Soter Family Blog

2010-11-10T11:11:00.003-07:00

Jake, at his kindergarten class party. I like the expression on the face of his little classmate, Snow White.

Kyle, at his class party in 3rd grade! Decorating pumpkins.

The costume parade...Kyle, a Braves baseball player.

And Jake, also a Braves baseball player! Hhmmm...I wonder who talked him into dressing up like that?

2010-11-10T10:57:00.002-07:00

Maggie, at her preschool Halloween party. I like how she's holding her dress up!

Kyle, Jake and Maggie at Mrs. Julie's preschool...just before they go eat more candy!

Maggie loves the spooky witch's potion! Had a hard time getting her away from it!

2010-11-10T10:45:00.003-07:00

Happy Halloween! Kyle, Jake and Maggie with cousins Dougie, Jessica and Sophia, in Orem, at Grandma & Grandpa's house! We were waiting for a break from the rainstorm before going trick-or-treating so, we ate chili, soup and cornbread to pass the time!

Jake, me, Kyle, Maggie and Sam, halloween 2010! (Go Giants!)

Sam and me...how do you like my nylons? Other than my cool SF t-shirt, the nylons were my favorite thing!!

2010-09-07T17:48:00.002-06:00

We went up to my parents' house for Raspberry Days at Bear Lake. While there, Jake learned how to ride their little ATV all by himself. My dad set up a little track for him to ride around on and practice starting, stopping and turning. He did a great job and looked surprisingly comfortable driving that little machine around! He had a terrific time!

Riding ATV's though, does have its downside. Jake's thumb kept getting sore. He wanted a picture taken of it, so there is Jake's ATV sore thumb.

Jake's getting instructions from my dad and Sam. He was attentive and happy to learn all he could!

2010-09-07T17:40:00.002-06:00

Kyle and Jake have been the best of buddies lately and I think it is so stinking cute! The boys decided Kyle's bed is big enough for both of them to sleep in it.

Kyle saw to it that Jake got a Braves hat, just like him. Now, if there is ever a time that Kyle sees Jake not wearing his hat, he'll ask Jake, "Where is your Braves hat? Why aren'tyou wearing it?" Jake better have a good excuse!

One of my most favorite pictures of all time! Two handsome boys!

2010-09-07T17:18:00.003-06:00

So the new rule around our house is: blankets have to stay in bedrooms. So, Mr. Jake thought he'd outsmart me and hide his blanket on his person so he could have it near him at all times and I would never know! What a sweet boy!

Of course, I had to get a shot from a different angle, just so you can get the full effect!!

These are Jake's all too cool Toy Story pj's. As you can plainly see, when Jake wears these pj's, he has to include his hat, boots and piecce of grass hanging out of his mouth. Love him!

2010-08-01T19:13:00.003-06:00

Kyle was bound and determined to ski on 2 skiis this summer. His first time out, he did not get up, but the next day he did it! He's such a fun little boy! Sam and I were so excited for him and quite proud as well.

I guess we stressed the whole 'keep your legs bent and close to your chest' enough because when Kyle got up and was skiing, he didn't know he could straighten up!

He had great fun though! He said he liked it better than snow skiing. I told him I agree with that! Who wouldn't like water skiing better?

2010-08-01T19:06:00.002-06:00

Lake Powell 2010! Just before we headed the boat back in to the marina, we snapped this family photo! Those of us not wearing shoes had extremely hot toes on the roof of the houseboat! We had nice, warm weather down there and a great time with the whole family!

2010-07-25T15:03:00.002-06:00

Of course, our "Mr. Perfect Kyle" finds a four-leaf clover...a real, actual, bonafide four-leaf clover! I couldn't believe it! I told him I'd been looking for a four-leaf clover my whole life and I was beginning to believe they didn't really exist! So now, whenever something good happens to him, he says it must be because he found a four-leaf clover! Cute boy!!

2010-07-25T14:54:00.002-06:00

Uncle Tyler came to Utah for a short visit and we had so much fun seeing him! This is our 'nice smiles' picture.

And this is our 'silly smiles' picture...which had to be taken first in order to get the kids ok with the idea of doing the 'nice smiles' picture!!

2010-07-08T14:51:00.002-06:00

So, Kyle really enjoyed the NBA playoffs this year. And, same as last year, his favorite team was the Boston Celtics (Rondo was his favorite player). He got a green Celtic t-shirt with the little, fat leprechaun guy on the front and this is a photo of Kyle posing like the guy on his t-shirt (without the pipe)!

2010-07-08T14:44:00.002-06:00

One night, we went to Brick Oven in Provo with Colby & Amanda (our next door neighbors). The balloon guy came around & we let the kids pick some balloon animals for the guy to make. Jakey had him make a cute little monkey that holds a banana. Maggie got a pink princess crown (that popped in the car on the drive home) and Kyle got this super cool alien holding a laser gun.

2010-07-08T14:39:00.002-06:00

My mom and I took the kids up Hobble Creek Canyon to play and we discovered these little trails down to the creek. It was a warm day, so the kids were more than happy to take off their shoes and socks and play in the water for a while.

