The Starr Clan

12-5-2012 Monday - Shera's Science Camp

2012-02-18T21:50:00.001-08:00

Shera was excited to go to her 6th Grade Science Camp this year, but a little nervous at the same time...

Luckily, she had her best friend, Faith, from her class to sit with and be her bunk mate!

A little unsure of leaving, Shera looked back at me so sweetly. She made it though! Shera is an official 6th grade camper!

12-4-2012 Sunday - Snickerdoodles

2012-02-17T15:05:00.001-08:00

12-3-2012 Saturday - PepSquad Christmas Party!

2012-02-17T14:28:00.001-08:00

Noel's cheer and song had their Christmas party at our house for the second year in a row. Her coach, Tara Collins, had it catered by an Italian restaurant. Such yummy food!

There were about 30 girls there. All of them were so nice, sweet, well-mannered and respectful. It was a pleasure to have them here. So good to see a great group of girls!

They played some fun games and had a gift exchange also. The first of four holiday parties this year checked off the list!

12-2-11 Friday - Friday Night Lights!!!

2012-02-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

MVHS vs SMHS Football Semi-Finals Playoff!

Josh & Holly!

Getting into the game!

Go Diablos!

Noel & Spencer!

Tossing the football around...
Unfortunately we lost 21-20...

Oh well, my puppy will always love me!

11-26-11 Saturday - A Christmas Carol & Goodbye to Drew

2012-02-16T13:34:00.001-08:00

We love this show and always see it every holiday. This year it has even more meaning because Shera will be playing Scrooge in her school play!

At intermission we love to walk up to the giant Christmas Tree and drink our apple juice and have our cookies!

Our beautiful children!

My beautiful husband!

Already missing Drew as he goes back up to BYU for finals...

11-26-11 Saturday - Christmas Tree Tag!

2012-02-16T13:23:00.001-08:00

It's our annual "Choosing the Christmas Tree" time...
And that means - Christmas Tree Tag!!!

Around and around they go, the owners are so cool and don't even mind it! Even when we knock them down! ( I think because we are so cute - or maybe cuz we buy 3 trees!)

See what I mean by cute though?

Got Sap?

This is the one!!!

This is the second one - we got it flocked!

Our new addition of funny wooden reindeer family! (Jeff couldn't stand them)

11-24-2011 Thursday - Thanksgiving Traditions...

2012-02-16T13:08:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving to me is all about
Traditions...Tradition: Shera Rides...

Tradition: Playing With Remote Control Cars & Trucks...

Tradition: Dad's Out There Helping Them...

Tradition: Football Games - Playing & Watching...

Tradition: Grams & Drago Come For The Feast...

Tradition: A Beautiful Formal Setting with See's Chocolate Foiled Turkeys...

Tradition - Luke & Shera's Turkey Legs...

Tradition: Overeating - Especially Drew...
Oh... Who Am I Kidding... All Of Us!!!

Tradition: Lots & Lots of Desserts...
Don't You Just LOVE Traditions???

11-22-11 Tuesday - An Owl At The River!

2012-02-16T12:56:00.001-08:00

We found the home of this way cool Desert Owl right by the river. He lives in a pepper tree!

We walked around his tree and found a ton of Owl Pellets! Owls, like many other birds, eat their food whole. Since birds do not have teeth, they can't chew their food. So, they use their strong and sharp beaks to rip their prey apart and then swallow large chunks whole. The owl slowly digests its meal by separating the softer materials (meat) from the harder materials (bone). It then regurgitates the harder material along with the indigestible items such as feathers and fur in the form of a pellet. Then we can collect and dissect!

And to think we have our own owl at the river!

"Just like Harry Potter!" as Luke says...

11-17-11 Thursday - Opening Night of Breaking Dawn!

2012-02-16T12:41:00.001-08:00

Yes, yes, my daughters were one of the many millions on Thursday waiting out in the cold until midnight to watch some Vampires and Werewolves get it on with each other! I'm sorry to say the truth - but there it is! Here is Holly, Shera, and Aubry in line (for hours)...

Yes, they had the shirts made for each one of these movies!
Shera and Aubry again!

Noel "Fanging It Up"!

There were several theaters full of guys and girls like this, but mostly girls!
Here is Aubry, Krista, Carissa, and Noel!

Our friend, Andrea, has gone with the girls every time!
Thank goodness!!! But she loves it too!!! Yay!!!

11-5-11 Saturday - Homecoming Dance!

2012-02-16T12:31:00.001-08:00

Since Noel and Aubry couldn't date yet, they decided to go to the Homecoming Dance together. Their dad's got them corsages - isn't that sweet?

They took cute photos on the swing!

Darling shoes, flowers, nails and bracelets!

All set to go!

Aubry's dad took the girls to dinner and then to the dance and we picked them up - pretty fun for a non-date dance they said!

11-4-11 Friday - MVHS Spirit Week & Homecoming Game vs. Tesoro!

2012-02-16T12:20:00.000-08:00

All Spirit week Noel dressed up! This was for 80's Day!

The JV Song Leaders out on the field to cheer at the game!

Shera and Noel showing their "Diablo Spirit"!

Together with friends after we beat Tesoro 14-7!
MVHS is so HOT!!!

11-1-11 Tuesday - Random Acts of November!

2012-02-16T11:36:00.001-08:00

Noel sang a beautiful solo in our ward's Young Women in Excellence Program.

Holly took the girls and friends to see the Blue Man Group at the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center.

All dressed up to kick some *@&#*! for the MVHS vs. Trabuco Football game 42-7!

Holly and her cute little kitties!

Drew down during Thanksgiving weekend and watching Noel cheer at the MVHS football playoffs! We beat Huntington Beach 41-31!

Noel kissing her favorite older brother!

Louie's Mission Wall!

10-31-2012 Monday - Halloween Night!

2012-02-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

Our fantastic Halloween Dinner with Grams, Drago, Cousin Andrea and The Margetts Clan!!!

We had delicious Cream of Pumpkin Soup, Tomato Bisque with fresh basil and sour cream and Asiago Cheese Rolls!

We got to celebrate the exciting news of Shera getting the lead role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the 6th Grade play! Her teacher, Mr. Spinello, called that day to tell her!!! We surprised Shera with a Congratulations Bundt Cake!!!

Now it's time to Trick or Treat!

We always have to go to the O'Bryants home - it's tradition!!!

We had to leave out the front door of our house because people were waiting at our driveway for us to open the Haunted House!

It was like a stampede when we opened the gates! Next year we will have to have better crowd control!

