J & J Stoor Family

2012-01-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve Day we took a little runaway between flu sessions. Jim said let's run to Jackson & we rarely say no to that. We stopped up the canyon above Alpine to look for big horn sheep and try out Jim's new spotting scope, but didn't have any luck. Jim said the guys at work told him to look up Hoback area, but we still didn't have any luck:

Here we are in our favorite little shop in Jackson Hole - Yipee I O. It is the cutest little candy shop with almost every candy made - except War Heads - they were a little disappointed about that one. They also sell lots of cool signs that you can see on the walls.

We were all excited to go to our favorite Chinese buffet, but the sign on the door said: Closed due to the fire - that was a bummer! We found a mexican place and ate lunch and then walked around the square. The girls took a set of pictures for their missionary brother:

LOVE

YOU!!!

Cute, right?

We had a guy take a family shot - it is hard to tell, but they had just turned on the lights. The square looked really pretty with all the trees & elk arches lighted up.

It is fun to just walk through some of the galleries & silly shops that the have around Jackson. We rarely buy anything, but candy at Yipee I O, but Jim couldn't resist this door mat which now graces our front entrance:

It was a quick little trip, but lots of fun to get away as a family - before the flu bug struck again!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas came and went in a hurry this year. We didn't decorate, bake, shop, or really even acknowledge that it was the Christmas season until after November 30th in an attempt to not make Seth feel bad or homesick since this was his first holiday away from home. That meant that as soon as we dropped him off at the M.T.C. I was scrambling to get Christmas going. Shelby will tell you though that I had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. I probably did not put enough effort into things, but we had a good time together, except for the fact that Jim hardly had any time off of work. We did get him home on Christmas morning and that was worth a bunch. I wasn't really good at pictures either, but we snapped a few after church on Christmas morning:

Mom & Dad love Elder Stoor

Grandma & Grandpa Petersen love Elder Stoor

These three cuties love Elder Stoor too!

We usually try and get a family picture in front of the tree, we seem to be short a young man.

2011 Christmas family picture

I was really bad at the picture business this year - the next few are of the girls Christmas gifts scattered around. It seems like the older they get - the more we spend - and the presents just get smaller & smaller:

Caribou Mountain was especially pretty with the morning light.

We had both sets of Grandparents over for Christmas dinner & the much awaited phone call from my boy.

JIm was at work most of the holiday, but we girls kept ourselves busy eating til we were sick - literally, all 5 of us got the flu at some point through the holidays, but we wont' give details about that LOL. Megan got a new WII game called Just Dance 3 - I thought the girls would have fun & we did. Lots of time playing and fools of ourselves - Well, just the rest of us, Megan in really good!

On Monday, we feed cows and then headed to Grandma & Grandpa Petersen's house for a party there, right after I tipped over the Christmas tree on our way out the door GGGRRRRR. Lots of food, card, crud,cousins & more dancing. What could be better?!

Jenna & Katie - you are so silly!

Rindlisbachers miss Elder Stoor

Petersens miss him too.

Overall it was a good holiday - we mostly just hung out at home. Mara feed cows nearly every day & let her Dad catch up on a little sleep. We did all get spoiled & enjoy our time together. So I know I'm a month behind on posts, but I hope you all had a Merry Christmas at your homes too!

A Missionary Christmas

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

I skipped the sales after Thanksgiving. The thrill just wasn't there.

No pictures taken with Santa Claus, My decorating has no flair.

His presents are shoes, shirts, and ties, two suits and socks...no fun.

I've bought him all white clothes because...

This year I'm giving Christ my son.

I've spent more time in the temple, my testimony stirred.

I've reread November's Ensign, Felt strength come from His words.

Our family prays more frequently. My tears are quick to run.

Abraham seems closer because...

This year I'm giving Christ my son

I wonder how those Lamanite mothers, gave their sons to war?

Or how the pioneers chose Zion, their sacrifice was so much more.

My loss will be his presence, I'll miss his smile a ton.

For two years we will pray for him...

I'm giving Christ my son.

I stare at his face when he's not looking. I memorize his eyes, their shine.

He's always hungered for the part of him, that makes his soul divine.

The stories and the lessons he always heard, His choice and mine are one.

I'll put my faith in God's hand, This year...

I'm giving Him my son.

Past gifts have lost their glitter; I think I finally understand.

Christ's birth should be celebrated by giving Him a hand.

It's because I know Christ lives and reigns that all his packing's done.

My gift has taken years to make, This year...

I'm giving Christ my son.

I know there's One who understands, the sacrifice I'm making.

Who knows the gift I willingly give, The toll it will be taking.

For He has done it all before, Greater love - there could be none.

For years ago God gave to me...

His only begotten son.

The hands I washed, the hands I held, The hands I taught to pray;

Now knock on doors to find the ones who will listen to what he'll say.

Because I know Christ needs him, until all the gathering's done,

My gift has taken years to make...

This year... I'm giving Christ my son.

Author unknown

Phone call from Elder Stoor

2011-12-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

I got to talk to my missionary!!

Elder Stoor called from the Salt Lake airport last night. I was hoping, but not sure if they called home or not - we got a call from an 801 # last night & I raced to the phone. He sounds wonderful! He is just to excited to get out there and get going. He was looking for a calling card in the airport when some man asked what he was doing - he said - why don't you just use my cell phone. How awesome is that - I will never know who you are, but thank you for helping this momma feel better. I even spoke to his companion for a minute. I told him that his mom is my hero - I can't imagine sending two kids into the mission home on the same day.

Megan came running out of her room 20 minutes later & Seth had called again - he bought the calling card after going through security. I can't tell you how good he sounded - just excited and ready to go. He is traveling with a group of 11 or 12 Elders and 2 Sisters. They flew out of Salt Lake at 12:55 am - landed in Atlanta around 6:30 am - then on to DC around 9:00 am.

Before I could even finish this blog - I got another phone call at work! No, not from Elder Stoor this time, but from President Matsumori. It was wonderful - he seems like an awesome man. Called just to tell me that my son had made it. They have spent some time at the temple grounds in DC - said the missionaries spend a little time alone in the wooded area of the grounds (he called it their own sacred grove) to make their personal commitment to the Lord for the next 2 years. He said that they then feed them at IHOP - comment that my son made me proud. Seth must have been good and hungry :) They were back at the mission home & getting ready to take a nap. President Matsumori asked if we knew about the mission blog & promised pictures up by the end of the week. He thanks us as parents for preparing our son for this mission and said that he could tell Elder Stoor is a remarkable young man and ready for the work. He said they don't take it easy on them and would put them right to good use. I told him Seth is happiest when he is busy & he said that would not be a problem. I thanked him for calling and asked him to take good care of my son. Wow, the tears are already flowing - I thought this would get easier!

I'm so grateful for the calls & I know that we are being blessed already!

