Just a little bit of fun!

I received this from my friend and so I am now passing this on to all my lucky viewers!

So here's how it works:The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...Post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift!

New Year....New Post

Ok, so the year is well on its way. I always have good intentions of getting a new post done and yet it doesn't seem to happen. Although, I feel I should get credit for at least changing the background. It may have been the same corn maze, but at least the world around the corn maze was always changing. So, to catch up, I thought I would just post some photos that wrapped up the year 2008 and then resolve to do better in 2009.

We have a tradition of taking a family photo every 2 years. This was that year. My friend KelCee Hallstrom took the photo for us and she did a great job. It was not without drama though as Tanner accidentally locked us all out of KelCee's house with her keys inside. It was an adventure.

These are a few of our favorites. We used this one for our annual Christmas card.

The Hallstrom homestead is on the shores of the fabulous Fern Ridge reservoir. I liked the lighting that day. It gives the photos a cool look. It had been really foggy earlier in the day and I was actually disappointed that it cleared up some. I thought the photos would have looked cool in the fog.


Tanner got to have some fun adventures to wrap up the year. He got to learn to ride a 4 wheeler and he did a great job right up until the part when he crashed into a ditch full of water. Not a fun way to end the experience but he had a good day anyway. This day was incredibly cold and even if he didn't notice it, I certainly did. But I would do it all again to let him experience it all. It was worth all the numbness.




Tanner and I took a trip to Idaho and Utah to wrap up the year. It was an incredibly busy and we did not get to visit all those we hoped to visit. I can't remember any time when we were lacking for something to do. The thing that was the best part for me was the fact that this trip really sparked an interest in temples for Tanner. He just couldn't get enough. He has his own camera and he wanted to get photos of all of them. He actually got some really good shots. Especially of the Mt. Timpanogos temple. He really has a good eye for photographs.

This one is one of my favorites. Looking down the corridor.

Another one I like as the sun is setting.

And the last shot of the night. He is so proud of shots he got.

It was a good way to wrap up the year and then head in to the Chrismas holiday. It was great to see the Burdett family again and to enjoy the little time we had with them. The only thing I don't like about living in Oregon is being so far away from family. Tanner really misses out sometimes by not having cousins and grandparents and other family around to love and support him. Thanfully they do it from afar.


So, that is a wrap up. I will try to find some photos of our
Christmas tree and village since Tanner was quite proud of them.

Heres to 2009 and a goal to be more diligent in blog posts.

The Corn Maze

Now that Tanner is 8, he is a Cub Scout. He loves scouts and he is already jumping in with both feet to get his badges earned. In October, we had a scout activity where we went to a local farm and took on the challenge of the corn maze.


This particular farm has a corn maze every year and they always change the design. Last year it was a giant bird of some sort. This year it was a pirate ship and the decorations had a pirate theme and you could see the mast of a ship over the tops of the endless corn rows.



At night, they make it a haunted maze with scary things that jump out at you. Fortunately, we were there during the day.
With that said, it is still not an easy trip through the maze and it takes quite a while to get through.






Tanner and I decided to join forces with his good friend Josh and his family and we entered the maze.


Tanner and Josh took the lead and with all their scouting confidence were determined to get us through to the other side.

The maze is set up with 10 check points along the way to help you find your way through. Once you find the checkpoint, you can use some trivia questions to help you determine which way to go as you continue on the journey. We had picked cards with varying trivia topics to increase our chances of getting it right.






Here we are at checkpoint number 3. Only 7 more to go.




Can you see the confidence in our fearless leaders?








Part way through the maze we came across this old scary bus. The boys had to go check it out of course.



It all flashed me back to the old movie Children of the Corn. Corn stalks all over the place. A bit creepy.



Josh's nephew Deacon LOVED the bus and did not want to move on. But his mean mommy did not let him stay.









We could tell we were getting closer to the pirate ship and the boys were getting very excited. I was just getting excited that we seemed to be moving in the right direction.











They found the pirate. Unfortunately, the pirate was not in the best shape. The boys still thought he was pretty cool.