It was so great for Matt, Christy, Nicole and Eric to come down from Utah to play with us!

Jeff at the Control Center...

Holly manned the front of the entrance! She criss-crossed black eyeliner over her mouth so it looked like it was sewn shut! So cool looking! And then she didn't say a word all night long to all the kids - she stayed in character, nodding slowly & pointing where to go. It really freaked them out!!!

We had about 600 people go through the Haunted House this year! Word has gotten around how scary it is - NOT for little kids really!!!
Jeff you did an amazing job!

10-28-2011 Saturday - Trunk or Treat!

2012-02-16T10:59:00.001-08:00

Trunk or Treat in our church parking lot is always a lot of fun! Jeff and I take turns passing out candy from our car. Usually we decorate, but we were having a huge Halloween party at our house that night, so we chose to let it go this year...

I always wonder why my kids like to look so scary - but this year I realized it! They have Jeff for their dad! They are born with the scary, gory gene!!! Ha! ha!

Shera and her friends!

Luke and his crew!

10-28-2011 Saturday - Our Big Halloween Party and Haunted House!

2012-02-08T18:43:00.001-08:00

We had an amazing Halloween Party this year!
Here are a few of the many highlights through pictures...

Cousins Holly and Hunter loved Sasha!

Matt, Stephen, Evan, Roberta, Jeff...

Kenny and Leigh Hrabik...

Mummy Wrapped Rice Krispy Treats!

Alien Invader Oreos!

The table was decorated so cool with purple, green, and orange tooling with candles and pumpkins all over it!

It was a great spread of finger food appetizers and desserts all with spooky names written to describe them!

My cousins - Farmer Dan and Chicken Charlene...

Cousins Casper - Marta, and Karen...

The coolest costumes - The Tron Family - Vivian, Jerry, and their son...

We had about 30 kids all on this "Donut Rope" for the no hands eating contest!

Cousin "Bam Bam" Nathan won!

The Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest was great!
We even had the sister missionaries going for it!

And the winner is... Mr. 80's himself - Eric Burton!

Cousins - "Cowgirl" Andrea, "Priscilla" Kristi, and "Elvis" Blake!

The Ghostly Pinata!

And saving the best for last...
We had our Haunted House!

Change For A Dollar

2012-01-30T14:44:00.000-08:00

The best short film I've seen in a long time!
Well worth the 10 Minutes!

10-18-2011 Tuesday - Halloween Parties!

2012-01-27T20:05:00.001-08:00

Noel was a Mechanic for the San Clemente Fall Festival - which is their Stake Halloween Dance!

Noel the Mechanic and Aubry the Kittie!

Jeff was "Cowboy Governor Brown" stealing from the students and giving to the unions at his Halloween work party.

This is an inside joke for people who know about this!

10-10-11 Monday - Halloween Booing

2012-01-27T19:54:00.001-08:00

We decided to do two different nights for Booing our friends this year. The first night we made cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting with all these yummy sprinkles on top.

We baked a separate cake for us that same night too! LOL

Then another night we made these cute little Oreo orange ghosts with mini chocolate chip eyes on them!

These were so easy to make and tasted yummy too!

10-9-2012 Sunday - Louie's Farewell Dinner...

2012-01-27T19:34:00.001-08:00

Louie had his last Sunday Farewell dinner with his parents at our home before leaving on his mission.

We had a feast of steak, potatoes, salad, and Louie's favorite Texas Sheet Cake!

Louie's dad, mom and sister's brother came for the afternoon and we talked about what Louie would be doing for the next two years. They are not members of the church, but they are adjusting to what he desires pretty well.

We will miss you Louie!

Shera will miss teasing her buddy.

Saying goodbye is so hard sometimes...

Louie's dad loves him so much!
This was so tough!

Grams and Drago took Jeff and Louie to the airport to go to Salt Lake City where they will finish preparing Louie to serve. Louie will go into the Missionary Training Center (MTC) for 2 months and then to Honduras for the remaining 2 years of his mission.

9-22-2011 Thursday - Holly's Jaw Surgery...

2012-01-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Holly had her jaw surgery on Thursday in Santa Barbara. We stayed up there for four weeks with her initial recovery. It was not fun. Holly has a condition called Idiopathic Condular Resorption. Which basically means, her jaw joints are disintegrating and they don't know why. The surgeon says her jaw joints are basically junk and they need to be rebuilt. So that's what they did this. The surgery took 6 hours plus 3 hours in recovery. The surgery consisted of bringing her lower jaw forward 19mm, her upper jaw forward 6mm, her upper jaw cut across and ground down 7mm and then raised up. She had over 20 bone graphs added. The bone was taken from inside her skull to rebuild the jaw back to the correct position and bite. Yes - it was very painful, yes - she was very swollen, yes - she was on a liquid diet for 8 weeks, yes - she looks different but still beautiful, yes - she would do it again. No more pain like she has consistently had for the past 6 years has made it well worth it. She will be on medication for several months to possibly years still. She will be swollen for a long time yet. She will be fully recovered in a year. Sorry - no photos per Holly's request.

9-7-11 Wednesday - A Strong Start for September!

2012-01-25T16:31:00.001-08:00

The first day of school - Shera 6th, Luke 4th, Noel 10th!

JV Football Game in 95 Degree weather!

Grams 83rd birthday!

Dane & Aubry visit and we BBQ for Grams birthday!

Grams let the girls take their pick of her clothes and shoes!

Danielle Anderton went through the Newport Beach Temple to prepare for her full time mission to Argentina!

The ward talent show where Louie, Luke and Jeff were little people singing and dancing with the help of Holly, Shera, and Noel as their hands and arms!
So funny!!!

8-24-2011 Wednesday - Allred Summer Party and Blake's Birthday!

2012-01-18T13:53:00.001-08:00

We got the Allred family together for a summer swim BBQ with ribs, chicken, salad and other yummies!

The kids swam until dark.

Blake brought his girlfriend, Kristi.

Amazing Bruschetta!

Drago and Grams relaxed and loved watching the kids run around!

Luke got out the Nerf Guns and they had a Nerf war all over the house!

Cute Andrea and Heather...

Cousins, Finn and Auggie...

We got Uncle Dean to play Rock Band!
Woo Hoo!

And Happy 25th Birthday Cousin Blake!
Gotta love those ice cream cakes!!!

8-20-2011 Saturday - Lots of Fun in August!

2012-01-18T13:23:00.001-08:00

Here's a summary of some of the fun things that happened in August:

We took Luke, Shera and her friend, Jane, to see the musical Mary Poppins at the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center. It was great!

