~The Staves Family~ Est. 2006

Cali part 4

2012-02-08T22:21:00.000-05:00

This day in cali the kids went rock climbing . OK, well really Ben loved "swinging" .

They are too fun sometimes , and i think just maybe, this was grandma's favorite event ...?


Yes this is my MIL free climbing . Together the kids managed to pull the wrong side and sent the rope to the top!

This is my MIL and BIL Gary working together to get the rope down .

After all the climbing fun , we heading to fairy-tail town in Sacramento. When we arrived they happened to be closed ( new winter hours) so we went across the street to the Sacramento zoo .

LOVE THE STAVES

Cali post III

2012-02-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

See i told you i have too many photos !
The next day was pretty low key. However i did have a belly session with this sweet couple

I know I'm forgetting something , or i have something missing but oh well .
On Saturday morning grandma and Sommer made cinnamon rolls !

Then it was off to the PIG BOWL . The teams were firefighters vs law enforcement .
The kids enjoyed the bounce houses and about the 10 min of the game then it was time to keep them busy .

Yes, Even David wanted to try !

the score was FF 39: LE 28

LOVE THE STAVES

2012-02-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

Our next adventure was having a picnic at a park followed by a trip to the Star Eco Station
There we got to learn about some animals and even touch a few .

After all that fun we were all hungry so we went to round table pizza .
After eating we went BOWLING! The kids are really liking bowling but they have a hard time waiting for there turns.

LOVE THE STAVES

California

2012-02-02T12:28:00.000-05:00

This past week the kids and I went to California. I took way too many photos, so i will post some from each day/ event

On this day we went to the Jelly belly factory . I ended up getting into trouble by taking pictures so i only have a few .

Afterwards we played at a park and played soccer while we waited for David's game

LOVE THE STAVES

2012-01-23T11:22:00.000-05:00

My camera has been out a lot this week . And most of these are silly pictures . I wanted to take some pictures for Valentine's day but they had too much fun being silly .

This is the neighbors cat . The kids call him Kitty butter cup

This is daddy get up and play with us mode

LOVE THE STAVES

This post is brought to you by...

2012-01-16T11:08:00.000-05:00

This post is made possible by Gluten free rice chex ,and A daddy who forgot to put them away!

So i was helping Ben find the outfit and picking out Sommer's ( our goal is to get some pictures for valentines day ) any ways Jim fed Sommer rice chex for breakfast and, Well... never put them away . So from the other room i here this wonderful pouring / falling pieces sound and to my discovery... this is what I saw .

BTW can you tel she dresses herself lol
LOVE THE STAVES

2012-01-12T15:27:00.000-05:00

Some times they really do have sweet moments

Sometimes Silly

Sometimes its cold

Sometimes they warm your heart

LOVE THE STAVES

2012-01-10T13:32:00.001-05:00

For Christmas Jim & I got a cool little video camera . We haven't really played with it too much so i thought the kids would enjoying it. Ben was telling us a story when the thought of " oh grandma & grandpa would love to see you trying to read and tell Sommer a story ...and then the silliness followed

Never a dual moment . Yes Ben used the sofa pillows to climb up and see out the window . Crazy kid huh . I think he's ready for a rock wall !! Did you see the face Sommer gives me .. i miss when i would get beautiful smiles now all i get are silly faces but she's still so cute and funny .

LOVE THE STAVES

2012-01-03T17:26:00.001-05:00

Happy New year!! Ah this year i want to post more ! So i though i would post more pictures and less typing . Both kids stayed up till midnight. Sommer was not impressed . However Ben had way to much fun ! When we got home they were both passed out and 5am came and Sommer still thought it was time to get up . Thankfully Ben slept till 9 and church doesn't start till 11:30 :)

Picture time right .. Don't you just love these cuties, i sure do !! Both of these kids have so much spunk and personality

Bath time ! these kids love water ( ok Sommer hates showers ) but they love baths

LOVE THE STAVES

a typical day

2011-12-30T16:08:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post what my typical day looks like ... ugh between them eating all day and making messes i don't find time for much else !

at least they keep me busy , right ?

LOVE THE STAVES

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011

2011-12-25T18:56:00.000-05:00

Good morning . Its Christmas morning and we are truly blessed.
The kids slept much later then i expected . It was so fun to see the excitement on their faces.
i took a few pics of course

LOVE THE STAVES

December

2011-12-15T17:42:00.001-05:00

Since my last post . We are feeling the holiday spirit . We have a tree and the kids love it !

Both kids are growing Ben is now 32 pounds and 39 inches Sommer is not far behind at 24 pounds and 32 inches .

We've had a few nice days so i finally got a few cute photos ( ok every photo of them is cute , right ) So after we pulled weeds and worked in the yard ( Sommer even thought playing in the pool was fun which it was freezing) The kids now have pet worms that have survived 24 hours!

Ben has learned to copy his dad my doing something that gets under my skin.. you got it

gross i know ! He has also learned how to blow bubbles with his gum! He even replied that he feels more like a man now haha gotta love the things they say .

Until next time
Ok here is an add on . Jim taught Ben the dance to this song lol enjoy

LOVE THE STAVES

Thanksgiving weekend

2011-12-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

Did you have a good thanksgiving ? We spent our in Indiana with my grandma and then at a members home for a mission farewell . On Black Friday we took shifts . Jim started at 4am and was number 6 in line at the store we had planned . After he returned home i went out for some adventure . i hit up target, the mall, and old navy . Together we got a lot of good deals and most of our shopping done .
After we got home and packed we left for a wedding In Nauvoo ( which is right by Iowa , about 8 hours if you don't have little ones ) It felt like such a long day but when we made it both of the kids were so excited to see the beautiful temple.

