What a fun weekend!

Life is a Highway....

What a weekend! Vast open highway, ancient Joshua trees, giant rocks, and hundreds of die hard bicycle riders. My brother aka "the Wild Buck" entered a race called the Furnace Creek 508. The 508 stands for the amount of miles ridden within a 48 hour period. Yes, die-hards, right? Amazingly enough he came in just over 36 hours with only a 30 minute nap and pedaling the rest of the way. We were all there to cheer him on. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful role model for my sons. Both of my bros have always held my boys on such a pedestal and my boys think the world of them. As the Wild Uncle Buck pedaled up to the finish line it must have been overwhelming. My family was soooooo proud of his accomplishment. The boys must have thought he was Superman. After we hollered and hugged and even cried, he showed us the picture that was taped to his bike frame the whole way. It was a picture of my boys that said, "Pedal Uncle." How's that for inspiration?

We made an entire weekend out of it by camping with family in Joshua Tree. It was a blast to hike and we got some awesome pictures. And then of course the finish line crew with lots of laughs, lots of food, and lots of love.

Forty? Fugheddaboudit!

Mr. & Mrs. Mafia Kickin' up my heels!
Smoochin' my "Mormon Mobster"

"The Wiseguy" had a birthday party this weekend for all his mafia friends. What a blast. We dressed up, left our lil' babinos with gram, and partied the night away. The whole house and yard were decorated like a great Italian restaurant, red checkered table cloths and all. The food was yum-o too! Thanks for the great time Mr. & Mrs. Mafia.

Birthday Fun

they're sooooo cute
we love it here

Friday night was my friend Erica's birthday. We got dressed up and decided to try a little British restaurant for dinner. The food looked good online so we thought we'd be brave and try it out. WRONG! We walked up to the door and got blasted by cigarette smoke then went in and were blasted again with a very strange and unappetizing smell. Oh well, it was worth a try. We did go out to dinner though and even had a yummy birthday brownie sundae. The sundae was good, but the Temple trip was even better. What a great place to be on your birthday right? Thanks so much Erica for sharing this special day with us. We had a wonderful time.

Jeep Rides

There's something so freeing about driving around topless! (the jeep that is) We went home this weekend to be with family and borrowed Bryce's dad's Jeep. What fun! No car seats to deal with, the kids just climb in and hang on. We took a beautiful drive through San Timeteo Canyon to visit my grandparents. It was a beautiful day!

A Fish Story...

One sunny Saturday afternoon, a little boy wanted nothing more than to go fishing with his dad. Dad was reading a book in his favorite chair as comfortable as could be. The boy was persistent. He would ask, "Dad, can we go fishing?" His Dad would reply, "Sure, give me a few more minutes." Fifteen minutes would pass and the boy would ask, this time with a little more enthusiasm, "Dad, is it time to go now?" Dad replied, "You're not dressed yet. Go get dressed and then we'll go." Two minutes later the boy returned dressed and ready to go. "Dad, I'm dressed, can we go now?" Again the reply, "Almost bud. Oh wait, you don't have a hat. Better go get a hat on." In a flash the boy got his hat on and returned, only to find out that the poles and tackle box had to be prepared. Another fifteen minutes would go by and then dad said without skipping a beat, "C'mon Brev, I've been waitin' on you this whole time. Can we please go fishing now?"

All that waiting paid off! They returned in under one hour having caught one large mouth bass, one channel catfish, and one flathead catfish weighing in at just under 3 pounds making one heck of a Saturday lunch! Great job Breven! All your patience paid off!

Things to do in a small town...

Really.....is there anything to say? Someone please come out to visit!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Just kidding, really I love having my kids home for the Summer. I always have mixed feelings of sending them back. It's nice for them to have some structure back in their day and it's great to have some back in mine. All and all, it's always great to have them home, but it is nice to start school in the fall. It's always a nice tradition of new clothes and backpacks, freshly sharpened pencils and lots of pictures. Here are a few. Breven was most excited about having a desk and books now that he's in first grade. Brad is officially 2 cool 4 school, and hated having all this fuss made about it. I always wondered when this day would come. Now I know, it's fifth grade! I did sneak one picture in without him knowing. His name tag was spelled wrong and his face tells the story. A picture is worth a thousand words right?

Wrappin up the summer!

Finally I have a bit of pink in my life! This little smile makes me melt. Clara is such a doll baby and we love watching her grow. Her mom and dad are our dear friends and the whole family makes living here worth it.

We spent another day at the river enjoying the sun and splashing around, until the floating band-aid incident! AHHHHHHHH. Quick get the baby out of the water! Needless to say we went home and disinfected in the pool! Thanks for the fun day VanHorne posse. What a way to wrap up the summer.

The WORST Zoo Trip EVER!

Let me start out by saying that my little nephew Riley is the cutest zoologist EVER! All he wanted for his birthday was a trip to the zoo. Clipboard, vest, binoculars and all, we headed off to make his birthday wishes come true. You would think this was the BEST trip to the zoo, but......

Unknowingly, Brad's insect bite would become so infected that he couldn't even walk, and Breven's Aunt Terry spoiled him with a bright red icee at 9:00 in the morning, which hit his stomach like a ton of bricks, sending us to every exhibit of a bathroom stall on the map. Between throwing up and pushing a 75 pound kid in a wheelchair, not to mention the hot and humid weather, or the infestation of crazy bees, which I am allergic to, the day at the zoo will not soon be forgotten. Sorry Riley. We owe you BIG!

It turns out that Breven would be fine after every drop of red was expelled from his body and taking a much needed nap in Coop's stroller. And as for Brad, once his leg turned a rare shade of purple we took him to the ER and he was put on a cocktail of antibiotics to fight this rare infection called cellulitis. WOW! Now can you feel my pain? All is well now thank goodness, and thanks to all the family who helped us out throughout the whole ordeal. It takes a village!

Out with Gram and Pops!

Pops and Grammy enjoying their grandboys in Oak Glen. I have so many memories of taking Christmas photos there, and school field trips. It's such a cool spot to visit. Thanks for the yummy breakfast. Love you guys!

GQ boys!

I know I'm their mother, but c'mon! Are these boys super handsome, or what? My friend Julia got a new camera and wanted to play. We had too much fun. I know Breven looks like he's posing, but we didn't even tell him to do that! They're naturals.

Go Fish!

What is it with boys, worms, tackle boxes, and fishing poles? It's instant male bonding no matter what the age! I still say, " Who cares about the fish...I've got the best catch of all!" These boys are great!

What a Fam!

The whole Gang!
Such pretty girls.
So grown up!
The stories these guys share!
Little stepping stones.

Bryce's cousin was married on 08-08-08! What a wedding. We had so much fun. It's always great to see our family, but it's especially fun to dance the night away with them. Our family grows so much each year. We are so blessed! Thanks for the fun Stackhouse Fam! Congrats to the newlyweds!

Boomers

Got to love miniature golf!
Skee Ball.....Our Favorite
Team B & B
Team T & B


So much fun at Boomers! We met up with our nephews and Sis and Bro and had a blast. It was so cute to watch all our little boys on the "course". They all had their own techniques. Coop liked to shoot the ball like he was playing pool. While cooling off in the arcade we played some skee ball and then headed out for a hot lap or two. Too much fun! And for the record, team T & B crossed the finish line first, even if we were almost being lapped! Thanks for the fun Reek Fam!

This one's for the girls...

Girls Get Fit 2008 was a blast! Lots of working out, lots of r & r, lots of laughs, and even a few tears, (surprise, surprise). Can't wait to do it again next year. Girls Gone Glam 2009!

G.G.F. 2008