Mormon Moms Who Blog: Do You Have Room? FREE Copy from Shawna Edwards

2011-12-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

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Fall Cheering

2011-12-07T13:35:00.001-08:00

With Seth on his way, I need to spend a little time catching up the old blog. Any extra time during the fall was spent at the football field and in the gym for volleyball. This whole cheer team thing is all consuming when it comes to scheduling. Megan is captain of the J.V. cheer team at SSHS this year and having a great time with it. It is fairly hard to get good pix of cheerleaders - they are either posing or moving too fast for me, so this is what you get:

Football game - the helicopter brought the game ball & the girls spent hours making signs!

Halftime dance

Homecoming Parade

Hi Megi!

volleyball!!

Football again - Megan loves the stunting! (she is the base on the left)

Our own little pep band member - go Shelby!

Cancer awareness night at the volleyball game!

It was pretty busy following the volleyball team & Friday night football games during my harvest at the elevator, but we survived. Now it's time for wrestling & girls and boys basketball. All that while the cheer team gets ready for their own competition - Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it! Oh, ya, Megan just tried out for the musical too :)

Emmaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

2011-12-07T12:56:00.001-08:00

I just love this little girl - she just makes me smile even with all the stress we have had lately. Isn't she the cutest!

Emma

Mara - see what I learned?

This is my little neighbor Emma. As you can tell, I think she is pretty awesome - we kind of like her mom & dad & brother too, but she stole the show Sunday night when we got together for the Christmas Devotional. She just makes me smile!

mission post

2011-12-02T07:27:00.001-08:00

New post on Seth's mission blog:

www.elderstoor.blogspot.com

Every goodbye makes the next hello closer!

2011-11-18T07:46:00.001-08:00

I think I need this for Christmas!!

I about tipped my chair over laughing - it would be perfect on my desk to listen to the music on my Ipad! I got all excited until I saw the price................$49.99 - WHAT? for a cute little ceramic pig with a speaker jack for a tail? Oh well - not gonna waste the money on that, but maybe it will show up at Tuesday Morning sometime soon. Isn't that piggy butt cute though?

Sunday

2011-11-11T09:16:00.001-08:00

I can't believe we are already here. This weekend is Seth's non-farwell - they say we don't have farwells for missionaries, but I'm thinking not much has changed. Except for Moms don't have to talk - Dads on the other hand..... I have been calling it a funeral all week - you know, talks in the chapel and dinner in the gym, mom crying.....sounds like a funeral. Just kidding - It is all good! Come and join us on Sunday if you can.

Grays Lake Ward

10 a.m.

Soup - rolls & desserts at 1 p.m. in the gym

See ya there - hopefully!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween - is that an oxymoron? This is my least favorite holiday of the year. The only good part of it is all the cute little kiddos in their costumes. We did decide to play along and dress up for the ward party Saturday night. Shelby was Miss Scarlet - can you see the wrench? Megan was a cute little train conductor.

I went all out - spent hours on my costume....not.

I was an egg.

It was a fun night - typical Grays Lake Halloween - soup & donuts. Cake walk, fish pond, donut eating contest, ring toss, & costume contest. A good old fashioned Halloween Carnival!

Logan & Mikaela

2011-10-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

My nephew Logan was sealed to his bride Friday afternoon (10-21-11). It was an awesome day here:

The Rexburg Temple

Aawww - aren't they cute:

Logan & Mikaela Rindlisbacher

The girls had a ball waiting outside the temple - they must have there are 500 pictures like these:

Seth was the lucky cousin that got to go inside the temple:

I think that is frustrating to the 3 older cousins pictured above, LOL!

We spent the day with family in Rexburg and went to the reception that night. It was a good day!

iPad app test

2011-10-26T09:08:00.001-07:00

Woot woot - new blogger app on the iPad - maybe I can get some blogging in if this works!!!!! Attaching a pix of a cute cheerleader that happens to live at my house.

Sunday Evening

2011-10-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we met my brother Blake & his family over in Alpine on a Sunday afternoon. Jim was working, but the kids & I had a nice little visit. It was so beautiful! I love the fall colors - they are just not lasting long enough this year.

We headed up the Snake River Canyon and climbed down to the river by the Lunch Counter Rapids. It is one of my favorite spots in the world. So pretty!

We took a few photos, watched the water....

laughed a little....

threw a few rocks.... (what form Sethy :))

admired the river....

enjoyed being with family...

and admired the fall colors!

Cousins!!

There haven't been many relaxing days this fall. I must be getting old because I want things to slow down long enough to enjoy them. It was nice to take a Sunday afternoon and relax - now back to reality of work, getting wood, teenagers, and college kids, and missionary preparation!!

Eagle volleyball

2011-10-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Shelby has been busy since school started playing VOLLEYBALL!! I figured I'd better hurry and post the pictures since she starts playing basketball this week:

Serving

.......

waiting at the net for the serve

Cool - so hard to catch with the camera - Go Shelby!!

passing

Shelby's team

It was a quick season - all the games were played in the month of September. Hopefully the girls learned a little & are excited to play next year. Next year -at the high school - how Crazy is that!!

Life

2011-10-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is how I have been feeling lately:

Life is just nuts & I'm not exactly keeping up. Things are slowing a little - at least I hope - I will be working on some catch up blogging. Life is just crazy!!

stress

2011-10-03T10:32:00.001-07:00

2011 1st Day of School

2011-09-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's back to school again - well almost a month ago. It was so nice this year - school started Sept. 6th instead of mid-August like we have always done. I think the school board might have just made a whole bunch of points with all the moms in town. It was nice to have a little time after the fair. So here goes - the annual first day of school pictures:

Only 2 kids - something wrong with this picture - don't they look excited?

I said put your thumbs down - not quite what I meant Shelby!!LOL

My beautiful girls - when did they grow up?

Notice anything missing in this picture? besides Mara & Seth - Oh, wait Mara took a first day of school picture:

Thanks sis - you always take care of your silly Momma's stuff.

Something else missing too?
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Check out Shelby's beautiful blue eyes - not hiding behind glasses. Yup, contacts - she was pretty excited to try them out!! Good luck at school girls!!!

The Call

2011-09-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Mara got the video to load using youtube - good thing I have smart kids!
Here it is:

We are all so excited for Seth - He is going to be an awesome missionary!!!!

Today - It's here!!!

2011-08-25T12:55:00.001-07:00

www.elderstoor.blogspot.com

Life is like an old-time rail journey

2011-08-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

“Marriage requires a high degree of tolerance, and some of us need to cultivate that attribute. I have enjoyed these words of Jenkins Lloyd Jones, which I clipped from the newspaper some years ago. Said he:
“There seems to be a superstition among many thousands of our young men and women who hold hands and smooch in the drive-ins that marriage is a cottage surrounded by perpetual hollyhocks to which a perpetually young and handsome husband comes home to a perpetually young and beautiful wife. When the hollyhocks wither and boredom and bills appear the divorce courts are jammed. …
“Anyone who imagines that bliss in marriage is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed.
“The fact is most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. …
“Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.
“The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Conversation with Single Adults,” Liahona, Nov 1997

New Missionary Blog

2011-08-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

I've started another new blog - you will love this one:
www.elderstoor.blogspot.com

Check it out for an announcement in the very near future!