Saturday morning we woke up to pouring rain ! They say rain on your wedding day is good luck but not when your the photographer !!! We went to breakfast at a local cafe . Everyone was so sweet and friendly . After we returned to the condo I got straight to work formatting and getting ready for the wedding .

Did i mention it was cold too ? Yes, cold and wet was the name of our game . The bride and groom warmed the hearts of everyone . After the pre pictures we attend the sealing . We were told there was 5 floors . The sealing happens to be on the 5th floor but i saw more stairs ! we come down stairs and Jim asked one of the Temple workers about the extra stairs going up. It turns out we were told we'd have to talk to the Temple president about it . Sure enough guess who approaches me ... You got it !! Jim asks him and he took us to the very top where the statue Moroni was mounted . It was awesome to have the experience there but a little scary being so high up .

After we came back down it was back to work for me . I still needed the "hard " pictures of all the family . When we were too cold and wet we went to a building next door which you could take pictures inand then off to Iowa for the Dinner .

On Sunday morning we wanted to see the town before heading home unfortunately most of the tow n was closed due to the time of year and the fact it was a Sunday . We did drive around and look at some sites and see the graves of the Smith family then headed home

Once we got back in motion we had a Christmas picture taken to send in our cards ( so if you want one give me your address !)

Happy Birthday Sommer

2011-11-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like hearing your 4 year old say happy birthday baby girl to a sweet little one .
Sommer has endured so much in the past 2 years from RSV twice, to 16 months of ear infections , surgery and food allergies . She is a strong little one . She is beautiful . She is such a party girl .

Sommer we love you !!

she was 6.2 with dark straight hair NOW she is 2 with blonde curls , blue eyes and a spunky personality ..weighing at 24 pounds :)

LOVE THE STAVES

guess who had a birthday

2011-11-12T10:34:00.000-05:00

Little miss Sommer turned 2 this week !
Here are some snap shots . ( next post will be her birthday pics )

She got a nike jacket , learning card, a barbie, doll clothes , 2 cute sweater dresses, 2 tutu's, and a monkey hat

LOVE THE STAVES

where did October go ?

2011-11-02T13:18:00.000-04:00

Wow is October really gone ? It feels like it just flew on by

We attend 5 Halloween events between friends and the library i think we've been very festive . If you didn't know i really do love holidays .


where Halloween came from

The past few weeks i've been cramming in shoots . I even did the soccer team . Soccer is now over . I think we're going to take a break and see if he wants to again in the future . Now Ben will be taking swimming lessons later this month :)

I had the honor of using and promoting hats and bows by Little Lovelys by Carrie Bethany so if you look at my sitewww.hopestaves.com ( ok even the last post of the kids you see some of her awesome work)

I also did 2 shoots for a local company called OutSide IN which is a bounce house there i did a fall shoot and a Halloween night / deaf social while i worked the kids got to play Sommer is now brave enough to make it through the maze and climb the wall and slide down !

So about a month ago a taught a class and i talked about the little things in life and the guy punched paper and wrote letters on each circle with a number on the other side .. he never knew it but his wife kept them , which he found out when she passed . Jim knew that i though it was so sweet so he made his own version. He used pink capsules to hold each letter .

This month we also went to Chucky cheese

Ben had his 1st primary presentation and look so sharp and even remember his lines

LOVE THE STAVES

2011-10-18T09:28:00.000-04:00

Dear blog, wow a lot has happened since my last post. Lots of laughs , tears , trials , and opportunity's to build character.
Since my last post i think we've all grown in our own ways . Even in my career, I've taken on challenges i never thought i would . We must remember there is a season for everything !

ok , now i feel a litter better i will reflect on the last week or so .
This month was Harvest Home coming . Its a local festival that brings the community together. We enjoy walking and looking at the booths . I think our favorite was on for an Art / theater museum . They gave out stick on mustaches and you know our kids loved the idea !!

We also had a few candid shots taken of our family by DG Photo

Speaking of Photos I/m partnering with a local company to promote her "little lovely's " she makes fun bows, hats and scarfs . I'm excited to see more and use them in my shoots . if you check out my blog site you can see the owl one i bought for newborn shoots ! ( www.hopestaves.com)

Halloween is almost here! I love holidays ! Even the crazy ones ... i love letting the kids play pretend to know they cant be who every they want to be . This year they are The spider that bite Spider man & Spider man. We already had our 1st trick or treat at the zoo . We have may more planned too :)

until next time LOVE THE STAVES

Video blog

2011-10-05T20:01:00.000-04:00

last night after soccer Benjimen sang to Sommer and it was too cute so i had to record it !

Today Sommer and i was working on her "school work" and I thought it would be cute to show everyone how smart this 1 year old is .

ps even though she stopped counting for me she can count to13

LOVE THE STAVES

Soccer

2011-10-04T20:04:00.000-04:00

This post is filled with Soccer

Tonight at practice i brought along my camera so everyone joined in the fun .. Enjoy the pics

LOVE THE STAVES

Exciting week

2011-09-29T16:43:00.001-04:00

This has been an exciting week at our house . This week Jimmie passed his national test !!
I also managed with both kids having dentist appointment at the same time . Both kids did great , and have no cavities !!
Now the most noticeable is our bathroom remodel .. after 2 days we went from this

AND NOW THE AFTER

PLEASE NOT I DIDN'T TAKE THE TIME TO EDIT OR PULL OUT MY REAL CAMERA BUT IT IS WHITE HAHA
LOVE THE STAVES

good bye September

2011-09-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

Do you ever feel like your world is just spinning way to fast ? i feel like i don't have enough hours in the day . wonder where i've been? well I've been busy on www.hopestaves.com

And playing with 2 wild kids!

