Ducky Shower...

We had a baby shower for Jeannie and her baby Sawyer a week or so ago. It was a "duck" theme and we had a great time. She got lots of fun stuff and cute boy outfits for the little guy. It was a fun party and a great excuse to get together for some good food and good company.

Words to the song...

I mentioned the song my Uncle Todd and Aunt Jill sang and I guess it's been running through my mom's head too, because she emailed me the lyrics today. I just thought I would post them so I can look back and read them and for any of you that might have known my Grandpa...you will understand why the words touched us so much.

Homeward Bound

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red.
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming,
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure’s lost its meaning,
I’ll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

If you find it’s me you're missing, if you’re hoping I’ll return.
To your thoughts I’ll soon be list’ning, and in the road I’ll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end.
And the path I’ll be retracing when I’m homeward bound again.

Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing,
I’ll be homeward bound again.

-Music and Lyrics by Marta Keen

Celebrating Life...

We had such a wonderful experience at my Grandpa's funeral. The whole weekend was emotional, yes, and sad to say goodbye. But what a spiritual and sweet time we had together as a family celebrating the life of such a remarkable man. We had a sourdough pancake party (Grandpa's specialty)at Vance and Char's house after the viewing on Sunday. It was nice to see cousins that I hadn't seen in a long time. The funeral program was just beautiful...all the grandkids sang and brothers spoke and the sisters did the life sketch. Todd and Jill sang the most beautiful song, it's still running through my head. My dad dedicated the gravesite and even though it was 2 below zero and snowing, it was a beautiful spot to lay our beloved grandpa. I was so impressed with the strength of my mom and my grandma. I also was so touched by the love and support of friends and family. I feel so blessed to be part of such a special family, I felt love from cousins and aunts and uncles like I have never felt before. I think we all walked away from the services with a renewed determination to "stay on the path" as Grandpa always urged us to do, even in his last moments on this earth.

Tribute to Grandpa! We will miss you!

Tag from Tay Tay

I do this only because it's you Tay. Normally, I ignore these little games ;)

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Attending the infamous Timpview High School...
2. Working as a billing secretary, occasionally.
3. Not so faithfully waiting for a missionary!
4. Taking the ACT/SAT/AP exams...thanks to my Dad.
5. Cruising movies 8 in a mini van with the girls.

5 things on my "to do" list for today:
1. Laundry...isn't that crappy?
2. Pull out the good old maternity clothes, can't so much do up my pants.
3. Help Sydney dress up as Tink.
4. Ask Sydney 1000 times if she needs to go pee.
5. Return some goods to Nordstrom.

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. cherry pie
2. guacomole
3. fruit
4. rice dessert
5. Diet coke with a lime...oh, I long to be not pregnant!

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Travel
2. Buy a big old house for my mom.
3. Buy an Audi Q7
4. Buy Mike a new wardrobe (which is something I hear him say he needs on a daily basis...fyi: he really doesn't)
5. Build a home on a bunch of land somewhere beautiful

5 bad habits:
1. Buying things I don't necessarily NEED
2. Not keeping a budget
3. Over plucking my eyebrows
4. Keeping junk that I don't so much need.
5. Watching tv late at night (gotta love TIVO)

5 of my favorite toys:
1. My new camera!!!
2. My pink beach cruiser
3. My new panini press, thanks Amy!
4. My laptop
5. guess I am boring, can't think of 5 :)

I tag anyone who wants to!

Merry Christmas 2007

Two prego sisters! And the best part? Both babies are little GIRLS! We are thrilled...Can't wait til May & June!
We celebrated New Years Eve at Kate & Andy's house. We did fondu and exchanged gifts and had a great time!
Mack and Payton making their way back up the hill. Where's Uncle Matt with the snowmobile?
Even Sydney Kate bombed the hill! She could hardly move in that snowsuit...
The kids (and dads) had such a fun time "bombing the hill" and snowmobiling at the cabin in Driggs. Thanks to Amy & Jared for such a wonderful time there. Mike and Payt were all bundled up...it was freezing!
Payton and his Optimus Prime Helmet...which was the only thing he asked Santa for this year. You can tell by the look on his face that he loves it! He also got a bunch of cars and a skitter!
Christmas Morning! Sydney got a new table and chairs, tea set and snow white doll (and a whole lot of other stuff!)

update...