Caribou County Fair 2011

2011-08-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Caribou County Fair was last week - I'm still trying to recover! Things were crazy busy all week. So here goes with the pictures:

Megan was asked to sing the national anthem for the Lil' Buckaroo Rodeo on Tuesday night - she did an awesome job - like she always does. Wednesday's singer didn't show, so they asked Megan to fill in - cool huh? - singing for a PRCA Rodeo. Then Delvin decided that they should have the anthem sung at the pig wrestling on Friday night - so guess who? Megan has been a busy little girl.

My little Shelby is not so little anymore - check out the pig earrings - I wish you could see them better in the picture - the right ear has the head, the left hear has the other end - cute!!

Shelby, Mom & I - listening to Megi sing

In the ring with the pigs - they all did a great job. I think I have lost faith in the 4-H program - NOT about the kids like it should be, but I won't rant and rave on the blog. Let's just say that if I had to decide today - I wouldn't be back at the fair with animals. I will say that I was very proud of my kids and the way they handled the situation. We did see some awesome people step up and do what they could to help.

Wednesday evening we got to go to the rodeo - that was fun!

This is our beautiful next door neighbor Naomi carrying the american flag.

Thursday the kids showed their pigs - we caught the hypnotist act & a few others under the big top.

Friday morning was the sale. Megan was the only one who was able to sell her pig & Simplot bought it for a great price - only $50 less than the grand champion - way to go Mark! We had a family from Chesterfield offer to buy Seth's pig & when they heard about Seth's mission plans, they added another $200 - made me cry! I thought it was so cool of them - Williams, you are awesome! We were able to sell Shelby's too - It all worked out in the end, but it will take me a while to get over it! Momma doesn't like seeing her kids get shafted! Oh ya, I said I would drop it - sorry.

Friday night was the pig wrestling contest - yes we are self-proclaimed HICKS! Seth's team won in 2009 - we even put that on his job application - 2009 Caribou County Pig Wrestling Champion - LOL.

It was a work night for Seth also - he sprayed the muck off the pigs when they came out of the ring - check out the muscle shirt :)

Megan got a team together for the contest - McKaylee, Sierra W., Sierra S.(cousin), & Megi

Check out the video that Sierra W. posted on facebook - I can't seem to steal it, but here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=202662969788305

Yes you did hear Chris right - 12.2 seconds - not as fast as Seth's team did, but good enough to will the Junior division - they each earned a $71 dollar check, but more important - bragging rights!

2011 Caribou County Pig Wrestling Champions

Seth's team somehow ended up throwing their pig out of the ring - disqualified! It happen so quick that all you could do was laugh - they did get him rounded up, but no prize money this year. The camera had died so I didn't get any pictures, but I'm hoping my friend Becca did - I'll let you know later if she did.

The week started putting up the big tent on Saturday & ended the next Sunday taking it down. Jim & Mara only got to spend Tuesday afternoon thru Thursday night with us, but it was fun having them there for a while. We did enjoy the Bar J Wranglers on Saturday morning - for those of you that know what I'm talking about - Babe was there too - soo cooool! I spent most of my time in my booth at the fair this year - my next post will tell you all about it. Overall, we had a great time at the fair again this year - Whew, glad we survived another year at the fair!

Jake & Kara video

2011-08-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Check this out - my nephew and his beautiful bride - May 10, 2011:

2011-08-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

BOISE + PIZZA + COUSINS + CHATTING + MORE COUSINS + CARDS + MANICURES + ZOO + HORSESHOES + MORE FOOD + BUTTERFLIES + 3D MOVIES + CRUD =

THE GREAT GETAWAY 2011

Lois, Mom & Dad at the pizza party

Ed, Sharee, & Craig

Shelby, Cortney, & Megan

John & Megan

Cortney & Megan

Cards & chatting

Pinochle face?

CARS at the IMAX in 3-D!!!!

Girls do a little "Nail Party"

Even big girls can slide!

I think he was trying to hide out with the brown & gray!

Megi & Avalon playing with the butterflies!

Seth & Colton playing horseshoes - was this the throw that broke the shoe? LOL

Pink & White - awesome, right?

Mara trying to teach Whitney & Kara about the finer points of CRUD!!

Just some random pictures uploaded from the family reunion this year - I think a fun time was had by all. I know we had a great time - especially when it was time to leave and someone else did the cleanup. Camping in a hotel does have its advantages. We had a pretty good turnout - we sure did miss those that couldn't come though. I think it is just going to get harder to get these cousins all together, but they sure do have fun when they are together. I love my family!! Can't wait to be together again!

Come on Emma!

2011-08-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Our little neighbor girl finally arrived - July 21, 2011. The girls, grandma, & I put together this cute little blanket for little miss Emma Gray Bodily. I hauled it around in my car for 2 weeks waiting for her to arrive. Come on Emma!

I thought it turned out pretty cute - not as cute as this though:

She is less than 3 hours old - yes I got to hold her that quick.

I can't get enough - We are already in love with this little girl!!

Family photos 2011

2011-08-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

The great tradition of family photos was carried on this year at the family reunion so here goes:

Jim & Jill Stoor - Mara, Seth, Megan, & Shelby

Ed & Sharee Petersen - Cortney, Reed, Whitney

Todd & Radene Rindlisbacher - Nathan & Cameron

Andy Petersen ( and the girls.... & Kyle? - family joke!)

Blake Rindlisbacher - & Kara ( newest Rindlisbacher in the family :))

Craig Rindlisbacher - Logan, Colton, John

Heather McCreary- and the boys!!

Phil & Vicki Petersen - Wes, Natalie, Kyle, Avalon & Raven

Grandma & Grandpa with the grandkids

Larry & MarJean Petersen - Lois Hughs

My favorite pix of the day! Ma & Pa with kids - I think Andy just made a smart comment about hair loss!

The whole crew from the Great Getaway 2011

There Is A Power

2011-07-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

This is cool - a friend from Soda posted this:

Lisa Lakey Smith

FB FRIENDS!!!!!! HERE IS THE PROJECT I AM INVOLVED IN & SO EXCITED ABOUT!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD BY RE-POSTING ON FB, BLOGS, EMAIL & WORD OF MOUTH!! THIS WILL BENEFIT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN FIGHTING CANCER!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!:):)

'There Is A Power' - Music Video -- IndieGoGo

www.indiegogo.com

Help us fund a music video that will feature & benefit children who are battling cancer. Performed by Cancer Survivor & American Idol contestant Justin Williams

Stuck in Traffic

2011-07-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

We keep getting stuck in traffic on the way home :)

This traffic is interesting to get through, see:

There is a whole lot of it, and you never know which direction it will go:

Last night Shelby and I took the divide road to avoid the traffic, and guess what we ran into:

This little guy was so cute:

It was worth all the traffic - check out the view from the top of the divide road:

It is a little different traffic that some are used to, but I'll take it - gotta love living in the "boonies"!

