The big news!

YES....our family is going to be getting bigger but it is our EXTENDED family that is growing!! My one and only sister in the world and her hubby and PREGNANT and I am SO SO SO excited for them! As of right now, Nate and I have been the only contributors of grandchildren on my side of the family so we are thrilled that we will finally have a cousin!! Hooray!! We are so excited for you Nat and Robby!!! We can't wait to watch you experience this whole adventure called parenting!

Memory Lane

Today I am going through all of my pictures on the computer and TRYING to get them somewhat organized. I have pictures in files all over the place and a bunch of them aren't titled correctlly. It is kind of a daunting task. I have been working on making books for each year we have been married using the program Booksmart. It is so easy and you can create these amazing family journals for really cheap. GOOD-BYE SCRAPBOOKING! This is so much easier and lasts forever. Here are just a FEW of my all time favorites pics from the last couple years.
That's MY MAN!

Landon baby....he is getting SO big.

I just want to squeeze those cheeks! He totally looks like Landon..just chunkier.

Tickle torture!
I love this one. Dal looks like he just scored a touchdown.

Graduation...had to put this one in.
I don't know why I love this one so much. Dallin found a bug and Parker is just THRILLED about it. It is just pure JOY written all over his little face.
Dal, Uncle Clay, Grandpa and Nate. Makes me MISS the ocean!
Dallin pondering the meaning of life....or maybe just checkin out the seagulls.

The roads are very icy here in Boise. School was actually cancelled today. It is hard to believe but a 30 year old woman of 6 children was actually killed not even a half a mile away from our house last night. She was 35 weeks pregnant with her 7th child. The roads were so icy that she swerved around some cars and hit a big truck hauling some dry wall head on. I immediately thought of who it could be that we know. I looked through the ward directory but couldn't see the name in there. Come to find out...she lived in our neighborhood on the next street over. I just feel so heartsick for this family. I have seen her silver Escalade on many occasion but I didn't know her personally. It is amazing that we didn't hear an ambulance or anything last night.....especially becuase you can see where the accident took place from our kitchen window. Fortunately the unborn baby was delivered via c-section and is doing fine.
I am so shaken up by this I can hardly think about anything else today. I can't even begin to imagine what this family is experiencing. I am reminded again how precious each day is and how grateful I am for the gospel. I am turning the tv off today and spending the day indoors holding and hugging my kids.

Our Game Night

Well...our party Friday night was a huge success! 18 people came and we had lots of fun and ate lots of treats! We had huge strawberries, fresh pineapple, bananas, brownie bites, pound cake, angel food cake, marshmallows and pretzels. We played "to tell the truth" and found out lots of interesting things about our guests. For example....one guy had been fingerprinted in a murder investigation! I put Nate up on the panel and he came up with a great big tall tale. He went on and on about how the experience is what made him decide to be an attorney. It was hilarious. No one guessed my story....I DID actually sing for Al Gore when I was little. I put myself up on the panel with 2 amazing singers. Everyone right off the bat was like....well OBVIOUSLY it's not Staci....haha. Got em!

After the majority left...we stayed up and played Guitar Hero until 1:00. It was a LONG day but it was so much fun. I am SO irritated that my camera is broken. I may just go buy a new one!

I still have to stay mum about the big news......this weekend I can finally disclose. :) ha ha ha

We thank thee O God for a Prophet

It is late and I can't sleep. The news broke a few hours ago and I just can't stop thinking about how blessed I have been to live on the earth while President Hinckley was here. I keep getting teary eyed at the thought of him being gone but I know he must be so happy to back with his sweet wife. God be with you 'til we meet again.

Busy Busy

I haven't been the best blogger lately. Not that there isn't anything to blog about.....I am just not allowed to say anything for a little while longer. hee hee. You'll just have to check back to see what I am talking about!!! (And NO....there will be no additions to the Starnes family any time soon...just in case you were wondering!)
I am busy getting ready for our big party on Friday night. I am hosting a big couples game night at our house. 18 people said they are coming for sure. Yikes! We're going to do the whole chocolate fountain thing with lots of yummy desserts to drench in chocolate! Of course we'll have eclairs as well.
I am thinking we'll play "To Tell the Truth" or "The Celestial Companion Game." If anyone else has any fun big group games I would love some input.
Other then that we have just been busy with the good old regular things. Preschool, playgroups, getting out to avoid cabin fever. It is FREEZING here. We have so many little friends in our new ward. It is SO much fun. We have had at least one friend call us every day wanting to do something for the past week and a half! Needless to say....the housework has taken a back seat! O well..I will take playing with friends over house work any day! I wish I could post some pictures but our camera is dead. The boys did something to it so we need to send it off to get fixed. Thank heaven for warranties!

2 down.....1 to go!

Parker finally made up his mind. He is D-O-N-E with diapers! 3 days ago we woke up and he stated, "I want undies on today." They have been on ever since. EVEN AT NIGHT! I knew this kid would finally just decide to put big boy underwear on his agenda. If something isn't on that agenda...it usually won't happen. The whole potty training thing has been so less stressful this time around. With Dallin I was always bribing him or fighting with him for months and months. This time I just waited until he was ready. Wow....only one child in diapers now. What a great feeling! I guess we can use the extra money we save on diapers towards the "Staci tooth fund."

My teeth are evil and I hate them.

