see these guys in concert. She thought that Hannah and I would want to come. I was so excited that I immediately got online and bought tickets, just for me and Han. I thought that this would be a perfect trip for just the two of us, a little quality time together. I held on to the tickets until April. Mike and I finally decided to tell her about her surprise. She darn near peed her pants. She was soooo excited. All her friends were jealous and the planning of the outfit and posters began.

So, here we are, early in the morning, on the way the Boise.

We made a quick detour in Poky to grab a Jamba with Aunt Jen. We mourned the death of Michael Jackson (happened the night before) and Aunt Jen joined in the excitement of the trip!

Once we got to Boise, Hannah decided that she wanted to shop for a new outfit for the concert. She had been given a $40 gift certificate from a single mom in our ward. Hannah walked her two youngest kids to school every day this year. Anyway, she wanted to go shopping. She knew exactly what she was looking for. Everything I held up, she' d give the ol' nose wrinkle and kept shopping. She was really eyeing the mini skirts with the leggings under. I encouraged her to keep looking. (Quite frankly, I just couldn't wrap my brain around my daughter in a short skirt and leggings.) I told her that I didn't mind the leggings, but that the skirts were too short. If she could find something that was a little bit longer, that would be great.

Jonas Brothers, here we come!!!

She had 82 cents left! What a shopper!

We met up with my sister-in-law Rainey, and cousin Wyatt, at the Cheesecake Factory for some fantastic food. Always fun!!

After completely stuffing ourselves, and the biggest joke in parking history, we finally made it to the concert. Jordan Sparks was the opening act! She was GREAT!!! Hannah wasn't sure she was ok with the volume of the concert. She wasn't really enjoying it, so I ran out to the lobby to see if they sold ear plugs. They did, and finally Hannah relaxed, smiled a little, and sang along with a few of the songs. I made her stand up a couple of times, clap and wave her arms, but she was much more reserved that the other 14,000 girls there!

It was quite the show!

We were about 100 feet from the stage! Of course, my camera doesn't do so well, but we had great seats.

Take a listen!!

They played for about an hour and a half. What a fun night!!

Can't beat spending a great night at a fantastic concert with your daughter! I had a fabulous night. I feel so blessed that we are able to create some special memories with our kids. I have learned that it doesn't have to be the Jonas Brothers World Tour to spend some quality one on one, but when there is the opportunity to do something like this, I feel blessed that we are able to make it happen. These are special times for me. My Hannah is growing up. She's certainly not a little girl anymore. I'll hang on to every special moment I can!!!

2009-07-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

PESKY BIRDS!!!

I think it's because of all the rain we've been having, but a few weeks ago, I noticed a lot of commotion around my pink hanging basket in the front yard. I went out to check to see if the little tweetie birds had made a nest. I started to take the basket down and the birds flew out!! I screamed really loud and then started laughing at myself!! So, I decided to wait for Mike. He took down the basket. We couldn't find anything around the edges of the plant. Finally, Mike pulled the plant apart. Those birds had burrowed this nest and these eggs in the middle of the hanging basket. I could not believe it. What's worse, is the next day, after we'd destroyed the nest, more commotion. We took the hanging basket down again, the birds didn't even bother to build a nest this time. The momma just laid her eggs in the hole where the other nest had been built!!

A few days later, I opened up my french doors to go outside and this is what I see! Right by my door!!

So I called Mike at work and told him. This time, I had to face the bird myself. So I pulled a chair over and surveyed the situation. No eggs, but a very protective momma robin purched on our phone wire about ten feet away. "Here goes nothing, I thought." Knocked down the eggless nest without being attacked. Feeling pretty good, right? The very next morning, I opened the door to turn on the water, and those dang birds had rebuilt that nest overnight. I was sure that the mom had laid her eggs because she kept sitting in the nest and wouldn't move if I opened the door. So I waited for the right moment and gathered my courage for a second go around.

Can you believe it!! The momma bird sat purched on my patio chair the whole rest of that day. If we opened the door, she'd fly to the light, where the nest was. Mike ended up having to shoot her. (Please, don't think less of us!!)