Mooses again :)

2011-06-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

Just going to copy & past Mara's blog - check out this cute little guy!! My nephew Cameron went to Yellowstone and was disappointed to not see a moose - just come to Wayan!

Driving Home

I was driving home with Mom today,

and look what we saw just the other side of Beaver Tail:

Isn't her calf ADORABLE?

I smile every time I see this picture.

Twice now I have seen a moose-calf up to work, as well.

How awesome is it that I can see

these kinds of views every single day?

He Did IT - Graduation 2011

2011-06-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Seth finally finished - I think he was ready to be done months ago! Graduation was June 3rd. I wanted a cap and gown picture outside and Grandma's house - see what I got?:

Posing with his beloved "Diamond Lil"

Oh My!

Thumbs up - I did it Mom!!

I did get him off the truck long enough for a picture with his sisters - my kids are awesome. I did good that night, but now I'm gonna cry:

Megan, Mara, Seth, Shelby

Marching in - Check out my boy in his honor cords!

How many dads get to award their son's diploma? Awesome!

with the parents

with the grandparents

The family

Awesome group of family

SSHS Class of 2011

The Never-ending Spring

2011-06-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

We got a good summer day yesterday - I sincerely hope that summer was not a one day event! It is nice and chilly again this morning. This are getting green and beautiful & my lilac bushes have finally budded out! Yeah, I know, we are behind everyone else - just like every year. I did look through my camera and see a few of the good shots I got from spring - It was beautiful, just lasted longer than anticipated!

Caribou Mountain on a quiet morning - see how full the Gray's Lake is?

A group of young elk along the road

I'm pretty sure their mommas just kicked them off - they were a little confused

Goose Lake - now I know why they call it that! ( normally just a nice valley - this year a lake )

I love moose - nothing so awkward as a moose!

waiting for me to leave so he could get a drink!

Chubb Springs

I need to get the camera back out - in a matter of weeks, we have turned the most beautiful shades of green. The mountains are still white & the valley is green - I love Grays Lake in the summer!

Spring Concert 2011

2011-06-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Megi & Shelby were both involved in the Spring Concert back in May. Megan ran from cheer tryouts long enough to do this percussion number that her music appreciation class has been working on. It was pretty cool just using drumsticks on chairs:

Megan & her friend McKaylee

don't smile girls :)

And a little video action:

Shelby has joined the band this year - she has done really well learning the clarinet. I was really excited to hear this kids play. I think we have great hopes of getting the band back at SSHS!

getting ready - doesn't she look pretty?

Some more video - first time this group has performed on stage:

Nice job girls - I love that my girls are musical!! Just ask my niece Katie - "Band Geeks Rock!!"

Graduation Tonight!

2011-06-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Commencement is Tonight at 8:00 - Here are Seth's 2 versions sent out to family - keep in mind he wants to be a veterinarian someday:

"the shitty one"

"the real one"

Family photos

2011-06-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

Wow - time flies too fast! Check out these photos that I stole off facebook. The first is the day my Mom married Larry. Check out the bewildered look on the kids faces. That was the beginning of a new family!

1974

2002

MY FAMILY - Love them all!

Unbelievable

2011-05-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

I've had the worst feeling in my stomach all day since reading the Elko Daily. I just can't believe that things like this can happen to people who you have shared such good times with. We had such fun up Lamoille Canyon repelling with the kids & the rescue team was such a big part of Jim's life in Elko. The guys on that team were such good friends. It is crazy how things have changed - Clayton is gone and now this. Times like this are tough to stomach - just 10 years ago and our lives have taken such different turns. My heart goes out to Kelly's family as well as Woody's family. Wendy's facebook status says it all "Kelly Jo I know your smile is shining in Heaven . Jim And I are so upset with what we have heard we had some great times together . My prayers are with your family. May god help you Woody." This is still just all too unbelievable.

Jake & Kara

2011-05-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

My nephew Jake was sealed to his bride Kara on May 7th in the Logan Temple. What a great day for a wedding. I didn't realize that a magnolia trees grew in Logan, but just look at this picture:

Jake & Kara:

Two of my favorite people at the luncheon - I love Jim & Katie, especially together:

Just plain beautiful!!

2011 Senior Prank

2011-05-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

O.K, I'm probably supposed to be all mad at my son, but this one is funny!! I'm not sure some of the teachers saw it that way, but this was a very creative senior prank. Every student desk and chair in the school was moved.

First they filled the auditorium:

Then they headed to the football field:

The local officer came to see what was going on - Seth said after they explained what was going on, he just said "that's funny"!!

They even emptied the shop - a horse trailer helped speed up the job:

Mission accomplished:

To top it all off - who could have predicted snow on May 26th - L.O.L.!!:

They were at the school until midnight & had to be on the bus for Senior Sneak at 7:00 a.m. I stole the pictures from one of Seth's friends on facebook ( just so you know I didn't follow Seth around with a camera). I thought this one was a classic - SSHS Class of 2011 - you will be remembered for this one!

Wear Sunscreen

2011-05-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

This speech was supposedly given by Kurt Vonnegut to the MIT class of 1997, but reports say it was actually an editorial from Mary Shmich of the Chicago Tribune - doesn't really matter to me, but I agree with my friend that shared it with me today - every young person should read it. Senior Night is at the high school tonight, & I'm not sure what the speaker will say, but I would be happy if this is what they shared with my kid:

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97: Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.

Easter Weekend 2011

2011-04-26T08:00:00.001-07:00

This was an awesome weekend - I'll tell you why!

1. Jim was off.

2. Mara came home.

3. Seth got to have Breanne come and visit:

4. We got strawberry jam made and in the freezer:

5. We made these:

apparently you can't dip the strawberries directly in the chocolate - lumpy, but we ate them anyway

6. The Easter Bunny came to visit (at 2:00 in the morning - thanks to Mara & Seth):

Seth must be interesting

Come on - a picture for Momma - please

They think they are too old for this!!! :):)

7. We played a bunch of card games.

8. But the most important event:

We were all there to watch Jim ordain our son with the Melchizedek priesthood. My parents came out & my brother Ed & his family came from Rockland. Seth also had the bishopric (Scott, Steve, Mark), Bryce, Mike, Jordan stand in the circle - What an awesome Easter Sunday!!!

Bountiful Baskets

2011-04-20T14:03:00.001-07:00

Ever heard of Bountiful Baskets?

We love it and just started picking them up in Freedom - so much easier than trying to get to Grace.

Look at all of that goodness!!

All of that (except the blueberries) for $15.00!!

Now I just need to figure out how to use those funky green things!

Prom 2011

2011-04-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

She said YES - although we never did find the note in all that popcorn! But she did leave a big "YES" on our Subaru!

Posing by the Prom Door

Poor kid had to bring his mom :)

Now what?

Nice Job Breanne?

now we know who really got it pinned :)

Boys have it easy since they started the wrist corsage!

Wow - they both look good, but I think she may have out-shined you Seth!

Seth escorting Bailey Simmons on the Sr. Walk

1st Dance with his favorite girl

Beethoven

2011-04-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Another "only in Idaho" stories :)

A Goat Walks Into A Piano Store... - KIDK News Story - KIFI Idaho Falls

Shelby is 13 - No way!

