Merry Christmas everyone!!

This is especially for you Todd - I think this one is cool. My kids don't know who these guys are, but I'm sure you will appreciate them. Hope you and Radene and the boys are having a great Christmas. I love you!!

Tree Gettin' 2008

Last year after the reunion a bunch of us went tree gettin'. We had so much fun, I think it might become tradition. This year we were in Soda for thanksgiving and so the "tree gettin'" party came to Wayan. We just drove up Gravel Creek and got trees for 4 families - Ed, Craig, Blake & us. They were so easy to get to this year without much snow. The snow on the ground had just fallen the night before. We had fun, but still wondering how much these trees are worth. Blake hit a rock on the way out to Wayan and I hear a new oil pan, catalytic converter, and muffler are on order. We are hoping Sharee doesn't go to jail for stealing - she headed down the road for a tree and found one already cut just waiting for her to load it. No idea if someone was coming back for it or not. Next year I am hiding the chainsaw until I approve our pick - Jim's tree is a little narrow, but we can make it beautiful. All in all it was a fun day. I need my brothers to come visit more often.

I don't know if Katie or Seth took this pix, but I thought it was pretty.

Sharee's loot!

Here are some of the cousins scouting out prospects.

Seth thought he could push his old mom into the snowbank ~ Not this year!

~ Jenna ~ Jade ~ Megan ~

Group pix - sure did miss our missionaries Logan & Jake this year.

New Addition to the Stoor Fam

Check out our new baby on the left.  He is already spoiled getting to sit on Dad's lap - we are all excited to bring him home.  All of us that is except Pepper - oooh is she going to be mad at us!  He will move in before Christmas, but we have yet to come up with the right name for a red border collie.  Will let you know when the decision is made ~ isn't he just the cutest thing alive?

Mom Moment

O.K., I had a mom moment today.  You know the moment when you come to tears and no one else seems to understand why.  I watched my son administer the sacrament today for the first time in sacrament meeting.  I was so impressed with him as he recited the sacrament prayer with such confidence and reverence.  I should have taken a picture of him on this historic day, but he just laughs at me now for shedding a few tears.  Last week we went to town and my dad ordained Seth a priest.  Brother Houseman from our ward was there and Bishop Taylor from Mom & Dads ward.  After the ordination, Bishop Taylor informed Seth that his grandparents had not had the opportunity to partake of the sacrament that day and he thought Seth should take care of that for them.  It was really great to watch Seth and his dad prepare and bless the sacrament for them.  Seth can make fun of his mom for the tears, but I think I'm allowed.  I'm blessed with a great son ~ I'll try to remember that next time he teases his sisters.  I love you Seth.

Elk Hunt 2008

My older brothers Phil and Blake spent this week at our home for the elk hunt.  They have had a great time although totally unsuccessful when it came to hunting.  We cooked up a storm and they got some great pictures on their 4 wheeler rides.  

Jim & Seth with a little obstacle to move - I hear they did a great job while Blake & Phil got pictures.

Nice weather huh?  It didn't seem to phase their enthusiasm.  Phil is up to his knees and then down on his back.  I thought he was a little old for snow angels, but what do I know?

Blake & Jim and then Blake & Phil ~ both pictures are in front of Jake's eagle project on the Lander Cutoff pioneer trail.

I can't wait for them to come back ~ maybe a few more of the boys can come next year.

Halloween and BYUI

My girls and I drove to Rexburg last Friday afternoon for Halloween - Jim thought we should go.  I thought is was a little suspicious and then I found out I was picking up his new gun while I was up there.  HaHa!  We had a great time at their trick or trunk in the church parking lot and then the kids spent a little time going to the neighbors to trick or treat.  We watched a movie on the big screen at Craigs house ( projected from the computer to the wall - it was cool).  The next morning we went to a BYUI intramural football game and watched my nephew in the band.  It was fun to be back in the stadium cheering on the teams.  Here are a few pix from the weekend:

+Volleyball again+

Woo Hoo! Lady Cardinals made an incredible run after a first round tournament loss. They really rallied and knocked out Aberdeen, Grace, and then Malad in an extremely close game. They played for the district championship last night. They came up a little short and placed 2nd ~ it was an awesome game and no shame in it at all. Yea for me! I get to watch Mara play at least one more high school game. Saturday @ Blackfoot 3:00. If they can win that playoff game, they will go to the state tournament next Friday and Saturday. Go Lady Cards!!!!!!!

Senior night volleyball

Mara's last home volleyball game was last week. It was a fun night to honor the senior players ~ they played only seniors for the first and third game. Mara played middle blocker ( she hasn't played that position since her freshman year.) She played libero for the middle game ~ the humor was watching her running to the dressing room to change jerseys between each game. It was a great night to pay tribute to the 4 girls who have been with the program for all 4 year as well as the 2 new seniors. Mara is not used playing front row, but did well. District tourney is next week - go Lady Cards!!!