Not much of an update, but I thought I should post something or you might all think we dropped off the earth ;) We are well and home from a fun trip to Idaho/Utah (I'll post those pics later). I just have to document the newest member of our family: TINK! Sydney seems to have forgotten who she is, because she is in this get up most of the day! We think she is so funny and once again, Aunt Amy wins the prize for the perfect gift...she gave Sydney a whole bunch of princess dress ups! Hope all your holidays were wonderful. Oh, and JENNA, I resolve to be a better blogger!

Be good for goodness sake...

Well, you'll have to turn sideways to see this and it's a little dark, but I just had to post it. I tried to get Sydney to perform again, but none of them were this cute, so kink your necks and enjoy our little singer! Oh...and Merry Christmas!

December happenings...

It's December and there's been many big events going on around here. Starting with December 3rd, Payton's 5th birthday. He had a "family" party on his birthday and a "friend" party the next day at BOUNCE U, which turned out to be such a fun time! Next big thing...December 7th, Sydney had surgery. It has been a much anticipated event for our family and I am so glad to have it all over with. Sydney was such a brave little girl. I was so impressed with her, I definitely shed more tears than she did. Everything went perfectly and we are so glad she has recovered so quickly. She is a trooper. And finally, Payt's last soccer game! It poured rain, but they let them play anyways...so we had a bunch of soaked tigers. It was still a lot of fun and Payt scored the last goal of the season. We went out for pizza and Payton is definitely looking forward to his party this afternoon where he'll be getting his trophy. All in all, we are just so blessed to be healthy, happy and together. Hope you enjoy some pics of these big events in our lives. Now if we could just get our Christmas tree up :)
Payton and his coach!
Payton and his wet soccer mom!
in the waiting room...
She wasn't thrilled about the hospital gown!
what a good little patient.
Birthday boy and his lightning McQueen cake...
tons of fun presents, thank you friends!

Payton is brutally honest***Post from Mike***

Payton looked at me today and said,"Dad, Carmen moved to Mexico. I'm sad the house will never be clean anymore. I will miss her."

November...

It's been a whirlwind and I can't believe it's mid-November. Just thought I'd get that lovely pregnancy test off the top of this page...so here's a few pics of the last few weeks. We went to my cousin Amy's wedding in Utah. She married Clark and it was a wonderful day. Mike and I left the kids home so we got to spend some fun time with all my brothers & sisters and my parents. It was a nice trip, beautiful weather. It was great to see all my extended family, too. Now we are home and the weather is wonderful here, as well. I have been a working girl lately, but we did manage to get to the zoo the other day and the kids had a good time. My thoughts are with my brothers & sisters galavanting across Europe these next few weeks. Man, I'm jealous. But I'm sure they are glad NOT to have an extra pukey prego tagging along. Love to you all...hope you are well.

#3

Ok, so the real reason I suck at blogging lately...actually suck at most everything lately...yes, baby number 3 is on its way. No real preference boy or girl, we are just super happy and I am super anxious for this supposed first trimester to end. Needless to say, it's been a little rough, especially with the new job and everything. But I am surviving. A big shout out to my dear husband who is sooo patient and sooo helpful and without him I sure would be a sad, sick pregnant girl! Anyways, thought I would share the news with any of you that weren't in Utah this past weekend when the cat came out of the bag :)

Ooo...it's the night of Halloween!