As you all know from my last post/ video Ben is playing soccer . This is his 2nd year . Honestly, i'm not sure this is his best sport . Even with how much we'd like it to be .He wanted to play football but its only on Sundays , so we choose to play soccer with his friend Porter ( and let me tell you these 2 just can't get enough of each other !)

We finally got our team shirts ... and we're purple . Benjimen isn't too happy with it but its not like anyone has a choice .

Jim went out of town this time to Cali which seems to be the time when i take the most pictures of the kids to send him pics . We're trying to soak of the rest of these good days cause we know the cold is coming soon it keeps trying to peek in .

After Jim came home i took a BIG step ( if you know now me ) and we had our 1st get-a way with no kids!

This was my 1st time leaving the kids over night . Not only do i worry way to much i will text you over and over knowing this i locked my phone in the room safe . After out night at the hotel we spent the following day shopping .

After we came home . A wonderful lady i VT was having her son's b-day party at the local skating rink . This was a 1st for both kids & they both had way too much fun!

LOVE THE STAVES

soccer time again

2011-09-10T10:55:00.000-04:00

After a hard game we went home for some yummy watermelon !!

LOVE THE STAVES

September

2011-09-04T16:35:00.001-04:00

This month is starting to look like Fun! We sign Ben up for preschool . Everyone was so excited!
Until.... orientation !! haha sounds scary right ? It was . They did not have their act together . They school even over booked classes . Ben's class was suppose to have 20 kids , had 42!! So , you all know me . i flipped my lid and withdrew him . Now we will just continue to have play groups , story times , sports , and swimming .
He didn't really need to be there other then for socialization which he can get from play groups and story times .

This month has already kept me on my toes . whew ok maybe its a combo of the end of the month and this month together .

No pictures to post at this time sorry but, if you want to see what I'm up too check out hopestaves.com

LOVE THE STAVES

New York

2011-08-25T13:07:00.000-04:00

This past week my mother and Father inlaw joined us too . ( if you haven't followed my SIL Apryl has been here with us for 2 weeks )
On Thursday we left for Columbus Ohio . Friday morning we picked up David from his mission . His original mission call was to the Cincinnati mission , however it closed and merged with two other missions moving David to the Columbus Ohio Mission . After we picked him up we headed to the famous Columbus Zoo .

It was huge !! They have different islands for every country and a huge water park . Unfortunately , it rained and we didn't get to see everything , and because of the thunder and lightning the water park closed . So it looks like we'll need to go again . That evening we found a little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant that was so nice and yummy .
After dinner we headed back to the hotel to rest up .
On Saturday we drove to Kirtland Ohio , to the Kirtland Temple .

There we toured the land and temple . Afterwards we went to more historic building near by but the kids had , had enough tours and needed to be loud and burn some energy off . So the 4 of us walked around then started our journey to New York

meanwhile stopping in Pennsylvania.
around midnight we made it to our hotel . Everyone was super nice there. On Sunday morning it was raining in Palmyra New York , but we still got to walk to church .

In the afternoon we went to the press shop and took the tour then off to Hill Cumorah .

We drove the tour since the rain was picking up then headed back to the hotel for naps . the inlaws walked it and then stayed for a movie . After we awoke the rain had stopped !! We then got to enjoy JS farm which was a good way to learn and burn energy . Just as we started to walk the "sacred grove " the sky looked bad , i made a comment about a tornado coming lol ..as soon as we finished the rain came again

. Monday morning it was all over the news that a tornado did hit the county ! After breakfast we hit town to buy some souvenirs. Afterwards we started to head home and thought it would be great to go off the path and hit up the Niagara Falls !! It was so worth it . I think we all had fun . Then we drove home ..yes it was a very long day about 12-13 hours with all the stops . We arrived at the house around 2am Tuesday morning and at 8am Jim headed to work
What a trip, huh ?

LOVE THE STAVES

reading

2011-08-16T07:51:00.000-04:00

I don't have much to blog about this week .
On Wednesday we went to the movies &; Apryl and I had a girls night and went shopping.

On Thursday we spent the day at the zoo

And we did mud mask
On Friday we went to the park and fed the ducks . There is this cute park that as a duck feeding station that i love to go to when i have some left over heals .

In the evening we had a date night and Apryl watched the kids . We went to the temple and then to Kara & Dave's for a game night .
On Saturday we went to Louisville to visit a friend and check out there subdivision yard sale.

after naps and lunch we went to " out side in" and played for house . We had a good little storm hit while we were there.

Today( sunday) i got to teach my 1st RS class . It was fun!!!
ok so i don't have many photo's but i think this sweet moment caught on tape says it all!

i also painted the front door ..without telling Jimmie hehe


before

LOVE THE STAVES

Apryl's here

2011-08-09T18:22:00.001-04:00

This week Apryl arrived !!
The kids have been so excited for so long . Everyday we had to look at the calenders and count down the days . She arrived early Wednesday morning . After a few hours of sleep we went to the movies, followed by a trip to the store and swimming .

On Thursday we just hung out and played out side and went to Cici pizza . i also had class in the morning which is always fun, but i didn't learn much :(
On Friday we did lots of running around and went to Art Sparks. The kids love it there and i love the "hands on"
activity we get to have .

On Saturday we attended the "Kids day fair" at the local mall . It wasn't a big event . There was a balloon man, bounce house ,and face painting . In the afternoon we celebrated a birthday with some friends while Apryl caught up on some sleep .

