The Stone Family Rocks

Brady's Birthday

2010-06-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

Brady got a new deck for his skateboard for his birthday. This is a picture of the

guy at Zumiez putting the grip tape on.

This kid loves his skateboard!!!

Spoiled kid. Thanks to everyone who sent gifts. A little known fact about Brady is that he really likes clothes and he knows exactly the style he is going for. He wanted Tony Hawk t-shirts with button down shirts that he can wear over the top. He spent his birthday money on the skater shoes next to him on the couch. I am too cheap to pay for skater endorsed shoes, Brady isn't.

Brady's Birthday Cake (Jan 2010)

2010-06-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Feller Cake Bake

2010-06-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Every year our scouts do a feller cake bake. Each scout bakes a cake that represents the theme (this year was scouting turned 100 years old) and they can't have any help from moms or any other helpful girls.

Happy baking boys.

The finished product.

More Skateboarding

2010-06-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

In this tricky move Brady is jumping off that cement pillar and then landing on his board.

He is getting pretty good at his ollie. He does this about 500 times a day, at the park, in our driveway, off the curb......I think in this picture there is a little incline giving him a little extra air.

A classic picture of dropping in.

Grandma Olsen Visits (Feb 2010)

2010-06-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

These are some cute pictures of Clara's visit to our house. My girls love to cook with her, Jim loves her home cooking, and I love that she is a good sport, mostly because I hate to be in the kitchen. It is a win win.

Jim's Birthday

2010-06-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Jim's Birthday enjoying our traditional fondue with Adam Fairbourn.

Kelsey and one of our Frogs

2010-06-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

Pine Wood Derby March 2010

2010-06-04T18:44:00.001-07:00

This was Brady's first Pine Wood Derby. He had so much fun.

He designed it himself and of course painted it and made it look "wicked cool".

Brady (& Jim) won first place in the wolf den and second place overall.

Pretty good for first time competitors.

Spring Break Skate Camp

2010-06-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

I signed Brady up for a skate camp over spring break and he had a BLAST. This is a huge indoor skate park so it is nice and cool. He is getting pretty good. This is his very favorite thing to do. We have already gone through 3 skate boards and I am afraid he is going to need another one very soon. The more he works on grinding and launching out the more his deck gets shredded and splits.

This is him flying off a jump into a crash pad. Notice the board is above him.

This is one of the taller ramps to roll in on. Notice it is much higher than the door in the back ground.

So fast it is a blur.

Riding at Yamamotos

2010-06-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Our friends the Yamamotos invited us over for family night and let all of the kids ride their horse. Carly had been on one before but Brady and Kelsey hadn't so this was an extra fun night. Their daughter Lacy was our babysitter when we first moved here. She held down the fort while I was in the hospital having Brady, so we have known their family for a long time. Time sure flies.

Roller Derby

2010-06-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

We get lots of cool opportunities living in Phoenix. This is our first time going to the roller derby, we all had a great time.

Brooke and the Kids Visit

2010-06-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

Brooke and the kids came to visit in March for spring break. We had dinner together, fed ducks at the duck pond, played at the park, and of course did a little skateboarding. It was so fun Jake did not want to leave!

SO CUTE!

Baby Bunny

2010-06-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

A baby bunny Kelsey caught when our cats chased him into the house. Gotta love her fast reflexes.

Stoney Hawk the Adventure

2010-06-04T18:02:00.001-07:00

Jim and his good buddy Russ decided that skateboarding could be a great way to bond with their sons. It was quite a rush. Brady was coaching and Jim was doing pretty good until he decided he needed more speed and ripped his achilles tendon in half. I did have my camera at the skate park but I was on the other side of the skatepark when it happened. I did document the ER visit. These pictures make it look much better than the diagnosis...surgery, a 98% tear. Anytime Russ and Jim are together they make it fun. It just so happened that our ER split guy was a friend of Russ', Daniel. Ironically, he was also on shift weeks later when we came into the ER for blood clots. Jim has a high threshold for pain, this is even before they gave him pain killers.

Warning Graphic Picture

2010-06-04T17:51:00.001-07:00

This is what his leg looked like 10 days after surgery before they put his cast on. YIKES. That is going to leave a mark.

Our adventure continues. Kelsey and Brady hangin' with Jim in the hospital ICU when he was re-admitted to the hospital for 4 days with a blood clot in his leg and two large clots one in each lung. We are SO fortunate that we got to the hospital before anything really terrible happened. (PS. he is doing great now). We are going for the all time most expensive 30 minutes on a skateboard record.

Hayden Hinton

2010-06-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

My good friend Micole had her sixth child, Hayden in April. Pictured here with Michelle and Heidi.