SPEAKING OF BIRDS....

Abbey's final ballet performance of the year was "Hansel and Gretel." And Abbey's little class were the canaries!! (A little sick of birds at this point!!) Abbey did so good! She was so graceful and right on! It's been fun to watch her this year. She sure loves ballet. She walks around the house with her long neck, pretty ballet fingers on her tip toes. She's hilarious!! She'll yell at me "mom, say presenting the beautiful princess abbey." Then, she'll walk down the hall all balarinaeee. It's a pretty good laugh!!

Her cute little friend Bayli.

The cutest canary ever!!!

TWIN FALLS TEMPLE

Mike and I decided to take the kids down to Twin Falls to see Shoshone Falls and the temple. We thought "oh this is a perfect day trip" OK!! Here are some of the most frequently used phrases:

"Are we there yet"

"I'm hungry"

"I've got to go the bathroom!! Serious!!"

"Is that it?"

"Can we go now?"

"I'm really hungry AND thirsty"

Mike and I looked at each other several times during the day laughing our butts off!! What a trip! The falls were a little bit disappointing. They weren't running as hard as people said they were. My little camera doesn't do them justice, nor does it capture the beauty of the Twin Falls Temple. It was beautiful. I learn to appreciate my parents each time I take a trip with my children. Don't know how they ever survived taking 5 of us!!!

Hannah took this picture!! Not too shabby!!

Dad, feeling extremely happy that we are a "forever family!!"

This picture is from the back of the temple.

Very beautiful!! Like I said, my little camera doesn't capture it, but it was a very pretty temple.

Now at Shoshone Falls

Enter one of the many phrases from the above list!

These are the falls.

Smile everyone!! This is a fantastic family outing!

The falls were still very pretty. Just wished they would have been running a littel higher.

2009-05-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

BRACES!!

The much anticipated day has finally arrived! Hannah got her braces on. Just four across her front teeth. The ladies at the orthodontists office got a kick out of Hannah's imagination. She'd thought up just about every scenario possible. They just laughed!! They hurt for the first few days, and now she has trouble chewing because of the brackets, but all in all, doing pretty well. She's sure growing up fast!!

WII Casualty!!

Tanner got his first set of stitches. He was playing the wii, tripped on the chord and took the corner of the entertainment center in the head! He was so brave!! The numbing medicine didn't take very well, so he felt the last two stitches go in. He cried just a little. He told Dr. Brower that he wanted black stitches because it's Steelers colors. He just laughed. So the nurse brought in a bright yellow bandaid once he was put back together. GO STEELERS!!!

FIRST GYNMASTICS MEET

Last weekend was Tanner's first meet. They performed for a judge and everything!! He was so dang cute and did a really good job. They had to do a floor routine and a routine on the rings.

In his little division, he took 3rd all around; second on floor and third on rings.

Saluting the other gymnasts

Here he is in the middle of the rings routine.

These are the cute boys in his little class. It's been so fun to watch him get stronger, more coordinated and focused. And he likes doing it!!

KITE FESTIVAL

We went the the kite festival at Sandy Downs. When we got there, we thought we'd be able to pick up a couple of kites for cheap. The cheapest kite was like $13.00. Justin told the kids to "huddle up" and told them that we could buy everyone their very own kite for less money than that. MOAN!! GROAN!! WAH!!

So off to Kmart we went and sure enough, everyone got a kite for about that same price!! Nice huddle Just!!!

Some assembly required.

Everyone is SO happy to be at the kite festival.

GAME ON!!!

Mike and Abbey against Hannah and Tanner.

Abbey's idea of blocking is punching or pushing the other two to the ground.

Mike had more fun tormenting the kids, making them chase him ALL over the yard.

DOWN! SET! HUT!!

I had to through in this picture. I was right in the middle of a lesson. Mike came home from work and sat down on the couch. Pretty soon I could hear him breathing louder than the music. When I turned around, Tanner had crawled up on his lap and they'd both fallen asleep. Pretty cute.

2009-04-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

KIDS DO THE DARNDEST THINGS!!