Luke had a tarantula fetish in Rancho Santa Margarita! We found a place that had tons of wild ones running around!

Noel, Carissa, Aubry and Christa went to the RSM Duct Tape Dance!

Noel, Aubry and Carissa went to Hannah's Sweet 16 Trailer Trash Birthday Party!

Louie moved in with us for 3 months before his mission.
Drew came home for a week and we ate at all his favorite restaurants.
Now you see Louie ---

Now you don't!

Lots of swimming, rock band, picnics, movies, sleepovers and food!!!

8-19-2011 Friday - All That Glitters...

2012-01-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

We went to the All That Glitters Exhibit at the Natural History Museum in San Diego on Friday.

It was amazing the things they had on display! These are real gold nuggets in pure form.

This is a Faberge Egg that has an exact replica of the carousel in San Diego inside.

A gorgeous turquoise snake bracelet.

A Vintage Harry Winston necklace!

A giant crystal mine. Those men are walking on the crystals! We loved this show - the kids loved it and we couldn't tear them away it. It was so beautiful and interesting!

8-5-2011 Friday - Dane & Aubry's Wedding

2012-01-16T17:23:00.000-08:00

Our cousin Dane found his sweetheart, Aubry, and got married in the Salt Lake Temple Friday. Yay! They had the wedding breakfast at the Joseph Smith Building before the service.

Aren't they cute?

All of Dane's buds...

Shera got to hold Aubry's bouquet for a while while she hugged everyone hello.
Shera was in heaven. Starla is here with her.

The reception was in Aubry's close friend's backyard. Afterward, they left through a line of sparklers (and smoke!) off to their honeymoon. Congrats kids - you look so happy and we wish you all the best! Love you!

8-4-2011 Thursday - Mary Poppins Musical

2011-11-07T15:05:00.001-08:00

We took Noel, Luke, Shera, and her friend, Jane went to see Mary Poppins the Musical at the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center. We had orchestra seats. It was great!!!

8-1-2011 Monday - The River with Friends...

2011-11-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

Luke and Shera got to each bring a friend to the river at last. They had been begging forever to do it, and finally we got it all arranged. Luke brought his friend, Drew Christensen from church. The boys have blue zinc cream all over their faces here. What a mess that was to clean up!

They went hunting for snakes and scorpions. They found this kangaroo mouse instead. It was so hot, they could only keep it for about an hour, and then let it go.

Shera brought her best friend in the whole world, Sloane Werner. They have been friends since they were three years old! She's a really cute girl and they have a blast together whatever they do.

Even when they are getting flipped into the air on the raft!

Of course all the kids loved doing that this trip!

7-30-2011 Saturday - Lyle Pedida Gets Baptized!

2011-11-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Jeff had the wonderful opportunity to baptize one of his seminary students this Saturday. His name is and he is from the ward. His friends introduced him into the church. He had to wait until he turned 18 because his family didn't want him to join the church. But now he his up at BYU-Idaho and loving it!

7-28-2011 Thursday - Santa Barbara Victorian Homes... Who Knew???

2011-11-07T14:09:00.001-08:00

Who knew that Santa Barbara had gorgeous old Victorian homes?

These homes were built primarily after the Civil War when there were an influx of Easterners that moved to the west.

They wanted to bring their own style with them to the west coast so they'd feel more comfortable in a new area. Soon, there were more Victorian style homes than Spanish Colonial homes.

Many of these lovely homes have remained private residences, but some have become doctor offices, shops, and bed and breakfasts. The Simpson Inn is a 5 Star B&B.

It is such a pretty sight to come upon a beautiful Victorian home while driving through the neighborhoods of Santa Barbara.

8-28-2011 Thursday - All The Parks In A Row...

2011-11-07T07:30:00.001-08:00

We went to several parks while we were in S.B. This is the S.B. Botanical Gardens. It is very natural with lots of trees, very wild looking. The Indians used to get their water here and it became the water source for the mission. The Indians built the aqueduct that ran to the mission from this stream.

These perfectly sized and shaped holes were made from woodpeckers!!!
Pretty cool, huh?

Shera is counting how many years old this tree is... Ha! Ha!

We loved seeing this field of wild clover! Do you see the four-leafed one?
Neither do we...

Alameda Park is one of the oldest parks in Santa Barbara and takes up 2 city blocks. It has an 8,000 square foot wooden playground that includes a castle, swings, and slides - totally great for the kids!

Holly's friend from BYU, Pace, lives in Ventura and came up for the day to visit us. We went to the turtle pond, a place where his grandmother used to take him.

There were literally hundreds of turtles all over in this huge pond!

Ducks and fish were there too. They all lived very harmoniously together. Luke and Shera had a great time catching the turtles!

We went to Santa Barbara's famous Crushcakes for lunch and cupcakes too. This is one of Rachel Ray's favorite cupcakerys in the country!

7-27-2011 Wednesday - Fish & Chips & ...

2011-11-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

This Fish 'n Chips Dive was soooo good!!!

The girls and I got the traditional meal served on English newspapers.

Luke chose the Clam Chowder...

I also wanted to try something different, so we ordered a small serving of Haggis. I had never eaten it before. It's a traditional Scottish dish that consists of Sheep's Pluck (heart, liver, lungs) minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, and spices simmered in the Sheep's stomach for 3 Hours. Uhhh...
I won't be trying that one again! I could only eat it for the gravy...

And then, just to top it all off and make sure we felt really good and sick afterward, we had deep fried Cadbury and Mars Bars with "Love" (Chantilly Cream)!
Now those were delicious!

7-26-2011 Wednesday - Santa Barbara Farmer's Market

2011-10-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday from 4 'til dusk, part of State Street closes down and has a big farmer's market.

Luke and Shera were eating berries by the bag! It was great!

There were all sorts of fruit and veggies and other goods.

This is beautiful rainbow chard.

Jeff always says there are hippies, and everyone is green - and ya know - he's pretty much right in SB!

This one had a Starbuck's too!

7-25-2011 Monday - Riding Bikes on the Stearns Wharf!

2011-10-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

Shera loves her beach cruiser and brought bread for the birds (and herself) on the pier.

There is a long boardwalk filled with bikers, walkers, and skaters everyday.

The pier was a daily event while we were there for a month.

Holly loves her new bike for school...

Stopping for ice cream. The movie, My Favorite Martian, was filmed right in front of this shop!

Nothing is better than ice cream on a nice hot summer day!

7-23-2011 Saturday - SB Museum of Art

2011-10-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, while the kids went window shopping downtown, Jeff satisfied my cravings for some culture and took me to the SB Museum of Art.

