KYLE AND JAMIE

Danielle and Ryan's Horse Driven Wagon

2010-10-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

My cousin Danielle and her husband Ryan have a wagon that is pulled by their horses Molly and Gypsy. They were nice enough to take their horses and wagon to Jake and Lea's so McKall and company could go for a ride in it. Danielle was kind enough to call me and let me know so that I could bring my kids out for the ride as well. It was a gorgeous day. More like a early September day instead of a mid October day. We had a great time and all the kids that wanted to were able to ride up front and help drive the horses.

McKall did not want her picture taken so this was the best shot that I could get of McKall and Katelynn

Ashleigh and Max taking in the scenery and teasing with Grandpa. I love this picture because you can see Max's irresistible dimple.

Parker, Carson and Carly all getting ready for the ride.

I love this picture of Grandpa, Parker, and Uncle Jake

My cousin Lacey's little girls, Karah and Shylie. They are beautiful!!!

Katelynn wrestling with her GREAT-GRANDMA!!! My Grandma is a one year breast cancer survivor. I know I get my KEEP ON TRUCKIN attitude from her. I love her so much and she is absolutely amazing.

The three giggliest girls on the planet.

Katelynn and McKall trying on Aunt Shelley's sunglassess.

Aunt Shelley was talking in a funny voice and Katelynn kept telling her to stop talking like that and to talk in her real voice.

Black Island Farm

2010-10-17T17:15:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we went to Black Island Farms as a family minus Kyle..(he messed his back up painting). Ashleigh said numerous times that she wished Dad was there...and I really missed him too. We had a great time and there are tons of pictures to prove it.

Max was in heaven with his best buddy Parker on the cow train.

Katelynn was thrilled to be able to ride the cow train for a second time.

However I think Carson was less than thrilled to be riding the cow train. TWEENS?!?

I had to include this picture because it was so pretty and I LOVE FALL!!! I think it is by far my favorite season.
Ashleigh and her friend Emily take a spin on the cow train!

Ashleigh was the only one brave enough to go on the big slide!! I took a picture of her at the top of the slide waiting for her turn to go down the bumpy black tube.

Katelynn was in a very photogenic mood. She asked me to keep taking pictures of her as she posed in different positions.

I think she has found her calling in life....maybe I am a little biased but I think she is absolutely exquisite.

Parker and his shadow preparing to fly down the slide.

Max catching some serious air!!!!

Carson looking too big for the little slide.... but still having a great time with his family. What a weird age this is.

Carson on top of the world....I told him that I thought it was okay to climb on the hay bales because I saw other kids doing it and as soon as he got up there one of the Corn Cops came over and told him he had to get down. OOOPS!!

Ashleigh on the smaller slide!!!!!

Katelynn enjoying herself on the small slide!!
Lost in the Corn Maize and not sure which way we should go. As usual not one person in agreement.

The blind leading the blind.

Katie Bug takes a rest on her pumpkin!!!

Carson finds his one and only!!!!
Ashleigh can barely carry her pumpkin!!!

Max finds his pumpkin!!!! The kids all ran in different directions so Max had already had one of the farmers cut his off the vine by the time I got to him. Needless to say his pumpkin can't stand up straight it only lays on its side!!!

HEEE-HEEE

Parker hoped off the trailer and picked the pumpkin that was closest. He didn't care he just wanted to pick his pumpkin and get out of dodge!!! I couldn't even get him to stand up and take a picture with his pumpkin. I've already said it once but I am going to say it again. TWEENS?!? Go figure

Max on the hayride.

Carson and Parker on the hayride!!! They didn't complain but you can tell from their expressions that this was definately not their idea of a great time or maybe they were just sick and tired of me taking pictures. Whatever it was they tried their best to not let it show!!!

At least these two were excited about the hayride and getting their pictures taken.

Max and the RED DEVILS

2010-10-17T17:03:00.001-07:00

Max had a great season as well. He played for the RED DEVILS. He was the youngest player on the team where Carson was the oldest. He learned a lot from his older team mates and even scored a goal in his final game of the season. He had a great time and as you can tell from the pictures really enjoys playing soccer. He hero worships his older brother Carson and I would often over hear him telling his team mates about Carson and all the cool things that Carson can do. Once he scored a great goal during practice and I heard him yell "My brother Carson taught me how to do that"

Carson and POISON GATORADE

2010-10-17T16:39:00.001-07:00

The soccer season came to a close on Saturday. I love fall soccer....spring soccer leaves much to be desired...too cold and wet. I don't think that we were rained out for one game and I can only think of one game that felt a little chilly. We have spent a lot of time on the soccer field over the last 6 weeks or so. Carson's team name was POISON GATORADE. He had a great season and scored a goal in just about every game. This was somewhat of a comeback season for Carson since he hadn't played on a team since he was in 3rd grade. He had a great time and it was a lot of fun going to all the games and watching him emerge as a leader on the field. He loves soccer and can't wait to play again in the spring. It's time to move onto his other love, basketball.

Katelynn's Preschool Field Trip to Black Island Farms

2010-10-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

This is the first time ever that I have been able to do a preschool field trip with only one child in tow. It was soooo much fun.

Katelynn thoroughly enjoyed the slide.

Katelynn and her preschool buddies, Aubrey and Jessie on the cow train ride.

Katie fed a llama. She held her hand out flat with the food in palm and didn't even flinch when the lama took the food out of her hand. I think I was more nervous than she was.

Miss Katie brought doughnuts for the kids to enjoy after the hayride.

Katelynn showing off her prize pumpkin

Waiting to have her pumpkin cut from the vine

Kate was a little shy at first and didn't want to have her picture taken.

FHE and Cupcake Decorating

2010-10-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

Our treat for FHE on Monday (according to my kids the most important part of the night) was decorating cupcakes. I bought all of the necessary candies to decorate owls and spiders and of course Ashleigh was the only one that wanted to decorate one of those things, all the other kids let their imagination dictate what they were going to create. I pretty much expected it to work out that way and we had a great time making a gigantic mess in the kitchen and giving new meaning to "SUGAR HIGH". The picture on the right was taken at maximum level of Sugar High. Notice the glazed look in Max and Carson's eyes.

Cupcake and candy paraphernalia

Max's Alien

Katie made a real person!!

Carson's "EVIL BUNNY CYCLOPS"

Parker's "EVIL MARIO"

Ashleigh's SPIDER

BLARING DISCRPANCY

2010-10-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Josh you are absolutely right....here is the problem with naming names. I forgot some pretty important people in my life who have most definately been tender mercies. I always said that I wanted a sister, but I wouldn't trade the two brothers I have for that sister. Jake and Josh have definately shaped me into the woman I am today and I am so grateful to have the very best brothers in the world. Jake and Josh have both been going through some challenging times in their lives and I am so grateful for their example of faithfulness. I have learned so much from them over the years and I know that the Lord placed them in my life to bless me and to teach me and to keep me humble. I am so grateful for the example they set for my children and especially my boys. I am grateful for Jake's enduring patience and love for me during my emotionally and hormonally charged teenage years. I am grateful for Josh's ability to keep things light and fun and balance out the intensity that Jake and I bring to the family. I am grateful to know that I have two brothers out there that love me for all my imperfections and I want them to know how much I love them and how special and important they are to me. I am so glad that they married the women that they did. I truly believe that Kyle, Ali, and Lea bring out the best in each of us. Mom and Dad you can stop wiping your eyes now!