In the evening Apryl and I went to " King Fish" to hear a local band that my cus plays in called " Broke by Tuesday "

.Then I colored her hair a hint of purple

On Sunday, Ben gave his 1st talk! It was so sweet and cute . We have it recorded on the Ipod touch , i just can't figure out how to upload it to the computer . In the evening i walked at a park with a friend and did some one on one camera tutoring ( which my latest post can be found here)

On Monday i cleaned and we made cookies .. yes "grandma cookies" i also took the computer in for a check up . The kids were acting bad so we didn't do much .

On Tuesday i baby sat like i have been all summer then we took a few photo's of the kids at the park and played .. enjoy these pictures they are "real life " photos lol

LOVE THE STAVES

2011-08-02T17:17:00.000-04:00

Yes we go to church in style . Everyone needs their sunglasses !! Its so funny to watch these kids get ready . They have so much personality and spunk :)

i left off With Ben's b-day so here are a few pics i feel like so much has happened since my last post . lest see ... well our AC went out , hosted a party and Sommer "jumped" out of her crib at 4am ( she tells me she just jumped ) so can you guess the project i assigned the boys

Its also been so hot so we have found a few ways to stay cool, like fresh fruit and of course ice cream

we found a cute petting zoo and the kids had a blast it was SO HOT that day though whew

if you've not noticed the kids love to help in the kitchen so here is some of their help ..and yes we did make cookies since last time ...always

Over all life is going well . We are adjusting in the house and are continuously working on projects to improve it and make it feel like home . Jim also went on a business trip . This time to Chicago. This was my 1st time in the house with just me and the kids . Something always happens while Jim is away typically a bad storm or tornado this time Ben got sick with Strep and mild Scarlet fever ..Yes, he is doing great . fever lasted 3 days and the rash just 1

I know this is a boring post but really all we are doing is adjusting and having fun .
i promise my next few post will be more adventurous.
LOVE THE STAVES

Ben

2011-07-25T20:53:00.000-04:00

We now have a 4 year old~!

LOVE THE STAVES

Benjimen Aidan Staves is turning 4 years old!!!

2011-07-17T23:07:00.002-04:00

Benjimen is turning 4 in 8 days so i went ahead and did a mini shoot of him and all his cuteness ( that way by his birthday i will have his print done )
Wow time flies when your having fun!

LOVE THE STAVES

sweet Sommer and her Big Brother Benjimen

2011-07-15T08:06:00.000-04:00


this is my favorite !


nothing like a big brother

LOVE THE STAVES

whew

2011-07-14T17:59:00.000-04:00

whew where does the time go? so much has happened and i just got internet TODAY so let me see if i can reflect ....
So the end of June my BIL and FIL came out to help with the move and remodel. Let me tell ya it was crazy stressful but we all survived . I did my best to keep the kids out of the why and let the guys work . One day we went to the mall and Ben got to try the ball raft . Basically they fill a ball up with air and place you inside and you run around . lol he had too much fun, Sommer wanted to try but she was too small

they also have a foam play place

and of course we played in the back yard

i cant say thank- you enough to them for helping even though they liked the house to be freezing :) they got the old wood off the walls, new sheet rock hung , and new stairs in place . After they left i found some oops yellow paint and painted the whole upstairs for 10 bucks!!! i'm not thrilled with the color but hey it was 10 bucks !

On Saturday we had out 1st yard sale .. lets just say the kids took the show with a Kool aid stand .

Sommer has never had kool aid till that day ( and wont again for a long time , its just not something we allow our kids to drink) but this picture is priceless !!

i almost forgot! we also celebrated "cow appreciation day " by dressing up and getting a 2 free dinners, 2 kids meals and a dessert !!

LOVE THE STAVES

time to make lemonaid with these lemons

2011-06-22T16:04:00.001-04:00

i don't feel as perductive since my last post . i did diecied to paaint the kitchen RED! oh i love the red and white . However i didn't know it would take 5,000 coats of paint ..ok so far just 3 . i also got to play with a drill and replace the knobs !

Today i started moving stuff in . We had planned the BIG move to be this weekend but we had a little hold up .

after 3 weeks of waiting on the carpet install the upstairs sub floor was not strong enough and BROKE! ugh so now we have to replace the floor before the carpet can be laid so i told him to just work on the down stairs .. about an hour later he looks at the prints and notices the seam pieces are being taken from the extra upstairs carpet and since its not laid , he cant finish the work down stairs !! So on Saturday now instead of moving we will be finishing the flooring !! here is the carpet half laid
i guess i should go back and say that Jim was away for work on our 5 year anniversary and sent these beautiful flowers to me !!

and of course a few of the kids ! Ben is learning how to swim . i never thought this day would come since he was so afraid of water!
LOVE THE STAVES

another house post

2011-06-14T16:34:00.000-04:00

Do you ever have those days where you feel like your doing the same thing every day ..yeah that pretty much how i feel i'm working like crazy to get the house ready . here's what i've done since last post

There is a ton of black raspberries here is what me and the kids picked in just a few min

Erin helping me master the dinning room

Work in progress

Finished!!

Jim worked hard to take up the old flooring and lay down some new flooring

This is the color of Sommer's room, I will post more of her room later this week .