Tennis

2010-06-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is Kelsey extremely focused on her tennis match.

Kelsey's Birthday Party

2010-06-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

For her Birthday instead of a big party, Kelsey wanted to do lunch and a movie with two of her best friends from school (Brittany and Gabby).

Spoiled Girl

Kelsey's Birthday April 15th

2010-06-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Kelsey wanted strawberry shortcake instead of the traditional fondant cakes of the past years, (much easier)! She also wanted breakfast in bed. She had a great birthday, thanks to all of you who sent awesome gifts!

Easter 2010

2010-06-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

Kelsey and the Squirrel

2010-06-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were wondering why I would post just two pictures yesterday............I had a 30 minute window of time so I thought I would throw on a bunch of pictures, however, after posting just 2 I was interrupted. Kelsey came into my kitchen saying she had caught a baby squirrel that was too "tired" to climb up the wall to get back to his mother. It was lethargic it was true, in fact within just a few minutes it died in her arms. Very dramatic. This spurred on a burial and funeral. Of course by the time I was done supervising this unexpected event, the window of time was over and I was off to take Brady to his scout daycamp. This is only one of the many animals Kelsey has caught, including lizards, a very large pigeon (which she let all of the kids at the park pet until I noticed what she was doing), a baby bunny, and many many frogs. WE LIVE IN THE CITY!!!

Carly at the Track

2010-06-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Carly doing her thing at the conference finals. She ran the 800 and threw the discus.

Spending the day with the Sundwalls

2009-12-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

Brady

2009-12-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

This is one of my all time favorite summer pictures. Cute freckles.

2009-12-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

Tubing in Utah's Frigid Water

2009-12-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

We went tubing for our first time (for most of the kids) this year. We had such a great time that all of the kids want this to be an annual thing. We have so many annual things it gets hard to fit them all in. Anyway, the water was WAY too cold for me to get in but all of the kids had a ball and Dayton (bless him) took the big kids way up and floated down with them. The little kids had a smaller route with adult catchers placed around each bend so that they

wouldn't get away from us.

Look at Abbys excitement. Actually I don't know if it is excitement or just the

first time she sat down in the water.
Carly and Dayt.

Brooke and Hailee. Hailee does not like to smile for the camera so this picture is a lucky one.

Brady

Jantz

Brady and Jantz laughing it up.

Abby

Josh

I love the sparkly water on this one.

Ty, Jake and Mom

Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat

2009-12-30T15:10:00.000-08:00

Stadium of Fire Jonas Style

2009-12-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

The evening of the Fourth we went to Provo's Stadium of Fire. It is always one hot ticket, but this year it was impossible and sold out in minutes because the guest stars were the Jonas Brothers. Jim was able to score us some tickets and look at those

excited faces and what great seats we had. So worth it.

Anticipation by Trish, Mom and Jantzen was on overdrive.
Cami and Carly.

The Jo Bros rockin the night. They did a great job and I think the girls screamed until they were hoarse. Fun was had by all and then we walked across the street and spent the night at a hotel. This is definitely the best way to deal with traffic.

Coolin' Off at Brooke and Ty's

2009-12-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

YIKES! We tease Kelsey that she looks like a creature in this picture.

After the 4th of July parade we went to Ty's to cool off and BBQ.

Carly being so mature.
Abby.

Hailee.

Brady.

Jantzen.

The Fourth of July 2009

2009-12-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

The Riverdale parade candy catchers.

Love this picture of my boys.

Brady and Jantzen riding the train.

Mom, Dad and Jake getting ready for the parade. Justin and Sharon in the background.

Jim and Jake.

Waiting for the parade to start. For as long as I can remember this is where we all sit every year. Carrigans and Gibsons. Usually I have a picture with all of the kids on the curb but I couldn't find it this year.

Snowbird with the Stone Cousins

2009-12-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

In July we get to have so much fun. This year we got to spend the day hanging out with Doug and Dori and their kids. The kids didn't know each other very well but it only took about 5 minutes and they were fast friends. We got to ride the tram to the top, jump on the trampolines, slide down the slides, ride the zipline, climb the climbing wall, and ride the buckin' bull. Needless to say this is just a small representation of the day. The kids definitely want to make this an annual event.

This is Kelsey and Brian waiting in line for the zip line. It was really high up and Brian wasn't too thrilled about going, he was "peer pressured" into it by Kelsey. There is a weigh requirement as well so we weren't sure they would make it. Unfortunately for Brian he made it. Kelsey didn't, however, she used her powers of persuasion and they let her go down one time with a full two liter water bottle stuffed in the seat to help her make weight.