Day 2 - 100 Day Challenge &

2010-09-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

As I am typing this I am struggling to keep my eyes open. I am tired....it was a tiring day. My knees are throbbing and my body is bone tired. Being a parent is a challenge and today was one of those days. I have received one too many emails concerning Max and his behavior. I am weary of watching Parker struggle with math night after night. I am proud of him because he is really being diligent about completing assignments and turning them in. He even asked his teacher if he could retake a math test that he didn't do so well on. He did retake it and improved by 10 percent. Its hard to watch him try so hard to get a 78% and then have his brother come home and get a 94% without even breaking a sweat. Life isn't fair sometimes and the Lord knows it. I read my scriptures after the kids were all in bed tonight. I usually try to read them in the morning, but maybe I needed to read them tonight after a day like today. We are on Day 2 of our challenge which was the Brief Explanation and 1 Nephi 1-2. I highlighted 1 Nephi 1:20. It made me think of the times in my life where I have experienced the tender mercies of the Lord. Sometimes it feels as if the world is against me and nothing is going my way, but if I stop for a minute and look over my life I can see the Lord's hand guiding me all the way to where I am today. Elder David A. Bednar said, "The Lord's tender mercies are very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindness, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ....The Lord's tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord's timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings." Most of the Lord's tender mercies in my life have been people that I feel the Lord has placed in my life for a specific purpose or callings that I have served in. My parents, Belinda Kuck, Bonnie Marcum, Rebecca Carter, Tammy Watts, Debbie Stevensen, Kathleen Parke, Camie Anderson, my husband, camp director at 20 years old, gospel doctrine teacher at 23 years old, primary second counselor in an amazing Primary presidency, and my children are some of the Lord's tender mercies for me. I have learned so many wonderful things from the people named here and I know that the Lord wanted me to learn something specific from each one of them at a specific time in my life. I also know that I was called to the callings mentioned above for specific purposes that I didn't understand at the time. I am so grateful to know that Lord has been with me every step that I have taken to get where I am today. I am grateful for the Lord's tender mercies in my life. I am excited that everyone in our family has taken the 100 Day Challenge seriously and I am thrilled to see my children reading their scriptures with a purpose and excitement. Sorry if this has gotten to be a bit personal and journal like, but that is why I blog.

Book of Mormon - 100 Day Challenge

2010-09-21T09:54:00.001-07:00

Last night during Family Home Evening I challenged our family to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days. I have felt urged by the spirit that I need to teach my children the importance of regular scripture study. I want my kids to know what a marvelous treasure they have available to them at all times. I have found peace, comfort, joy, and inspiration as I have made studying the scriptures a part of my everyday life. I am nervous about this challenge. Parker, Carson, and Ashleigh all committed to the challenge and I know that if they really follow through that marvelous things can happen in our family. As a parent I want to force them to do this, but I know that this will make a greater impact if it is something that they choose for themselves.

President Hinkley promised that if we will read the Book of Mormon daily "that there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God. If you want to join in on our 100 day challenge I am going to post daily what we should be reading. Today we are reading the Preface (Title Page), Introduction, Testimony of Three Witnesses, Testimony of Eight Witnesses, Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Mark the quote from Joseph Smith in the the Introduction, "I told the bretheren....any other book." President Hinkley also said, "I would like to urge everyone to again read the Book of Mormon...There is nothing we could do of greater importance than to have fortified in our individual lives an unshakable conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God. And, my brothers and sisters, that is the purpose of the coming forth of this remarkable and wonderful book. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I felt of its truthfulness today as I read Testimony of Joseph Smith. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith and the many sacrifices he made to translate this important book of scripture. I know that our lives can change and we can become better people as we read from its' pages. I started this blog as a way to journal, scrapbook, and record the every day events of our family and I hope over the next 100 days that I will be able to record great growth amongst the Stromberg family members.

GRANDPA SHEPHERD'S 80TH BIRTHDAY

2010-09-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Grandpa Shepherd's 80th birthday on Saturday. Bob and Dareth held the party at their house where the kids were able to swim and play. We had a BBQ, watched football, swam, and had a wonderful time. We are so lucky to have wonderful grandparents in our midst and Grandpa Shepherd is no exception. Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!! We love you.

It was so fun to have Conrad, Amelia, and Ali there for the festivities. Ali played for a long time in the pool with her kids. What an awesome mom.

McKall and Katelynn had fun in the pool. McKall just started a new phase of chemo, but we were happy that she was feeling well enough to play in the pool. Katie and McKall also had a blast playing inside with the kitchen and ironing board. If only I enjoyed ironing as much as the two of them were.

Ashleigh was a fish...She was the one to retrieve all the dive sticks at the end of the party.

Carson and Max playing together on the floatie.

Carson had a blast jumping off the diving board.

Parker, Max, and Carson had a great time playing together in the pool. It made me wish I had a pool for the three of them to play in.

TENDERFOOTS

2010-09-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Parker and Carson earned the rank of Tenderfoot on Wednesday the 15th of September. There were 5 Eagle Scouts awarded the same night. Carson and Parker set a goal to also earn their EAGLE. I know that they can do it.

Best Buddies

2010-09-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Carter spent the night last weekend with us and I went to check on Max and Carter before going to bed myself and this is how I found the BEST BUDDIES

Advancing from Primary to Young Mens

2010-09-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

I now have 3 Priesthood holders in my house. I didn't cry...I am shocked that I didn't cry. I am unbelievably happy and extremely pleased with Parker and Carson. The spirit was strong during their ordinations and Kyle did an amazing job. One of the things that I don't enjoy about having twins is that a lot of things happen at once. I went from 1 Priesthood holder to 3 Priesthood holders in a matter of minutes. Most of the time with Parker and Carson I don't get a chance to reflect on things because it happens so fast and all at once. Parker and Carson passed the Sacrament for the first time today. They have grown up so fast and I realize how quickly time passes. Carson is the peacemaker in our home and Parker is the funmaker. I am so blessed. I feel overwhelmed that the Lord has entrusted Kyle and I with these special spirits and I am grateful for all that I have learned over the past 12 years as Kyle and I have navigated our way through parenting...I know I couldn't do it without Kyle or the Lord by my side.

Parker and Carson Turn 12

2010-09-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Parker and Carson (my BIG babies) turned 12 on September 12th. It was a really crazy weekend. We had their cousins (Jake, Jamison, Carter, and Harry) over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Parker, Carson, and Kyle went on an overnight campout with the 11 year old scouts on Friday. Kyle and I went to the temple with the Strombergs, Kennards, Tanners, and Behlings, on Saturday to do Grandma Cook's temple work and some temple work for other family names. Thanks mom for your help so that we could attend that awesome event. (she watched my 5 kids, Sean and Melissa's 4 kids, and Jake and Lea's 4 kids; it was their anniversary. If you are counting that is 13 kids....Mom you rock. Dad you do too.) Sunday was the BIG event. The boys turned 12 and were ordained Deacons in the Aaronic Priesthood. We had a birthday party Sunday and Monday. I can hardly believe that my little boys' are now young men that hold the prieshood. Pretty darn surreal and I guess that must mean I am getting old.