So the other day, Abbey tells me she wants a tatoo. Of course, I was shocked and asked her why. She said that it wasn't fair that Hannah got one on her face a few days before. (A prize she'd won at school.) Anyway, I finished doing her hair and she ran off to play. I finished getting ready for the day and thought that the kids were just downstairs playing the Wii. Lunch time came and the kids came upstairs. I asked Abbey why she would write on herself and on Tanner. She said, "I told you I wanted a dang tatoo!!!"

Oh my!

2009-04-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

FOOD, FAMILY, FUN!!!

We went to Boise over Spring Break to spend some time with Mike's brother Kent and his little family. We had a great time. The weather wasn't any better than here, but it was nice to get away. We went to nephew Blaze, 3, soccer game and to nephew Wyatt's, 8, flag football game. Then the adults had a night on the town. It was a great trip. On our way home, we stopped in Poky to see Aunt Jen and Uncle Dane. We went to dinner and had some great laughs.

2009-04-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Family Time - It's supposed to be fun, right?

For Spring Break, Mike and I decided we wanted to have some fun family time. We went and bought a couple of board games, SORRY being one of them. Here's Mike explaining the rules to the kids. They were pretty excited. Let the game begin!!

VICTORY!! Abbey was the first to get all her players into their home. Of course, the game couldn't be over yet!! So we kept going to see who came in 2nd, 3rd...

DEFEATED!! Coming in last, behind his sisters is about the worst thing that could ever happen to Tanner. We're really working on sportsmanship!

2009-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

FINALLY A NICE DAY!!!

Is he his mother's kid or what? No shoes!!! Tanner loves being outside. And I love how much energy he gets rid of when it's nice outside!!

Tanner's buddy Teagan!!

Abbey stopping at the watering hole!! We stopped an got some juice and some Little Caesar's pizza and had a picnic! The kids thought that was great.

This is one of my very closest friends, Liz Lewis and her son Teagan. We do a lot of things together. Tanner and Teagan are good buds and would play together all day, every day if we would let them!!

One of Hannah's good friends Paige!! They have a lot of fun together.

2009-03-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

"I WON'T GET BEHIND!!"

One of my goals this year is to do a better job keeping my blog updated! I'm finally getting to the new year. BUSY, CRAZY and LOVING every minute of it. (Ok, not every minute, mayber 25 out of 60!!!)

Well, I downloaded my pictures backwards, and I'm trying really hard not to say bad words!! I'm trying to blog, but everytime I do, something just pisses me off!! Anyway, so the pictures are in backward order and well THAT'S OK!!! This is the pantry that my wonderful handyman of a husband built for me. And it was truly a sacrifice - he gave up space in his extra large garage to build this for me. TRUE LOVE!!! I am so excited to have a place for all of our food and my big appliances. I can't wait for it to be completed!! I LOVE IT!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!! And since this wonderful day, followed the best day of the year (Super Bowl Sunday when the steelers won) we had to update his steelers collection!! It was a good day. Mom and dad came over before they left on their trip and then Mike's family came for cake and ice cream on his birthday. Tanner was pretty ticked off at his mom because he thought that the new steelers hat was his!!

While we were buying the hat and shirt, the clerk at the store told Tanner that the car decal would look better if there was a big star in the middle of it. Tanner scrunched up his nose and said, "The Cowboys suck!!" It was a proud moment!!

We took Abbey to see Dr. Hinckley about a couple of issues we were having with sleep and behavior. He told us that Abbey's tonsils were a 4 plus (that means they are huge!!) and that her adnoids were also quite large. He told us that he was quite positive that most of the things we were talking to him about were a result of sleep apnea. So that next week, on February 4th, she had her tonsils and adnoids out. What a trooper!! When she came out with her little IV in and her hand all wrapped up, I got a little teary!! She did pretty well coming out of the anesthesia. We had to stay a little longer because she threw up as soon as she woke up. When she was ready to go, we walked across the parking lot to see Grandpa T. He wheeled her out to the car in a wheelchair. She thought that was pretty awesome.