2011-04-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

My little blue-eyed, blonde headed baby girl cannot be a tenager - it is just not possible - I will not let it happen. Ya right, she is growing up whether I want her to or not. Shelby's birthday came on during spring break, but Jim & I both had to work. The kids had been good sports and stayed home most of their break to help feed & take care of things at home. Jim & I sent them to Logan on Shelby's birthday to play with Mara. I think they had a great time. I hear stories of bowling, shopping, movies, and pizza. Seth went to class with his friend Zac, and also had a tour of the Ag department - along with some ultimate frisbee, etc. The girls hit a few classes with Mara & pretended to college students. Shelby was actually asked if she was planning on Utah State next year - HA HA. I think maybe she should finish middle school first. I'm hoping Mara Mae took a picture or two and will do a blog - hint, hint.
Jim & I feed Saturday morning and then headed to Logan too - we had an awesome birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Then we took off for Pocatello for Jake's fiance's Kara's bridal shower - and a movie with the boys. Whew - I'm tired thinking about it. We got home late & enjoyed General Conference Sunday at home with the whole family (that seems to be rare nowadays). We did finally have birthday cake for Shelby - along with a few card games.

Happy Birthday Shelby Morgan Stoor - I can't believe you are 13!!!

2011-04-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've spent a few hours the last two Thursdays down in Grace to visit with my cousin. She has a sign that is hanging above her bed that catches my attention every time I am there. I knew I had heard this before, but couldn't figure out where until now:

I can't get this off my mind. Kimberlee, as I have watched you struggle through this challenge for the last 10 years I am amazed by your strength. The saying will always make me think of you: "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." I am so grateful I have been a little part of your life - I admire you for your grace in fighting this fight and being faithful enough to accept the outcome.

181st birthday

2011-04-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Happy 181st birthday to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!

Organized April 6, 1830 in the Peter Whitmer home(above). Cool, right!!!

Neighbors

2011-03-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

We have had some good times with the neighbors during the winter months. Winter drags on around here & a night or two of playing cards, watching movies, football, and eating way too much seem to make the time more enjoyable. The other night Somsens & Bodilys came over to share Jordans birthday cake with us. We have a great time & it is fun to have little kids in the house again. Here are a few pix:

Becca & Porter getting the ice cream cake ready

Soleil liked my scarf - she is suck a cutie

Megan & Zippy

Megan with Porter & Zip on her back - the kids all love Megi

Cheese - what hams

Mara entertaining Soleil

We can't wait for Emma to start coming over too!

I never seem to get pictures of Bryce & Shawnae - I'll work on that. Thanks for coming over to hang out - it is nice to have good friends around.

Prom?

2011-03-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

The boys are starting to ask for their big prom dates. Seth doesn't usually get in too big of a hurry, but he was a little quicker this year. I'm sure he didn't want to lose his chance for taking Breanne by waiting around too long. So he announces to me last night that I am helping him ask right now. Well, O.K. then - at least it will be done. We planned on putting the balloons on her front steps, but the wind was strong and she wouldn't be home until after dark. Seth spoke with her mother & we too the goods over to TMS where her dad was playing basketball. It turned out cute - and now we wait for an answer.

candy poster

mile high ballons

Who could resist that face?

All-Conference Team

2011-03-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

Fifth District 2A All-Conference team

Player of the Year

James Frankos (Soda)

1st Team

Seth Stoor (Soda) Dallas Turnbow (West Side) Tanner Smart (West Side) Jake Ponce (Aberdeen) Tyrell Hubbard (Malad)

2nd Team

Kaden Smith (Soda) James McMurray (Soda) Jordan Beutler (West Side) Kyler Austin (West Side) Mike Wynn (Aberdeen) Skyler Thorpe (Malad)

Honorable Mention

Tanner Young (Soda) JD Cook (West Side) Zeke Uribe (Aberdeen) John Anderson (Malad) Clint Tubbs (Malad)

Snow

2011-03-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

SNOW - Enough already! I started this post a few weeks ago. These pictures are all off Mara's camera. She spent her entire spring break feeding cows and shoveling snow. I felt bad, but she kept reminding us that it was a break from homework. Next year, maybe she will go play with her friends. She had Shelby take this video of the two of them shoveling off the roof It was kind of funny when the big drift went.

The ice just keeps getting thicker

The front walk

I'm not sure if you can tell how deep that snow is from the pictures. We have have 4 feet on the level according to Buster's measuring stick in the hayfield. It was down a little until the big storm hit yesterday. It was a whopper. I got up early to take Megan to drivers ed. We were doing great following the plow, until he decided to turn around on Chub Flats - what, really Dave? It did get better about 8 miles later when the plow from town came along. Megan was late, but I told her to tell her teacher that she learned more about driving that day than he could teach her. Don't drive to town until the plow had done his job. Someone said it is spring - I don't think so!

capital

2011-03-11T06:03:00.001-08:00

Once again, I'm way behind on the bloggin' - These pictures are from our Friday morning in Boise. We headed up to see the capital building & show Mom & the girls the renovations. It was fun to take Jade & Jenna along. Mara had to stay at the hotel room and get her book report done & turned in.

State Seal in the sidewalk

Jade, Shelby, Grandma Petersen & Jenna by the bell

we sat in the balcony and watched the senate for a few minutes

Jade & Shelby look like they are napping - Jenna, well, she spotted the camera - Cheese!

Looking up in the rotunda - it is a beautiful building

Ringing the bell:

It was a fun morning exploring the capital - we have gone 2 years in a row and still need to take Seth. Not sure when that will be - if you get a chance, go check it out.

Shawnae

2011-03-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

This is cool - this is my neighbor, Relief Society President, Zippy & Soliel's mom, & one of my best friends - she's pretty awesome:

Area teacher vying for national award

Soda Springs teacher encourages students to pursue life-long fitness

BY KENDRA EVENSEN

kevensen@journalnet.com

SODA SPRINGS — Snowshoeing, fly fishing, kayaking and geocaching may not be part of a typical high school physical education class, but Shawnae Somsen is the type of teacher who always thinks outside of the gym.

That’s why the Soda Springs High School teacher — who goes out of her way to help kids gain an appreciation of life-long health and fitness by introducing them to a variety of activities — is in the running for the National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award. She has already taken honors on the state and Northwest District levels, and is now competing with four other teachers from across the country for the national award. She’ll find out how she has fared during a national convention in California later this month.

Although Somsen has received a lot of praise for her efforts, she says the awards simply push her to become a better teacher.

“I am humbled,” she said, adding that the accolades have overwhelmed her more than anything. “You want to teach up to those standards at all times and it pushes you.”

But Somsen appreciates the reminder to do her personal best, after all, that’s what she teaches her students to do.

Somsen teaches a variety of health and physical education courses at the high school, but all of them gold or silver and I want to get that across to kids,” she said.