I loved the zip line. Obviously. Picture is courtesy of my zip partner, JC.

Brigham, Kelsey, Jim and Benne ready to slide. Benne liked riding with Jim

because he went faster than when he rode with his mom.

Dori and Benne. I LOVE this picture because Dori has her purse on her shoulder the whole ride down. Granted she wasn't going very fast but I bet she has a hole in one side. What a cute mom.

Kelsey getting ready to rock the buckin' bull.

We were one exhausted group by the end of the day.

Kelsey and Brian riding up on the lift for the hundreth time.

We rode on the tram to the top of the mountain.

Deer Valley

2009-12-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

Dan, Melissa and Collin on our hike back to the cabin.

Hot tubbin' it.

Deer Valley FUN

2009-12-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

Found this picture while browsing today. When we went to Utah for the summer we were able to hook up with the Mickelsons and Sundwalls and stay overnight at a cabin in Deer Valley. We had a blast and this proves it.

Father and Sons 2009

2009-09-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Brady definitely loves to camp. The Father and Sons camp out is always fun, although, both Jim and Brady felt it was too hot. See the tangle of roots in the background, Brady was out looking for beaver houses.

I know.....I hope he doesn't shoot his eye out. He was SO excited.

Brady and some of the other boys from the ward.

Brady talked Jim into going on a quick hike before they left. This is on the way to the top.

Making some mountain music.

Ancient Egypt

2009-09-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Brady's class was studying ancient Egypt for this project. All of the kids were wrapped like mummies and laid next to their pharoah mask. The lights were turned off and then all of the other kids from school came to see them and walk around to observe and look at the special objects that they were buried with. This is Brady and his friend Elissia.

This is Brady and his good buddy Nathan.
The special things he chose to be buried with are his pedometer, his tech deck skateboard, and a car. He made and painted his pharoah mask next to him.

School Crafts

2009-09-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know these pictures are a few months old but....you get what you get (or the pictures that I can pull up on the computer). Still searching for how to get to summer pictures. Anyway, here are some of the craft projects the kids worked on in May and June. This is Kelsey's tiger mask for Art class.

For this project she had to make and label the parts of a castle.
This is Brady's Dinosaur model.

2009-06-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST SISTER EVER!!!

2009-05-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

I just want to wish my sister a Happy Birthday today! She is the kindest, most beautiful, thoughtful person I know. I am so grateful we have become best friends. I miss her so much since she moved back to Utah. I hope you have a fabulous day sis!

Love,
Krista!

Droppin' In

2009-03-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Brady practiced and practiced until finally he figured out how to Drop In. This is a huge deal. He also figured out how to make it over the two humps in the middle of the bowl. We know nothing about skateboarding at our house so he is a self taught man. He can't wait to go to Spocks Skate Camp again this summer, it was his highlight last year.

FIRST PLACE at the SCIENCE FAIR!!!!!!

2009-03-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

Kelsey won first place at the school science fair!!! Her project was...."ice cream in the oven, why doesn't it melt?" We did a baked Alaska and explained the principle of insulation. She feels that it wasn't just that her board was awesome, it was that she nailed the judges questions. Either way we are going to the state fair baby!

The Donahoes Return to Arizona

2009-03-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

Abby and Kelsey had a total blast. They played barbies, and polly's, and

dress-up, and games, and make-up.

While the boys played basketball, and video games. Brady and Jantz are

listening to Brady's MP3 player.

More Picts of the Donahoe Visit

2009-03-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed West Gate. The weather was awesome!

Kelsey and Abby kept themselves busy. They dressed up and did each others hair. They played dominoes. All of the boys were so, so, so tempted to push them over but security protected the girls until they were ready. You go girls.

Carly's New Look

2009-03-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

Carly got her hair cut the other day and came out with a whole new look. She loves how managable and healthy it feels. It will save us hundreds of dollars a year on shampoo.

Let us know what you think.

Carly's Plate Techtonics Presentation

2009-02-22T17:12:00.000-08:00

Carly had an assignment in science to create some fun way to remember the main issues of plate techtonics. She wrote a script loosely based on the TV show i-Carly. Here is the result.

Brady's Birthday

2009-02-09T09:59:00.001-08:00

Brady's 7th Birthday celebration. He got a cool "diamonback viper" bike.

He loves his new MP3 player. He has it loaded and wears it everywhere. He was the only one in the family without his own music so he thought it was about time to level the playing field. He does not have the same taste in music as the girls so he hates to borrow theirs.