She and Tanner spent a lot of time snuggled up together watching movies on our portable DVD player. Tanner was very concerned about Abbey and stayed close by.

Aunt Jen came to play!! My kids always love it when their aunt Jen comes to play!! Jen was showing us her incredible tennis skills!! HA! HA!

Game faces on!!!

Hannah begs me all the time to get her snow stuff on and go play in the snow. The other two are not far behind begging too. I hate getting ALL the snow stuff out, and getting it all on, and then the in and out and in and out of the house. Anyway, Mike told me to suck it up and let them go out and get rid of some of their energy. So, feeling like a terrible mom, I drug out all the stuff and they had a BLAST!!! I get so caught up in the mess and keeping the house clean, a lot of times at the expense of the kids having fun. I'm working on that. I have tried really hard to not get so uptight about that stuff. It's something I really struggle with!!

My little snow angels!!!

Once Justin announced that he bowled a perfect game, the challenge was accepted. And in the most serious of terms!! Mike spent a couple of hours (yeah right!!!) perfecting his approach and angle of the ball. And finally, the moment. So Justin, it's on!!

The toothfairy has visited our house 3 times since the beginning of the year!! Abbey actually lost her first tooth on the first day of the new year!! And of course, Hannah couldn't be outdone, so she lost a tooth 2 days later!!

Growing up so fast I can hardly stand it!!

2008 A Fabulous Year!!!

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

JANUARY

We started the year off by attending the Rexburg Temple Open House. We wanted to take Hannah through before her baptism and we were able to get tickets the day before!! We were so excited. The kids loved it!! And now every time we drive by, Tanner says "I've been in there!"

January 5th, the Church welcomed it's newest member! Hannah was baptized and confirmed by her dad. It was a very special day. She's growing up so fast. Hannah was really nervous about having to be dunked!! Of course her dad reassured her by saying "I won't hold you for too long!"

Mike was nominated and voted in as the vice president of the Eastern Idaho Metal Trades Union. This has been an incredible experience for him. He's learned so much! Because of this position, Mike represents over 30 laborers and is also involved in the contract negotiations with the company. This job has actually helped him to settle in a little bit better out at the site.

And finally, in January my cousin Kristen moved in with us. She decided to go to school at the community college here in town. And the fun began! The kids thought that it was great to have someone else around besides their mom. Kristen will graduate in July with her Dental Assisting Degree. Shortly after that she'll be getting married to a great guy, Gabe. We love her and wish her the best!!

FEBRUARY

Valentine's Day!! Mike is always so good on this day!! He sent both of his girls flowers and he sent me a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flower (pink carnations) and Tanner got a new movie. Mike took me to dinner and that was great.

We rented a cabin in Island Park with Mike's family at the end of February. This cabin was so beautiful! There was so much room and it had beds for everyone, and the best thing was the hot tub. It was fun to sit in there and watch the snow fall and be warm!! And of course, the snowmachining was great!! The kids are getting big enough to understand what we're doing and they had a great time!!

This is Abbey all decked out in her stuff!!

This is Tanner with "the boys" Jareb, Jacob and Jaxson

MARCH

Easter came WAY early this year. And as always, the Easter Bunny found our house. The kids were excited to go to church in their new duds!!

Hannah stayed home very sick that day. She wasn't too happy!!

APRIL

This was a pretty quiet month. I wish I'd have had a picture to post of me shooting my pistol. I took a handgun class with Mike and became a concealed weapons permit carrier. I was terrified of even holding my gun. Now, I feel very comfortable with it. In fact, I've really enjoyed going shooting with Mike. It's a lot of fun (until I start shooting better than he does!!)

MAY

Hannah wrote her own book!! In her class, the kids were supposed to write a story and illustrate it. Hannah wrote about a princess. She did an excellent job writing the story and her pictures were great!! They bound the book and covered it with that shining covering. It looked like a real book!! We got to go to listen to her read her book to the rest of the class. Abbey and Tanner thought it was pretty cool to be in class with their sister!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! It's the Packer's hat I always wanted!!