WELL. I have heard from more than one source that I am a failure in the blogging department and it's true. But I have valid excuses...mostly just so busy. I started my new job and have been crazy busy with primary and of course, Halloween. I got to go see my sisters and brothers in LA. The highlights were pinkberry yogurt, WICKED, and seeing all the stars on "The Office". It was so awesome. You can check out my sister Jenna's blog for all the pics, though I don't know how to link her here, you can find her on my friends and family links. Anyways, Halloween was so much fun. Mike and I dressed up as Jim and Pam...and it was funny. I love Mike's attempts at "Jim's expressions". Payton was Chuck Lidell with a real life mohawk and Sydney was a beautiful Snow White. Danny and Jeannie made a hilarious Siegfried and his tiger. And Kristine took the cake with her ballerina outfit. Lots of fun, too much candy. This "candy fairy" (me) keeps filtering through their buckets and throwing it away (not the kit kats) so it's slowly but surely disappearing. Heading to Utah tomorrow for Amy Jill's wedding. I am excited to see all of my family. Hope your holiday was a fun one.

Disneyland

We "last minute" as always, went to Disneyland one last time. We met up with the Schilds and their family, which was so much fun! The kids had a great time together. And seriously, kudos to the Coopers who have the whole "fast pass" thing down to an art! We had a great time, kids LOVED it! Payton went on every ride! He loved Splash the most...though he got quite wet! Sydney even got to go on Matterhorn and she wasn't even scared! We got to see our friends Blake and Mikelle which is always a treat. Thanks for the hospitality, as always. And a windy day at the beach made for some great kite flying. It was a nice trip.

Big Stars...

Alright, well these kids are very good at lyrics or I need to get a new CD in my car! Out of the blue, they both start singing this song tonight, thought you might enjoy. Watch out Tim!

Pele Payton

This is the first time I've attempted to post on Sarah's blog. I don't mean to boast, but I've had a lot of requests for Payton's soccer footage. As the assitant coach I try not be too emotional or cheer too loud for my son. Payton I've learned,is a very competitive player. After three games(only 8 quarters) he has a total of 14 goals!! The parents on our team have nicknamed him "Pele Payton".
Hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

explanation.

Funny story about the last entry...the first picture I posted wasn't even my husband! It looked like him from the thumbnail size pic, but when I got it up, it was none other than Blake Bunker. I laughed for like a half hour, thought about just leaving it for fun, but then deleted it and put this one that Mike claimed was his "favorite pic of us". Turns out that the real reason he wanted to me to post it was because of the naked lady in the back ground. Forgive me!

Hubby Tag...

I guess when both of your sisters tag you...you should probably respond! Here goes:

My husband...

What is his name? Michael Gregory VanSteenkiste

How long have you been together? We've been married almost 7 years...dated a year before that. Wow!

How old is he? twenty-nine

Who eats more? Sadly, I do. He is a lightweight.

Who said I love you first? Sadly, me. On a blanket on the beach :)

Who is taller? He is a few inches taller.

Who sings better? Uh...I dare say me. But he is a very wonderful singer and guitar player. He is a talented guy.

Who is smarter? Depends on the topic. As far as grammar and the human body go...i win. But he starts talking internet marketing, real estate laws, and I check out. Sometimes it seriously seems like he speaks an entire language that I know nothing about!

Whose temper is worse? He whistles hyper loud when he's mad and the kids are being noisy. It hurts my ears so bad...I would say HE loses his temper more than I do.

Who does the laundry? Me. I would never trust him to wash or dry my clothes.

Who does the dishes? Me. Unless I beg or leave them in the sink for more than 2 days.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, always have.

Who pays the bills? Wells Fargo bill pay ;)

Who mows the lawn? the hired help ;)

Who cooks dinner? Mostly me...but he is king of the grill.

Who drives when you are together? He does, though he tries to convince me it's a woman's job too.

Who is more stubborn? I would say we are even.

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? Uh...probably Mike. Mostly because he is most often wrong :)

Whose parents do you see the most? Used to be his because they lived close by, but now it's probably a tie since they all live out of state.

Who kissed who first? Mike kissed me on the dock at Beaver Dick Park. Laugh if you will, but it's a true story.