The marble statues were gorgeous in the front foyer.

This was my favorite one - look at the details and soft dress folds of this Greek statue.

Jeff loved this one - as soon as we saw it we both said, "Hey! The Maltese Falcon!"

The ancient Egyptian glass was so pretty!

This carving of the son of Rameses II was found in his Egyptian tomb.

Degas...
So beautiful...

Ancient Chinese Warrior Armor...

7-22-2011 Friday - Quiksilver Miniature Horse Ranch

2011-10-22T17:48:00.001-07:00

Look at how cool this miniature horse is!!!

She's a mama and stands about three feet high!

Luke was taller!

We decided to follow the sign's advice...

She had her little foal with her and they came up to let us pet them!

The Quiksilver Ranch is just outside of Solvang and is so amazing. Don't go all the way to Solvang without swinging by to see them. The owners are so great and are happy to let you drive right onto the property, wander around the ranch and pet them.

Cute little baby...

This guy had a little scratch!

There's a miniature donkey ranch around the corner too. They are cute and tiny also. And they have a 1/2 zebra 1/2 donkey too!

7-22-2011 Friday - Back to our Roots in Solvang!

2011-10-22T17:31:00.001-07:00

Delicious Aebleskivers!

You have to go to the best at Solvang Restaurant - at the take out window with raspberry jam and powdered sugar!

Yummo in the Tummo!!!

Anyone for an old time wagon ride?
Love the bells and clippity clop...

Lots of super cute shops - Holly got her shoe vice.

There are a couple of windmills that add a lot of charm...

The old town has a lot of really beautiful buildings. When the Danish come to America - they love to visit their Sister City...

Someone played a trick on The Little Mermaid Fountain and filled it with Bubble Bath!

7-22-2011 Friday - SB Fun!

2011-10-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

All the things we plan to do in SB...
Most of them we didn't get done...

We loved old town on State Street...

We found a great Thai Restaurant - the BEST egg rolls ever!!!

Aubrey came up by train with Jeff and Noel for the weekend...

7-21-2011 Thursday - The Pups Must Be Warshed...

2011-10-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Very dirty pups don't like bath time...

But two cute little kids love to give 'em to them...

Big Sis, Holly, feels sorry for them...

After their blow out Sasha must get her ears cut - just too scraggly! Oops, I got one a little too short. Holly to the rescue to even them out. Well, if she doesn't end up an Opera Singer, she can always be a dog groomer! Ha Ha!

They always sulk after their baths...
Poor babies...

7-20-2011 Wednesday - Skateboard Camp

2011-10-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

Luke went to Powell Skateboards and picked up one of the Golden Dragons - his choice of color? Purple! These are the best Skateboards and they are built right here in SB!

This is where Luke hung out any free time he had in SB.

Grams came to visit us for the day. She watched him board a little...

Then we went to Andersen's Cafe - a cute little place on State Street. But they are all cute little places here!

7-16-2011 Saturday - Harry Potter 7 - Part 2

2011-07-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Yummy Mexican food for dinner!!!
Steak nachos are the best!!!

We walked across the street to see Harry!!!
We had bought tickets earlier that day...

The end we've been waiting for...

And here's the line we've been waiting in!!!
But it was sooooo worth it!!!
Please write the continuing story JK Rowling???

7-16-2011 Saturday - Boarding & Butterfly Beach...

2011-07-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

Luke has been getting into the skateboarding park that's right next to the beach this summer.

He's hoping to go to skateboarding camp - hopefully we can add that in at some point!

Later that afternoon, we went to Butterfly Beach which is just in front of the beautiful Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel! It was voted the prettiest beach on the California coast!

7-16-2011 Saturday - Fishing On Stearn's Wharf!

2011-07-17T19:12:00.001-07:00

Holly was so into the fishing thing!

Noel wore a fishtail braid in honor of the morning!

We fished at the end of Stearn's Wharf.

Luke caught several mackerel!

Shera caught a bunch of mackerel too!

This wartime vet next to us ate the fish as he caught them!!!

7-15-2011 Friday - Biking!!!

2011-07-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

How cute she is! Holly hasn't been on a bike in about five years!

Luke is a daredevil on bikes!

Shera got a cute yellow beach cruiser with little white daisies!

Jeff and Shera are on the bumpy wharf!

7-14-2011 Thursday - Sushi & The Train Comes!

2011-07-17T18:39:00.001-07:00

We found this cute little Sushi restaurant after the museum called Shitori Sushi.

Holly and I had been craving it!

They provided permanent markers to write on the paper lanterns which we all signed. It was kind of fun!

Later that evening about 9:30pm Jeff and Noel came in from Mission Viejo. They had been gone since Sunday night for work and cheer practice. The kids greeted them so cute with the puppies too!

7-14-2011 Thursday - The SB Natural History Museum

2011-07-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

In front of the Natural History Museum is the skeleton of a Blue Whale.

We saw two shows in the Planetarium.

The Pygmy Mammoth found on the Channel Islands.

The Butterfly Exhibit was the best part!

Here's one on Shera's nose!

This blue one landed on Luke's head!

He liked me!

Here's Holly taking lots of photos!

7-13-2011 Wednesday - Ty Warner Sea Center & a Fish Lunch

2011-07-17T17:47:00.001-07:00

We ate lunch on the pier at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company.

Steamed Crab, Clam Chowder and Crab Sandwich oh my!!!

We went to the Ty Warner Sea Center afterward to visit the sea animals. The kids got to pet the sharks.

Sharks sacs hold live baby sharks.

Look at these jellyfish!

How many animals can you see?

The hands on area with slugs, sea cucumbers, snails and starfish...

Luke's so wet from the touch pools and now cold eating ice cream!

7-11-2011 Monday - The Santa Barbara Mission

2011-07-17T16:03:00.001-07:00

We visited the Santa Barbara Mission. It is called the Queen of the Missions because of its graceful beauty.

There is a beautiful rose garden in front of the mission.

Father Junipero Serra was in charge of the California missions. Santa Barbara was the tenth mission and was established in 1786.

Breanne and Holly were padres in this photo op!

The Sacred Garden...

The cemetery has about 4,000 Chumash Indians and Spanish Padres are buried here.

One of the most famous is Juana Maria, the Chumash Indian who was left alone on San Nicolas Island for 18 years. The book, Island of The Blue Dolphins, was written about her life.

The fountain was built in 1808.

The aqueduct came two miles up from the mountain creeks.

The Chumash Indians built this basin in front of the mission to wash their clothes.

7-11-2011 Monday - SB Days!