Our cute Maggie, always ready to pose for a picture! I only have to say, "Smile like a princess!" And this is usually her response!! (Did you see me roll my eyes?)

2010-07-08T12:00:00.002-06:00

Handsome Kyle loved cooling off in the creek. He wanted to go hiking upstream, but I was afraid little Maggie would get washed away (and I didn't want to take off my shoes & socks either!).

Geez...how much yelling does a mom have to do to get her kids to stop playing long enough to smile nice for one simple photo? I really do love my kids dearly!! Notice Maggie was doing her part to keep her shorts dry!!

2010-06-29T12:01:00.002-06:00

Sam's newest bike. He drove Jake & Maggie clear up to Idaho and back in one day to pick this up! I'm thinking he's crazy! It's still in the shop getting a tune-up, but we're all looking forward to rides on Dad's new motorcycle!

2010-06-12T15:42:00.003-06:00

One Thursday morning, Kyle walks downstairs carrying his laundry basket. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he wanted to do laundry. So, I gave him a laundry 101 lesson and found it so funny that he and Jake had a grand time standing close by, watching the clothes get washed. I could hear them throughout the wash cycle, "There's my shirt!" and "Kyle, there's your baseball pants!" Hilarious!

2010-05-12T15:42:00.002-06:00

So, Jake got hold of the camera and snapped a few pictures of random things. He ended up getting a cute one of Maggie and a couple funny ones also!!

This one makes me laugh! Silly kids, Jake and Maggie! They have so much fun together!

What do you suppose she's thinking? Her face is so stinkin' skinny!

2010-01-29T14:51:00.002-07:00

Kyle's 1st Pinewood derby race! He and Sam (with some help from my dad) worked on this cool car for Kyle. White with blue wheels (oooooo!!). Kyle and Sam named it 'Low and Slow' but somehow at the derby, it got renamed 'ghostrider'! It did pretty good...he got 5th place out of 23 cars. But more importantly...it beat all the cars from our ward which means...Sam beat the other dads in our neighborhood!!

Kyle is down at the end of the track, you can barely see his head about friend, Garrett's head as their cars race. I don't know where the bubble in the picture came from, but Kyle's car is right in front of the bubble.

Here's Kyle and Garrett placing their cars on the track. This was a fun evening, although it went much quicker than I had expected. Each car raced 3 times (once n each track) and that was it. Quick and easy!!

2010-01-29T14:47:00.003-07:00

So...Sam asked Maggie one morning, to go into her bedroom and get herself dressed. This is the result! Never mind that it is 24 degrees outside, she wants to wear a dress with her pink socks and pink Minnie Mouse sparkly shoes from Halloween....and her swim goggles! Silly little girl!

2010-01-24T17:40:00.002-07:00

Cousin Rachel captured this precious gem of a photo of Maggie! Maggie was looking at the fur on her hat on her new winter coat.

This is cousin, Jessica, making Maggie snuggle with her as she receives a big smooch! You gotta love Maggie's reaction!!

Maggie discovered this trick with Kyle's magnetic darts...silly little girl!

2010-01-24T17:32:00.003-07:00

All football, all the time with Kyle! He typically dresses up in his football uniforms (he'd be wearing cleats, but they cannot be worn inside the house). So, here's our Kyle, watching football in his Dolphins uniform!

Kyle has recently started dressing Jake in his spare football uniforms as well. Soter boys, on a lazy Saturday afternoon, Jake's the BYU footbally player and Kyle's the Dolphin!

I love this picture! Little Jakey, in Kyle's BYU uniform...notice the cute undies around the wasteline and the quarterback towel hanging over his belt!! So funny!!

Kyle's making a funny face in this picture because he's making sure I capture his mouth-piece in the photo! Didn't I say cleats were a no-no inside the house? Hhmmm....

2010-01-08T08:35:00.002-07:00

After our Subway dinner, we went down the street to Baskin Robbins for dessert! Kyle believes Baskin Robbins has the best cookie dough ice cream. After looking over their 31 flavors, he discovered Oregon berry also...and since Oregon was playing in the Rose Bowl in a couple days, he went all out & got 2 scoops...Oregon berry & cookie dough!!

Maggie had a little bowl of mini m&m's and Jake had a bowl of mini gummi bears...better than ice cream when it's cold outside!!

Happy New Year everyone! We're partying it up at Baskin Robbins on New Years Eve!!

2010-01-08T08:24:00.002-07:00

Sam and I explained New Years Eve to the kids and told them that people usually go to fun parties or do something to celebrate the old year and bring in the new. So, we asked the kids what would be super fun for them to do? Jake and Maggie didn't really get it, so they had no suggestions, but Kyle got all excited to go to Subway for sub sandwiches! So off we went!! Happy New Year Kyle!!

Here's Kyle, putting his order in...wild child...he got turkey with american cheese on white bread with cucumbers and mustard...watch out world!!

He said that when his mouth tasted this sandwich it said, "Wow! That is the best taste in the whole world!"

Maggie ate chips...silly girl...nice dinner Mom!!