Parker and Carson at the Stromberg Birthday Party Monday night.

Blowing out the candles.

We celebrated Grandpa Shepherds, Parker and Carsons, Great Grandpa Shepherds, and Conrads Birthdays Sunday night at Jake and Lea's

Singing Happy Birthday to all the Birthday Boys

Ali brought a pinata to the birthday party. Carly knocked it down with an awesome swing.

Ali made Parker and Carson a candy gram for their birthday.

Parker and Carson with the mounds of presents.

You can hardly see Parker and Carson behind all the gifts.

Conrad did not want his picture taken

Traditional cooked breakfast on your birthday.

Salsa and 14 Years

2010-09-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I celebrated 14 awesome years of marriage on September 6th. We commemorated the occasion by canning SALSA. 40 pints and 16 quarts to be exact. Our anniversary fell on Labor Day this year and I was trying to figure out when I would have time to can Salsa. I told Kyle I really wanted to can Salsa and asked him if he would like to help. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. Kyle was really excited at first but after a few hours he realized the ENORMOUS task before us. Thankfully we had really celebrated our anniversary the Friday before Labor Day by going out to dinner. My sweet sister-in-law Melissa took the kids for the night and we watched a movie and went to breakfast the next day. We also decided to get a dog for Parker that day. See what happens when you get a few hours to yourself....you loose the ability to think clearly and you get a little giddy.

I am so lucky to be married to this man. I had no idea that I was getting such an awesome catch the day I married him. He likes to cook, he willingly goes to the grocery store, he loves me despite my many faults, and he likes my spunkiness or so he says. EAT YOUR HEART OUT, LADIES. I loved him then, but I am more in love with him today than I was 14 years ago. Thanks Honey for being my rock and helping me keep my head on straight. Kyle truly helps me keep things balanced in my life. Nobody can make me laugh like Kyle can...he has the ability to do this even when I am upset (an absolutely remarkable talent). I LOVE YOU!!!

Katelynn and Joy School

2010-09-19T14:35:00.001-07:00

Katelynn started Joy School, like preschool only parents are the teachers and you take turns having it at your house, on September 7th, 2010.
Mrs. Moon was the brave mom that offered to have it at her house first. Mrs. Moon also has been my kids piano teacher and second mom. Here are Katelynn's preschool buddies. Katelynn was so excited to go to school just like the big kids.

Katelynn buckling herself. She loves that she gets to ride in the front seat since I only have to drive her through the neighborhood.

Parker and Ellie

2010-09-05T17:06:00.001-07:00

I really wanted to title this entry as "World's Best Parents or We Didn't Think We Were Crazy Enough....Take Your Pick." Parker got an early birthday present yesterday. Did you already guess. It is Ellie. He has been begging for a pet for a while now. Carson and Parker went camping with my dad this summer and caught a chipmunk...Parker tried to talk us into letting him bring it home and have it as a pet. GREAT IDEA....GRANDPA. A wild animal sounds perfectly safe. Well I talked Kyle into giving Parker a pet for his birthday..I was thinking a hamster or a lizard...turns out Kyle caved when I suggested a dog. I think it reminded him of his childhood pet dog Winkie. Ellie is so sweet. Parker and her bonded instantly. She loves to play fetch, tug-of-war, and she will play endlessly with the kids. Buster thinks she is absolutely obnoxious....we have decided that Buster isn't a dog PERSON. Ellie seems really smart and she is pretty close to being housebroken. She loves Parker and Parker loves her...the two of them remind of the comic strip Red and Rover. Kyle and I have got to be the coolest parents ever!!!! Usually we are the meanest parents ever, so I am reveling in our current title.

1st Day of Preschool - September 1st, 2010

2010-09-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

Katelynn started preschool on Wednesday!!! I will now have 4 days of the week with no kids. OOOOHHH the freedom!!! I am sad that I don't have any more babies, but thrilled that I am FREE. Okay it is only a couple of hours a day, but WOW.

Katelynn seems pretty excited too!

Katie's teachers name is Miss Katie.

Katelynn has a couple of friends in her class. Jessica and Aubrey

Don't they grow up so fast. She is my little angel.

GORGEOUS

NOW IF I COULD GET HER TO STOP HAVING ACCIDENTS IN HER PANTS.

DUTY CALLS I MUST GO CLEAN HER UP!!

Friends and S'mores

2010-09-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Ashleigh, Max, and Katelynn invited some friends over to do s'mores. Parker and Carson were at a birthday party.

Katelynn and her friend Jessi

Ashleigh and Calli

The three amigos. Logan, Zach, and Max or ie.. T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Max wanted me to include this picture because he thought it was cool.

My baby girl is 4

2010-09-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! My baby girl is 4. She got a new bike for her birthday. It has a baby seat on the back of it so that she can take her baby dolls for a ride. She picked ebelskivers for her birthday breakfast. We weren't able to have a birthday party that night so we celebrated on the following Saturday with family. Last year she cried when we sang Happy Birthday to her, but this year she was reveling in the attention.

Katelynn with Grandma and Grandpa Stromberg.

The birthday girl with mom and dad and Buster.

Katie bug with Grandpa & Grandma Shepherd

Grandma and Grandpa Sanders couldn't make it to the birthday party so they came over and had dinner with us the following night. Katelynn was so excited to have a tea party with them with the tea set that Grandma and Grandpa Shepherd gave her.Katelynn blowing out her candles.

Opening Presents

After all of the kids left for school Katie and I took her new bike outside and she took it for a spin. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. I do love fall.

Katelynn enjoying her ebelskiver breakfast and blowing out the candles!

Katelynn sitting pretty on her brand-new bike.

First Day of School - August 23rd, 2010

2010-09-02T15:17:00.001-07:00

Its the first day of school at the Stromberg house..............
at least mom and dad are excited!!!

It is kindof weird to think that 4 of my 5 children are going to be at school all day long. I was sad for all of 10 minutes and then my mind went crazy thinking of all the fun things I can do while they are at school and of the peace and quiet and all of the projects I will be able to accomplish. It truly boggles the mind.

Parker's teacher is Miss Larsen. Doesn't he look so excited?!?

Don't you just love this kid's smile. Parker is in the sixth grade and will be turning 12 in just a few weeks. I know, I know, it's hard to believe that I am old enough to be his mother. Man....I'm OLD. UGH!!!! Check out the Converse shoes. My son is totally retro. Can you believe that Converse is back in style. He is rockin' his new over the shoulder bag complete with his initials PS.

Max sitting quietly at his desk. Hmmmm.....I wonder how how long that lasted.

Max striking a pose. He is in first grade this year. His teachers are Mrs. Newbold and Maestra Eggett. I pray for them everyday.

Carson's teacher this year is Mrs. Sturm. Hopefully Mrs. Sturm has a good sense of humor since she has Mitch and Carson sitting next to each other.

I can't believe that he is in SIXTH grade. I remember the first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday.