2011-07-17T15:24:00.001-07:00

Sunday night Holly made Whoopie Pies from my new recipe book!

Shera & Luke tried to dig to China one day!

Baby Sasha!

This is our ward building for the month of July.

Holly's school roommate from Spring, Breanne, came to visit for three days. They made gluten-free pizza and had a little food fight too!

7-9-2011 Saturday - Good Eats, Surreys, and Sea!

2011-07-17T14:49:00.001-07:00

We got up early in the morning and went to the tide pools in Carpinteria.

It was right near the oil rigs and the beach had a lot of tar which was a bummer! Jeff cleaned all of our feet afterward!

We ate at Los Agaves for lunch today - it was all delicious but the nachos were especially amazing!

This "Hippie Van" has been at the beach everyday!

We rented a surrey at the beach. There is a bike path that goes a few miles along the beach and harbor. It was a perfect day - sunny and clear!

The pups came too!

After the ride, we walked under the pier.

The kids splashed in the water and were soaking wet by the time we left!

We got locked out of the condo - but Luke was our hero and came to the rescue!

7-8-2011 Friday - The Santa Barbara Zoo!

2011-07-14T10:04:00.001-07:00

The Santa Barbara Zoo was great! There are great views because you can get really close to the animals there!

Luke fed the giraffes!

Shera fed the giraffes!

Noel fed the giraffes!

We also joked about the ROUS's (Princess Bride). They are actually called Cabybaras and are the largest living rodents in the world!

7-6-2011 Wednesday - A Visit To Solvang!

2011-07-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

We visited the village of Solvang one day. It's only about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara. It is a cute little Danish village that has a Scandinavia feel all over it.

There is a Hans Christian Anderson Museum. He is known as "The Father of Fairy Tales". He wrote: The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, Thumbelina, and The Little Match Girl to name a few.

We saw some beautiful antiques including this 1886 Uncle Sam cast iron bank! It was in excellent condition as were several others!

The whole village was so cute - look at these murals on the side of this little shop.

We ate amazing aebleskivers.

We took photos in this cute giant wooden clog!

There were so many bakeries. This one makes all the Gingerbread Houses for the show - Live With Regis and Kelly.

7-4-2011 Monday - Fun 4th Festivities!!!

2011-07-11T20:11:00.001-07:00

Off to the festivities!

Look at these drinks!

Onto Stearns Warf!

People were fishing and Crabbing off the pier!

This old pirate blasted this century old cannon while the whole crowd watched!

Ice cream is our friend!

The beach was full - far to the left was the roped off fireworks area!

The fireworks were amazing as we enjoyed them off the pier!

7-4-2011 Monday - The Santa Barbara 4th of July Parade!

2011-07-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara had an amazing 4th of July parade!

The theme of the parade was "The Spirit of '76"!

There were many cars decorated with red, white, and blue.

There were so many cars from the Santa Barbara Corvette Club - probably 30 at least!

The Statue of Liberty was a sight to behold!

7-4-2011 Monday - Happy Birthday To Me!!!

2011-07-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Celebrating my birthday in Santa Barbara was so much fun with my family. I missed not being with Drew and my mom though. It's weird for me to be in nearly all of these photos, but that's what happens when I'm not behind the camera I guess!

Jeff got me the sunglasses and the girls got me the Whoopie Pies book!

Luke & Shera got me this fun gift!

It's a cotton candy machine!

Now who did they get that for again??? Ha ha!

We had chocolate angel food cake with strawberries and cool whip! Yummo!!!

7-1-2011 Friday - El Presidio

2011-07-10T16:22:00.001-07:00

We visited the Santa Barbara Presidio. This was a military base of New Spain that protected the Santa Barbara Mission and settlers. It also provided a seat in government. The Presidio was built in a quadrangle.

The buildings were made of sun-dried adobe bricks and then white-washed. Luke is here next to some adobe bricks that are drying out to renovate the buildings.

This part of the Presidio is the second oldest building in California.

These are two of the cannons that protected the Presidio.

The chapel in the Presidio was the first in Santa Barbara. They had just refurbished and newly painted it.

Here was the large kitchen with a wood burning Horno.

These are artifacts from excavations done by local university students.

Holly and I are Spaniards now!

7-2-2011 Saturday - Fun Things in Santa Barbara

2011-07-09T18:16:00.001-07:00

Santa Barbara is such a fun town to visit! There is so much to do!

The architecture is beautiful!

The restaurants are delicious! We loved eating Thai Food!

The shopping is terrific - look at Luke's new shoes!

The weather is gorgeous - the beach was so much fun!

Body Surfing...

The kids had a fun time with Jeff doing Leggoes.
This is before...

This is after...

6-30-2011 Thursday - Noel's Girl's Camp

2011-07-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

Noel had our church's Ward Girl's Camp up in Santa Barbara this week. They camped out at the beach, went kayaking, hiked, went to Solvang and went horseback riding.

Holly, Shera and I picked her up because we are all staying up in SB for the whole month of July! Holly was supposed to have jaw surgery on July 1st, but it got postponed for a couple of months. We rented a condo and she was going to spend a good amount of recovery time here, so now we get to have a good long vacation instead. Even though it sounds all great there is a bit of disappointment when you are geared up for a surgery that has been in the works for the last 5+ years! It's a long story that will come later...

6-25-2011 Saturday - Taking Louie To Dim Sum For The First Time

2011-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

We took Louie to our favorite Dim Sum restaurant, China Garden in Irvine, so he could try it for the first time! Needless to say, he was a little skeptical.

This is Holly's all time most favorite food ever - she was in heaven. Louie was starting to get the hang of using the chopsticks. He tried nearly everything we got! We stayed away from chicken feet and jellyfish and didn't do anything too weird.

Noel picked out the rainbow jello from the dessert cart. We also got coconut jello and bean curd sesame balls - our kids fave!

Yummo! Yummo!

Luke tried to take the rainbow jello all for himself!

6-23-2011 Thursday - Louie Goes To The Temple

2011-07-07T22:30:00.001-07:00

We went to the Newport Beach Temple with Louie on Thursday. It was such a wonderful experience! Drew flew down from BYU to be Louie's escort. Louie loved the temple and he can't wait to leave for his mission on October 12th!

6-21-2011 Tuesday - Our 25th Year Anniversary!

2011-07-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

We went to La Jolla for our 25th year anniversary and stayed at the La Valencia Hotel.

I loved these beautiful flowers in the lobby of our hotel.

This seagull had 3 little chicks right next to our balcony. It felt like we were in Hawaii during our trip because of the birds cawing all day and night. Jeff hated it, but I loved it!