2010-01-08T08:18:00.002-07:00

Happy birthday to me! I baked myself a very yummy orange dreamsicle cake...it was so good, we didn't need ice cream to go along with it. It was seriously a good cake! Holy smokes...I turned 43!! Gads!!

Maggie's favorite song to sing is Happy Birthday! So it's especially exciting to actually have the cake, with the candles and sing a real happy birthday song!!

And here's the 'blowing out the candles' picture...why do we always take this picture?

2010-01-03T20:08:00.002-07:00

For Christmas, my mom got me a hat, scarf, glove set which looks so completely beautiful and wonderful on me, I couldn't allow Sam to take my photo!! My mom...what a tease!!

Maggie got her beloved Sleeping Beauty dress!! It's a little big on her right now, so she doesn't wear it too often, she just admires it on the hanger!!

Jakey got his very own Spiderman computer - exactly what he asked for!!

Kyle about exploded right out of the roof when he got his BYU football helmet!!

And here he is - our BYU football fan. He was so happy to have gotten this whole uniform (complete with shoulder pads) from Santa!!

2010-01-03T20:04:00.002-07:00

Christmas morning, at G'ma & G'pa Schiess' house...before the kids woke up!!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...waiting for the kids to get out of bed! I don't think they got up until after 7am!! I like that they sleep in a bit!!

2010-01-03T19:56:00.002-07:00

On Christmas Eve, my dad read to the kids the story of Jesus' birth from the scriptures. My mom would dress each child up like someone in the story and the kids had a ball with it! Kyle and was a shepard, Jake was Joseph and Maggie was Mary.

Mary and Joseph, watching over the baby Jesus, lying in the manger.

G'pa, reading from the scriptures to the boys.

2009-12-31T21:17:00.002-07:00

Cute Maggie, excited for Christmas. I caught her playing under the tree the night before leaving for G'pa & G'ma Schiess' house for Christmas.

So, Jake & Kyle followed her lead & took a peek under there also!!

Maggie got a new Christmas dress this year. She loved it and looked very sweet in it at church, the Sunday before Christmas.

Maggie also received a new tutu (with a tiara, purse, wand, and shoes). The shoes don't fit her, but she kept them close by. I think it's so funny that for the picture, she's standing on her tippy-toes!!

2009-12-31T21:11:00.002-07:00

For his 5th birthday, Jake received a race track...

a Power Ranger helmet that talks (Mom loves toys that make lots of noise!),

a new cowboy hat, that has since been exchanged for a bigger, black hat, and...

an Imaginext dinosaur toy set! When I take the kids in to Toys R Us, Jake heads straight for these dinosaurs and hates to leave them!!

2009-12-31T21:08:00.002-07:00

Instead of the christmas tree cake, I took him to Cold Stone and let him pick out a cake! He liked all the sprinkles on this one, so he was happy with this...even if it wasn't home made!! Kyle was happy I made a pudding poke cake with whiped cream topping (not my favorite, but...oh well!)!!

2009-12-31T21:04:00.003-07:00

So...this was going to be Jake's birthday cake. It was supposed to be a christmas tree. I was going to put some m&m's on it and some yellow piping to be decorations on it. As you can see...it didn't work. The cake was too moist and absorbed all the green glaze (frosting) and then started tipping over! All that work...thrown away in the garbage! I didn't even show it to Jake, I didn't want him to be bummed out!!

2009-12-18T14:00:00.002-07:00

Silly Jake, dressed up like Santa for Aunt Laura's Christmas party and then got upset when he couldn't find a pillow small enough to fit under his coat!

For his birthday, he got a rifle (behind his neck) from Daddy and holster belt and pistols from the Martinez'....what a lovely Santa image he makes, huh?

2009-12-18T13:46:00.002-07:00

Maggie in her new skirt made by G'ma Schiess - Maggie calls it her pink tutu and loves it!! She also has on her reading glasses which she won at the Schiess family Christmas party at Laura's house! Mom meant for Wendy to win them, but Maggie got them and wouldn't trade with Wendy!! Ha! Ha!

Maggie, receiving her new skirt/tutu!!

Kyle, opening his present from G'pa (Santa). He got some basketball shorts and a football mouthpiece (blue, of course).

Maggie, opening her gift from Santa/Dad...she got a Cinderella doll (a very little one)! I didn't get a good picture of Jake on Dad's lap, but he got 2 Batman matchbox cars.

Here's agood one of Maggie with her new glasses! She loved how little they were and that they have so many bright colors!!

2009-12-18T13:36:00.002-07:00

Two hansdome men! Kyle and Sam, at the Christmas party at Bear Lake. We got to eat sloppy joe's...Kyle's favorite food (this week)!!

Mom & Maggie...Maggie's learning how to smile big for the camera. She thinks it's so funny when I turn the camera around to get a picture of the 2 of us together!! Silly little one!!

Me and my dad...after all the kids were done visiting Santa, I thought, "What the heck? Why not tell him what I want to?" Can't hurt to try!!