Ashleigh's teachers this year are Mr. Lott and Mrs. Fenwick. She was very excited for her first day of school and LOOK...she is ready to work. Notice the pencil in her hand.

Ashleigh is in 3rd grade now. Isn't she absolutely beautiful.

BBQ with the Campbells

2010-09-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Our awesome friends, Craig and Kristen, invited us over for a BBQ. We had a great time. They have kids similiar in age to our kids, and they enjoy playing together.

I had to post this picture of Kate. You can see her mosquito bites from the campout. (read previous post)

Katelynn and Jessica riding the four wheeler together. Katelynn loved the zuchini cake that Kristen made. The boys had a great time with Nathan and they were even able to fit a little bit of Halo game play in. Once Parker and Carson heard there was zuchini in the cake they bypassed it and went with ice cream only. Their loss because the cake was awesome.

Max, Ashlynn, and Garrett enjoyed their zuchini cake on the playset.

Katelynn, Jessica, and Max messing around on the tramp.

Craig and Kyle catching up. These two used to carpool together and really miss being able to share the long drive home together. Ashleigh and Jocelyn enjoying zuchini cake and ice cream.

Camping out in the backyard

2010-09-02T14:29:00.001-07:00

We didn't go camping this summer. Sad for me and the kids, but cause for celebration for Kyle. So we decided to campout in our backyard one night this August.
I took this picture the next morning and Katelynn and Ashleigh were still sleeping. If you look closely you can see Katie bug tucked down in the green sleeping bag. I put mosquito repellent on everybody but somehow Katelynn still managed to get eaten alive. We counted 19 mosquito bites on her face with an additional 10 or so on her hands and arms. She looked pretty pathetic for a few days.

We roasted marshmallows and had smores. We set up Parker's telescope and looked at the moon. Grandma and Grandpa Shepherd joined in on trampoline jumping, marshmallow roasting, and star gazing.

Parker and Carson playing the DS together. Grandpa playing on the trampoline with Max and Katie bug.

I enjoyed jumping on the tramp with Kate.
Kyle and the kids played a little bit of basketball.

Ashleigh jumping for joy!!!

Wolfcreek - August 9th, 2010

2010-09-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

Aunt Melissa invited me and the kids to hang out with her and her kids at their Wolf Creek timeshare. We had a blast!! We hung out and watched TV and played games and ate lots and lots of treats. We played at the pool and had Family Home Evening. Thanks Becca for the great lesson. We ended the night by picking up all the pieces to the game Risk out in the parking lot in the pitch black night. We used the headlights from my car and a few good samaritan's cars to find all of the pieces. It was pretty hilarious.

Carter and Max hangin out.

I swear these Parker and Jameson are twins because they are so much alike.

Jake and Carson are the other set of twins because they are quite a bit alike.

We played alot at the pool. Normal well-behaved children

Crazy, Silly, Goofy, Weird, Out-of Control Children. You decide which one is reality.

Ashleigh helped Carter learn to float on his back.

Katelynn wore Aunt Melissa out. Katie loved to go down the big waterslide and Melissa was the person of choice to catch her at the bottom.

The Stromberg Family Loses their Patriarch

2010-08-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Kyle's grandfather passed away on Monday, August 2nd. We attended his funeral yesterday. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Stromberg family and to have been able to get to know their wonderful patriarch over the last 15 years. I learned many things while attending the funeral yesterday and felt the spirit many times during the service. Kyle's grandpa left a legacy and lived a righteous life. The blessings of his righteousness were apparent to me as we were sitting in the chapel as a family. Grandma and Grandpa Stromberg have 6 children, 26 grandchildren, and 47 great grandchildren. Grandpa had a strong testimony of the Savior and of our Heavenly Father. He loved people and enjoyed serving others. He loved his wife Bernice with all of his heart and treated her with great respect and love. He also taught his children and grandchildren the importance of treating their spouses with love. Every time I saw Grandpa he made sure to ask me if Kyle was taking good care of me. The Book of Mormon talks about traditions being passed on from generation to generation and Kyle's grandfather passed on a rich legacy full of traditions both spiritual and temporal. When I married Kyle I was introduced to Swedish pancakes and I learned yesterday that Grandpa would make swedish pancakes for his children anytime that they requested it even if it was at one in the morning. My children love swedish pancakes and it was exciting for them to realize that they are connected to their grandfather in that simple yet profound way. Kyle loves vacations and now I know that the love of vacations came from Grandpa and his diligence in going on a family vacation with his wife and children at least once a year. Grandpa was truly a gentle giant and I am so grateful that I know that I will see him once more and that I will be able to thank him for the righteous influence that he has had on me, my husband, and my children. We love you Grandpa!!

2010-07-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hopefully this isn't too embarassing for the three amigos.

We went to Chuck E Cheese's one night

Another Try at Blogging

2010-07-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've decided to give blogging another try. My first attempt lasted only a short while but I feel the need to preserve memories. In May my brother found out he has cancer and my neice was diagnosed with leukemia. I am feeling nostalgic and realizing that each day we have is a gift. I want to write my thoughts and feelings down and post pictures and have a way of preserving moments. Hopefully I will be more diligent this time around.

Katelynn and I just returned from visiting my brother in Missouri. We had a wonderful time and it was sooo good to reconnect with Josh and Ali and get to know Conrad and Amelia bettter. Josh and Ali, if you are reading this thanks for being great hosts and making Katelynn and I feel welcome in your home. You two are absolutely amazing and such an example to me. I really look up to the both of you and love your sweet family so much. Kyle stayed home with the other four kids and ended up getting pretty sick while we were gone. Kyle, thanks for supporting me and encouraging me to go and see Josh and Ali. We went to some of the church sites in Missouri but sadly I forgot my camera. We went to Independence, Liberty Jail, and Adam-ondi-ahman. We also went to Jamesport Missouri which has the largest Amish community west of the Mississippi. I was able to see lightning bugs for the first time and experience the awesome humidity of Missouri. The pictures above are from our trip.

CALIFORNIA TRIP - DAYS 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

2009-01-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

I am finally done posting about our vacation that we took 2 months ago. Pretty pathetic I know, but that's what happens when you have 5 kids and the holidays...By now most of you could probably care less about our vacation but I can't let a good thing die or leave a project incomplete. So I am sorry about the abundance of pics and the length of this post, but I promise it is the last that you will hear of our AWESOME vacation to CALIFORNIA.

We went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park on Day 6.

We let the 3 older kids buy some nector to feed these Lorakeets. It was pretty fun to watch the birds fly right on their arm and eat out of their hand. Carson had one of the Lorakeets right up by his face just staring at him.

We were able to see the keepers feed the cheetahs, they kept stalking the trams that went past their enclosure.

On Day 7 we were planning on going to Disneyland, but about half way there from San Diego (about an hour into our drive) Carson and Katelynn were thowing up!!! We turned back around and spent a sick day at the Condo.

This pretty much sums up the day for Max!!! If you look in the upper right hand corner you can see that he just chucked his hat.