This is the beautiful La Jolla coastline...

There were Harbor Seals galore!!!

Dinner was wonderful on the evening of our 25th anniversary.

Here's to another 25 years!

6-19-2011 Sunday - Happy Father's Day!

2011-07-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

It's Daddy's Day!

For dinner, the kids barbecued cheeseburgers, made guacamole, and cut up watermelon.

Funny face Lukey!

Pretty packages!

Then we had a chocolate bundt cake for dessert!
Happy Father's Day!!!

6-18-2011 Saturday - Shera and Dad At The Frog Pond

2011-07-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Shera had a fun Achievement Day activity hiking to the frog pond in the hills by our house.

The cactus were blooming pink and yellow flowers!

The view from here is beautiful!

Oh boy, finally at the frog pond!

Once they got there the girls started catching all these frogs!

There were so many frogs, you could hardly walk without stepping on them!

Shera caught a bunch of frogs!

The girls waded into the pond.

But Shera went in the farthest!

6-17-2011 Friday - Jeff is 47 Today!!!

2011-07-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

He finally can't fool the kids that he's 22 1/2 anymore!

In years to come at Jeff's funeral, we will have a huge collage of all his funny faces to show what a goof off he is every time we take photos!

All the King's Children...

I've renamed the "Tom Selleck" Cake or the "B-----T----S--" Cake to the "Jeff Starr" Cake!

Happy Birthday Honey Bunny!!!

6-16-2011 Thursday - Projects, Projects and More Projects!

2011-07-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Shera's state project this year was a huge term paper on her first choice the state of Utah. She got to pick first because she had the best citizenship record! Part of her project was building a shoebox float that represented different aspects of Utah. The top of the float shows the Salt Lake Temple, The Great Salt Lake (made with real salt), and the biggest college rivals - BYU vs. University of Utah.

She showed the Wasatch Mountain Range and the Rainbow Bridge - the world's largest natural bridge.

Utah's nickname is "The Beehive State".

Locusts came and devoured the pioneer's fields, but the seagulls flew in to save the day and ate them all and protected the crops! If you look carefully you can see Shera's seagulls flying with wire and swooping down to get the locusts. The seagull is Utah's state bird even though they are not near any ocean!

She found lots of stuff on the internet, printed and cut them out, labeled things, used stickers, wire and glue. It came out pretty darned cute!

Noel's crazy projects - This is Geometry! She had to build a Dodecahedron and decorate it!

Don't even ask how many hours this one took!

I'm glad I took pics of the finished project because the teacher wanted to keep it as an example for next year! I have learned my lesson - everything Noel does is over the top. She already lost two other projects earlier to teachers - a French family tree poster and food poster, and a power point presentation for Biology! So I am trying to remember to take the pics before she goes because she hasn't brought them back!

This was a Biology project on her favorite animal, a Sugar Glider (look it up). The teacher kept this one for an example too!

6-14-2011 Tuesday - Luke's Patriotic Day & Shera's Revolutionary Day!

2011-07-07T08:53:00.001-07:00

Can you see Luke amongst all the kiddos? I love these special events that the classes get to perform in at school. They are all so cute! But I don't love the crowds of parents, the heat, the bad view and poor lighting! It's so hard to get any good photos - there's always a head or a flag right in front of your kid's face it seems! (Okay - complaints are over)

Luke waves his flag proudly!

He got to be in the rapper group and wear sunglasses!

Shera also had her Revolutionary Day, but I sat in the wrong spot and couldn't get any photographs! But she was really cute though and had a lot of fun!

6-12-2011 Saturday - I Am The Warrior Explorer!

2011-07-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

"I am the Warrior Explorer!"

"Off to trek the deepest darkest parts of the jungle!"

"I traverse the wild and winding vines among the trees!"

"Oh no! I'm falling off a 500 foot cliff!"

"Saved by the underbrush!"

"I claim this 'The Land of Lukester' and I rule!"

"And I will protect it until the day I die!"
(I think he may have a shot in the theatre!)

6-11-2011 Saturday - Pep Squad Rummage Sale

2011-07-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

It was time for the annual rummage sale all the pep squad is required to participate in - and for us that means a family event!Luke is hiding out!

The pups brought in the crowds.

This family made breakfast burritos to sell - yummo!

We sold most of our two tables and tarp full of stuff - and it helped out a lot with Noel's song leader fees - Woohoo!!!

6-10-2011 Friday - Louie Is Called On A Mission!

2011-07-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

It arrived Friday afternoon!

Friends gathered at our house at 11:00pm!

Drew and Holly watched on Skype!

The place - HONDURAS COMAYAGUELA MISSION!!!

Chocolate Cake was the celebration dessert!

Best Buds Sandy & Louie were so happy together!
Congratulations Elder Louie!!!

6-6-2011 Monday - Forks Over Knives

2011-07-05T21:24:00.001-07:00

Our family night with the Hrabik family was going to Irvine and seeing this movie about the negatives of eating meat. The movie had some very interesting points for us to consider. We are just trying to promote some healthy eating with the kids these days.

After the show, we ate at a vegan restaurant next door called The Veggie Grill.

The kids loved their "chicken nuggets" and the "mac & cheese" was not bad either. I'm not too sure how much the guys liked it - but they did play along anyway!!!

6-6-2011 Monday - Luke's Before and After...

2011-07-05T21:18:00.001-07:00

Before...

After...

Need I say more???

6-4-2011 Saturday - Poisoned Kitties...

2011-07-05T21:02:00.001-07:00

Well, we're just getting the hang of having two new little kitties. They have their claws still and live in the garage and outside in our yard. The only problem is we still had some rat poison up on our back balcony. And the kitties found a dead rat in the front yard bushes, pulled it into the garage and started eating it! Gross huh? Then Shera came into the garage and saw Soot and Ash eating the rat and the blue poison inside of its stomach. Long story short - we took them to the vet immediately and they were fine. They just needed to take Vitamin K for the next three weeks morning and night. We smashed it into a spoonful of canned kittie food - they loved taking their medicine!

6-3-2011 Friday - The Emporer's New Clothes

2011-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

We saw The Emporer's New Clothes at the South Coast Reperatory Children's Theater. They have a wonderful program for children and we used to have season tickets years ago when the kids were younger. Andrea and Lucas came with us - he was mesmerized as a four year old too! After the show all the performers come out and greet the children, take photos with them and sign autographs. This is the Emporer with Shera and Luke. We need to do this more often - who wants to join us?

5-28-2011 Saturday - Memorial Weekend At The River!