JUNE

Welcome summer and enter Aunt Tiffy to give us fun and sassy haircuts!! Hannah grew her hair long enough to donate 9 inches to Locks for Love. Tiff sent Hannah's hair in to be made into a wig for cancer patients. Hannah is such a sweet and thoughtful girl.
Before:

Someone will be very grateful for her thick beautiful hair.

After!!!

Abbey needed in on the action too!! Isn't she cute!!

Thanks Aunt Tiffy!!!

Time to get out the bikes!! The kids love being outside! Tanner and Abbey were pretty excited to get new bikes! Tanner still can't quite get the pedaling, but he has a dang cool bike! He also has an optimus prime helmet!! Pretty tough stuff.

Mike and Tanner went on their first Father and Sons outing. They borrowed Mike's step dad's camper and headed up to Beaver Dick park in Rexburg! There was still snow up there and it was melting and messy. They were worried that they were not going to be able to go. But they found a place that accomodated the ward and Mike and Tanner had a blast.

Tanner played frisbee football with the "big" boys in the ward. They were so great to Tanner. Now, at church, when they are passing the sacrament, Tanner waves and then he'll lean over to me and ask "what that guys name?" It's pretty cute.

Growing up so fast!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! Golf, golf and more golf!!

And the kids fixed him breakfast in bed!!

JULY

Welcome home Justin and Aimee!! I think that their arrival was one of the most anticipated parts of our year. Hannah was so excited to have her cousin Jessica move closer!! I, of course, was so excited to have my older brother back in town and I'm fortunate to have his wife be one of my very good friends. We had a luau celebration at my house for them!! Tiff did most of the leg work and she did a fabulous job!! We had a hoola hoop contest and of course the limbo!!

I think I have the cutest nieces and nephews around!!

Artwork by Hannah!

Look at this delicious food!!

The Thompson Family Reunion is an event that we look forward to all year!! This year Grandpa Thompson decided to have it at the Riot Zone, a family fun park. We had a blast playing miniature golf, taking on the inflatable toys and racing the go-carts. We had a wonderful time and look forward to many more reunions to come.

Mike really tried to make it fair!!

Just a few days after the reunion, I had a hysterectomy. It was a pretty major surgery. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help with the kids, the dinners, the encouraging phone calls. It was a long process to get well, but it's turned out to be a blessing.

AUGUST

I'm so glad that I have children to husk corn on the cob!! I hate doing that. Mike and the kids love eating corn on the cob during the summer.

These next pictures remind me of a country song: "I been watchin; you dad ain't that cool, I'm your buckaroo I wanna be like you; eat all my food, and grow as tall as you are!!"

Wherever Mike is, Tanner usually is too!

Hallelujah!! Back to school time!! Abbey misses the deadline for kindergarten this year, so she's going one more year to preschool. She goes to the developmental preschool through the district and loves it. Her teachers are awesome!! I have felt so blessed to have her in that particular class.

Hannah was off to 3rd grade this year!! I could hardly believe it. She was very excited because this year she finally had some of her friends in her class. She also got the teacher she wanted! Life is good.

We tried Tanner in preschool, but it was a battle each day to get him ready. He would cry and be so upset! I asked him one day why he didn't want to go, he said "too much people mom!"

Mike and I celebrated our 12th anniversary this year. I love him so much. We've grown so much together. We've been through some really tough times and some really great times. We've been blessed with three beautiful children. I hope that there are many more years that we can grow together. I love you babe.

SEPTEMBER

Happy Labor Day!! We got out of town and went to visit Mike's brother and family in Boise. His sister-in-law got us this hotel suite that was more square footage than our house for $49 per night. This hotel had the greatest pool and the kids got to experience room service for the first time. We had a ball. I was still recovering from my surgery, so Mike was the trooper!!

Happy 4th Birthday Tanner!!

And grandpa thought that his "some assembly required" days were over! Ha!!

OCTOBER

Happy 5th Birthday Abbey!!

So excited about her barbie scooter!!

Mike and I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas for a Union Convention. This was such a cool experience. Mike was in meetings for the first three days, so I slept in, shaved my legs, watched a movie in bed!! Pretty much enjoyed the heck out of myself. This picture is at the Bellagio and we are with the Union President and his wife. She and I had a great time shopping!!