Day 8 - We finally made it to Disneyland!!! It was a dream come true kind of day. The crowds were really light so we were able to walk onto most rides. We were able to meet most of the characters that we wanted to. We watched the parade which Katelynn absolutely loved!!! She danced and squealed as every float went by and we ended the day with ice cream from Main Street. It was so much fun.

I had to put this picture in because the best thing I did was buy a gigantic sized box of succors. This kept the kids occupied and happy and they didn't drive us nuts asking for treats and food. I also packed ziplock baggies for each of the kids full of trail mix, fruit snacks, granola bars, salt water taffy's, and gold fish.

Parker was not happy to have his picture taken with Minnie Mouse as you can plainly see. We had a few brief glimpses of Parker as a teenager with all the attitude of one.

This guy had the same name as Ashleigh only spelled differently so we had to get a picture of him.

Snow White was by far the cutest princess with the girls. She talked to them for a very long time and both of them couldn't keep their eyes of her.

Eating Ice Cream at the end of a very Magical day.

Day 9- More Disneyland and 3 disgusting diaper fiascos. Katelynn was still trying to get rid of her illness and I saw more of the bathrooms than I did of the park. I packed two extra outfits and we went through both of them plus the outfit she was wearing. We ended up having to buy an outfit in Disneyland because I was all out of clothes. We still managed to have a good time despite 3 diaper blowouts.

Katelynn fell in love with Tinkerbell on the trip. It doesn't show in this picture, but she could hardly contain herself when she saw her standing there. She was jumping up and down squealing. I wish I had video of it, but you will just have to take my word for it. Parker and Carson were able to take part in the Jedi Traing Academy. This was the highlight of the trip for both of them. They were able to fight Darth Maul on stage!!!

We ended up taking Day 9 off and hanging out with Kyle's Aunt Chris!! Day 10 we went to California Adventures and Disneyland. Kyle and I were sick on this day so once again we spent more time than we wanted in the bathrooms, but once again we still managed to have a great time. We didn't take very many pictures of this day probably because we were just trying to make it to the next bathroom. Hahahaha.

On the drive home we saw double rainbows somewhere between Fillmore and Nephi. It was really beautiful. We drove all the way from Anaheim to home in one day and the kids did amazing which was an answer to prayers.

CALIFORNIA TRIP - DAY FIVE

2008-12-02T04:40:00.000-08:00

Day Five - Nov 2nd - An Amazing Day at the Beach!!!!Before we headed for the beach the kids were diligently working on homework so that they wouldn't be too far behind when we got back from our glorious vacation. Katelynn kept herself entertained by digging in the suitcases and trying everything on! We had such a great day at the beach. This was one of my very favorite days of the trip. The kids played for 2 and half hours without one argument!!! They worked together digging a hole in the sand and protecting it from the waves. It was overcast but the kids had so much fun frolicking in the waves!!! It will forever be etched in my brain as a day where heaven and earth collided. It was the best!!

CALIFORNIA TRIP - DAY ONE

2008-11-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

Day One - Wednesday Oct 29th, 2008

We left right after school on Wednesday. We stopped at the store and grabbed lots of treats for the drive. We drove to Primm Nevada and stayed at Whiskey Pete's. We got there about 1130pm. The kids did great on the drive down. Parker and Max played the DS..you can see in the picture that they are sharing headphones. The kids watched movies and ate all their goodies. I made individual treat bags that included suckers, trail mix, fruit snacks, gold fish, and granola bars. Katelynn slept for most of the drive. I took the picture of her right after we left the house and she was asleep before we even got to the freeway. Parker, Carson, and Ashleigh were even able to get some reading in and do a little bit of homework. I was really nervous about the drive, but it went way better than expected. I thought for sure that the kids would be asking us every five minutes if we were there yet and Katelynn would be trying to get out of her carseat and screaming her head off, but my nightmares never came true.

CALIFORNIA TRIP - DAY TWO

2008-11-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

California Trip - Day Two Thursday Oct 30th

We woke up, got ready and had breakfast. We made the mistake of eating at the casino. We were planning on eating a buffet but they didn't have the buffet open so we just ate at the restraurant. They were really slow and as you know 5 hungry and anxious kids don't sit and wait patiently. We were sitting next to a table of truckers and I was just praying that the kids weren't listening too closely to their conversation. I doubt the kids heard anything because the decibel level at our table was too high to hear much of anything. The food ended up being really good, but incredibly expensive. I think it was our most expensive meal of the trip. The kids all ordered french toast. After breakfast we went back to our room gathered our belongings and checked out. As we were getting all the kids loaded in the car a lady approached Kyle and asked him if she could borrow a jack because she had a flat tire. Kyle, my knight in shining armor (and this lady's as well) changed her tire for her. She was incredibly sweet and ended up giving Kyle $20 for his trouble. Kyle wouldn't accept it so she brought it over to me and told me to take the kids out to lunch. While Kyle was changing the tire Katelynn was chasing the birds in the parking lot. It was very entertaining for me and the lady and the lady's mom and sister to watch. Katelynn kept trying to get the birds to come to her and that is what she is doing in the picture above. We were back on the road in no time flat due to my husbands amazing tire changing abilities!!! We drove to our condo in San Diego, checked in and got the kids dressed to go trick or treating at Disney California Adventures.

Parker is Captain Jack Sparrow, Carson is a skeleton pirate, Ashleigh is a oriental princess, Max is Jengo Fett, and Katelynn is a 5o's girl. I love the picture above because of the amazing posing that is going on in it. The kids were very much in character. We had a great time at the trick or treat party. Throughout the park they had trick or treat trails that would have trick or treat stations throughout the trail and at each station they would give the kids not just one piece of candy, but handfuls of candy. They also gave out small bags of baby carrots and sliced apples. The park was decorated with really cool Halloween decorations which I wish I had pictures of. All of the Pixar characters were out and almost everywhere you turned there were characters. They played live music and all of the rides were open. Carson, Ashleigh and I went on the Tower of Terror in the dark. It was so awesome. Ashleigh was very nervous because of the atmosphere of the ride and so I don't think she enjoyed it at all, but she ended up being the roller coaster fanatic on the trip. Space Mountain and California Screamin' were two of her favorite rides. We also went on the Monsters Inc ride. Katelynn's favorite movie is Monster's Inc and although she was a little nervous of the larger than life robotics and loud music I think she really enoyed seeing her favorite characters come to life. It was definately a memorable night and we had a great time.

As you can tell the condo we stayed in was right on the beach. It was cool because we slept with our windows open at night and you could hear the ocean in the background. We could look out the family room and master bedroom windows and see the ocean.

I didn't get any picures at the trick or treat party or of Max and Katelynn in their costumes....because we had camera issues which we solved by buying a new camera the next day!!! YIPEEEEE!!! I had been dying to get a new camera for over a year, and so I knew exactly what camera I wanted and everything. My CF card died about six months ago and I lost a ton of pictures so I was just using the CF card that came with the camera which would only hold about 18 picures. Before we left for our trip we had bought a new CF card. The night of the trick or treat party I put the new CF card in but it wouldn't work because our old camera is 5 years old and couldn't read the CF card. I guess the CF card had too much memory for our old outdated camera to read. Anyway although I was sad not to get any pictures of that night I was very excited to finally get the camera of my dreams!!!