Oh boy, he got Heeleys. I had always said no to the Heeleys because he cant wear them to school, however, Grandma and Grandpa Gibson dont care how practical this reasoning is so he got Heeleys from them. When he first got them I was really worried that he might break his head open but now at the time of posting I can tell you that he practiced until he got it and now he is pretty good. I guess now he is ready for a trip to Costco, I hear that is the best place to ride.

Batman Imaginext from Cami.

More Bakugans!!!! Thanks Donahoes.

An AC/DC t-shirt.

Brooke and Ty gave Brady a skateboard tool so he could work on his own board but for some reason I can't get it to load, so for now we will just have to say thanks. THANKS. Great Grandma sent him money for his savings account and Grandma and Grandpa Stone sent a card with money also. Grandma and Grandpa Olsen are in Italy on their mission so he was excited to get their card that said...., "hey I can't read it". Great Grandpa Stone always gives us a call on birthdays. We are so blessed with great family

thank you all for being so supportive.

Dinner and a birthday dessert at Fridays. I think Kelsey was happy he said he would share!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADY!!!

At the Skate Park

2009-02-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

We have found that the best time to go over to the skate park is when all of the other kids are still in school. A couple of weeks ago when Kelsey and Brady were out (charter school) we met some friends over there. Kelsey and Gabby use their in line skates and Brady and Ryan skate board. They had the run of the place.

Ryan, Brady, Kelsey and Gabby.

Brady and Ryan.

Brady practiced until he could make it over both humps. He has been wanted to do it for a while but with all of the big boys it is kind of scary to be in the middle. Now he can go from one side to the other and come back. Obviously I don't know the skater lingo.

This I do know. Brady learned to "drop in" today and it was a BIG DEAL. One of the other boys gave him a little pep talk and he did it. I did take some video that I will post when I find it. It is lost somewhere on my computer. He has been working on dropping in since his skate camp with Spock last July. Ty, he is way excited to show you in person.

A Visit from the Stones

2009-02-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to hear that Uncle Brad, Aunt Susan and Grandpa Stone were coming to visit. We had such a great time. It was such a choice opportunity to get some quality one on one time with some of our family we don't get to see very often. I am so grateful they took the time to come hang with us. I hope we have convinced them that this is a great place to thaw out in the winter. Brad played hoops with Brady, Susan got an earful of constant chatter from Kelsey, and Grandpa just enjoyed all of the action. We had sloppy joes and had a Wii bowling tournament that went late into the night. Aunt Pat, Uncle John and Jim and Patsy also came over for dinner and games. One of my favorite pictures of Jim and Grandpa.

Grandpa and Carly.

Brady, Great Grandpa and Kelsey.

Brad, Brady, Great Grandpa, Kelsey, Susan and Jim.

The other Grandpa Stone and Kelsey.

Brad and Brady got some good bonding time together.

Kelsey and Susan.

Susan, Great Grandpa Stone and Grandma Patsy.

Brady's Birthday Party At XRKade

2009-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

On January 22 Brady turned 7 years old. He celebrated by taking a group of school friends to the XRKade. They had an awesome time and they all went home exhausted and sweaty.

As most of you know I do not cook or bake. However, on their birthday I do let the kids choose what kind of cake they want and then I try to make it happen. I am totally happy about how the cake turned out and so was Brady so it is all good. All of the boys (and girls) at his school are crazy about Converse shoes.

Brady badly wanted Bakugans and boy did he get his wish!! I have no idea what Bakugans are and what they do but I guess you collect them and their cards and then they fight other Bakugans...They look like small round Transformers to me. Anyway, he was so excited. In the picture is his friend Nathan (next to him) and Josue (usually happy) and in the back by the door is Johnny.

This is Brady's good buddy Hanis. He is an awesome basketball player and was on Brady's team for NYS.

Here is Josue with his usual happy smile. He is also one of Brady's best friends. And no his name is not Jose, I corrected Brady constantly until I got to school and Josue (pronounced Hosway) confirmed that I was wrong.

This is Nathan and Brady. Notice how sweaty they both are. They had played for about an hour before we took a cake break.

Cat Updates

2009-02-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

Carly and her good friend Bethany.

They are getting big.

New Additions

2008-12-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Here are the newest editions to the Stone family! Kelsey has been working very hard for the last 5 weeks and 3 days to earn a pet. I was expecting a hamster but Jim unbeknownst to me has a huge aversion to rodents, and a hamster qualifies, so we got kittens. The lady we got them from did not want them to be separated from each other so this bumped Brady up to the top of the pet ownership chain. He told us that he doesn't really like kittens and would rather earn a fish so Carly got to have the other kitty. She is now looking for a good home for her bird Blush. The girls both named their kittens after the cities in which they were born so Kelsey's kitten is Dixie and Carly's is Payson. This is Payson.