It took Kyle a long time to go sit on Santa's lap. Early on in the party, he recognized G'pa's voice and knew that Dad was Santa, so he didn't want to sit on his lap because he didn't know how to think of him...as Santa or as G'pa?? He thought about it for a long time and then went and sat on his lap - cute!

Jake & Maggie, happy as can be, on Santa's lap!!

2009-12-18T13:30:00.002-07:00

OK, so I need to backtrack for just a second! On thanksgiving Day, Kyle and I ran in Orem's 'Earn Your Turkey' race. I ran a 4-mile race and Kyle ran a 1/2 mile race. It was SO COLD! I felt sorry for me, but I really felt sorry for Kyle! He kept telling me his toes were hurting they were so cold! Poor guy! Anyway, here he is crossing the finish line. He did really good, I was proud of him.

This is me (in the pink sweatshirt, waving) in mile #2...got a long way to go still!

Kyle & me after my race, before his. How are we ever going to stay warm? Such a cold morning!!

2009-12-18T10:43:00.003-07:00

At the Bear Lake community's Christmas party, Sam won a turkey! Yay! We figured since we are spending Christmas with Mom & Dad this year, we'd just leave the turkey there and then eat it Christmas day. Good plan, right? Two minutes later, Mom won a turkey!!

Jake and Maggie after visiting 'Santa'. They loved their huge bag of goodies! What a cool Santa!!

I know this isn't the best picture (sort of fuzzy), but Jake could not stop smiling while waiting in line to see Santa! He had the biggest, cutest, most excited grin on his sweet little face! Mom and I could not stop laughing with him!! I seriously love this boy!!

Here's Dad...I mean...Santa, arriving at the community center!

Jake, Kyle, and Maggie with Grandma's funny Christmas hats on. We love visiting Grandma & Grandpa...they are so funny!!

2009-12-18T10:17:00.002-07:00

Here he is!! Santa!! My dad dressed up as Santa for their community Christmas party this year. It was such a bitter cold day, and my dad rode on the back of this firetruck to get the party started! He didn't even care it was so cold, he had so much fun!!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T16:45:00.002-07:00

So...we had such a fun Thanksgiving, apparently, I forgot to take any pictures! All of Sam's family was in town and since his parents are right in the middle of a remodel on their kitchen, each member of the family who came to town had to stay elsewhere! Our family got to host Steve & Mandi & their 4 wonderful kids! Kyle, Jake & Maggie were thrilled to have sleepovers every night for a full week with their cousins from Arizona (who are now moving to Dallas, TX...sad)! So, we all partied hard that week and by the time Thanksgiving finally rolled around, we were ready to feast! We ate so much food...it's embarrassing! But we are so grateful for family, and the fun we share with each member...I'm just sorry I didn't get any pictures!

2009-11-11T14:48:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday to G'ma Schiess! This photo was taken just before we lit all 67 of her candles! Kyle & Jake were so excited! Maggie was excited too, she was just too little to get up there to see!

Kyle insisted G'ma have all 67 candles on her cake! I tried to get him to spread them out all over the top of the cake, but they ended up all jam packed together in a clump!

Mom's yummy chocolate-orange cake! It was seriously good! Dad even liked it...even though it was chocolate!

2009-11-02T17:11:00.002-07:00

Twas the night before school Halloween parties, and Mom was happy to be done baking! The spider cupcakes were ready for Kyle's 2nd grade class and pumpkin cookies for Jake's preschool class! This photo represents 2 full days of baking!!

Kyle, in the orange flight suit, walking into the gym for the Art City Elementary costume parade! They walk by so fast, this is the only shot I got!!

After the parade, we drove quickly over to Jake's preschool, for his little program. He was so excited to have us there, he grabbed his 2 best friends and ordered me to take their picture!!

Maggie, discovering the joys & mysteries of dry ice!!

2009-11-02T17:05:00.002-07:00

Carving pumpkins!! Jake was having so much fun!! He drew his pumpkin's face all by himself!! It looks so super cool!!

Maggie absolutely would not put her hands inside the pumpkin to scoop the guts out! She said it was tooooo messy!! Kyle did it for her and then Sam carved it's face and only then would Maggie pose for a picture!!

Kyle loved scooping the guts out! He did his, mine & Maggie's!! He probably helped with Jake's and Dad's also...I wasn't around to see it!! Hurrah for pumpkin carving & Halloween!!

And here's the finished project!! 5 little pumpkins sitting on our porch!! Mine is the 'S' and Sam's is the one with the upside-down face!!

2009-11-02T16:58:00.002-07:00

Ready for trick-or-treating!! Maggie is Minnie Mouse, Kyle is an x-wing fighter pilot from the Star Wars movies (he said he was Luke Skywalker) and Jake is Indiana Jones!

We trick-or-treated first at our favorite Ute fans house...silly Gronemans...and had them snap a family photo!! Sam is ZZ Top...I don't think I was really anything...just a funny wig & each year, I try to put on fake eyelashes and see if they stay on the entire evening!!

My mom & dad!! How fun they are to dress up!! I know my mom is a witch and I think my dad is a cowboy/motorcycle/gun-slinging ghost or ghoul!! They look so cool!!