So, we were able to make it through without getting lost. I was proud of my Cub Scout and his friend. They were good leaders and they did a great job getting us to the other side. I think that what I admired the most was that the did it right. There were some kids that just ran through the maze and tried to figure out where to go by trial and error. Josh and Tanner took the time to find the check points and to answer the questions. That tells me that they are going to be good Boy Scouts and even more than that, they will be good men.

And that makes me proud to be Tanner's Mom.

The Latest in My Life

To update....here is what has been keeping me busy lately.

On August 18th, I started my 9th season as the JV volleyball coach at Marist High School.

I have a great group of girls this year with a lot of talent and potential. So far, our record is 13-2. They have really started to come together and play as a team. Last Saturday, we had an all day tournament in Stayton, Oregon. We were the champions of the tournament for the 3rd year in a row.

However, it WAS a long day and during the down time, they have to find things to do. This years challenge? Build a human pyramid. Yes, I realize that it doesn't sound like the smartest plan considering there was still a lot of volleyball to play, but it was fun. So, here is the photo evidence.

After MANY attempts and discovering that Brittany can not be on the bottom, they finally achieved the 10 person pyramid.
However, once this was achieved, they needed to go bigger and higher. So, they recruited me and Hannah's sister to join in to go for the 15 person pyramid. It was not nearly as successful...

Here is one attempt....
Then we almost got it!
Alas, it was not meant to be....
Now, I will admit it was not the best idea for me to participate in this venture, and my aching back reminds me every day. But, I would do it again in a heartbeat. This is why I coach. The wins and losses go away, but the memories of the pyramids last forever. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Tanner's Baptism Day

My sweetie boy is growing up. I keep telling him to stop but he just doesn't listen to me. I can still picture him as the little pink baby stretching out his toes in his first bath.

And then dressed in all white the day he received a name and a blessing.


It is hard to believe that so much time has passed
and he has grown into such a smart, handsome boy. He is determined and a bit stubborn at times. I just can't figure out where he gets that from. :) He set a goal to learn to ride his bike before he turned 8 and he worked hard to do it. We didn't have as much time to work on it as we hoped this summer but he didn't give up. He rode for the first time completely on his own the last night he was 7. He wanted to do it and he did it.

I am so proud of him and the choices he makes. Today he made the choice to be baptized. He looked so grown up.


















He planned the program all on his own and even though the bishop got confused on the time and it ended up starting almost 45 minutes late, it was a very special day. It was made even more special by the fact that we had family members here to celebrate with us. Because we live in Oregon, and our families are in Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Texas, Tanner doesn't usually have people here for his special events. This time, was different. We invited people to come for his baptism and they came. He was so happy. We had a house full of people with beds all over the place. They came from Utah, Idaho and Colorado It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it.

I will never forget walking across the mall parking lot and having Tanner look back and say,"Look at that crowd of people that is here for me." It was amazing. He was so grateful. I too am grateful to have such good examples for him to look up to. When it comes down to it, there is nothing more important than family.

To Tanner Luke, I say I Love You! And, I am so proud to be your mom.
And to my family, I say, Thank you! Thank you for being there for my boy on his special day.

My last few months in 30 minutes or less....

Just kidding. I would not make anyone endure 30 minutes of my life but there has been a lot going on since my last post. Thought it would be nice to at least get current.

Fathers Day:
We were able to have the whole family together to honor Steve on Father's Day. Since it was an Indiana Jones year, most of his gifts had that theme. He is a great dad and it was nice to be able to honor him on his special day. I love this photo of my most favorite people. I am definitely blessed.

Disney World:
At the end of June we were able to go to Florida and spend a week with Steve's family. It was a lifelong dream for him to be at DisneyWorld with his kids and his parents. We rented a great house that was 15 minutes away from the parks and spent 5 days with the Mouse. It was a great time. The only downside for me was that the first day my back kicked in with MAJOR spasms that did not let up the entire time we were there. It really put a damper on my fun as I was very limited on the rides I could go on. It was still great to see it all through the kids eyes and to see Tanner's face as he finally was brave enough to go on the rides. And he went on ALL of the rides. He did not back down from anything. It was very cool. He went on some that I would not have gone on even with a healthy back. It was also great to have the time with the extended family and for the kids to all get to know each other. For more details of the trip, you can check out Steve's blog www.stevebarth.blogspot.com.