They love to snuggle together in the Arizona sunshine.

This is Dixie.

They are twins and the only way to tell them apart is that Dixie has a little bit of white on the tip of her tail. We are all loving them a lot, even Brady held one the other day. More posts all about Christmas coming soon. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Williams Halloween Party

2008-11-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a great picture of the Host and Hostess of the Williams Family Halloween Party. You guys rock. Thanks for opening up the house and freaking us all out.

Carly (my 80's girl) and Rebeckah (a little too cute Becca).

Becca, Carly and our little Devil Kelsey.

Halloween Pre-view

2008-11-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't been able to get my other Halloween picts off of my new camera but here is one courtesy of my friend Shaunee. She was taking picts at our ward trunk or treat. I had great fun being Sarah Palin and I shook a lot of hands. When you are pregnant people want to touch your stomach, when you are a political figure everyone wants to shake your hand. Alas, it was still not enough.....

Happy October Birthday to ME.

2008-11-04T19:24:00.001-08:00

Birthday Celebrations

2008-11-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know three years ago I moved my birthday from December 16th to October 16th. There are many reasons for the change, December is a really busy month. No one has a free weekend to celebrate or go to lunch. Everyone is broke and some folks are downright cranky about it. I happen to love October. I love everything about it. I love the weather and I love Halloween more than any other holiday thus, it is a natural move. It is close enough to my real birthday to be serious and after three years most people have made the shift. Those of you who are strict traditionalist can go with the December flow but a majority have embraced the change. Here are some fun picts.

Brady wanted to do his own thing this year so he "wrapped" his gift himself and chose the gift himself. Lucky for me it was all items gathered from his room. He is only 6 and does not know yet about the concept of re-gifting. Bless his heart, I got some binoculars, a picture of Jesus, a ring, a giftcard (0 balance), and a compact mirror....see below.

What makes this a great gift is that it is not his to give!! He ran out of special items from his room so he went looking in Kelsey's room. This mirror was a prize from a golf tournament Jim played in and was coveted by all of the kids. There was great gnashing of teeth and almost blood shed trying to decide who would get to have it. Kelsey won the draw and every one else was way bummed. But Brady really wanted me to have something super special so he took a chance and stole it to give to me!!! Kelsey was as surprised as me when I opened it. She wanted it back right then and there. That is why I am laughing so hard in this shot.

Jim and the kids also gave me a concert t-shirt. So kind.

End of an Era

2008-11-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

For my birthday Jim gave me tickets to see Rick Springfield. I cannot think of a better way to say goodbye to my 30's. I loved it!! As usual he was awesome. You cannot know and love me without respecting my adoration for Rick. Fair warning, any haters will be blocked from visiting my blog!

A Surprise Trip to Utah

2008-11-04T18:37:00.001-08:00

We are crazy fortunate that Jim has such a great boss (Jerry Moyes) he invited Jim and I to attend a fundraiser dinner for Operation Kids in Utah. Even luckier than that he invited our kids to go so they could hang out with their cousins for a few hours. We flew up in his jet and Jim and I went to the dinner and met my parents there while Cami picked up the kids and took them to Ogden to play with the cousins. They even got to meet baby Jake for the first time. It is so fun to fly up to see family even if it is only for a few hours. We flew back home again after the dinner and we were sad to go because it had just started to snow. Hope we get to do it again sometime, I could get used to that kind of lifestyle. Brady has never flown commercial but he has been on the private jet I think three times!!! Thank you Moyes family for including us.

Operation Kids Event

2008-11-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

My parents got to go with us to the Operation Kids fundraiser dinner. They really did a superb job and raised a lot of money for their charity. I was really happy because I got to meet John Walsh (the honoree for the evening). For those of you who don't know, John's 6 year old son Adam was kidnapped and killed several years ago. To his credit, Mr. Walsh turned his anger and sadness into help for other families of the same kinds of tragic circumstances. He started the National Center for Missing Children and is the host of America's Most Wanted. I was very young when his son was taken and I remember clearly sobbing as I watched the movie based on the incident, he has been a hero of mine ever since. What an amazing person. We also got a chance to meet 'President Palmer from the TV show 24'. He was hosting the evening.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2008-11-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time. Thanks to all my sibs that entertained my kids while we were at the fundraiser. They had a blast even if it was only for a few hours. For those of you who want to see what they did you have to go to Trish's blog. I think Cami and Trish took over 100 pictures in 3 hours. We left happy and exhausted.