One way she does that is by encouraging them to try new things, especially activities they can participate in throughout their lives. With the help of grant money, she’s started an outdoor recreation course to expose her students to unique activities like snowshoeing and disc golf.

“We live in a recreational paradise,” she said, adding that kids need to learn to use those resources to their full capacity.

While teaching them about unique sports, she also helps them to learn survivals skills and the importance of preserving the land they enjoy. Her students have helped the Idaho Department of Fish and Game plant new vegetation for deer habitat restoration, they built a disk golf course at Kelly Park and recently started a recycling program.

“I educate them on how to preserve the land,” she said, adding that she also teaches them how to enjoy it.

Although Somsen also teaches more ordinary PE classes, she still focuses her lessons on activities to help her students set and attain their personal goals in an effort to promote life-long fitness.

Somsen said she’s always on the lookout to find new ways to motivate students, which is one of the major reasons she enjoys participating in the award conferences she attends. Mingling with other teachers in her profession helps her learn about new activities to use in the classroom, she said.

“It’s about finding a little spice to add to my curriculum,” she said. “The award is just extra fluff.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Shawnae Somsen, a teacher at Soda Springs High School, is competing with four other teachers for the National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award.

Soda 62 McCall 55

2011-03-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

First game over & we won. It was quite a show for my boy - it was crazy!! Four Cardinal players in double figures & Seth pulled away as the leading scorer. He absolutely shot the lights out of that gym. 6 out of nine at the 3 point line, add in 1 foul shot , and 1 layup = 21 points. Go Seth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tried to take mostly video of this game & got a couple of good ones:

Foul Line

watch the corner

Seth feeds it in to Sean

My boy is awesome:

Final Score

Seth did a fantastic job - boy are they going to be after him today - let's get this one Cards!
Soda Springs vs. Melba tonight @ 6:15 at Capital High School - Come Cheer our boys to victory!!!

Tomorrow it Starts!!

2011-03-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big start of the state tournament - Wahoo! I can't wait to be up in Boise and watch my boy play ball, but I'm about to tear up knowing that he only has 3 games left (that's positive thinking - we will win tomorrow so we get to play 3). I can't believe that this is here already. The boys left on the big yellow school bus this morning:

Students cheering them off.

TMS sent them off with a cheer & then they headed to Thirkill School.

Their Mommas were at the edge of town - we love our boys!

Don't forget - if you can't make it to Boise - they are showing the games on the internet - www.idahosports.com - click on gamestreams & cheer our Cardinals from home!!
Go Cardinals - Work hard & make us proud!!!

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown

2011-03-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

Megan signed up for musical this tri-mester and WOW - she is awesome! I know I'm her mom and I'm totally biased, but trust me, I'm right on this one. She got one of the lead roles as a freshman - cool, right! She is cast as Patty - this was before Peppermint Patty came along. Patty is one of the older kids from the cartoon. I can't believe they double scheduled the play at the same time as state basketball. I have gotten to watch dress rehearsals & the matinée for the schools is today. So here goes with the pictures - you know me! Except, the lighting stinks for getting very good shots.

Patty & Charlie Brown(a.k.a. Parker Daniel)

Snoopy (Breanne Kline) & Patty

She learned that pout a long time ago - I'm glad it came in handy now :)

this play is really fun!

Baseball scene (with Bailey McCulloch)

Team!

Cute in her little pigtails - they said to dress her like a little girl - I think we succeeded!

Patty, Linus & Lucy were awesome in this scene

Happiness Is....one of those songs I want to sing along to.

The Cast & Crew - You are all Awesome!

We don't get to watch her performance on Thursday evening :( - I'm a little bitter since we even went and asked if the play would be this weekend before she signed up. So, please help me out - if you are in Soda - go cheer on my little thespian at 7:00pm Thursday night. The other cast performs Wednesday & Friday evenings. The kids have worked so hard & it shows - They are Awesome!!

What a sight!

2011-03-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

It must have been quite a sight - poor Seth is the only one with a view. O.K., last night when we got home Shelby told us that Seth & I were supposed to take the truck down to the ranch. For obvious reasons they need to borrow our truck - no problem because it just stays in the driveway most of the time anyway. So at 10:30 p.m. Seth threw on his boots and we headed out the door. I just put a jacket on and ran out the door - big mistake. It is calving season Jill, be a little more prepared - DUH! We got out on the road and saw the lights out on the feedyard. Grandpa obviously had something going on - Grandma was out there with the 4-wheeler too - a cow had calved - of course not on the nice warm straw pile - that would make sense! Seth ran right out to give a hand & I followed a few minutes later, remember Seth put on his muck boots & I was still wearing these:

Note the lack of traction!

Yup as we were trying to help get a cow to the barn to try and convince her she should take care of her recently born offspring, I came across one of these:

By the way - have you ever googled "cow poop"? Not pretty - anyway, when the fresh cow poop is on the snow it is pretty slippery. Enough said. You can just imagine how quickly I was flat on my back right on top of the freshly deposited pile. My loving son just shook his head & I'm pretty sure some of the cows were laughing! Believe it or not, I really do like helping with the cows. Although after nights like last night - I'm not sure I'm any help at all!

It's just not as glamorous as they make it in the movies!

watch out world

2011-03-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the D.M.V. with Megan - she is officially a permit holder. She is floating on air -Watch out World!

Our Weekend

2011-02-28T23:41:00.000-08:00

Big plans for the weekend - a trip to Logan for Mara Mae's birthday & lots of work to get done to be ready for state right? Plans all changed on Friday night when this happened:

I tell my kids not to use the word "sucks", but I think this one qualifies as an appropriate time to use the word. This just plain sucks! The garage roof obviously collapsed at the ranch Friday night about 6:30 p.m.

a view from under the garage door

the cows don't seem to care - can you see the cute little one in the middle?

My boys breaking it to assess the damage.

Pat's car

Buster's truck

Earl brought the tools and the plan of attack.

holes in the roof to start getting the snow out

It looked bad!

the roof starts coming off

Jordan pitched in - for a while - bare arms & tin = 10 stitches - and he came back the second day - Thanks Bodilys!

Porter came to give moral support

ready to get the truck out!

We have awesome neighbors!

and awesome kids!

Megan earned her keep - she was the littlest one there and had to do the shoveling from the top - Go Megi!

How about this in your hood - wow, I still can't believe it.

Megi & Dave shoveling more snow

Earl's cool dump trailer loaded for the trip to the landfill.

2 days of work and this is the end result - Buster decided to leave the last section of roof because it is somewhat protecting the tools that were in the back of the shop.

It was quite a weekend. The insurance company came and took a look on Monday & hopefully will get the process going to rebuild. I know it has been extremely frustrating for the folks, but I'm just so grateful that Jim was not in the shop. He had been in there just an hour or so earlier & Buster is constantly in and out of that shop also. Thank Heavens that no one was hurt when it came down, thank heavens for insurance, and most of all, thank heavens for great neighbors who were willing to drop everything to help clean up.

Blog Quote of the Day!

