Birthday and Christmas

Emma's 9th birthday

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Making Cookies for Santa

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Megan's cool MP3 player
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Emma and Logan playing their DS games
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Trevor's Paintball gun
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A week ago today was Emma's 9th birthday. She lucked out and only had a half day of school and then we went to Pojo's (similar to Chuck E Cheese) and ate pizza, rode bumper cars, played games etc..

Christmas came and went in a blur. We did our kinda new tradition of Cheese, Apples, Sausage, Chicken spread and crackers for Christmas Eve. Then we hid the pickle ornament in the tree and Emma found it so she got to be first to open her one gift of pajamas on Christmas Eve. After everyone was all changed into their new P.J.'s we read The Night Before Christmas and The Christmas Story from the scriptures. Then we set out the cookies for Santa and checked to see where Santa was one last time on the NORAD Santa Tracker website and then headed to bed.

Christmas morning was loads of fun! Everyone played and played for hours. My favorite gift was from Megan. She was pretty sneaky this year. My Grandma had a cookie jar that everyone loves and I happened to find one very similar to it at a local gift shop. It was way too expensive though so I just hoped someday it might go on sale. I stopped in a couple weeks later to pick up a gift and was so disappointed to see it was gone. The saleslady was so sweet and took down my name and said she would look for another one. Well Christmas morning when I opened my gift from Megan, It was the cookie jar. She'd saved her babysitting money and got it for me. I think we'll keep her.

We had our traditional Prime Rib roast for Dinner and then collapsed, stuffed to the brim and watched movies for the rest of the night. What a day!

Christmas Letter

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Merry Christmas!

Thanks for taking the time to see what we've been up to. We were kinda lazy with our Christmas letter, but we've pretty much got all the info from the past year here in our blog. But just to recap .

Trevor is still playing the Trombone and has his learners permit. We are in no rush to get him his license, especially since at this moment the roads are sheets of ice. He has grown so much this past year. He's pretty much taller than his Mom and still growing.

Megan is our hard working, highly motivated, obsessed with The Twilight books and Movie teenager. She is on the Junior National Honor Society and gets straight A's and A+'s. She is always booked for babysitting jobs on the weekends. She does a great job at it.

Logan is enjoying Scouts and has done a lot of fun things in it this year. He likes to play outside with friends and tries to stay out of trouble. He's excited to turn 12 because he'll finally get to go to Scout camp. He got braces this year and is sporting a very colorful smile.

Emma is our little artist. She also LOVES dragons. So between the two, she is always drawing dragon pictures. She won 2nd place in the local essay contest about The True meaning of Christmas. She got to read her essay and ride in the local Night Light parade.

Dave is still with United Pipe and Supply. He's back at the Boise branch and staying busy. He's busy with church, activities committee, Elder's Quorum instructor and Scouts.

Ginger is still the Taxi driver, Accountant, Waste Management, Cook, Repair person, Personal Assistant and waaaaay too many other job titles to list.

We feel fortunate to have you as friends and family and wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!!

Holiday Events

Trevor's Holiday Concert

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Emma riding a float in the Kuna Night Light Parade

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Emma reading her Essay
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The Awesome Firepit at the Christmas Tree Nursery

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We've been pretty busy since Thanksgiving , so here's a recap on what we've been up to. We got our Christmas tree at a really nice Nursery, but it took us a few days to get it decorated.

Emma entered a local essay contest about The True Meaning of Christmas. She won 3rd place for her entry. She got to read her essay at the awards ceremony and part of her prize was getting to ride on a float in the Night Light parade, here in Kuna.

Trevor's Holiday Band Concert was a couple nights ago. He did a great job. My computer is not letting me upload a short clip of Trevor playing so I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.

We are still working on getting all the lights up on the house. I'll post a picture when we get it done. Or maybe you should just Google Earth and you can see it from space!

Thanksgiving

Trying to catch a Tennis Ball
The tennis ball launcher
Making suckers with Grandma

We took advantage of the gas prices and made a quick trip to Utah for Thanksgiving. We got to Logan Wednesday evening. We had a nice Thanksgiving with Dave's Grandma Tippetts, His Sister Ann and Mike and their family of 6. His Nephew, Naveed and Kian and His Mom and Dad.

That night the grandkids helped Grandma make suckers. They thought that was pretty cool.

We did the crazy 4:00 in the morning shopping the next day. We even got home early enough that everyone was still asleep so we took a quick nap. The Menfolk and the Boys went rabbit huntin' that afternoon, so Ann and I took everyone else to see Bolt. It was a cute show.

Saturday as we were packing up, a neighbor brought over his Tennis Ball launcher (it's kinda like a potato gun) and everyone had fun trying to catch the balls as they re-entered the atmosphere.

On our way out of town, we stopped at Maddox to have lunch with my Mom. I've lived in Utah for a long time but had never eaten in the restaurant. It was worth the wait. It was a blur of a trip but we're glad we got to visit and have fun with Family.