CALIFORNIA TRIP - DAY THREE

2008-11-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Day Three - Oct 31st - SEA WORLD

After a late start, because we stopped to get our new camera and our car battery died....I was trying to entertain Katelynn with some movies while Kyle transferred pictures and charged our new camera's battery and I drained the car battery...Opps. We finally made it to Sea World. When I was growing up I always wanted to be a Marine Biologist and train dolphins or killer whales at Sea World so it goes without saying that I love Sea World. Well I am happy to say that at least one of my children feels the same way. Carson loves Sea World and says that if he can't be a pro ball player that he wants to be a trainer at Sea World. It was Halloween and so we had the kids wear their pumpkin t-shirts which came in handy when we lost Katelynn after the Shamu show. SCARY but thankfully short-lived. They were handing out candy at Sea World as well so the kids were able to add to their candy collection. There were also lots of marine characters walking around. Katelynn, Carson, and I sat in the soak zone during the Shamu show which was a lot of fun and pretty wet. We watched the Muppet 3-D show which was Katelynn's introduction to that type of show and she didn't know really want to think about it all. It scared her when the 3-D images looked like they were right in front of your face so she watched most of the show without the glasses. Kyle, Carson, Parker, and Ashleigh rode on the Shipwreck Reef ride while Katelynn, Max, and I played in the tide pools. We watched the dolphin show and the Clyde and Seamore show and walked through the penguin and shark exhibits. Max loved the Wild Artic ride. I rode Journey to Atlantis with Parker and Ashleigh and we had a blast...Ashleigh rode it again with Kyle and Carson, but Parker said he didn't want to ride it again because he was already cold and didn't want to get any wetter. Well as we were waiting for Ashleigh, Kyle, and Carson he stood right in the spot where you get soaked when the boat plummets down and he was dripping by the time they finished riding...He was having a great time!!! We let the kids play on the big playground they have there and then we headed back to our condo exhausted but very happy!!!!

CALIFORNIA TRIP - DAY FOUR - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

2008-11-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

The Jurassic Park ride was a blast!!! Kyle and Carson went on the ride first and Carson loved it. Carson talked Parker into going on the ride with him and Ashleigh and me. The drop was incredible and the ride was so realistic and amazing. Maybe a little too realistic for Ashleigh...she was crying half way through the ride. This was one of my favorite rides of the trip and Carson and Parker really liked it as well.

Since I was finally taking pictures with my new camera I took a ton of pictures of the kids as we were waiting in line or for the older kids to ride. The picture of Katelynn was taken while Parker, Kyle, Carson, and Ashleigh rode the new Simpsons ride. Katelynn, Max, and I were waiting in the kid swap area. Parker loved the ride and I was able to go on it with him after he finished his first ride. It is a ride very similiar to Wild Artic or Star Tours but ten times better. This was Parker's favorite ride. The picure next to Katelynn was taken while we were watching for Kyle and Carson to take the huge plummet on Jurassic Park.

It was pretty rainy this day so when it started to pour we found refuge in the Curious George play area. It was alot of fun for the kids. They were able to shoot rubber balls out of cannon like guns. Ashleigh had a blast vacuuming up all the balls and once the vacuum was full it would shoot all the balls out from a huge volcano like thing in the middle of the room. There was a ball drop and lots of buckets for the kids to collect balls and carry them to the gun of their choice. The kids including Kyle had a great time in here.

We of course had to take pictures of the back lot tour which the kids found fascinating and also intense. The earthquake and shark scenes were very real to Max, Katelynn, and Ashleigh.

Max was pretending to be a mummy while we waited for Parker, Carson, and Kyle to finish riding the new Mummy ride. Carson and I were able to go on it once they finished up, but it was a little to intense for Parker.

The Stromberg's are BACK!!!

2008-11-11T11:26:00.001-08:00

I am back!!! I fell off the grid for a while, but it was wonderful because I was on a glorious vacation to San Diego and Disneyland with my family. Time is so interesting. While we were on vacation it seemed as if time had stopped, and for me and my little family it had. Now time marches on and I will forever cherish the week and a half we had together in California, just the seven of us. We created some wonderful memories and fun pictures that I hope to share when I have more time, right now I am still knee deep in laundry and unpacking! Here are my top ten favorite things about family vacations.

1. Eating whatever you want whenever you want
2. Kids that are excited in the morning when they wake up
3. No schedule
4. Smiling and Laughing
5. Togetherness
6. No housework and very little meal preparation
7. Sharing new experiences
8. Finding out things that I didn't know about my kids.
9. Seeing new places
10. Life seems alot easier to handle when on vacation

Pumpkin Shirts

2008-10-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of people ask me about how to make the pumpkin shirts. Well I would love to take credit for the idea, but I got it from Family Fun magazine (love that magazine). Go to http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12054 to get the instructions for making the shirts. We used one package of rit dye for each shirt because the darkest orange I could find was called sunshine orange and it was more orange/yellow than orange. Also the thicker the rubber bands the better circles you will get. I just used Fruit of the Loom undershirts for my shirts, but I noticed that Wal-mart has nicer white T-shirts for $3.50. I think I spent $4.77 for a package of 3 undershirts. We used black permanent marker for our shirts because I thought the fabric paint would be too hard for the kids to use! I may go over it with the fabric paint because I think it will last longer and look nicer. It was not a hard project to do at all. The kids had a blast stirring the shirts in the dye. I would highly reccomend doing this outside. We did it in my sister-in-laws garage. She had a utility sink that made it very easy to add hot water and to rinse. The kids were able to do the rubberbands, get their shirts wet before placing them in the dye, place them in the dye, stir them in the dye and make the pumpkin faces. The adults prepared the dye bath and rinsed the shirts before washing and drying them.

Update on Kate's collarbone.

2008-10-19T16:24:00.001-07:00

I took Katelynn back to the Dr. last week to have her collarbone rechecked and believe it or not she actually had broken it worse. The first x-rays looked mild compared to the second. I think she must have broken it again when she fell off one of the bar stools!! She is so accident prone. The good news is that the break was beginning to calcify which means that it is growing new bone around the break, but she has a nasty bump on her collarbone that she didn't have originally. Kids they amaze me!

Family Halloween Party

2008-10-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we had a Halloween Party over at Jake and Lea's house (my brother and his wife). We were going to go to Black Island Farms but due to tough economic times we thought we could save money by doing some fun activities with the kids at home. We made cute pumpkin T-shirts, played Bingo, roasted marshmellows, watched the Adams Family and ate pizza. We had a blast and the kids had way more fun doing this then I think they would have had going to the corn maze.

Alyssa and Ashleigh stirring their pumpkin shirts in dye. Ashleigh won the vampire teeth during Bingo.

Parker taking his turn stirring the shirts all up!

Carson had way more fun than this picture shows, but it was the only one I had of him stirring the whole night. Ooops. It looks like we are forcing him to do some horrible child labor.

Carly had a great time stirring her shirt with a shovel.

Max didn't really get into the whole T-shirt making process, but he had fun eating marshmellows and playing Bingo

Ashleigh and Katelynn checking on their shirts.