So i'm sure you may be wondering why one of my SIL is here . Gary and Erin went on a road trip and we got to enjoy them for a few days !! I must say Ben was so excited to see his uncle Gary . They got to enjoy much time together with playing t-ball , going to chucky cheese, the zoo to Kobe and CiCi pizza and just riding bikes together ..of course we also did a mini photo shoot here's a sneak peak

LOVE THE STAVES

Ben's room

2011-06-08T16:27:00.000-04:00

So i am really enjoying painting our new house !! i don't know why , but its fun !!! So here is before and after on Ben's room

PS i still have some touch ups to do but it's almost done

LOVE THE STAVES

Our new House

2011-06-06T15:14:00.000-04:00

You may have heard but we just bought our 1st house . Its a started house , but we'll make do. The back yard is great! It has 3 bedrooms and a formal dinning( which will not be formal ..more of a craft , play, learning area )
There are a lot of project we need to do in a short time we have about 3 weeks to finish them all and move!

here is some before


this was under the carpet in the dinning room ...i'm not sure which was worse ..hmm looks like we'll be replacing this too

here is the after so far ...more to come

This is the living room gray walls with an accent of purple !
More to come as i can get more done..this kids just love to help in their own way ~

a Fish

2011-06-04T21:25:00.003-04:00

My last post had a ton of pictures and i still have more so i thought i would break it up a bit!
not only did we go to the zoo on monday we went fishing . Yes this was the 1st time for Ben he was so excited ! We went to bass pro shop and let him pick out his own pole. He even caught a fish!! he was so thrilled . Ben just added " mom , daddy said we got a good size fish!"

We also had some summer fun with a slip and slide !

got milk? We needed a milk shake on this hot hot day

Last night we had Benjimen looking at a book at bed time and he fell asleep with the book open

This morning we made fruit pizza the kids had a blast

LOVE THE STAVES

hello summer time!

2011-06-03T11:32:00.001-04:00

well it looks like i have failed again on keeping up with the blog ...but i'll made it up right now i promise!

Jim went to Cali again last week for work . We stayed home and played with friends . Most everyone was out of town with the holiday weekend . I had a super filled Weekend , Saturday Jim was supose to be home at 3pm well some how he missed his flight ! After getting everything worked out his layover flight and a problem and stopped going down the run way . They had to sit on the plane for over an hour before they had the clear to fly ..needles to say my busy day got very stressful , thankfully a family from church came to the rescue and watched the kids ( i had an updo and 2 photo shoots ) On sunday we went to the park and i got to bring my camera and capture my sweet family . My goal was to capture Sommer for her 18 month photo but we all had a good time !

. on monday Jim was off so we went to the zoo . it was so busy but since he came with me i got to take a few pictures! sorry they have a copyright i play on submitting them !! ( i'll let you know how it goes )

sorry it didn't rotate

LOVE THE STAVES

T ball time!!

2011-05-14T15:53:00.000-04:00

LOVE THE STAVES

music time!

2011-05-06T15:48:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love when when things are finally going right ?! Life feels good most days right now .
Today we were playing around after i finished my exam ( i'm not sure i posted about this, if not i decided i needed to not only have a hobby of photography, but maybe get the schooling to go with it so I've been working extra hard and finished 3 exams this week and the best part is i got an A) ok so this most really isn't about me haha the kids wanted to play the harmonica ( Which Daddy was showing Sommer last night as i studied) it was so cute having the kids practice i even busted out the camera and recorded a second of it
I must say Sommer really got into it!

LOVE THE STAVES

Easter & fun

2011-05-01T20:54:00.000-04:00

Some of you may know by now, but i planned a sneaky little trip over a month ago to surprise the in-laws for Easter . Yes, this means i spent over a month telling fibs . Here's how it went down . Jim had a business trip in California. I had to plan it all out carefully so all of life's busy things got done and i could pull this off on my own.
In the Saturday before we did a cheap photo shoot till we can get an out door shoot .

On Wednesday Jim worked all day then headed to cali . The kids and i flew out on good Friday . just ot tell you how sneaky i was i didn't tell the kids till i woke them up at 4 :30 am ! haha Benjimen had the privilege to call his uncle Gary on our layover and have them come get us in a few hours . To make sure i was sneaky i took pictures of the kids the day before and sent them to my MIL on the layover ( just so she wouldn't have any clue)
Once we arrived to the house we hid for a few min till she returned home and surprised her ..you could say she screamed in delight.
On Saturday Jim was done working and got to spend a few days with us .
my MIL hosted Easter so we spent Saturday getting ready and attending a baby shower while Jim helped around the house .

Sunday we saw a lot of Jim's family . The weather was not the best so we had to have an egg hunt inside which still worked out well .
On Monday Jim and I got out for an hour or so without the kids . We did some much needed window shopping for household items . When we came back i took a much needed nap and then we had dinner , Jim played a MJ dance game with his Aunt and we saw our 1st 3D movie ( yes we're a little behind ) We saw RIO which was cute and we had the whole theater to ourselves .

On Tuesday Jim left for home and we just played around and i got to visit with Albert Clark ( who i use to take care of) .
On Wednesday we played outside and made home made ice cream
On Thursday we spent all day at Six flags Marine world. The kids had a blast riding rides and seeing all the animal shows.
On Friday Everyone had stuff going on so me and the kids just hung out till Erin got home then we went to visit Todd, Ashley and Kaylee and have some yummy jamba juice and Chinese food ( Ben's favorite )

Here are a few pictures from before we left . This is a piece of hail from a storm we had . ( while i was gone the Ohio river flooded too )

LOVE THE STAVES

Video week

2011-04-14T15:01:00.001-04:00

LOVE THE STAVES

Deals

2011-04-06T09:23:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure how i forgot to post these but with a little reminder i'm doing it now . Here are a few of the deals i got this past week or so . If you read my last post you'll know i got free Steve Madden boots ( picture on the post below ) Here is my kroger deal : With a little tips from a good friend i may have mastered the couponing world . I got 24 boxes of pasta ( fettuccine , penne , spaghetti, egg noddles rand a ton more i just can't remember) 4 cans of diced tomatoes , and 2 french onion dips 30 items for 1.70 yes 1 dollar and 70 cents !