Trevor's Sixteen!!

Trevor 2008
1st year playing Trombone 2004

Soccer and T-Ball 2000

Trevor and his cousin Braden 1993

Trevor 1993


Can you believe it? I know I can't. Trevor is sixteen today. It's been an exciting journey these past sixteen years.

We've all been so amazed at what a Great and Awesome young man Trevor has grown into. I'm always in awe at the things he's doing and accomplishing on his own (without my nagging) in school and church duties.

His childhood was full of a lot of questions about what he would be like at this age. He's struggled through a lot of trials and learned things the hard way a lot of times. Yet he managed to keep on trying no matter how frustrating things got for him and just look at him now.

Those of you who may not know what I'm talking about as far as struggling is concerned, Trevor was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when he was in 1st grade. He had been in Speech Therapy since he was three and it wasn't until 1st grade that they figured out what was causing his speech and social problems. We've had a lot of ups and downs in learning what to do to help him learn and make friends and function as normally as possible but I can honestly say that I know he is completely capable of anything he wants to do and be when he decides what that is.

Trevor you are an incredible son and we can't wait to see what's in store for the next few years. Happy Birthday!

Halloween

Our House on Halloween
The Graveyard

Logan's the Grim Reaper and Emma's a Werewolf

Trevor's the scariest of all, The Candy Distributor

Megan is supposed to be a Sleepwalker, but everyone thought she was a Housewife.

The Masterpieces

Yesterday was a big blur of a day. The kids didn't have school so it was nice because we had all day to figure out costumes and get ready.

Megan went with a friend so Dave just had Emma, Logan and Logan's friend to take around the neighborhood. They filled their buckets and came home and emptied them and went back out and filled them once more. Trevor is much too old and mature to trick or treat ;) so he stayed and did the grown up thing of handing out the candy.

Trevor is having his 16Th Birthday party today at Boondock's. It's an arcade with Laser Tag and Racetracks and Miniature Golf and Virtual Rollercoaster Rides, etc. Dave is enduring the task of Chaperone. I'm sure he's miserable (Ha Ha). Trevor doesn't officially turn 16 until Monday so I'll have to write more about him then.

Last Band Competition

Trevor performed in the last Field Show Competition of this year. I thought they did a great job but the judges thought otherwise. We had never been to the BSU stadium so it was fun to see the Boise Blue Field. We couldn't stay for the whole 7 hours of bands because Megan had a party to go to but what we did get to see was pretty fun to watch.

Keep watching to see what cool pumpkins and costumes we come up with in the next couple days.

The Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday. It was a really nice day for Pumpkin Huntin. They have a corn maze as well but we went a little bit too late in the day and I didn't feel like getting stuck in there in the dark. I guess I've seen too many scary movies.

Dave and the kids are all so creative with their pumpkin carving, so keep watching for the pictures of their masterpieces.

Bambi's Safe

It's been a busy couple of weeks, getting ready for deer hunting season. Dave's Mom and Dad came up on Wednesday and Trevor, Dave and his Dad left early, early Thursday morning for what they thought was opening day. Luckily a friend called and told Dave not to shoot anything because opening day wasn't until Friday. While They were fixing their lunch, a Bear thought their Pastrami smelled pretty good and came to get a closer look. It's hard to see it in the picture because it was walking away. They camped overnight and had to endure a noisy windy night in the tent. They saw some Deer and even shot at some but I guess the wind was making it too hard for them to aim straight because they didn't bring home a Deer. Trevor and David will probably go hunting again this weekend. Bambi, you've been warned.

The Drive-In

Driving In
Waiting for the Sun to set
Snug as Bugs

We are fortunate enough to have a couple Drive-In movie theaters in our area. So it has become a yearly tradition to pile everyone into the truck and go to the Drive-In. We finally found a night where we liked both (It's a double feature) of the movies that were playing. Wall-E and Journey to the center of the Earth were the movies. I am in charge of making the Homemade Fudge, (the good kind not the marshmallow kind) gathering all of the pillows and blankets and having everything ready to dash out the door when Dave gets home from work. This year we took a little Butane stove and popped Jiffy Pop Popcorn on the tailgate of the truck. It worked out great. It's a fun tradition that we look forward to every summer.

Honey Do List

We had a really stormy day on Saturday so unfortunately we couldn't work outside in the yard. I was terribly upset about that, NOT. Anyway over breakfast I got the brilliant idea that my list of Honey Do's was not getting any shorter. I remembered that we had purchased under cabinet lighting three years ago when we built this house and they were patiently waiting to be installed.
I did all the emptying of the cabinet work and Dave did the actual installation of the lights. They are pretty cool looking and only took three years to get done. It's a good thing I am such a patient person. ;)

20 Year Reunion

Wow do I feel old! I just got news of my 20 year class reunion. I've moved so many times (11) since High School that I've never gotten any of the invitations for the 5, 10 and 15 year reunions. They found me through the Classmates.com website. I love the Internet. It's been fun reading the comments posted on the website for the reunion. Another bonus is that if you comment, it links to your Blog and so I've been able to hear from long lost friends via comments on my Blog (Hi Amy). It's also been cool looking at the map that keeps track of where people are logging in from. There are people everywhere, Germany, Alaska and all over the U.S. The reunion is during Mountain Crest's Homecoming. I was expecting something in August so I was surprised to find out it was just a couple weeks away. It'll be interesting to see what everyone is doing now that they're Grown Ups. Me, I'll never grow up!