Who asked who out? He invited me to go to the mall with him and out to Applebees. If you call that a date, then he did.

Who proposed? Mike

Who is more sensitive? Me. Need I remind you of my maiden name ? We are a sensitive bunch.


Who has more friends? Mike

Who has more siblings? I do...6 of us, 4 of them.

Who wears the pants in the family? He does. Though we try to be a team ;)

I am tagging: anyone who wants to!

back in the swing of things...

I am still here, fixed my blog (it may not be that cute, but at least you can read it!) and trying to get my house clean and my life back together! I've been pretty busy with primary and job interviews, blah blah...but hopefully we'll be back in the swing of things soon.

troubled template...

Is anyone having trouble seeing my blog? Since I changed my template, I have had a few complaints, so if you cannot read this blog, please email me at srammell@hotmail.com and let me know. I think it might just be you mac users :)

Maybe you should comment if all is well on your end. thanks.

he's a soccer player!

lots of news.

My husband tells me I "have lots to blog about" so here I am. I guess I do...
Payton started pre-school again at the Montessori Learning Center and I tell ya, I'm so glad! He was driving me crazy with all his neighborhood friends already in school. He goes with Rylee Schild and they have two new teachers. Can't believe our kids are almost 5. Another big first, Payton started soccer. He had a few practices and then Friday, his first game. Mike is the "assistant coach" so that's fun. He is a good coach when he gets off the phone :) jk, honey. And we've learned that Payton is a very fast runner and proud to say he scored 3 goals! Might I clarify: 2 for his own team and 1 for the other team! Isn't he thoughtful? It was hilarious! The final score was 2-1 and we got it all on video...I will try to post some highlights soon! Go Tigers! As you can see in the picture, Sydney is a big fan of her "best brother". You could hear her yelling "my best brother is winning!" throughtout the game. It was such a fun first game. Many more to come, I'm sure.
Another big thing going on is the ever wonderful Primary Program. It is this Sunday, so I'm just praying it pulls together. We practiced Sunday and it was actually ok, so I'm hopeful that it will all go smoothly. The kids are sweet, that's for sure.

Well, that's pretty much it! It's still dang hot around here, but we are looking forward to some cooler weather, sometime soon!
Alright, we send our best to you all.

Dama-Dama

Hope she's not mad, but I had to include this picture in tribute to our tough Grandma (Dama Dama) Joan. She is such a trooper! And our sweet boys Payton & Mack. They get so excited to see each other & are good buddies.

Idaho...isn't she lovely?

Yes, we just spent a week in Utah/Idaho with our family. And I just have to say that the weather was so nice! We had a fun time seeing all our fam...Andrew & Jenna flew in, Kate & Andy are home and all the brothers. We also got to go to Idaho and visit with the grandparents. We had a marshmallow roast at Todd & Jill's and had delicious fish & chips dinner at Aunt Nae's and saw baby June. She is such a sweet little thing. On Labor Day we went to the "Homestead" out on the dry farms and grandpa Rammell told us stories and showed us where the original home was. I enjoyed being with all those people. We also got to visit grandpa Moulton at the hospital while he was getting his chemotherapy. We had a few political disputes during the republican debate...but all in all, he is looking and feeling pretty good :) We went to the Chappell cabin and rode horses and went fishing. The kids have a ball together and they will have lots of good memories there. Poor Dama-Dama got bucked off the new horse and really bruised her up a bit...and to top it off she landed in a pile of horse poop! Mack said "Dama Dama fell off the horse. That was my favorite part!" and Sydney is asking me all the time to see the picture...and Payton said he couldn't watch, he just closed his eyes! Sweet kids. They got to go to Bear World with Dama Dama and then out to lunch with Pop. They came home with matching bear shirts and stuffed animals courtesy of Snake River RV Park. They were so cute. On the way back to Utah we went to the Blackfoot fair and ate lots of goods. And the kids got to go on all the rides, which they loved. I am very glad to be home, but it was a nice trip with nice people.