Here was the main trick . Kroger was offering a special where for every 10 participating items you bought you got 5 dollars back . So i got 30 participating items so right there i got 15 dollars off my order . then with coupons from the internet i ended up with 1.70 and i saved over 50 dollars !! ( note i do not receive the Sunday paper i only use coupons i can print off myself and max them out ..normally 2 pages from each site per computer )

Today i made my own yogurt My good friend Kara made it and i was amazed . so she shared her secret .
In a 2qt crock pot pour in half a gal of milk. on low for 2 and a half hours ...turn off and unplug for 3 hours ...add 4oz of yogurt with LIVE CULTURES and wrap the crock pot in a large towel ( don't ask , just do) and wait 8-12 hours ...i let mine sit over night . Now you can drain it with a cheese cloth to make it thicker , sour cream or even cream cheese !!fyi the liquid that will drain off is called whey
Your in control of the sugar and what's in it !!

I made blackberry smoothies for breakfast ! Just keep half a cup for your next batch .

LOVE THE STAVES

April

2011-04-05T16:22:00.001-04:00

This week i got lots of pictures of me setting up for an Easter shoot . These kids love to help with everything . so Enjoy these snaps . Jim is always reminding me to take snap shots cause not everything has to be perfect and edited and hes right . This is my family blog about our lives together not my photography blog.

The high of the week was the weekend . Jim won a contest off the radio so i got to redeem the prize . I went to mall St Mathew and got free Steve Madden boots and had him sign them ( i also got a t shirt and bag ) it was great . i was escorted around and got to cut lines ! Oh i could do this every day !!!

More pictures are on facebook
We also got to spend time at the zoo and at a park . I don't think we could have asked for a better weekend .

Ben is still loving his preschool story times . Sommer is loving them too! I feel like we're busy between shoots, storytimes, treat making , and everything else that comes along .

here is Ben zooming down the slide at outside in

race car driver ..in the making


so good she must lick the plate clean!

At art sparks . Both kids painted beautiful art work

We have been having crazy weather which makes it hard to plan outdoor events which i'm so ready for ! One day its warm and sunny the next its raining and cold .
Today we went to club mom for the month ( its a once a month event held at the local mall .) It was a puppet show with marionettes . Both kids had so much fun ! Until next time
LOVE THE STAVES

MARCH

2011-03-25T10:41:00.000-04:00

Where does my time go ?
I guess between a preschooler and a toddler and a husband it goes REALLY fast !

geeze let me try and remember what we've done since my last blog . We went to club mom and Ben got to be a helper ( which he loves ) this time we had a guy with animals . Ben got to hold an chinchilla! After the show he stayed and touched and learned about some other animals too .

i also ran into a lady i knew years ago ( about 9) Its such a small world ! Ben also started 2 preschool story times . they last 8 weeks on Monday's and Thursdays .He has a blast . We've also had some beautiful weather ..until yesterday it's been low 80's and now we're lucky to get in the 40's !
Our ward had a talent night . Ben has gotten really good at push ups and wanted to show all the ladies .
We didn't enter him but he still showed off while we waited in line for banana splits !

Jim had another business trip this time to Georgia . I'm excited for him and the trust he has earned in the company . I hope he can go far and do well !
We've also been to a lot of birthday parties ! i never realized how many people we know ( or there kids i should say) where born this month . We went to 2 relaxed just at there homes , one at chucky cheese and one on the tumble bus .
Now if you don't know what the tumble bus is which i didn't till the party . It's an old school bus all padded you get to play and do flips, monkey bars and balance beams . Sommer even got to try and did really well .
We keep talking about putter her in gymnastics when she's older but she's still a baby for now . We can sign her up in 2 more months though!!

With the weather being so nice we got to do so much outdoors from parks to the zoo, playing in water even grilling out . Ahh Mr sun please come out so we can play with you!
Enjoy the pictures
LOVE THE STAVES

Spring is almost here

2011-02-28T13:24:00.000-05:00

I love Sunday mornings! It's so fun to tell Ben to get all dressed up and see what he's going to wear ...right ? To bad he has a favorite shirt he wants to wear every week !
Sommer got this dress for her Birthday and Ben happened to have a matching suite . To bad neither one of them really wanted to have there picture taken .


her angry face


her cheesy smile


scary teeth

This has been another boring week in the Staves Home . I stayed home (aka away from the gym since people keep taking there sick kids)
On Monday Sommer had her check up with the ENT We ended up getting good news and bad .
The good news is she improved in her hearing ! Now the bad news is she's draining too much ! We go again next month to see if she's improving

On Tuesday i got to enjoy month recipe club . Oh i love recipe club ! If i haven't told you about it or you forgot let enlighten you . A bunch of ladies make a dish and get together and eat ! Who wouldn't love that ? Then we email our recipe ( and i take photos of the food brought) and we post it on our recipe club blog ~!

On Thursday i got to drive all around picking up items so an activity for Friday . Thankfully the kids were good ( aka slept the whole time) I spent the night setting up with the other ladies .
The White family hosted this activity which was a date night/survivor theme. The found out they didn't live in the ward and the are blessed with Charlestown branch ! Yes that's right we're a little jealous we aren't back there yet .
On Friday we took a flight to the islands . We set up the RS room like an airplane and all dressed as flight attendants and had a lesson on how to strengthen our marriages to bad my own husband ditched me to talk with someone in the hall way ...so much for a date night! ugh
After our flight we had dinner , came up with tribe names, and tried to outlast the other tribes with 3 fun challenges .

On Saturday we attended a birthday party at Gattiland in Ky Both kids had a blast we spent all day there then took naps ..

Not a bad week for doing nothing ~
Ps on a side note the weather has been crazy here . it was nice and warm last week when we went to the zoo . Now its cool and yucky out . We even had a nice wake up this morning to the tornado siren at the 4am hour
LOVE THE STAVES

i see lots of food through my lens!