Peaches

This weekend I spent most all day Saturday bottling peaches. I know it's not cheaper than buying the cans,(since I don't have my own peach trees)but I really don't like the crunchy green peaches that taste like metal when you buy them canned. The kids helped a little but besides the sticky mess, I really don't mind pretending to be Martha Stewart(minus the staff)sometimes. There's just nothing prettier than a countertop full of things you've bottled. The garden has been very neglected lately. Things just didn't take off and grow well this year. We got barely two meals worth of corn and the beans are not producing much. We do have a lot of Tomatoes and if the frost hold off, I might even have enough to bottle. We have millions of Cherry tomatoes. I think after this year we will only plant one Cherry Tomato and one Zucchini because of course the Zucchini is growing great. The squash bugs are killing it though and I'm letting them. I've had my fill of it and so have the neighbors.

Back to School and Braces

Last Friday was the first day of school for the youngest three Wagstaff's and today was Trevor's first day of school. Every year on the first day of school, I take their picture as they are leaving for the big day ahead. It's a fun way to see how much they've grown from year to year. They were somewhat excited to get back to school. It's been painful to see what clothes no longer fit after just three months off.

As you can see from the first picture, Logan got braces today. He just got the upper teeth today and as soon as they move enough, they will put on the bottom braces. He lucked out and didn't need to have any teeth pulled. He's pretty sad that he can't have corn on the cob or caramel apples or gum for a while. But I'm sure two years will fly by fast. Kinda like this summer did.

Last Minute Trip

We decided, (very last minute) to drive down and catch the last day of the Twin Falls Temple open house. We left Friday night and drove to my Sister's Husband's Family Cabin in the back country near Burley, ID. On Saturday we drove up to Twin Falls in the morning and got to see the inside of this beautiful Temple. The kids were really excited, since this is a rare opportunity for most young people. It was really nice and we even bumped into 3 groups of friends and ward members while we were on the tour. Such a small world.
After we got back from the Open House we drove down the road a short distance from the Cabin and swam at Durfee Hot Springs. There are actually 3 pools, One 100+ degree pool and one 90+ degree pool and a kiddie pool. It's not very impressive at first sight when you drive up, but once you get in and soak for a minute it's really nice. Those aches and pains just disappear. The kids of course only care about who wins at a game of Marco Pollo. It was nice water with no smell of Sulfur and your eyes don't burn with Chlorine. It's just a natural Hot Spring that they pump into the pools. We will definitely go back if we get the opportunity to.

Today is Dave's Birthday and we are about to leave for the yearly Chinese Food Buffet. That's become a family tradition for Dave's Birthday meal. The kids can't stop talking about trying Sushi this year. We will be rolling through the door in a couple of hours.

Short but Sweet

We got the rare opportunity to get a visit (longer than a bathroom break) from my Sister Terri and her family. They arrived on Monday and left on Tuesday. The kids had a lot of fun visiting and playing together and I enjoyed the time with my Sister very much. Just before their arrival, we had just finished up a very busy weekend of volunteering at the Kuna Fire Department Barbecue. Last year I volunteered to make homemade Hot Fudge Sauce to go with the vanilla ice cream they usually serve. I guess they liked it well enough to ask me to make it again. I spent Friday and Saturday making 20 batches of it. The whole family stayed and helped serve at the barbecue, Dave is still a Volunteer Fireman when he has the time so we have helped out at the event for the last couple years. Dave's nickname is Pipeguy at the Firestation and the other Fireman call the kids MicroPipes, it's pretty funny. They are great helpers and I think they enjoy it.

We have spent the rest of this week getting school supplies and registering Megan and Trevor for Middle and High Schools. We've squeezed in Dentist appointments and haircuts as well. It's been pretty crazy. We're headed to Twin Falls to see the Temple this weekend. We could all use the break.

They survived!

Trevor and Megan returned home safely from their Handcart Trek. They arrived a lot earlier than everyone expected on Thursday evening. There were only two cars in the parking lot when they got here. Luckily we were one of the two. They were happy to be home. They had lots of fun stories to tell. In Sacrament meeting they had the Youth come up and talk about their experiences.

We had high hopes of doing some room makeovers for both the Boys and the Girls rooms, but it took a lot more work than we expected so we just barely got the boys room done. They chose the colors of our local BSU football team. We still have some finish work to do but it's mostly done. After we spread the ten yards of bark sitting in our yard, we will start on the Girls room.