Big bucks, no whammies!! Yeah right!!

We went to the Body Exihibit, STOMP, a true Vegas variety show (topless and all!!), to the top of the Paris, to the Shark Reef and I can't remember everything else!! What a trip.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! The chef, the witch and, without a doubt, spiderman.

NOVEMBER

I love this time of year. It is a time of grateful reflection for me. This Thanksgiving, my heart was so full. I felt so blessed and so grateful for so many things. I'll keep it short, but I am grateful to have a family of my own. I am grateful to be a mother (most of the time). I am learning to enjoy each stage we go through. I am grateful to be married to such a hardworking, caring man. Mike takes good care of me and I am grateful for him.

I am also very grateful for my parents and my siblings. It's a pretty rare occasion these days that a marriage lasts longer than 10 years. Thanks mom and dad for loving each other. It seems like a crazy thing to be thankful for, but I appreciate that you've worked together, grown together and come out still in love with each other.

And my brothers and sisters, well, I am amazed at the lives you live. Each of you are so very successful at what you do. You all inspire me in your own way and you bless not only my life, but the lives of my kids and I can't thank you enough for that.

DECEMBER

Isn't this the cutest mouse you've ever seen? Abbey is taking ballet this year and had the opportunity to perform in the Nutcracker. She was so cute and knew her part really well. She got out on that stage and did such a cute job. She loves dance. Thank you Aunt Tiffy for the special attention to her make-up. You made her feel so special. And Aunt Jen, thank you for the photo shoot. Abbey said, "Sheesh! Aunt Jen taked a lot of pictures!!"

Such concentration!!

Our service project was such a meaningful and special experience for me. I was so grateful for the NICU nurses and staff who took such good care of my Abbey while she was in there. The NICU doesn't usually house 11 pound babies, so Abbey was a special treat for them. I feel so grateful for the abilities of those who hold lives in their hands every day. It may just be work to them, but it is a blessing to me.

Our family would like this to be a yearly tradition. Hannah was so upset at me for not explaining what we were doing to her earlier. This year, she plans on making her very own blanket to donate.

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY to Hannah!!!

Cute sweater from Grandma and Grandpa T

Hannah ask me if she could go to lunch with her great grandparents for her birthday. I was so touched and surprised that this would even be something that she'd like to do. So we made arrangements to eat with each set of grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Lowder showed all the kids their holiday gadgets at the house and then took them in the "COOL" truck to Applebees. We had a great time. We weren't able to get with Grandma and Grandpa Thompson because of the weather. But, she's still looking forward to that.

HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Tanner got the race track of his dreams!!

Some assembly required!! It was about a 12-pack job!!

Once Mike got this track all built, he put it on a piece of plywood. It takes up the whole piece of plywood!! The only place we can keep it is in the garage. So we bundle up and go out to race!

Abbey got a digital camera from Santa. Once the batteries were put in, it only took about 10 minutes for her to fill up the memory card!! She takes after her aunties!!

Hannah got accessories for her Nintendo DS that she got for her birthday. She also got Monopoly and Scrabble.

Santa left a Wii for our family this year. We've never spent so much time in our basement!! This Wii has turned us into hermits. The kids were so excited! Tanner reached both arms up to the sky and yelled 'Thank you Santa!!!" So funny.

Well, that's the Storer family in 2008 in a nutshell. What a year!

2008-03-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

Fun-filled February!!!

The kids were out of school for President's Day. I was going crazy having the whole gang home, so I decided to take the kids swimming at the Apple. We get there and swimming lessons are in full swing, so I decided to take the kids bowling. The kids had a great time. Tanner and Abbey couldn't push the ball very hard so it took an hour to get to the pins!!! They were cute.

We took Hannah's little friend Marlee. They are in the same class at school and her mom and I are close friends, so it works out nicely.

We took a trip to Boise this month. Mike's nephew was seeded 2nd in the state wrestling tournament. We went to watch him and to just get away. He lost in the first round!!! But, the kids had a great time anyway, staying at the hotel, swimming, and eating out!!