2011-02-28T14:54:00.000-08:00

I'm always seeing little sayings that I wish I could remember later, so I think I may just half to put some of these on the blog. Today's quote - love it - from this blog : www.lesscakemorefrosting.blogspot.com

March and I are going to make a deal together. We are going to keep up with the things we've committed to. We aren't gonna cry hysterically. We aren't going to re-wash the laundry more than twice. We aren't going to eat our feelings. We aren't going to say yes....when we meant to say HELL NO!

Sorry for the language, but I laughed so hard & I can totally sympathize. By the way, don't you love the name of the blog "Less Cake (More Frosting)" !!

Post-Game Show :)

2011-02-28T09:53:00.000-08:00

The Jazz always get a post-game show - so the Cardinals should too, right? HaHa - this is a different kind though - just pictures and videos of after the overtime game was finished. So here goes!

This video is right after the buzzer went off - all the boys were jumping and screaming and I watched Seth just walk off. I think he was experiencing a little bit of shock and was mad at himself. I went to give him a hug and the first thing he says to me is "Damn free throws!" I just laughed - you can't be perfect every night - and you just won the District Championship!

Coach Bergholm speaks before introducing his players - what a season for him after all he has been through:

Seniors - what an awesome end of the season for these boys!

Seth has some awesome fans - just take a look:


Dad & Uncle Blake

Is that a tear?

Uncle Craig, cousins, and their cousins - you rock!

So many Awesome people form Wayan - Stoors, Tingeys, Bodilys, Somsens, Smiths, Thompsons, Ozburns, Mike Houseman, etc....

Next thing we knew, some reporter was interviewing my boy - weird right? Seth was explaining the patches on their uniform in the top picture. He did awesome!

Pretty sure this is Seth's favorite fan!! Thanks for cheering him on Bre!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks & we are off to state this week - hold on, it should be a fun ride! Here are the brackets:

GO CARDINALS!!!!

District Championship Game

2011-02-25T13:43:00.001-08:00

You already know the results, but I'm sharing the game anyway - these are straight off my camera , finally 5 days later.

End of 1:

Way to go after the ball Seth:

2nd foul = bench :(

Megan!!

Halftime Score:

This is a prime example of why I shouldn't even bother with the camera while Seth is playing ball. This is the same cool 3 point shot that Mara and put on her blog. If you watch the beginning you will quickly see Seth shoot his shot and then of course, I don't get the camera turned off. It is pretty funny to watch Mara tell me that she got the video!:

Beginning of the 4th quarter:

O.K. don't watch the ballgame - this video is totally about the student body - they were awesome!:

Final Score - yep it's the same as it was in West Side - tied at 47 at the end of regulation - check out the fouls too - you guessed it #22 has 4 fouls:

Overtime was way too intense - no pictures from this mom, but you can see all of that on the last post. Soda got it in only one overtime - Wahoo!!! Can you say DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!!!

YEAH - 5th District Champions!!!!

Last time Soda won was in 1990 -State is next!!

DISTRICT CHAMPS!!!!

2011-02-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

Check out this article from the Idaho State Journal:

Cardinals earn first district title since 1990

Watch this video clip from Channell 6 KPVI - It is fantastic - they sum up the game well:

Then go to www.grittonphotography.com and look at the fantastic photos of Seth and his teammates!

My camera is at home & I'll attempt another post later. Check out Mara's blog - she has a sweet clip of Seth shooting one of his 3-pointers: www.mnmslife.blogspot.com

Way to go Cards!!!! State is at Capital High School in Boise - March 3-5. Can't wait to go watch my boy!!!

District Tournament - Game 2

2011-02-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

District tournament continued at a packed gym in West Side on Thursday night. It was a tight game all night. End of 1st quarter:

Mara took some good videos ~ I was worthless ~ this game was pretty intense ~ good defense boys:

They called this a jump ball ???

Halftime score - told you this game was close:

That's our boy!!!

With 10.9 seconds to go:

This was the last play of regulation ~ Whew!!

Megan did a great job cheering at the game:

21.1 seconds left in overtime:

James made both his foul shots to tie it up - and the defended well at the other end:

Yup ~ headed into double overtime. These teams are so evenly matched this year it is some amazing basketball to watch.

Here is Seth shooting a foul shot at the end of the game:

DOUBLE OVERTIME - YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE JUST BEAT WEST SIDE AGAIN !!!

We play them again on Monday night in Soda @ 7:00 - if we win - District Champions. If we lose, we play them again on Tuesday in West Side and the winner of that game is District Champions. Let's go boys and win the Championship on our home court ~ GO CARDINALS!!!

District Tournament Time

2011-02-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

5th District Tournament started last Tuesday. Soda (2nd) vs. Malad (3rd). Seth didn't get a whole lot of playing time because of this:

He went up for a shot toward the end of the 1st quarter and got his legs taken out from under him. His chin came down on the hardwood and split right open. The blood started coming and he was out of the game until after halftime. Cody did make his fouls shots for him though. Les patched him up and threw some tape over it and he played the second half looking like this:

This was the final score.

Seth ended up making 2 3-pointers for a total of 6 points. You can see he ended up wearing #33 for the second half. It would be nice to see him get through a game or two without bleeding!! :)

KPVI was there and here is the video from their website.

Next game against West Side on Thursday!

Why can't Mormons send flowers?

2011-02-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

I laughed - I had forgotten about this clip - Thanks April!

More Senior Night

2011-02-15T08:15:00.000-08:00

I've been going the the photos on the camera and found a few more to share from Seth's senior night - Not much explanation needed so here goes:

Megi cheering

Awesome Sr. Night poster - will get a better shot at the next game:

Looks like attitude to me:

I love this kid - he made his sisters day by the hug & swinging her around - funny part is that Jim didn't realize it was Megan that Seth was giving the big hug to:

Porter loves Megan:

Halftime score:

Final Score - did I say, WE JUST BEAT WEST SIDE!!!

Senior Cakes - served by senior moms after the game:

I can't believe Seth's last regular season is over :( I did good that night - didn't want to cry, but I might cry now if I think about it. No time for that though - District Tournament starts tonight @ 7:00 Soda vs. Malad.

Let's go get the win Cards!!!!!!!!!!

Babies are a coming !!!

2011-02-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again - the babies have started coming - it is tons of work for my guy, but probably my favorite time of year at the ranch. I just wish I could stay home more to help. I think it is a real kick working with the new little babies.

Watch this little guy figure out where dinner is:

Success!

This little boy was born this morning & all tagged and ready to be turned out:

Pat had this tag all ready next to the pen for one of Jim's calves that was just born:

Grandpa bringing him and his momma in the barn:

This little guy is soaking up some sunshine on the straw pile:

having a nap next to his momma:

They are just too cute, but a whole lot of work. They have started coming in a hurry - 10 calves born & the weird part is that they are all bulls (boys)! We need some heifers too!!