Pumpkins Smell Gross

2008-11-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

Brady could not remember anything about carving pumpkins from last year. When we took the lid off he got one whiff of the inside and essentially was done. He went white and said, "I think I am going to puke." I threatened that if he didn't take the insides out we couldn't carve the front.....and he was fine with that. He said he would just draw the face on. Notice below at how hard he tried to get those guts out---one seed at a time. After about 2 seeds he couldn't take it anymore and left to shoot hoops. The verdict, "pumpkins are gross!" Happy Halloween.

Look at that face!! He is gagging and acting like he might pass out.

Carving Pumpkins

2008-11-04T17:45:00.001-08:00

The Finished Product

2008-11-04T17:41:00.001-08:00

Pine View Dam

2008-08-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time at the dam this year. All of the cousins love to play on the beach, make mud baths, bury each other, ride on 'Big Mable', and some even waterskiied. This is all thanks to Brooke and Ty. Brooke's dad was so kind to bring his boat and pull us around again this year. This is one of my kids favorite things to do and it is always tops on the wish list. Here is some of my pictures from that day.

This is Brady body surfing. You've got to cut him some slack, we're from Arizona.
Abby burying Carly.

Baywatch Babes

2008-08-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

This is Carly doing her Baywatch impression.

Speaking of Baywatch babes. My sister always claims she cannot tan because she has no melatonin in her skin. Either that or she is afflicted with the same skin disease that poor Michael Jackson has been battling for years.....Trish are you filming something incredible?

2008-08-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Kelsey and Abby are practicing their cousin handshake here.
Jantz searching the sand for treasures.

Beach Babes

2008-08-31T22:24:00.000-07:00

Here are more picts of us enjoying Utah's beach. This is Josh being very patient while I take photos.

Abby and Kelsey
Josh
Carly

Brady Waterskis!!

2008-08-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

Brady took a turn at water skiing. He just about chickened out until he saw Kelsey get up and then he just wanted to get up and ski farther than Kelsey.

I think this is my all time favorite picture of the summer. Ty is so excited he made it up and look at Brady's face! This is the first time he has ever even put skis on his feet and this was his very first pull. I might have to put this one up on the wall.
His form wasn't great but he skied like this about the length of a football field.
Here is a great shot of the crash down.
Look how happy. He said, "that was so awesome!!" I asked if he wanted to do it again, and he said, "no, I skied farther than Kelsey". I really must learn to harness and use this competitive spirit. I had no idea.

Kelsey's Turn to Water Ski

2008-08-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, Uncle Ty was a trooper. He was in the water a long time coaching and holding ski's together. Kelsey getting ready.
And she is up out of the water!!!! It only lasted a few seconds but legally she did get up on skis out of the water. Yeah for Kels.

Farr's Ice Cream

2008-08-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

Farr's Ice Cream. Another Utah wish is granted. Looks like playdough is the hands down favorite.

Cherry Hill a new Utah tradition? I think so.

2008-08-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Carly got stuck in someones floatie. Nice.

Abby chillin with Dayt.
Looks like Dayt and Dad had a touch of Narcolepsy that day.
Kelsey living it up.

The Lazy River

2008-08-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

We were all loving the lazy river. As you know from Trish's postings that my mom spent most of the day there. It was fun because we could all be together and laugh and talk while staying cool.

Abby, Carly, Brady, Josh, me, Kelsey and mom, I think those might be Cami's feet?
We've added Trish, Jantz and Dayt.
Wow, Trish is having the best time ever. I bet we will be doing this again next summer.

Summer Chores

2008-08-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

This is Brady and Kelsey doing their summer "chores".

Hot tubbin' with the Heather Carrigan's kids (she will always be a Carrigan to me even if she is a married Jensen). Brady, Nick, Mia, Kelsey and Libby. This is a cool picture because these are third generation neighborhood friends. It is fun for me to see my kids hanging out with Carrigan kids just like I used to hang out with their parents. Some things never change and that is a great thing.

Sundwall and Stone Kids

2008-08-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to hook up with Sundwalls while we were in Utah. We usually only get to visit with each other once a year so it takes at least a whole day just to catch up. We all went to an athletic club to swim, water slide, and have a pizza lunch. It was really fun, as you all know my kids love to swim!

Weston, Nick, Carly, Brady, Kelsey and Benne

Visit with Sundwalls

2008-08-31T21:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures I took during our visit with Sundwalls. After we went to the water slides we came back and let the kids just play. It was SO fun and being with them just makes us miss them all the more.