This is Sam and his best high school buddy, Cim Carver. We thought it was funny that they both dressed up as rocker-dudes!! Sam is ZZ Top and Cim is AC/DC!!

2009-11-02T16:52:00.002-07:00

Sam and Kyle, all done trick-or-treating, but still a little excited from all the holiday fun, so they had Jake take this picture of them.

Then Jake wanted a turn being in the goofy picture! I like that they're holding hands!!

So, of course, I had to jump in on all the fun and make some funny faces of my very own!!

Kyle was giggling so hard during this picture, I wasn't sure he'd be able to hold the pose!! Fun times!!

2009-10-26T13:42:00.002-06:00

Sam & I took the kids to Temple Square to see the Fall leaves as well as the temple. It was a beautiful day and the leaves were all wonderful colors! It was such a great day! I love being with my family at the temple!!

OK, so Jake & especially Maggie got tired of all the pictures Sam & I like taking! It only shows a little bit in this photo!!

Sam & the boys in the shade of the temple - oops!! This picture looked so much better in my mind!!

Maggie and I. This would have been the best place for a family picture!! Next year...next year!!

2009-10-26T13:34:00.002-06:00

Kyle at his last flag football game! This was the Superbowl! Kyle played for the Cowboys and they played against the 49ers!! I did NOT wear my 49ers coat to this game!!

Kyle in the team huddle...pictures a little dark, oh well!!

Kyle, waiting to get back in the game!!

2009 Mapleton 3-4th grade Superbowl champs!! Yay Cowboys!!

2009-10-26T13:25:00.002-06:00

Kyle & I went to the BYU Football team's pregame fireside Friday night and thoroughly enjoyed it! Some of the 1984 National Championship team was there as well as LaVell Edwards! I wish I recognized them! Anyway, a couple team members spoke and then one played the piano and then the whole team sang the primary song, "The Army of Helaman" and then LaVell spoke, followed by Holly Mendenhall and then Coach Mendenhall spoke. It was such a wonderful evening! I hope Kyle enjoyed it & remembers it! Here he is with Coach Mendenhall! Kyle proudly told him that his flag football team just won the Superbowl and that they went undefeated through their season!!

This is Kyle with Manase Tonga (RB) and JoJo Pili (also a RB)...so cool!!

Kyle with the one and only Dennis Pitta (TE)!!

And the team's defensive leader...Jan Jorgensen!! Kyle was so happy!!

2009-10-21T11:30:00.002-06:00

Friday morning, we checked out of our room at the Homestead & headed to SLC. We stopped off at Thanksgiving Point and spent a few hours at Cornbelly's! The kids were so excited and we all had a great time! There was so much to do!

First, we stopped to look at all the pumpkins! They had soooo many!!

Kyle found his favorite!!

They have these cool trampolines in 3 different sizes for different sized kids! This one was really big! Maggie couldn't climb on...it was too big for her! She had to settle on the smaller ones!!

This big blow up monster is an actual spook alley! The boys were so excited to go inside! So, I walked in with 2 smiling, happy boys and came out with 2 spooked, weeping & wailing children! I had to laugh, it was so funny to me! Sam heard the boys crying & me laughing and couldn't help rolling his eyes!!

2009-10-21T11:19:00.002-06:00

Maggie got to dance her little heart out in the Princess section of Cornbelly's. It was pretty cute, they had dresses the girls could put on and run around & play in. Maggie was in heaven even though her dress was on the large side for her!

She got to sit in the Cinderella carriage and wave to all the onlookers...just like a real princess!

Kyle, the knight in shining armor (we're pretending), is always very careful of Maggie and always ready & willing to help her out.

Maggie's favorite dress.

2009-10-21T10:20:00.002-06:00

Here's Sam & Kyle at Cornbelly's, launching pumpkins at targets out in the field. This was Sam's favorite thing all day!!

2009-10-21T10:13:00.002-06:00

Kyle also got to blast corn husks from these little bazookas...can you see Sam? He wanted a turn so bad!!

Then Sam had to help Kyle aim this large...gun-bomb-like-thingie (I forget what they call it). It shot pumpkins and you try to hit cars, wagons, fake cows, and whatever else was out in the field. At first, Kyle didn't want to do it but had fun in the end, and need I even say Sam enjoyed himself really-alot?

And this is how interested Maggie was while all the shooting was going on!!

2009-10-21T10:05:00.002-06:00

At cornbelly's, we rode bikes that were supposed to look like tractors (I think). I wasn't planning on riding with Maggie, but she ran hard to follow me to the bike!!

Kyle really liked the bigger bikes. They had some smaller bikes there, but the bigger ones were much cooler and easier to drive on the gravel.

Then we went on a cow-train ride. Jake kept hopping the fence to get on this ride instead of waiting in line!

And here's our Jake...the caboose! He loved this ride...so did Maggie!

The kids, rockin' out at Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point!