We also got to spend some time with Mike's brother who lives in Boise. He lives out in the boonies and has some beautiful horses that the kids love to help him with.

Hannah was a little bit nervous to get on this horse, but Uncle Kent finally talked her into it!!

And finally, every year we rent a cabin with Mike's family in Island Park and go snowmachining. It's always very fun. There is so much more snow this year than there has been in the past. It was really beautiful up there. The cabin was nice. We did theme nights for food - one night was Mexican night and the other was Italian night. Lots of good food and a fun bingo game. I think that the kids' favorite part was playing in the hot tub!!

Every time I have to dress the kids for a ride, I think of the movie "A Christmas Story" It's so much work to get them dressed and then I'm sweating already and have to get myself dressed, but it's so worth it once we get out on the trail! The kids have a blast and Mike finds great joy in that.

This is Hannah. She decided to ride with her dad on his machine for this ride. She still hasn't recovered from crashing her machine into the ditch by grandma T's.

This is Abbey all decked out with her pink helmet!!

Tanner loves "zoom-zooming" with his dad. He did really good staying awake on this ride. Usually about ten minutes down the trail he's out cold!!!! We had fun in the powder and made it to the top of Two Top. We had a great time!!!!

And finally, a little bit of humor. A girl can never have too much eye make-up!! If it weren't for our kids, would life really be worth it? They definitely keep it interesting!!!

2008-02-17T21:35:00.001-08:00

Man tagged and a birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday Mike!! He turned 33 today! He celebrated his birthday by working a 12 hour shift!

Aimee tagged me with the "man tag" so here goes:

Name? Michael Douglas Storer

How long married? 11 years

How long did you date? 3 months

Who eats more sweets? Marisa

Who said I love you first? Mike did.

How old is he? 33

What is he afraid of? losing his family and failure

Who is taller? Mike by a country mile

Who is smarter? we're different kind of smart. He is hands-on smart, I'm more book smart

Who can sing better? Marisa

Who does laundry? both of us

Who pays the bills? Marisa

Who sleeps on the right? Mike does to protect Marisa from the intruders she's sure are coming

Who mows the lawn? Mike likes to but sometimes doesn't have time

Who cooks dinner? both

Who drives? Marisa because Mike's legs go to sleep

Who is more stubborn? pretty much a toss up - like Aimee and Justin it sort of depends of the issue

Who kissed who first? Mike kissed me first

Who proposed? Mike

Who has more siblings? Mike has 11 siblings including all the steps and halfs; Marisa has 4

Who wears the pants? Our pants are the same size!!!! We both do.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Mike always sends us girls flowers on Valentine's Day. Hannah got a call over the intercom at school to come see her delivery! She thought that was pretty great!!

Mine and Abbey's were delivered to the house! Tanner got a Spiderman valentine and the movie "Surf's Up!" It was a pretty fun day!! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa T for the pez dispensers. They lasted about 2 seconds!!!

POTTY TRAINING!!!

Yes, it's that time! Tanner is 3 and a half. We've tried Transformers, Cars, and Spiderman underwear. Finally the thing that clicked was putting a plain white sheet of paper up by the toilet. Everytime he went potty he got to put a Spiderman sticker on it!! He called it his license. Anyway, so far so good! He's been a little bit easier than my girls!! Thank goodness for that!

This is the last time I'll have to potty train! There isn't anything more exciting to check off than that!! Sad, but so exciting that he's getting so big.

HALF NAKED HELPER!!!!

We've had so much snow this year!! My kids have been loving it. This particular morning, it had snowed about 6 inches over night. I was out shoveling and out comes Abbey to help me. She was so funny!! She said, "me got my boots on all by myself!" I said, "That's great!! Where are your pants?"
She turned to me and said, "I'm ok mommy!"
She stayed out there and helped me shovel for about 10 minutes and then decided that shoveling without pants was a little bit chilly!!
One thing about my Abbey - she keeps me on my toes!!

2008-02-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

I have begun to blog!

2008-02-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

Mom helped me set up. So here goes.