Kelsey and Benne and Weston in the background.
Weston
Carly, Nick, Brady, Weston, Benne, and Kelsey

Smith and Edwards

2008-08-28T22:43:00.000-07:00

As many of you well know, when we come to Utah being at my parents is like living with the make a wish foundation for my kids. Each of my kids gets to write down one or two Utah wishes (things they REALLY want to do). Usually they are pretty simple; be with family, eat Grandpa's scones, play with Utah friends, eat Grandpa's boiled eggs (I only have time for boiled eggs at easter)...One of the wishes that always comes up is shopping at Smith and Edwards. This is somewhat embarrassing to someone like me who has a black belt in shopping. Carly has been going to S&E with my dad since she was 6 months old so I guess she doesn't know any better. This trip we not only went in the store but we walked through the outside scrap yard too.

Carly wanted this steering wheel so bad. She felt for sure she could make the cutest bedside table out of it for her room if she only had a stand to attach it to and some round glass to put on top. I have hauled a lot of things from Ut to Az and vice versa but this was not going to be one of them. I put my foot down on this one but as you will see she is holding it in almost every picture.
Such a rebel.
This is Brady requesting that I take a picture of him looking like he was going to break this chain and get inside the train. Very tough.

Brady and the Gold Car

2008-08-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

So while we were in Utah Brady came running into the house and breathlessly said, "I need a piece of paper and a gold crayon." Hmmm. I could produce the paper but could only find a blue crayon. I ask, "why do you need a gold crayon?" He proceeds to tell me that he saw the coolest car ever drive by the house and he was going to draw it for me so I could help him look for it. He did and we walked up and down the neighborhood forever looking for where the gold car might have parked. (he was so excited about seeing it he forgot to look and see where it was headed) Anyway, we looked for a long time but couldn't find it.

Days later my mom saw the illusive gold car drive by. At this point it was becoming a quest for Brady to find this awesome car. Low and behold one morning during our AM walk my mom spotted the gold car parked in a driveway down in the "woods" below my parents house!! Brady was so excited when I showed him that he wanted his picture taken next to it. He really wanted a look inside but the owners were never home when we knocked. (yes, we actually knocked on the door)

After raising two girly girls I am getting a little glimpse of the male perspective on things. I love seeing the contrast between my girls and my son. I have a lot to learn. I couldn't tell you what kind of car this is if my life depended on it. As a matter of fact I couldn't tell you what kind of car anybody I know drives. I am lucky to be able to nail down the color and whether it is a car or truck.

BBQ at Ty and Brooke's

2008-08-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I am the worst blogger ever. I literally have HUNDREDS of pictures of "summer fun" to blog in order to catch up. I have decided to just dive in and start posting some events so here goes....

Dad and Carly chillin' at a BBQ at Ty and Brooke's house.

Brady may need to rethink his way of relaxing in the hammock. Looks like he is bound for a

skull fracture.

I love this picture because even though it is a little dark it just totally looks like summer.

After the food and water fun we came inside to rock out.

More BBQ at Ty and Brooke's

2008-08-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

The big kids enjoying otter pops. I will admit that this is Brady's first experience with them because I never buy them. I have always thought popsicles in general are too drippy and sticky. In Arizona popsicles melt in a nano second might as well have a capri sun, right? Anyway, we are at Brooke and Ty's so let 'em get sticky!!

I love this picture of Jantz. I think I am getting pretty good at getting the action shot. He is the best belly flopper in the whole group.

Back to School

2008-08-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce that all of the Stone kids are back in school!!! This is the first year that all of the kids are in school for a full day. It feels like Christmas! I don't know whether to shop, go to lunch, or just be productive at home. All of the kids gave the first and second weeks of school a thumbs up, so that is great news.

Carly started Jr. High this year and is loving it. Her favorite thing is not wearing uniforms every day. She is very earth conscious and so she rides her bike to school every day even though the weather is still about 112 degrees.

Kelsey started fourth grade and is very happy to be back in the social swing of things!
Brady is in first grade and is happy to be going to school all day. He asked what I

will be doing since he is gone all day so I asked back, "what do you think

I will do all day?" He said, "probably laundry." Luckily I have not

glamorized my life too much in front of my children.

2008-06-24T23:25:00.000-07:00

Carly's Birthday Party

12 years old

Mystery of the Missing Crown Jewel

For Carly's birthday this year she wanted something really special because turning 12 is a really big deal. We've done movies and lots of pool parties (what else do you do when it is 115 degrees in the shade) but nothing "totally cool". So this year we threw our first mystery party for 8 of her closest friends. It turned out to be so fun, it was the "best party ever"!

The party was the mystery of the missing crown jewel and the crime happened at the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Each of the girls were assigned characters from one of the 50 states and came as the contestants of the pageant. We had an evening gown round, an interview question, and a talent competition. Each of the girls were asked to perform a talent related to their state, for example Miss Texas did a lasso routine and Miss Nevada did a magic show. During the talent competition the crown jewel was stolen from the pageant tiarra and the girls had to stay until they solved the crime. The girls came dressed up and completely played their characters to the hilt. It really was such a great party. Here are some of the pictures.