2009-10-20T20:40:00.002-06:00

Before we left the Homestead, we hiked to the top of the crater. Kyle was a little bummed that we didn't swim in the crater, so maybe we'll go back to do that. Personally, I thought it was a little creepy - maybe I've seen one too many thriller movies!!

Sam, at the top of the stairs leading to the crater.

We went to dinner in Heber and there happened to be a lady there trying to drum up business for herbirthday party/clown business. Our kids were the only ones at the restaurant, so she painted their faces and made all kinds of balloon hats, swords, animals, etc. The kids would run around the restaurant, having fun & if one of the balloons popped, the clown would make them another! it was great timing on our part...the kids had a blast!! In case you can't tell, Kyle is a bumble bee, Maggie is a butterfly and Jake is Spiderman!

Sam and me, just outside the pool, near the outdoor hot tubs...don't we look great?!?!

2009-10-20T20:25:00.002-06:00

For our Fall Break, we stayed out in Midway at the Homestead and had a great time! They have a large, indoor swimming pool/hot tub with 2 more hot tubs outside. We are in the 'mineral water' hot tub outside which gets its water from a crater located close to the hotel.

The kids, outside our room..."Look! A veranda!"

Each one of the kids got to make a caramel apple & put different toppings on them. This was Jake's - he wouldn't eat it! So, after picking off all the M&M's and candy corn, I ate it! I love caramel apples!!

Maggie, or should I call her, Little Miss Independent, did a good job covering her apple. She just couldn't get the stick in!!

The kids got so excited when they discovered Santa's sleigh!! Everytime we walked passed it, they'd have to jump in!!

2009-10-20T20:18:00.001-06:00

Jake at Sundance, the first day of our Fall Break!

Kyle, at Sundance

Little Maggie, at Sundance

Last, but not least, Sam and me, at Sundance!

2009-10-12T16:42:00.002-06:00

OK, these children crack me up! I love how little ones LOVE dressing up! Hardly a day goes by when Jake doesn't announce to me who he is for the day..."Mom, I'm Spiderman today!" or Batman, or Peter Parker, or Bruce Wayne, or Leonardo, or the red power ranger...And Maggie? Well, she is typically wearing a tutu...if not some other dress-up dress...with her Fancy Nancy sunglasses!! Love these little ones!!

2009-10-10T14:18:00.003-06:00

Sam competed in another cowboy shoot up the canyon today. The weather was nice, the Fall leaves are beautiful, I didn't have the kids with me, so I drove up quickly to see Sam take his turn. Out of 5 rounds, this was his 5th and no, they didn't have to dress alike for this competition!

2009-10-08T16:54:00.002-06:00

We drove up to Bear Lake for one, final summer hurrah! The weather was great and we had a fun time with my mom & dad. Kyle got to try out his new camera, Jake & Maggie couldn't get enough rides on ATV's and Mom got to take lots of naps!! Love all the elbow room up in Garden City!!

2009-10-08T16:45:00.002-06:00

Just a few photos from the last trip up to Bear Lake. I didn't expect it to be as warm as it was, so I hadn't packed bathing suits for the family - Jake & Maggie didn't care! They ran right in and played in the lake even though Kyle would have nothing to do with it! He stayed dry, just like Mom and Dad and G'ma!!

2009-10-08T16:36:00.002-06:00

So, Jake & Maggie have learned that when I bake, they get to lick the beaters and bowls. Obviously, Jakey discovered Cool Whip! He was sticking that long old tongue out as far as it would possibly go to get the last remaining licks of Cool Whip off the bottom of the bowl!

2009-10-06T20:33:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I took the training wheels off this little old bike that sits in our garage and never gets ridden. It didn't take Jake long before he was riding up & down the sidewalk. Of course, he couldn't start or stop, so he learned to veer off into the grass whenever he wanted to stop...or whenever he got scared! He did so good though! Sam was so surprised when Jake showed him what he had learned! Now that our weather has turned colder, fraidy-cat Mom doesn't get outside very often to enjoy the outdoors, so Jake isn't getting a whole lot of practice lately! I need to just get out there and enjoy what we've still got! Before I know it, we'll be snowed over & it won't go away for 4 months!! Ugh!!

2009-10-06T16:15:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I took Jake & Maggie up Hobble Creek Canyon for a play date. The trees on the mountain were colored so pretty I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures!! I love Autumn!!

2009-10-06T16:11:00.001-06:00

Miss Maggie, playing in her new shoes which she received as a birthday gift from Uncle Toby & Aunt Annette! Need I try to express how much she enjoys wearing them??

2009-10-06T16:09:00.000-06:00

Can I just say...once again...for the record...how much I LOVE THIS BOY?!?!

2009-10-06T16:02:00.002-06:00

This summer, Sam joined a group in our area and had the chance to shoot competitively. The only catch was: he has to dress-up like a cowboy! So, here are some pictures of Sam at his last competition up Hobble Creek Canyon.

2009-08-19T16:32:00.003-06:00

Kyle skiied for the first time at Lake Powell!! He was so excited!! The first time he stood up, he had the biggest smile on his face!! It was so exciting & fun to watch!!

Summer Randomness-to catch up!