Lazy Family Update

I have 2 nephews serving mission, and I just typed them a letter telling them what has been going on around our home. I though it was lazy to send them both the same letter ~ now even lazier because I will add it to the blog to give you all and update too. Here goes:

Sept. 13, 2008
Dear Elder(s) Rindlisbacher,

O.K. call me lazy, but I’m terrible at writing letters ~ so I’ll just write to both of you at the same time. Life at the Stoor home is just busy as ever. Mara has been overwhelmed this week with homecoming. She is the senior class president, so she has been busy decorating hallways & floats. She was also one of the emcees for the royalty assembly, and took yearbook pictures for the parade. She has now been asked to play piano for the Soda Pops. In the midst of all this, she is playing volleyball ~ she is varsity libero. She had 2 home games this week and they won both. In fact, they are undefeated so far this year. We are hoping for a trip to the state tournament in Idaho Falls this fall. The best part is that she is loving it ~ last year the girls all fought and it was miserable. This year things are much better and she is enjoying it. She was in the Soda paper this week ~ I’ll include a copy.
Seth is plenty busy himself. He is running cross country again. His times are nothing to brag about, but he did improve his time at the Cardinal Classic by over 2 minutes from last year. We can’t figure that one out because he place 20 places lower than last year. It’s all good though ~ he is having fun, and his whole reason for running is to be in shape and ready for basketball season. I’m thinking there might be a girl or two he thinks is interesting on the team too. He went to Bone to get a tractor with his dad Friday. They are going to work on fixing it up for a FFA project. Seth and Mara also competed again in the judging contest at the state fair in Blackfoot. They didn’t place really high, but Seth was pretty proud of his free stake dinner. His new FFA leader made a bet with the FFA kids on the bus that no one could repeat the FFA creed. What he didn’t know is that Seth competed in the district creed contest last year. With just a minute of studying, he stood and repeated it word for word. Thus the free dinner!
Megan is a cheerleader for the middle school ~ much to her sibling’s dismay. She is doing well and loving it. I didn’t think I would ever be a cheer mom, but I’m adjusting. I have to say I’m quite proud of her. She had a pep assembly this week and their first home football game next week. She loves it. She also sang the national anthem for the high school volleyball game on Wednesday night. She is in the middle school choir and loving that too. She is just tired from the new bus ride to town.
Shelby is adjusting well to school in town too. If any thing she is a little bored with the work ~ her new teacher is working on that. At our little school, she was able to move at her own pace and she is ahead in a most of her subjects. Mrs. Jorgensen said they were going to spend this trimester working on learning the state capitals. I don’t think she believe Shelby had already learned them until they took a pretest and Shelby asked if she wanted them to write the state nicknames on the test too. She is 3 weeks into school and has already earned her reading points for the trimester. She is enjoying having some other kids her own age in the classroom ~ girls that is. Seth is the only boy she has ever gone to school with. She has decided all boys are stupid. That’s O.K. ~ lets keep it that way until she’s 18!
Jim is working as hard as ever. He just doesn’t quit ~ not happy unless he’s working. He interviewed for a new job with Simplot at the pump station just north of town. He got the job and will start working every other month at Conda (just 5 miles north of Soda). The kids and I are excited! He will be able to come to more of the kid’s activities after work than he has been able to in the past. He has been working on equipment for my boss here at the elevator, and of course helping his parents on the ranch. He and Seth played disc golf on the new course here in Soda for mutual the other night. They said it was a blast and want to go as a family. He has been really busy with school board too. He is looking forward to hunting with Blake and Phil.
I have been swamped with harvest ~ working 60 hour weeks. I can’t wait for it too be over! The bishop fired me on Sunday ~ tear! I was released as Y.W. president. I have served in that calling for almost 6 years now, and enjoyed it. I was pretty sure this year at girl’s camp that a change was coming though. That was my 6th girl’s camp in a row without a camp director. I love that calling and it is hard to let it go, but I suppose it is time for a change. Bishop said they would give me a little rest ~ sounds good right? Friday night at the ballgame he called me aside and asked if I had had enough of a rest yet. I will start my new adventure on Sunday. I suppose I shouldn’t say yet ~ you never know if someone might object right? I’m sure you are sick of reading about the Stoor’s and I will try to write sooner next time, so you won’t be sleeping by the time your get a letter read.
Grandpa Petersen is improving everyday, but it has been slow going. He is having the lower back surgery on Friday the 26th. He is not looking forward to it, but also just wants to get it over with. The doctors are quite confident that they can get the repairs done and get him feeling better. It is not going to be without a lot of pain, but necessary. Keep him in your prayers. Grandma is just busy taking care of Grandpa. She has been fantastic ~ he is not the best patient in the world. I’m hoping harvest will be done soon so that I can help more. She did start bowling this week. That will be a good break for her to get out of the house.
You are in my prayers and on my mind every day. I want you both to know how proud I am that you chose to serve missions. I know it is where you should be at this time in your life ~ your example to Seth is just what he needs. He admires you both so much and I am grateful that you have been so good to him. Work hard and take care of yourselves; we will all keep you in our prayers. Love you both ~ Aunt Jill