Kennedy Space Center:
This was part of the overall trip to Florida but for a science geek like me, this was very cool. We got to go through the museums, check out a flight simulator, and went on an up close tour that took us out as close as an average person can get to the launch pads. It was a very cool experience and one I was very glad to have done.

US Olympic Track and Field Trials:
In our community and on our college campus, I am a trainer for the Community Emergency Response Team. This year we were asked to assist with the Olympic Track and Field trials that were held in Eugene. It was a very neat opportunity as I was actually chosen to be a captain for the shifts I was on. However, the trials overlapped our trip to Florida. So, I got back to my home on Monday night at about 11:30pm and had to report to Hayward Field on Tuesday at 1:30. There wasn't a lot of time to transition. It was a lot of work but very cool as I got to see a lot of the athletes. I am a big track fan so it was nice to be a part of the experience. The irony of the week came on the 4th of July. Steve and Tanner came to check out the festival that was going on with the trials while I was working and then we were going to all go together to watch fireworks somewhere. They were there for about 15 minutes when I get a call from Steve telling me that he had won tickets at one of the booths and he and Tanner would be heading in to watch the race. They not only won tickets but the tickets were right on the straightaway not far from the finish line and they were only about 10 rows up. I put in all the work and they got to kick back and enjoy it. Tanner loved it and it was a great opportunity. He also got his photo taken with Sanya Richards. She is the American record holder in the 400 meters. It was a very neat opportunity and I am glad I got to do it.

Eugene Oregon Santa Clara Stake Girls Camp:

This was my second year as the assistant director for our stake girls camp. It is a project that actually starts way back in January as we have planning meetings with the Youth Camp Leaders and make plans for the camp which is held in July. There is a lot to be done and planned for. It is a busy time but very rewarding. This year the theme was Ordinary 2 Extraordinary and the girls definitely lived the theme. It is such an honor to be associated with these amazing girls. There is no question that these are those that were saved for the last days. I was definitely in the presence of greatness. I will write more about girls camp in the next couple of days.

Well, I think that is more than enough for now. So for those of you that have been asking, this is what has been happening in the past month and a half.

Summer is here!

Another school year has come and gone and I am now the mother of a 2nd grader. It seems like the year just got started and here it is already over. Where does the time go? The past couple of months have gone especially fast because Tanner has been so busy. He had a chance to play the fiddle at school. The parent association paid to have a fiddler come in and teach the kids. Each kid got their own fiddle to play while he was there. Tanner did pretty well. I was very proud of him. He didn't want to give the fiddle back when it was over.

Here he is sawing away on the fiddle.

Tanner also had a busy spring sport season as he played both soccer and baseball. He missed some time when he was sick but he did pretty well. It kept me busy as I was trying to coordinate his practices and games to get him where he needed to be. He was a really good defensive player in soccer and was very proud to learn how to hit in baseball. Here is one of his hits from a baseball game.


He was quite the slugger.

Tanner also had a chance to do his first science project complete with an oral presentation during the last couple of weeks at school. He decided to do it on ants. He made a poster that showed the life cycle of an ant, an ant tunnel, what ants like to eat, different types of ants in a colony, and a queen ant laying eggs. I was able to be there when he did his speech and I was a very proud mama .

We wrapped up the school year with field day at school. Too bad the weather missed the summer memo. It was a bit chilly but the kids still enjoyed being outside. The parents had several stations set up around the school and the kids rotated every 15 minutes. At one station, they had a water brigade challenge and they got a whole lot of water on each other and the ground as well as in the bucket at the end. They all had a great time.

All in all, it has been a great 1st grade year for him. He loved his teacher and at the end of the day today he told me he already misses school. I am glad he loves it and that he loves learning. He has great friends and great teachers. So as much as it is tough to say goodbye to 1st grade, I know there is much to come next year. Bring on the 2nd grade!