2011-07-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Memorial Weekend at the river doesn't get much better than this! We played with the Hrabiks this weekend. Michael took this little ride with Luke and Shera...
Going...

Going...

Gone!!!

Poor Jeff had to do a little school work out there too. Yes, he's gone back to get CBO (Chief Business Officer) Certified. One year of online classes and monthly weekend meetings in Sacramento for the next year.

5-24-2011 Tuesday - The Happiest Place On Earth with Sloane & Henry!

2011-07-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hooray! We're here!

Let's get wet right off the bat 2x in a row!!! (Good thing it was a hot day!)

On the way to California Screamin' - Henry's first time!

Sloane, Henry, Luke, and Shera all survived the Tower of Terror!

The Matterhorn is one of our faves!!!

We stayed until the park closed and we stopped on Main Street to pick up a last little midnight snack! Yummo!!!

Wiped out on the tram ride to the car!
Mission Accomplished!!!

5-21-2011 Saturday - "I Can't Be Tamed"

2011-07-04T11:06:00.001-07:00

Noel, Carissa, Aubry, Krista, Shera and Luke all made a video Saturday night on the song, "I Can't Be Tamed". They had a ton of fun dressing and doing hair and makeup for it.

They video taped all over the house. I haven't seen it yet - it should be pretty cool though! It was almost impossible to get that makeup off of Shera and to look normal again for church the next day!

Scary!*@#$*!

5-20-2011 Friday - Shera Turns 11 Years Old!!!

2011-07-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Shera wanted to go to Ruby's Diner for her bday dinner. Drew was here too so that was fun!!!

The balloon lady came by and made animals for the kids!

Afterward, we jotted over to Build a Bear where Shera got her new little lamb!

Ready to open presents!

Guess what this is???

Shera got what she wanted most - her own cell phone.

The most awesome 11 year old birthday cake ever!!!

Happy Birthday Shera - you cute little birthday girl!!!

5-17-2011 Tuesday - Disneyland with Lucas & Andrea!

2011-07-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Shera and Luke were invited to go to Disneyland for Lucas' 4th birthday! They were so excited to take a day off of school and celebrate with him - who wouldn't? Lucas is like a little bro to them!

They waited in line forever for the new Toy Story ride! And from what they said it was well worth it!

They went on several other rides too - but the other big one was California Screamin'. It was Lucas' first time on it - and he loved it!
Happy 4th Bday Lucas!!!

5-15-2011 Saturday - Noel's "Beauty And The Beast"

2011-07-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Noel had the opportunity to be in the musical, Beauty and The Beast. She was so excited to be one of the few freshman that got a part. It is very hard to get into MVHS musicals - especially for the girls. There is just so much competition! But Noel got into the ensemble and was one of the principle dancers - she was an enchanted napkin! In layman's terms that means she was a key dancer and got to do the can can and the splits and wear the cute ruffled dresses with 5 other girls!
Drew and Holly came down from BYU to see her perform - it was such a nice surprise for her!

Kjersten and Kennidy Johnson came to watch!

So did musical fan Zach and Sandy come too!

And some of the Starr's biggest fans, the O'Bryants, came to support her along with several other friends and family.

The director's husband, Jim Harris, is a big fan of Noel. Here he is talking to her about how great her stage presence is and that she stood out among the other actors!
Way to go Noel!!!

5-9-2011 Monday - Lukey Turns 9 Years Old!!!

2011-07-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Happy 9th Birthday Lukey Pookey!!!

Harry Potter Leggos alright!!!

Guess what Luke got?!?!

Noel was dared to hold little "Dedly" - she barely got through it!!!

Lukey's Sports Cake! His three favorites are Basketball, Football, and Baseball!

Yummy! Lucas loved the cake too!

"I Love My Tarantula"!

5-8-2011 Sunday - Happy Mother's Day

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

Mother's Day is always a special day - I loved the hamburgers I got for dinner!

I love my baby Lukey!!!

My new camera!!! Yay!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

5-6-2011 Friday - Shera Sings "The Star Spangled Banner"

2011-07-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

Shera was asked to sing for the Saddleback School District's Teacher of the Year Banquet. She sang "The Star Spangled Banner" in front of about 500 teachers and administrators. Our friend, Bob Breton, helped her practice and accompany her. She did a great job!

5-6-2011 Friday - Michelle Moody's Wedding

2011-07-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

One of Shera and Luke's favorite people, Michelle, got married today at the Newport Beach Temple. She babysat all of our kids for years and she was Jeff's ASB student at MVHS. Brett is a lucky guy!!! Best wishes Michelle!!! We love you!!!

5-5-2011 Thursday - Luke and The Pinewood Derby

2011-05-24T06:57:00.001-07:00

Luke and his dad went to his first Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. They had so much fun!

Luke and Jeff painted his car a metallic green - it was awesome!

A look at some of the cool cars...

Luke didn't come in first place with speed - (he was 6th) - but he's No. 1 in his friends' book!
Ha Ha!

5-5-2011 Thursday - Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

Que Bueno!

4-27-2011 Friday - Robinson Elementary Pajama Breakfast!!!

2011-05-10T07:12:00.001-07:00

Jumpin' For Joy!!!

4-24-2011 Sunday - A Bird's Nest

2011-05-10T06:52:00.001-07:00

The very cute story of new mama and papa sparrows who couldn't quite make a nest...
They kept putting twigs and such in our light, but they would fall through the big open spaces. So I place a corner of a cardboard box in the light fixture and tossed all the fallen nesting onto it.
A few days later, I checked on it and this is what I found!

Here, Drew and Luke are looking at the nest on Easter Sunday.

Two eggs hatched, but the other one never did. The mama and papa birds did a great job caring for her two little ones. They flew away two weeks after this photo was taken - boy that is fast!

4-24-2011 Sunday - Our Easter Sunday

2011-05-01T18:05:00.001-07:00

Wake up Holly!

Wake up Noel!

The Easter Bunnies have come!

It's time for cinnamon rolls, honeydew, and turkey sausages!

Let's look for candy-filled eggs in the backyard!

And hard-boiled eggs inside!

The Easter Bunny has filled our baskets with chocolate candy, Peeps, jelly beans and other goodies! We need to go look for them!

Grams gets to come over to visit us!

She is bringing fun presents like bird nest soaps!

We get to have ham, broccolini, baked beans, green salad with homemade bleu cheese dressing and rolls.

And what's for dessert? Mini Angel Food Cakes with fresh strawberries and cream!
Happy Easter!!!

5-23-2011 Saturday - Our New Kitties???