And here is the finished products. I think they turned out really cute and we have great memories. Thanks Lea for letting us invade your house we had a blast.

Carson was tagged too!

2008-10-19T14:39:00.001-07:00

Here are 5 things that you might not know about Carson.
1. Carson is a great artist. He loves to draw and has quite a bit of natural ability. He loves to make books and draws a lot of things from Harry Potter or Star Wars.
2. Carson loves to read. He is currently reading the 5th book in the Harry Potter series. Carson will disappear and we will find him in some quiet spot in the house (this can be difficult to find) with his nose in a book. I love that he loves to read. There is nothing quite like escaping into a good book.
3. Carson is a great helper and often sees what I need help with and jumps in to do it before I even have to ask him. He is a hard worker and is great at accomplishing household and yard work tasks. I appreciate what a hard worker he is and also the ability he has to recognize when I am at my wits end!! He knows just what to do when I am ready to pull my hair out.
4. Carson is the quietest member of our family and the most reserved, but don't be suprised if you see him acting a complete fool. He has a super silly side to him. He usually only shows this side of himself when he is really comfortable with the people around him or if he is at cub scouts or with friends.
5. Carson enjoys playing sports. He enjoys golf and basketball at the moment. He is playing on a 5th grade comp team which means that he is playing with kids a year older than him. He took 2nd place in a golf tournament this past summer. He has also decided that he wants to join the city's swim team. He is finishing up the required swim lessons right now and really seems to be enjoying learning this new sport. He also plays the piano and amazes me with how great he is doing. He is at a point now where I can't really help him because he understands it better than I do.

Carson tags Jameson, Sydney, Austin, and Tyler

Max was tagged!!!

2008-10-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here are five things about Max that maybe you don't already know.

1. Max has to eat the minute he wakes up in the morning. Most mornings he comes stubbling out of his room rubbing his eyes and telling me he wants to eat "breakfrist." If I don't get him his bowl of cereal quickly he follows me around whining for "breakfrist" until I do fix it. He is very head strong and is not easily diverted from getting his bowl of cereal.
2. Max has a secret crush on a number of girls including Alyssa and Carly (cousins) Lillian and Ava (friends). He is way girl crazy. He likes to play with all of Ashleigh's friends and often they come running to me because he is trying to kiss them or throw something at them. I guess if they aren't excited about kissing Max he tries to beat them up. Go figure. I really hope his strategy improves when he starts dating.
3. Max is very jealous of his little sister. When Katelynn was a baby he would walk slyly past her and kick her and then run. Now he likes to play with her, but there is daily battles over who gets to sit on mom's lap. On those days when Katelynn commands a lot of my attention he is more prone to push everyone's buttons including mine. He is a cuddle bug and enjoys sitting on my lap and sucking his thumb.

4. Max loves anything Star Wars and he is going to growup to be either Jengo Fett or a Stormtropper. I know I didn't know who Jengo Fett was either. Max knows a alot about Star Wars. He is a walking Star Wars encyclopedia. He knows who all of the characters are and what their relationship is to the other characters. He loves to play Star Wars it doesn't matter if it is pretending to be in Star Wars or playing a video game.

5. Max has a pretty funny sense of humor for a four year old and has already mastered the art of being a tease. He definately takes after his dad and uncles. He enjoys hip hop music and loves to dance to it when it is on the radio. I feel a little guilty about this because I am the one that introduced him to this genre.

Max tags Lillian, Brinley, Stockton, Kade, and James

General Conference

2008-10-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about some of the talks that were given at General Conference this week. I am so grateful for Conference and for the opportunity that the Lord gives us to sit down and listen to prophets and apostles share testimony, counsel, and their infinite wisdom. I enjoyed the spirit of conference so much. In today's world it is hard to find the peace that we so desperately need and I am so grateful that I was able to feel of the peace and hope of our wonderful church leaders. President Monson's talk that he gave in the Sunday morning session really struck a chord with me. I loved how he talked about the people in our lives (friends, families) being more important than problems to be solved. I am really good at making myself a "to do" list and plowing through it so that I can be satisfied at the end of the day that I accomplished many things. It always suprises me when at the end of the day instead of feeling satisfied I feel frustrated usually because I was pushing aside the needs of my family to accomplish all the "wonderful" things on my list. I let the problems to be solved become more important than the people to be loved. I loved his comments about enjoying the journey and the moments that we are in. I think gratitude plays a huge part in this. I am easily frustrated by all the things that I want to do or have to do and the lack of time I have in a day to actually accomplish all those things, but when I slow down and really appreciate all the wonderful people around me I realize how beautiful and special life really is and I can really appreciate where I am at in my life. I know that the time I am in now is going to be some of the most cherished times in my life and I am going to miss them and wish that I had taken more time to be engaged in this time than merely gettting through this time. I know that I will miss Parker's impish smile when he finds out that I found his secret hiding spot for the homework he doesn't want to do (see post below). I will miss the silliness (ie. bathroom jokes) at the dinner table. I will miss having to tell Carson for the millioneth time to put his book down at the dinner table. I will miss Carson asking me where his clean bball shorts, cubscout shirt, or swimming suit is. (in the laundry room not cleaned yet) I will miss Ashleigh's long winded stories and never ending giggling. I will miss her adventures that she is always wanting to go on with Max and Katelynn. I will miss Max asking me to wipe his bum and button his pants for the 6th time that day and always at times when I have my hands wet or dirty from preparing something in the kitchen. I will miss him telling me he got his "sponsibilities" done. (responsibilities) I need to record him saying it because when he says it it sounds hilarious. I will miss Katelynn's sweet little voice telling me she wants a roll at 1045 at night and her running to my legs and wrapping her arms around them everytime she gets her feelings hurt which is often. I will miss her hugs and she squeezes me with her tiny arms and pats my back. I pray for more wisdom daily to know how to make the best use of the time I have and to enjoy the journey. I love Conference it is always so uplifting and inspiring.

PARKER AND HOMEWORK

2008-10-09T08:53:00.001-07:00

My sweet, adorable, fun loving, kind, funny Parker
and how he tries to get out of doing homework!!! (he stuffed this under the kids bathroom cabinet) I was brushing Kate's teeth this morning and opened the cabinet under the sink to get a towel and this is what I found. I love Parker, but homework and school mixed with Parker is a whole different experience!!!

Katiebug broke her collarbone!! OUCH

2008-09-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Katiebug fell down the stairs and broke her collarbone. The first two days she didn't move off the couch. She wouldn't walk and she didn't want anyone to touch her. I had to feed her and help her hold her sippy cup and she didn't sleep very well. It was pretty heartbreaking to see her in so much pain and to not be able to do anything for her. We alternated Tylenol and Motrin for the first two days, but it left her so lethargic and I don't think that it helped that much for the pain so I quit giving it to her. She finally smiled and seemed more like herself on day 3 and now she makes me crazy because she is running around, everywhere and going up and down the stairs by herself, and climbing on everything with one arm in a sling. I keep envisioning her falling and breaking the other arm or smacking her face a good one, but I am happy to see that she is recovering. The only time that it seems to hurt her now is when she needs to lay down to have her diaper changed or when I change her into a different shirt. She tries to run away from me when she sees that I have clothes in my hands, because she now hates to be changed. She has to wear the sling for at least 3 weeks, but even better if she will wear it for 6. I will take her back to the Dr at the 3 week mark.