2011-02-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

LOVE THE STAVES

So behind !

2011-02-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

I'm getting really behind on my post as the days go on! I will try harder to keep my weekly post going .
So it looks like my last post was the 6th so lets start with the 7th My birthday !
It was just an ordinary day at 1st . I went and worked out came home fed the kids lunch and put the kids down for a nap ...and YES i took one too! When Jim got home we took the kids over to the Bensfield's and went to olive garden . When we got back to Kara's they had happy birthday banners up and party hats out . They even had made a dessert ! It was so sweet .
On Thursday morning Jim left in the 5 am hour and went to work and then to the airport . He has a wonderful opportunity to help other and learn more . So he was on a 4 day business trip. Mean while i had a wedding planned for Saturday . The weekend was really quiet easy on my own . The kids where in bed early and the house was clean ahhh . it was kind of nice .
Jim came back Sunday night and had Monday off so we went out for lunch . I had did some hair cuts for babysitting while he was gone too .

So between my birthday, and so many other birthdays , valentines day, Jim's trip , a wedding and a food event i've been pretty busy . gosh i feel bad when i don't take many pictures of my own family .

We have had some BEAUTIFUL weather so i took the kids to the zoo this week .
Please note all this pictures are from my phone .

I have pictures from the wedding up but i didnt not post pictures of the chocolate party .. i think i'm going to make a post just of all the food i take pictures of ( which seems to be a lot ! i have more this week haha )

Ben wearing Sommer's hat

Even babies need chores

at the zoo

Ben pushed from the tigers , past the gorilla forest, the hippo all the way to the play ground by the African outpost !!

I will post this again . we have a pic of Ben about 1year on him

LOVE THE STAVES

Elder Staves ?

2011-02-06T21:58:00.000-05:00

So this week was fun . Lots of working out and feeding missionaries
This month already feels packed . I'm working on a few gigs and of coarse my birthday is TOMORROW, i'm hosting a playgroup/preschool event at the house this week , wedding, and then Valentine's day .
I try not to leave too much time for a melt down .

With Truman gone we wont be having the missionaries over every week which is good and bad.
good for my waist line but it's so nice to have them in our home. They have such a sweet spirit .
Speaking of waist line I've been working out really hard and i still can't get a 6 pack or a 4 or even a 2 ! I work out and eat right ...maybe one day , right ?

The main event this week which some of you already know about was we went to Ohio and well , Yes we saw Elder Staves !
He was so stocked ! He had never met his only niece . So it was a sweet moment .

. One day during nap/quiet time Sommer was asleep and Ben was playing in his room. Next thing i knew Benjimen decided to put all this bedding and and a few stuffed animals in Sommer's bed and climb on in! cIt turned out to be a bounce house bed for a few minutes .

I thought i would post a picture of Sommer's hair straight from a bath . If you haven't seen it your in for a treat .
she has such curly hair but as the day goes on or she sleeps on it it "fluffs" out.
Jim says her Hair is like Richard Simmons. So if you read a few post ago you'd know he also thinks she has Bette Davis Eyes .

LOVE THE STAVES

Venting post

2011-02-06T20:56:00.001-05:00

Ok .I've had so much on my mind that i've wanted to blog about . Something has been just holding me back until now . So this my just be a random vent .
I'll Start off with "friends" I can't stand the people who only want to be your friend for what you have to offer . I can't stand all the lies and let downs . If you don't want a friendship then go on!

Some of you know My Brother Truman called and "needed help and wanted to change his life" Being such a nice sister we spent our christmas money . His goal was to get a job, save money buy a car and get a place .
He had a little trouble following up with employers . There was some laziness too. It was really sad in some of the choices he made and he left a week ago to make more poor choices. I know we did all we could for the 5 weeks he was here but i still feel like maybe i could have tried harder . I did drive him around everywhere , included him in our everyday lives, fed him, clothed him and listens and advised . The kids grew a relationship quickly and miss him . But its also so hard when my 3 1/2 year old can see the poor choices and comments on them. Life is just a path and trail .

Another thing i'm so tried of are fits . I feel like i wake up to fits and go to bed to them! Some morning are great , and others start off in time outs and tears . I just wish for one day to have no fits or melt downs from anyone....please , just one day!

I can't stand how some people are so uneducated . Even people who think thy know everything since they have a double major . People PLEASE do your research ! I can't tell you how much stuff i learn every day but asking questions and reading . People trust school teachers , government, and doctors entirely too much with out thinking 1st .

If you don't like what your doing Change! I can't stand people taking a class they don't like and just sit and complain about it . I take a few work out classes and there is this crazy lady who just complains about everyone and anything being said . HELLO, if you don't like it leave !

WHY would you risk your life and the lives of others to send that text and make that phone call while your driving ? i swear people are so crazy sometimes . Yesterday i saw a young girl double hand texting ( no hands on the wheel! ) going 70 on the free way in Ohio!

Last one for the night . obesity KILLS me .. enough said

LOVE THE STAVES

PE Tubes

2011-01-24T15:34:00.001-05:00

Does that short video not inspire you? I loved it cause everyone who knows me , knows i'm not crafty but i have helped bring heavenly fathers children to this earth ( and they sure are beautiful)

This has been a long week . Once again we had the missionary's over to teach a a gospel lessen to my brother and our family. We had the opportunity to watch the New Joseph Smith movie ( i don't remember what it's called ) This week Sommer learned how to do somersaults Jim video taped it from his phone so i'm hope everyone reading this was lucky enough to get the video cause i don't have his phone to attach it .