District Cheer Comp

2011-02-13T13:00:00.001-08:00

Let's just say - I thought basketball was hard to film - cheerleading is harder. The SSHS cheerleaders went to the Fifth District Competition this past Saturday. Seth, Shelby & I made the trek to Pocatello to watch. Seth was a good sport - he is not a big fan of these things. I'm not quite sure why - think about it - 200 girls out there dancing just for you - DUH! It should be a boy's dream. Anyway, the cheerleaders started out with stunt groups. Megan's group was put together in just about a week. She wasn't really happy after their performance, but I thought they did great:

See, I told you they did good! The best part is that all five girls on this stunt team are Freshman. They have several years to improve and learn more - I am looking forward to a fantastic cheer team when Megan is a junior and senior.

Next up is the sideline cheer - Soda placed 4th:

I'm having a hard time getting the videos to load, so I'll finish the other 2 later and post these for now.

Great Job SSHS Cheer Squad - looking forward to lots of cheering through the district & state tournaments for basketball & then Cheer State in March!

Bobcat

2011-02-13T12:47:00.001-08:00

The hunt is on - Yes that is Jim peering into the grainary with a gun. Saturday morning Jim saw a cute little bobcat by the road on his was home from the ranch. He noticed it by the road and was looking at the tracks. Well that cute little bobcat made his way down the lane sometime during the day and started causing all kinds of trouble for Buster. Some of the pictures are kind of gross - so stop now if you don't want to see them.

Even the black bull seems to wonder what is going on:

Signs everywhere - the pictures get a little gross, but this is life - Poop:

Feathers:

This little guy - not much bigger than Shelby's tomcat has caused a world of problems. Buster was trying to get his chickens in the coop for the night and they were all stirred up. He couldn't figure out what the problem was until he went to the coop & out comes the bobcat with a rooster in his mouth. It about gave his a heart attack. He got them locked up & safe, but the next morning when he went into the grainary - out comes the cat again right at him - Scary. This cat had killed some of the barn cats and was eating on them.:

Here is Jim off to the haystacks to see if he can find the little guy:

No luck on finding him yet, but I'm sure he will be back - too easy to get chicken dinner around home. Buster said he has killed 9 chickens and at least 2 cats. Oh, the joys of living in the WWW ( my friend Becca calls Wayan the Wild Wild West)!

CARDINALS WIN!!

2011-02-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

This was the game we have been waiting for all season - SODA JUST BEAT WEST SIDE!!!!! We have been working on this win for years. West Side has a tough team & we are close, but just never seem to come out on top ~ until tonight!! If you can't tell, I'm pretty excited!! I have wanted this win more than any other this season & we knew they could do it. Way to go Soda ~ on senior night ~ making it even sweeter!! Mara ran the camera all night - thanks sis, I couldn't have done it. So here goes ~ lot's of videos:

Honoring Seniors:

Starting Lineups ~ can you tell this game was a big deal?

Seth got the ball from the tipoff!

Then he hurried and fouled 2 times in the 1st quarter - which meant he didn't get to play in the 2nd quarter:

But check out the 3rd quarter:

and this - driving in and getting foulded:

Free throws ~ 4 out of 5 last night:

Celebration!!!!! :

Did I mention ~ WE JUST BEAT WEST SIDE!!!! I just love saying that WE JUST BEAT WEST SIDE!!! This was an awesome win for the senior boys. Seth ended up with 3 3-pointers & 4 foul shots, for a total of 13. He did an awesome job on defense too. His friend James Frankos - fellow senior #15 - had an unbelievable night with 28 points. They both wanted this win so bad & I'm excited that they are going into district tournaments next week on a fantastic record of 15 - 3. Now let's go get them next week Cardinals!!

Our senior boy & his loyal fan club!!!

P.S. one more thing ~ WE JUST BEAT WEST SIDE!!!!

Tonight is the big night!!

2011-02-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

Mara put a video on her blog ~ she called the song cheesy, but I can't get it out of my head.

I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night

That tonight’s gonna be a good night

That tonight’s gonna be a good good night

Tonight’s the night

Let’s live it up

Watch out West Side ~ the Cardinals are ready!!!

SSHS vs. Aberdeen

2011-02-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

Last night the Cardinal boys played Aberdeen at home. Megan cheered for the J.V. game ~ let's just say it was an interesting experience for her ~ lots of life lessons learned in high school. She did a great job despite the cold she has been fighting for several days. Her competition is in just 1 week!

Check out the final score - OUCH! We hoped that was a sign of things to come for the varsity!

Next picture is hilarious ~ apparently my son is quite the ladies man ~ check out the # 22 on all the little girls cheeks!!! Brilee is the little gal in red with the white flower, she is Seth's coaches daughter. She is too cute!

Here is Seth shooting a 3-pointer. He made 2 last night and never even made it to the foul line. He had 6 points for the night.

I think he was a little disappointed, but his mom would like to see the stats for the game. I lost count of how many assists he had & as far as I'm concerned they are just as important. Way to go bud! Here is a little video clip that Mara caught of one of his assists; be sure to listen for Jim - love it!:

The first half was closer than we would have liked - Soda ended the half at only ~ they came alive and here is the final score:

Great job Cardinals ~ lets get ready for the next game. It is the game we have been waiting for all year!!

2011-02-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Cardinal boys played again last night - Wahoo! I forgot to bring my camera to town so this is all you get. The ISJ article from this morning:

SODA SPRINGS 67,

MARSH VALLEY 52

Soda Springs used a 30-point first quarter to crush Marsh Valley at home.

Seth Stoor led the Cardinals (13-3) with 18 points, while James Frankos added 14 and Derek Spain had 12. Tanner Hunsaker and Kelby Benson paced Marsh Valley with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“We came out and really shot the ball well and created a lot of easy baskets with our defense,” said Cardinals coach Greg Bergholm. “That was the difference tonight. Offensively, it’s nice to have three or four guys consistently score in double figures.”

Soda Springs next hosts Aberdeen at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

As you can see, Seth had a great game - love it when he is hitting his 3-pointers!! The best part is the team play and the stats show it - 4 players in double figures. I hope this win keeps them fired up for the next two games ~ GO CARDINALS!!

The cheerleaders performed at halftime last night - they have made some revisions to their show routine and it is looking good. They compete at their district competition next Saturday - Feb. 12th. Can't wait to go and cheer them on!

Too Cold For School

2011-02-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

The early morning phone calls and texts have come the last 2 mornings - no school!!! - a kids dream right? Two days in a row it has been too cold to go to school - so if it is too cold to go to school, logic says that you should stay home and stay inside right? It works for most kids in the district, but not for my Seth. It does mean he gets to sleep in just a bit, but staying inside does not happen. Jim is working days and that means that Seth has a little extra duty when the thermometer looks like this:

Seth has been a good sport to go and help his grandparents feed cows in the frigid cold temperatures.

Then he has driven his sisters to town for basketball practice and games - girls played last night & he has a game tonight. So while all his buddies are sleeping in - in their nice warm houses - Seth gets to go outside & tough it out. Maybe that's why he is such a work horse out on the court? Thanks bud for all the help you have been to Grandpa the last two mornings! I bet he won't complain if I wake him up tomorrow and let him know the bus will be there in 15 minutes!!