WARNING: INCREDIBLY LONG ENTRY - Sorry alot has been happening

2008-09-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Max's 1sr soccer game. He was pretending to be a jedi knight on the soccer field and use the force to move the ball. Kyle's genes are really shining through. Can you say uberdork!!! He ran out on the field yelling I am a jedi knight. SCARY and funny.

Katelynn doesn't take regular naps anymore so she sneaks them in when she feels like it. Kyle said that she was in a chocolate coma!! Kyle had made waffle cookies one Sunday afternoon and Katelynn was the taste tester. After she had had her fill off cookies I guess she decided the barstools would be a good place to stretch out and take a nap. She slept there for like an hour.

The incredibly cool 10 year olds. It is tradition to have a cooked breakfast of your choice on your birthday. The boys picked french toast with powdered sugar AND syrup. I am sure that their teachers loved me and their sugar high.
Max's first day of preschool.
Max with Miss Bonnie
Parker earned his 3rd silver arrow point and his whittling chip card.
Carson also earned his whittling chip and his 3rd silver arrow point

Parker and Carson opening presents for birthday at big celebration for Grandpa Shepherd, Great Grandpa Shepherd, Parker, Carson, and Conrad!!! Happy Birthday all of you boys. It was so much fun to get together with all of the Geiger's and catch up. There were a ton of kids at the Grandma and Grandpa Shepherd's.
We wish you could be here too, Josh. I was able to hold Amelia and I even rocked her to sleep. It is so good to have Ali, Conrad, and Amelia home.

Carson, Frieden(back), Noah, Max, and Carly

Katelynn and her Grand Canyon gun.
Josh, Parker, Tanner, and Jameson showing off their guns.
Katie's boys (Colton and ?) Jake and Carson
Our Family with Grandma Cook

Happy 87th Birthday Grandma Cook. We love you!!!! We gathered at Sean and Melissa's church to celebrate Grandma's birthday.It was good to see all of Kyle's aunts, uncles and cousins.
Candy, Wayne, Grandma, and Jorene. We missed you Kris and Pam. Pam was at Kellen's white coat ceremony in Iowa and Kris lives in California.

Kyle's cousin Camille has a beautiful voice and she sang to Grandma.
The party had a Grand Canyon theme (Grandma wanted to go to the Grand Canyon for her birthday) and so Aunt Candy gave all the kids a rubberband/ball gun from the Grand canyon.

We treated the boys to Golden Corral for dinner and then opened presents with family.

Well it has been a CELEBRATION BONANZA around here the last couple of weeks. Kyle and I celebrated our 12th anniversay on the 6th of September. I can not believe that we have been married that long. It truly has been magical!! I am so grateful to be married to my best friend and to somebody that I love to be with. I am so happy just being with him. We went to the Prairie Schooner and had Alaksan King Crab legs....a major splurge and they were delicious. I love crab and have been somewhat addicted to TLC's Deadliest Catch and so I have been really wanting to try King Crab out. It was fun to crack the legs, they were huge. We also celebrated Parker and Carson's birthday!!! I can't believe my "baby" boys are ten. There is no way possible that I am old enough to have ten year olds. They are growing up so fast. We also celebrated my dad's birthday, Grandpa Shepherd's birthday, Conrad's birthday, and Grandma Cook's birthday and we will be celebrating Jake's birthday and McKall's birthday in about a week.

Katelynn's Birthday, the 1st Day of School, and a mishap with Vaseline

2008-08-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

Katelynn loves her Uncle Jake!

Ashleigh sitting in her desk in Mrs. Newbold's class

Monday was a very nutty day in the Stromberg household. It was the 1st day of school as well as Katelynn's birthday and my two year old was behaving well like a two year old. We started the day off with a french toast breakfast and sang happy birthday to the birthday girl. Then the three oldest finished getting ready for school and we went outside to get pictures of them on the 1st day. Parker was very embarassed because we were making such a fuss out of it being the first day of school and he was way too cool for all the fuss. He is 9 going on 16. After we finished with the pictures I walked to school with the kids and took Parker and Carson to their class which was to Parker's chagrin. He wanted to walk to class with his friends. After we dropped the boys off Ashleigh and I headed to her class. I could tell she was a little nervous, because she was holding my hand (I should say that she had a death grip on my hand) and she was extremely quiet. Those of you that know Ashleigh know that this is very abnormal for her. I was able to help her find her desk and give her a kiss and a hug goodbye. As I was walking out of the classroom I was suprised to find tears in my eyes. I was not expecting to get emotional because even on our best days Ashleigh and I struggle seeing eye to eye and very often we need to have a break from one another. It was nice because after the 2nd day of school she ran right to me and gave me a huge hug and said I missed you and the truth is I missed her too.

Later that day, about two hours before my family was coming over for cake and ice cream for Kate's birthday, I was sitting on the couch folding clothes and I thought Katelynn was downstairs playing with Ashleigh, but I soon found out that was not the case. She was in the hall closet and had found a large jar of vaseline which she proceeded to rub all over in her hair and body. She used the entire jar. I spent the next hour cleaning vaseline out of her hair and the carpet. I never quite got it all the way out of her hair. If you look at the pictures of her with the pink shirt on it looks like her hair is wet, but it is like an hour after I had gotten her out of the bathtub. Also look closely at the pictures of her in the bathtub the water is actually beading up due to the vaseline all over her. She is glistening. You get the full effect if you enlarge them. I washed her hair about 20 times with dish soap, baking soda, shampoo, vinegar and just about anything I could think of that would possibly get the vasoline out, but she still managed to look like the Joker (Heath Ledger) from Batman in her pictures. Today is Sunday and the first day that her hair doesn't have a greasy appearance. I also got video of her right after I caught her in the act. My dad said she reminds him alot of his mom, my Grandma Bev. Watch the video and see if you can catch the resemblance.

In the second video listen for Max and his best singing voice.

My first blog and so much more!!!

2008-08-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well here goes nothing. I have wanted to enter the blogging world for a while and I am finally making the plunge. I hope your proud Ali, because this is all your fault. If your blog wasn't so much fun to look at I wouldn't be jealous enough to start my own.

Well school starts tomorrow and I am both excited and depressed. Don't even ask me how it is humanly possible to feel both of those emotions at one time, cause I don't understand and I know that Kyle really doesn't understand. I am a very complicated person. Ashleigh will be in 1st grade this year so we don't have to deal with the kindergarten schedule anymore. YIPEE!!!! Parker and Carson are in the 4th grade and will be in different classes for the first time since 1st grade. Max is in preschool, but doesn't start until next week.

Katelynn, my little baby, isn't going to be so little anymore. Her birthday is also tomorrow and she will be turning two. I can't even believe it is possible. Where in the world did two years go?

I honestly can not believe that summer is over! We have had a great time this summer and done a lot of fun things. The most recent thing that we have survived is a wedding reception that was held in our backyard. Kyle's brother Darin was married to Corrie on August 9th. The pictures above are from the wedding