2009-08-19T16:17:00.002-06:00

While visiting my parents at Bear Lake, we visited the Minetonka Caves. It was very chilly down there, so we did not enter! We'll go back when we have coats, hats, gloves, scarves, etc!!

Toby, Laura, and I ran the Raspberry Days 5k with my dad. It was my dad's 1st race-ever! He finished!! We were all so proud and excited, that we ran back to meet him so we could all re-cross the finish line together!!

Jakey being silly with his drawers and Maggie-the-pretty-princess!!

Jake, Kyle and Maggie at Kyle's final baseball game earlier this Spring. Fun times! (Nice club Jake is wearing on his arm! So glad that is gone!)

A favorite...Jake and Maggie playing in the sprinklers, but trying to stay dry with their umbrellas!

2009-04-20T11:11:00.000-06:00

Soter Family, Easter 2009

2009-04-20T10:48:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday, Sam decided it was a good day for a fire (he likes fires). Then, he decided he needed a hot dog and that the kids would need marshmallows! It was a great day, nice & sunny & warm and the fire really perked up Sam's spirits!!

2009-04-20T10:43:00.001-06:00

Easter morning, the little kids found all the eggs that had been colored the night before by the big kids! Jake & Maggie had so much fun with them!

2009-04-20T10:33:00.002-06:00

More random pictures of the family! Sam's posing for my picture...Dad & Maggie at the lake...Jakey at the top of the rope climb (Kyle's on his way up)...and Jake & Maggie enjoying a cup of hot cocoa!

2009-04-20T10:26:00.001-06:00

Random pictures of the family! Maggie, relaxing at home...Sam relaxing with his guns (& with family), the boys riding ATV's at G'ma & G'pa Schiess' house at the lake! We love family!

2009-03-24T16:17:00.001-06:00

Maggie loves playing with the Mr. Potato heads...except this is the way she plays with them! She plugs them into her own head!! Cute girl!!

2009-03-24T16:15:00.002-06:00

One night, Sam helped Jake get clean in the bathtub & then sent him into his bedroom and told him to get his pj's on...this is the result! I especially like the Jack Skellington gloves! Incredibles slippers, TMNT shorts (it was January at the time) with a dinosaur flannel shirt! What a kid!!

2009-03-24T16:10:00.002-06:00

We also drove out to Saguaro Lake for a picnic some swimmin and fishing. Both Uncle Steve & Kyle caught a fish! The rest of the kids swam while Sam, Mandi and I sat and talked and enjoyed the evening. We had such a good visit! We love Arizona in February!!

2009-03-24T16:04:00.002-06:00

We went to an old western town east of Mesa. It had some mine tours we could have gone on (but didn't), it also had a mock shootout that lasted all but 3 seconds! Sam got real excited over it, and then was a little disappointed it didn't last longer! Oh well! We got some good pictures!

2009-03-24T15:58:00.002-06:00

The tour lasted about 1-1/2 hours and we got to see everything except the inside of the Cardinals' locker room and the inside of the press room. It would be fun to watch a game from one of the suites! We got to see the field, which only comes inside on gameday...so it's indoors what...8 maybe 9 times in a year?? Cool.

2009-03-24T15:53:00.002-06:00

We got to take a tour of the University of Phoenix football stadium - home of the Arizona Cardinals (Kyle's favorite team). We got there early enough that we had time to walk around outside & snap some pictures. They have a nice memorial of Pat Tillman, who died in the war in Iraq, after having played for the Arizona Cardinals.

2009-03-24T14:38:00.002-06:00

We had tons of fun at a Cubs vs. Dodgers SpringTraining game there in Mesa. It, again, was perfect weather - not too hot, not too cold with a surprisingly nice breeze to keep us cool! The kids had fun looking for the guy in a green shirt who was handing out free samples of sno-cones!

2009-03-24T14:32:00.002-06:00

Next, we went to Jeepers for Matthew's birthday celebration. It was a very fun stop for the family! Lots of rides and things to play on for the entire family! I think the kids liked the bumper cars the best! There was lots of laughing, yelling, and squealing on those bumper cars!! Happy Birthday Matthew!!

2009-03-24T14:23:00.002-06:00

Next, we went to the LDS temple in Mesa, AZ. It was a great day! Not too hot and not too cold! Nicholas had to go to school, so we took Matthew with us, walked around, took some pictures, picked some grapefruit (it was really good!).

2009-03-10T13:03:00.002-06:00

The next morning, we drove out to Hoover Dam. Sam had never been there & I knew they were doing some construction. Having grown up spending lots of summers at Lake Powell, Sam was very familiar with Glan Canyon Dam, but Hoover Dam made quite an impression on him, especially with the bypass under construction. It was really cool to see. The kids got in lots of walking, so they were happy to get back into the car for a long rest as we drove to Mesa. The photo of Kyle & Jake shows the 2 state lines...Jake is in Nevada, Kyle is in Arizona.

2009-03-10T12:55:00.002-06:00

We went on a 10-day family trip to Arizona last month. On our drive down, we spent the night in Henderson, NV. While there, we swam & swam & swam!! Can't wait for summer in Utah!