This is a picture of the girls in their talent round costumes. Carly, Emily Smith, Rebekah Williams, Kinebritt Johnson, Stephanie Johnson, Mikki Stone, Clarissa Flores, Emma Spalding and Sara Kendall in the middle.

The evening gown competion group picture.

Carly's Teen USA runway cake.

2008-06-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Father and Son's Campout

May 08

Brady looks all snuggled in with the bear that he made from his fieldtrip to

Stuffington Bear Factory. Even though it was Arizona the weather was chilly

enough to have to sleep inside the sleepingbag.

Brady played so hard that he couldn't even stay up to pose for pictures.

Yikes, Brady may have woke up on the wrong side of the sleeping bag.

2008-06-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Brady is pretty tight with the "big boys". Cameron Larsen, Bro. Wayne Layton, Brady, Riley Layton, and Conner Larsen. They are so good about looking out for Brady and

letting him hang around them. We have an awesome ward.

This is Brady sitting on Alex Erickson's lap during the priesthood program. Brady has

always looked up to Alex since he babysat him a long time ago. He is

the big brother Brady would like to have.

A great picture of David and Jay Williams.

2008-06-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

This is a series of pictures from one of Carly's last achievement day activities

(she goes into Young Womens this month). We had a mother-daughter party

where we played a version of the newlywed game that tested

how well we knew each other and the girls had to design us

an outfit out of toilet paper and crepe paper for

a fashion show. Most of us couldn't walk well enough to make it to

the catwalk. Carly had her own original design in mind and we looked

good enough to win most elegant. I think she did a great job.

Carly and I got most elegant and Janet and Michela won funniest.

Here is a cute picture of all of the Stone girls. Carly, me, Janet and Michela Stone.

Notice how Carly has grown!!

2008-06-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my kids at their school art show. Carly's picture is a pencil self portrait for which she received an Honorable Mention award. Brady's pictures was of fish that he cut out of paper and painted. He was really proud of the fact he made a stamp

that made the water look like it had white capped waves. Kelsey's picture is of a purple

flower she made using pastels.

2008-05-25T23:30:00.001-07:00

Brady loves to go over to the skate park by our house especially right after school because there is not much of a crowd. He doesn't give up and gets better and braver every time we go.

2008-05-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

2008-05-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

2008-05-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

Carly, Brady, and Kelsey

Easter Sunday 2008

2008-05-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

Every year it is our tradition to spend Easter weekend with our Arizona family at the Mickelson's Easter Egg Hunt. These are families that we met when we first moved here and we have been friends ever since. We always TRY to get a family picture every year. Maybe we should think about doing the photo session at the beginning of the evening.

Below is the Hinton family.

This is our awesome host family, the Mickelsons.

The Mannings.

Us. Kind of interesting that we all found each other, we all hail from Utah.

2008-05-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great time searching for eggs, eating Manti turkey, and playing all kinds of games. Mickelsons you rock!!

2008-05-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

2008-05-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our Easter pictures.

2008-05-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

2008-05-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I know it has been quite some time since I last posted and I know the excitement was high to see all of our doings here in Arizona. I have had some technical difficulties and after contacting both of my techie girls and having them say, "I have never seen this before", Jim has discovered and fixed the problem. Of course now I have forgotten how to post. Just jokin.

2008-04-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! We are finishing our back yard. Here is Brady taking the first shot on our basketball court. We planted new trees (hoping for at least a sliver of shade) and added synthetic grass to the back yard and the front yard. We also have a net that stretches across the court so that we can play volleyball, tennis, pickle ball and badminton. We are loving it and the weather has been so great we have played outside every day.

2008-04-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

2008-04-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Kelsey had a great birthday and it seems we celebrated for days. Here are a few pictures of the highlights. I am not used to posting and so my order of things is kind of backwards.

2008-04-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Kelsey REALLY REALLY wanted book six in the Sisters Grimm series! She highly recommends all of the books and has talked her teacher into reading the first two aloud in class. I think you can see she was pretty excited.

2008-04-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

Jim had to leave that night after dinner so we improvised a party and opened gifts in the parking lot. Kelsey loved all of her fun stuff. Thank you to all!!

2008-04-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

2008-04-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Kelsey's big day we took her to dinner at Friday's Front Row. It is a restraunt that has glass walls overlooking the stadium where the Diamond Backs play. When it is nice weather they open the walls like a garage door and it is like you are having dinner in a baseball suite. The night we were there they were getting the grass ready for a game. My kids love to eat here.