2011-05-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it???
We got two new kitties the day before Easter!!!
They are our Easter kitties!!!
We are still working on names but so far this is what we've got...

The gray one is Soot.

And the black one is Ash.
The colors and names should be switched - but this is what they like!

They are outside kitties (in the garage mostly) as Drew and I are allergic to them. And the dogs really want to - shall I say - PLAY with them? So we keep them separated! Ha! Ha!

Even Jeff is taking a liking to the kitties, which I never thought he would. But how can you not like such a cute little thing???

They get a little mischievous but not into too much trouble...

And they climb onto nearly everything! Yesterday, I came into the garage and they had fallen asleep in my bicycle basket! How adorable is that!?!?

4-23-2011 Saturday - To "Dye For" Eggs!

2011-05-01T17:05:00.001-07:00

We boiled 60 eggs this year so we'd be able to have lots of fun coloring them with the kids. It was great having Drew and Holly back for Easter this weekend too!

Jeff got into it also. He wrote each of the kids names on an egg and dyed it. On the right side of this photo, you can see our Easter Egg Tree.

I bought several hollowed out eggs when we were in Salzburg, Austria where they cut designs into them and paint them so beautifully. I bought some cherry tree branches from Michael's Crafts, put them in a spring green colored vase and then hung the Austrian eggs with ribbon all over the branches! It was my favorite decoration this year!

Shera (always in her pajamas) had great fun and even "borrowed" some of my eggs to color too!

Noel made a watermelon egg!

Some of our finished product on Easter Sunday (after the deviled eggs).

4-23-2011 Saturday - Talia Gets Sealed!

2011-05-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we witnessed Brad and Roberta's newly adopted daughter, Talia, get sealed to her new family in the San Diego Temple.

Their family has been waiting for this for 2 years and finally are now blessed with a sweet little daughter and sister!

My precious little niece ~ Talia Starr ***

4-22-2011 Friday - Drew's BYU Apartment - Oh Man!!!

2011-04-28T18:44:00.001-07:00

Or shall I say - 6 Men!!!
Or 6 college aged guys sharing 3 bedrooms!!!
Yes Drew - I know you are gonna kill me for posting this (I have a half a dozen photos with his hands trying to cover it) but this is your life and we want to share your wonderful life with all of our loved ones...

Question: How did Drew study at a desk like this?
Answer: The library or front room.

Question: How did Drew get into his bed?
Answer: By jumping up into it every night or sleeping in the front room.

Question: How did Drew cook & eat in a kitchen like this?
Answer: Push everything aside to cook and eat in the front room.

I don't have a photo of it - but take my word for it...
The front room is full of 2 sofas, a coffee table, 4 guitars, a keyboard, boxes of music, a GIANT tv and piles of XBox games!!!

PS. Drew has to move to the apartment one floor below him the day he gets back from Easter weekend!

Ah... Don't you wish you were back in college?
NOT!!!
But I still really love you Drew Boo!!!

4-22-2011 Friday - Lindsey's Wedding!

2011-04-28T17:50:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I had the opportunity to go see my best friend, Barb Hehls' daughter's wedding at the Mount Timpanogos Temple in Utah! Lindsey and Logan were an adorable couple!

Coming out through the temple doors...

Barb and her younger daughter, Alyssa, celebrating...

Steve says, "One down, one to go!"

I'm so happy for you!!!

Their beautiful family...

Lindsey is a very happy bride and Logan is a very lucky groom!!!
Best wishes and congrats!!!

4-16-2011 Saturday - Spring Break at the River!

2011-04-28T14:20:00.001-07:00

Can you see these 2 pups smiling? They are so happy to be at the river!

It was hot there but not too hot - about 98 degrees. The dogs loved to go in the water to cool down - that was a little bit on the cooler side!

But it wasn't too cool to go tubing, wake boarding or knee boarding!

Noel brought Aubry and of course, they were excited to get a few rays...

Jeff drove the boat the whole time since Drew wasn't there. I guess it's time I learn how...

We drove up to Lake Havasu and had Mexican food for lunch one day. The kids got go on the real London Bridge that was shipped here from England. They sang the song - Luke got away from getting "locked up" in this photo!

They have a new Zip Line ride there and the kids rode it a few times. Noel and Aubry held hands all the way down this time!

On the way back to the river house, we stopped at the Parker Dam. It is an awesome thing to see. Right next to it is the electrical plant and all the water gets churned up into white water!
Until again river!!!

4-12-2011 Tuesday - Luke's Yellow Belt Test!

2011-04-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Luke had his Yellow Belt test today and got it with flying colors! They have to work pretty hard to get it.

Look at the intensity in his face here!

At the end he meditated and his instructor placed his Yellow Belt in front of him. Luke opened his eyes and was so excited! Then they had him wipe his brow with the new belt so all his hard work to get it will stay there. You NEVER wash your belts!

A proud kid right here!
His long scab on his nose is from face planting on the trampoline while doing a flip!

4-11-2011 Monday - Takin' A Break... At The Big "D"

2011-04-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

"The Big D" is our code name for Disneyland Resort. And yes, I took Shera and Luke out of school again for a special day - just us three! We played a little game with Jeff, Drew, Holly and Noel while we were there. I would text a photo of each place we went and they would have to guess where we were. The backgrounds helped out a lot! They did pretty well too!

So, let's see how well you can do...#1

#6

#7

#10

#11

Here's the Answer Key:
1. Matterhorn Bobsleds
2. Tarzan's Tree House
3. Indiana Jones'
4. Winnie The Pooh Ride
5. Harbour Galley (Soup Bowls on the Waterfront)
6. The Bear Ride
7. California Screamin'
8. San Fransisco Victorian Homes
9. Tower of Terror
10. Disney Animation
11. Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

How many did you get right?

4-8-2011 Friday - Colonial Days at Robinson!

2011-04-21T08:28:00.001-07:00

Shera had her 5th Grade Colonial Days this Friday. She dressed up as a little girl would at that time. Shera got to perform her dance with 2 different boy partners. That was a big deal for the kids because they didn't get to choose who they danced with - they got assigned. But Shera was with pretty good dancers - so she was happy.

4-2-2011 Saturday - General Conference At The River

2011-04-14T12:35:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again where we have the Church leaders teach us with four 2 hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday. We are lucky enough to be able to watch on our tv - so we head to the river and see it in the comfort of our little trailer! It's a great time for naps and a little fun too!
We ride off road...

We walk along the shoreline and the dogs wade in and get all muddy. It's too cold for us still - so they are the only ones who get the after bath!

All clean and ready to ride again!
Yes - Sasha really does smile like that a lot too!