2009-03-04T10:44:00.002-07:00

Early February, Jake & Maggie decided to have a pretend swim day. I thought it was a pretty funny idea, so I turned up the thermostat & let them play-on!! Sam had a good laugh over this one once he got home from work! Funny kids...good times!!

2009-03-04T10:28:00.002-07:00

I came upstairs one morning to find Jake & Maggie happily watching morning cartoons...Jake, clearly was in charge!

2009-03-04T10:14:00.002-07:00

We love Valentine's Day...and the cookies we get to decorate & then eat! Jake had an especially fun time!

2009-03-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of wonderful photos of Jake, with what we like to call..."bed head"!! Love it!!

2009-03-04T10:07:00.002-07:00

Superbowl Sunday...aahhh...the food! The kids love crackers & squirt cheese! Kyle's cracker has an A on it (for Arizona, of course) & Jake's has a smiley face because he was just excited for the cheese on the cracker. Maggie was excited to be playing with Woody from Toy Story. She was also very proud that she had done her own hair! Very cute!

2009-02-04T19:28:00.002-07:00

Harvey Unga (THE runningback for the BYU Cougars football team) came to Kyle's Elem. school to speak at an assembly. Kyle loves Harvey Unga! He also happened to be wearing his Unga jersey at school that day, so he got to meet Harvey (& his fiance', Shar), get his picture taken with him & he also got his jersey signed by Harvey!! Happy Monday Kyle!! He was so excited to have met him!!

2009-01-09T10:28:00.002-07:00

Many years ago, I received this carousel music box from Anthony (he likes to tell lots of jokes about it). The kids love music boxes, so I got it out of our basement to see if it still works...and it does! The kids sat for the longest time watching it and listening to it! Now, it sits on a high shelf in Maggie's room and I wind it up for here when putting her down for a nap. She lays so quietly, with her blanket & her thumb just watching it turn & go up & down while playing a song. So sweet.

2009-01-09T10:25:00.001-07:00

My birthday is December 29th. For my birthday, I received this Jim Shore Tinkerbell figure. Maggie saw it, and loved it, so I took a couple pictures of her with it.

2009-01-09T10:19:00.001-07:00

Let the playing begin! This is Christmas morning, done opening presents, everyone's dressed and ready to just PLAY!!

2009-01-09T09:21:00.002-07:00

Oh man! New dolls, Hulk hands, B B Guns, Guitar Hero? There really IS a Santa Claus! What a fun morning!!

2009-01-09T09:13:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas morning! I'm happy to report, our children didn't get out of bed on Christmas Day until 7am...yay!! Kyle wanted to jump right in and open all his presents, but Sam & I made him check out his stocking first. He seemed happy to do that! Jake found his chocolate Santa in his stocking & ripped it right open & took the biggest bite he could! Hmm...chocolate, at 7am? Merry Christmas Jake! Maggie was happy playing with her new dollhouse. I don't think she even looked in her stocking! I unloaded it for her! She got an orange & 2 dolls!

2009-01-06T10:03:00.002-07:00

Here is our Jake, sledding!!

2009-01-06T09:40:00.002-07:00

Here's a short clip of Kyle sledding. Needless to say, he had a lot of fun!

2009-01-06T09:29:00.002-07:00

We received 4 sleds from my parents for Christmas. The kids each got new hats & gloves as well. So, we decided we'd better put them to good use. We drove up to Cherry Hill Park in Orem & let the kids go play. They had a great time! Kyle & Maggie were the first to go down & Maggie did a nice face plant in the snow-she wasn't real happy about that! From then on, she would only ride down with Sam or me. Poor Kyle was trying so hard to get her to ride down with him again. She was a real trooper & gave him another chance after a while. The boys had tons of fun. Kyle would go over the jumps, crash & jump up yelling, "That was awesome!" We had a fun afternoon! When we were done, we enjoyed some hot chocolate with marshmallows...also included in the gift from Mom & Dad! Thanks for the fun day Mom & Dad!!

2008-12-31T20:04:00.002-07:00

Jake turned 4 this year! He, of course, was so excited! He thinks he is such a big boynow that he should go to school just like Kyle!! Believe me, that is fine with Mom!! I made him a snowman snickerdoodle cake (it was yummy!!). Jake loved all the gifts he got from his cousins!

2008-12-31T19:57:00.002-07:00

I went out to shovel snow one afternoon & Maggie came out to help! She was dressed in her halloween costume witch dress & Kyle's Indiana Jones hat! She was such a good sport! She stayed out for quite a while before she started complaining (crying) about being too cold!! What a cutie!!

2008-12-31T19:53:00.002-07:00

Sam bought some gingerbread man cookies and we let the kids decorate them. This is an annual holiday activity for our family. The kids love decorating cookies. I enjoyed not having to make the cookies this year! Yay for Sam for finding them at a bakery!!

2008-12-31T19:44:00.002-07:00

Then Santa left some presents for everyone! Maggie got a My Little Pony book, Jake got a gun, and Kyle got another football!!