Grandma Langston funeral

We lost Jim's Grandma Langston this week. She died on August 16 ~ she wanted to make 90 years in 5 months, but couldn't hang on. This was one of those good funerals ~ she had been wanting to go. Her health was failing, but her mind was healthy until just the last few weeks. She had her services all planned ~ we just were able to spend most of the week together and celebrate her life. Here are a few photos:

The first photo is of the casket and the VFW auxiliary flag, the second of her six grandsons as pallbearers, and the third is of the little girls in the family ~ yes Mara, you are still one of the little girls until you graduate. The last picture is all 7 of Roylene's (jim's mom) kids. It has been quite a few years since they have all been able to be together. She outlived most she knew and was the last grandparent for Jim & I. I guess we are getting old and will be the grandparents before we know it.

Caribou County Fair 2008

O.K. ~ Seattle was great, but we had to rush home for the fair. You can't be a Stoor and not be involved in the fair! We got home from Seattle Monday night and left for the fair on Tuesday for swine weigh-in. I'm still not sure how we pulled this all off, but we did. The kids pigs all made weight - whew! They did the show on Thursday and the sale on Friday. The kids all got blue ribbons for showmanship and we got blues and reds on the pigs. Seth says the judge was prejudice. We had the only black pigs and they were always the first ones out of the ring. Oh well, they did great in the sale. Megan also got to sing the national anthem for the Demolition Derby and the Little Buckaroo Rodeo. She did a great job ~ I don't know how she does it ~ I'd be shakin' in my boots.



Mara was the reserve champion showman in swine. The grand champion chose not to participate in the round robin, so she jumped in and had a great time. For those who don't know fair terminolgy ~ the round robin is where the grand champion showman from each species have a competition and show all the animals. She got to show sheep,horse, steer, swine, dairy, and goat.

She won ~ Round Robin Champion 2008!!!

Seattle Vacation

I got back from Girls camp on Saturday, went to church on Sunday, work on Monday, and then we took off for Seattle at 7:00 on Tuesday morning. Whew!~ I'm tired just thinking about it. We had such a great time ~ I'll try to fill you in day by day. Tuesday was all about the drive. We were not in a huge hurry, and it took all day.

Wednesday was when the fun started ~ Go Mariners. It was really a fun game. We were in the nosebleed section, but it didn't matter. We enjoyed all 12 innings, yes I said 12 innings. The Mariners ended up losing, but that didn't ruin our fun. Oh, I almost forgot, the girls were on the "jumbotron" 3 times. GO ICHIRO!!! Here are some photos:





After the game, we headed to Alkai Beach ~ we being our family and 4 of my brothers families. We just enjoyed laughing and catching up with each other ~ and of course taking a few pictures.







Thursday we ran our tails off trying to see all the Seattle sights. We started at the Space Needle ~ this is the first time we shelled out the money to ride to the top. It was quite a sight, but a few too many people up there for me.

We rode the monorail to the Seattle mall. We didn't shop, just had lunch there and then tried to head to Pike's Market. Jim & I were both sure we knew the direction, but we took the scenic route. Our feet were tired, but we did finally get there. I don't know why this place fascinates me so much but it does. We saw them throw the fish, smelled all the flowers (along with some other funky smells), and got Jim his favorite treat ~ a Carmel apple.

We then made a mad dash clear across town to take the underground tour. It was not all they said it would be. There were some funny stories about old-time Seattle and the characters who built the city, and some cool stories about how it was built. We did see a little too much of the shady side of the city ~ we will leave it at that.

Friday some of the boys headed to the Boeing Flight Museum. The girls and I opted to see Snoqualmie Falls and just relax a little. We hit the Costco to get food for the reunion. Then my brother Todd and his wife Radene hosted a fantastic BBQ at their home. We all just relaxed and enjoyed spending the rest of the night together. The day was great, but hard to know that Dad was having surgery that day and we were all trying to have fun. Luckily all went well and he was home before we were.

Saturday morning we headed for the ferry and Orcas Island. We won't talk about the ferry ride and how we watched my family load 2 different ferries and sail off. We won't talk about how we had to wait over 6 hours, because of the intelligent Washington state ferry worker who put us in the wrong line, and then wouldn't listen when we tried to question him. We won't talk about how I went and gave the ferry agent a piece of my mind. Do I sound bitter? The kids were good about it and we still enjoyed the ride once we finally got on the boat.





We just enjoyed visiting, swimming, Mt. Constitution, and the annual photo shoot on Sunday ~ of course we ate constantly too.

Sunday night we had to head for home. We said our goodbyes ~ I had to cry while I said bye to Jake (my nephew who headed to the MTC on Wed.) We pulled and all nighter and made the long drive home so that we could be ready for fair week ~ that's the next blog I need to catch up on. If you have read this whole thing, you must be really bored. But thanks! We had a great time and the kids are already saving coins for the next Seattle adventure. Thanks Todd & Radene ~ we loved it!!!