Another thing my kids have in common are hats! This kids love hats of all kinds base ball caps, beanies, head bands ..ANYTHING!

We got another snow storm just as it was melting . It Started Thursday morning and just kept coming . Jimmie got off early and helped my take Ben to his destination.
Benjimen got to spend the night at Porter's! Ben just loves it . I'm not sure how fun it is for Kara and Dave but boy does he love it even on no sleep .
Friday morning Sommer had to be at Kosair in Louisville Ky at 6:30 am .
We arrive just on time even with slick roads .
We get her registered and head up to the 8th floor they weigh her in at 20 pounds, and a temp of 98.4
We got to meet everyone who would be helping with the Surgery and who would be in recovery .
Her doctor was running late which they said never happens . So her time got bumped . She also got bumped again when a younger baby got placed ahead . ( youngest go 1st )
They take her back around 8:45 and she was back in my arms by 9:02
DR Shotts said she had a lot of infection in both ears !
When we got her back and they did her vitals and she had a fever of 101They all seemed concerned and wanted us to stay a bit longer. As time went on the fever went up ! They came up with 3 possible causes 1 being an allergic reaction to the anesthesia, 2 some sort of cold coming on or 3 from disturbing the infection

So hours went by and she finally responded to tylenol and we got sent home and told if she continued to have a fever the next day to see her pediatrician . Sure enough she did and it was 103-104 !
She got in and tested positive for the flu... yes on top of it all the flu! ugh
That day her temp got up to 105!! It was scary but she is strong . On Sunday the missionary's came and helped give her a blessing and taught a lessen ( out of the blue)


they even had cars to drive around

Today i'm happy to announce no fever !


loopy juice

he loved the slushy too..even from a sippy

She's almost as big as me!

Today i'm happy to announce no fever !

where did my baby go? she stands there and brushes her teeth!

ENT here we come

2011-01-16T21:44:00.001-05:00

We started our week of at the long awaited ENT . I heard from a church member about this doctor in New Albany Indiana who did her daughter's tubes .. I did some research and had our appointment on Monday . I took Ben over to my friend Vanna's to play so i could focus on Sommer . They 1st did a hearing test. The test showed she now has some hearing loss . We're hoping it will get better once all the infection is gone and not a permanent thing .
She is set for surgery on FRIDAY! I hope this will work. She's gone through so much with her ears .
( i'm sure my next post will be all about it)

This week the kids "helped" me make the bed . i must say it took me a long time to finally get this washed and on the bed ( if you don't know me i wash everything before i use it) I got this bedding so cheap at the JcPenny outlet

In taking these snaps you can see the kids new pj's grandma made for Christmas!

This week we got another snow storm and i felt so brave driving to Pekin Indiana to offer a JP class . It kind of a funny story though . I hate snow so i was already scared to death . As i'm driving along i see a car in a ditch , and a car passed me . I couldn't believe it ! Once i found the town the GPS told me to turn ..so i did and the road was complete ice! I keep going then pull over my GPS told me i was west but i needed east . I pull out my phone to call ..sure enough, i was right in front of her house . so i pull over a little more since her driveway had like 6-7 inches of snow . As i'm walking, i fall right on my butt! The guest start arriving and they start talking about this van outside and a cop was behind it ! I shout OH NO! THAT'S MY VAN! and run out the door ...just to fall on my butt again . I get there and tell the officer it's my van and he says "Well i have a tow truck on its way " i then run my mouth about not wanting to get stuck, and there not being any signs about no parking blah blah blah . He then canceled the tow truck and told me to move . There was so much snow and a car behind me i had to find a place to turn around . What a great way to introduce myself !

We spent much time home this week due to the weather . In doing so we learned we may just have another SOCCER PLAYER in the house! check this out

LOVE THE STAVES

2011-01-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

This week has been long. I spent the week trying to help my brother find a job . Tuesday my friend Kara invited me to whats called Club mom. They featured a local magician . All the kids got to sit right in front and the moms sat around all the kids . He asked for a helper and guess who he picked for his 1st trick ! He was so excited to get picked . Benjimen got to say his name in the mic , and help push a ribbon in his hand and tapped his hand with the magic wand . It was so cool .
Also I took Sommer to Austin Indiana to Doctor Usher for an adjustment . On Sunday she was acting all tipsy which typically means another ear infection.

On Wednesday I called in for her to have her ears checked . I think it's so funny when they ask me " what makes you think she has an ear infection?" I never really though i had a "mother intuition" but i sure do know when somethings wrong with my babies . Plus i've seen her signs for the past almost 11months of ear infection !
Sure enough i was right . The Doctor FINALLY gave us a referral to see an ENT which is what i needed for our insurance

This week we also had the missionary's over for dinner and the 1st lesson for my brother . It went well . The missionary's loved dinner too which consisted of Meat loaf, asparagus, mashed potatoes , and cheese cake All of which was home made . Benjimen helped mash the potatoes too .

I felt so great going back to the Y this week . i haven't been in almost 3 weeks due to colds and fevers .
So i worked our hard core and even did a new class .
On Friday i went to mom's group which was nice to relax and have then kids play . It's always nice to talk to other adults
On Friday/Saturday we got some snow .
On Saturday morning the kids were so excited to go out and play so before 7:30am we were out playing .

In the afternoon we took the kids swimming at the Y . It was so nice to have family time!

In the evening we made dinner and went to The Bensfied's and played a really fun game .
That's all for this week ! Have a great week

Here are our beautiful kids This morning ! Oh they make me smile!

Ben loves to say good morning to Sommer when she wakes up ....and she loves it too!

Can you say 'Betty Davis eyes" this girl has such big beautiful eyes!

LOVE THE STAVES