First Day of School - August 23rd, 2010

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

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

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

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

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!!

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


We went to Chuck E Cheese's one night

Another Try at Blogging

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.