And judging by their behavior, they hate me right back.
I would like to begin this post with a disclaimer. I am not some disgusting person who does not take proper care of her teeth. I brush and floss religiously. I just have BAD teeth. If I ever wind up on a deserted island, I’ll be knocking a tooth out with an ice skate, just like Tom Hanks in Castaway.
Why am I so cursed? Well...I think it has to do with the fact that I inherited my dad's teeth. He has had all sorts of issues yet my mom has had ONE cavity in her whole life. NOT FAIR! My husband who I love and adore doesn't spend nearly the amount of time I do on brushing, flossing and rinsing with Listerine yet he has NO cavities. What is up with this? I am sure being pregnant 3 out of the last 5 years has not helped one bit.
So today, I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. I get them cleaned every 6 months just like I am supposed to. I don't have any serious issues but the time has come to replace some of my old fillings that are on their last leg. They are called "overlays." It didn't sound too threatening until the woman at the front desk said they are similar to crowns and I need 3 of them. Insurance covers 50% so that leaves me with a $1200 balance.
Grrrrrrrr. I REALLY hope my boys inherit their father's teeth or we'll need to start a "tooth" fund along with the mission and college funds.

New favorite thing

Having 3 small kids at home and a husband who doesn't get home until late makes working out difficult for me.(Especially since I am NOT a morning person.) Look...I just came up with 3 excuses for not working out already! ANYWAY....I bought this work out kit a couple of weeks ago to help me loose the holiday weight. It is SO MUCH FUN! I like yoga for the stretching and strengthening but I don't feel like I am really working out unless I really get sweatin'. This incorporates both the yoga and cardio. Right up my alley! Nate and the boys think its pretty fun (or funny) to watch as well. I am glad I can entertain them with my sweet dance moves! Anyone have any other ideas for working out at home? I have an elliptical runner but it gets a little old sometimes.

Sledding

Here is Dallin about ready to peg Parker in the face with a snowball.

Hooray for being outside! We've been couped up for a few days!

Here is Dallin...showing us how its done!

It was the perfect day to play in the snow! We went over to the field by our house with some friends and played on the big hill. Dallin got a nice goose egg on his head after flying off a small jump. Parker wouldn't get near the sled after witnessing the incident. It was a fun time!

They grow up too fast!

I feel like I write a lot of blogs about my kids and how they just seem to be growing up WAY too fast. Sorry...here's another one. I was sitting in church today and I was just looking over at my boys and I just had one of those moments where you stop and go....Whoa....my kids are really getting BIG.
Dallin was playing with his calculator (the "toy" he opted to bring to church) and Parker was drawing pictures of daddy with his pen. Just a couple of years ago I taught the CTR 6 class and those kids seemed so big to me and now MY kid is in that class. It seems like yesterday when I took Dallin to his first day in Sunbeams. I can't believe I only have a few more months with my little guy before he starts school. Some days I can't wait for him to start but I know I will really miss having him around.
Parker had his very first day in Primary and I was SO worried he wouldn't make it through. The past month or so he has had a really hard time in nursery. He would cry beg not to go. He had no problem going to the "big kid" class today. He thought it was so cool that he was able to go to the primary room....the room that Dallin gets to go in. Parker is the youngest kid in his class by far so I was worried he would really struggle. When I picked him up his teacher said, " Parker was the winner of out Memory game we played today." "He really remembers things well." I thought to myself....hmmmmm...if only he would remember to use the toilet consistently.
My Landon is already 8 months and he is crawling EVERYWHERE. He has made it up 4 stairs this week and even took a step with his little push/walking thing. It is just amazing to me how quickly life just keeps pressing on.

Funny story: Both Parker and Dallin recieved CTR rings today and they were both SO excited to show us after church. They both had their rings on their middle fingers and they were pretty much flipping us off while showing us their new rings. We had a good laugh.

Girls night out.

Last night was fun. I headed out to a movie with one of my really good friends. It was so nice to have a break and not have to worry about making sure I had a diaper bag packed along with some goldfish or fruit snacks. We watched August Rush. It was cute. A little predictable and slow at times but all in all a good show. I probably won't be buying it in the future but its worth $1.00 at the redbox when it comes out!

Year in Review

Well...its the last day of 2007 so I thought I would do a little re-cap of the last 12 months. These are the most memorable events of the year. (In no particular order!)

1. Being a BSU fan and watching the Fiesta Bowl last year! Incredible is all I have to say about that! I don't think I have ever screamed so loud!

2. Nate receiving his job offer last January. This was the job of his dreams and we were excited to start out the year on such a great high note. It was a such a relief knowing that after his clerkship we knew he had a job at a great firm!

3. Landon Cooper Starnes being born on May Day. I was SO terrified to have 3 children 4 and under but it was a quick adjustment and I can't even imagine life without him here. He is such a joy and he is so stinkin cute! I can't believe he will be 8 months old tomorrow!

4. Not my favorite memory but having to go through surgery for such a ridiculous reason. If you don't know what I am referring to....look back to the blog from July. Dumb doctor.

5. Building our first home. What a fun and stressful project. We had such a great time picking our colors and everything but we were a little bit nervous about becoming home owners. We would drive by the house EVERY SINGLE day it was being built. It was fun to see the progress! The boys didn't think it was so much fun. Every time we would turn into our new subdivision we would hear a lot of moans and complaints. "Mooooooom....we JUST saw the new house. Not AGAIN!."

6. Heading up to Bozeman for the Whitaker Family Reunion. We had a great time together! I love that we have all of these silly traditions like the buddy burner breakfast. (Cooking breakfast with a partner over a hot can.) It is more like buddy burn-your-breakfast. It was fun seeing a new part of the country and it was BEAUTIFUL up there!

7. Dallin playing soccer and t-ball this year. What a hoot! We had lots of fun going to his games and Nate LOVED being the t-ball coach. Better get used to this. I'm sure we will be heading to these sporting events for many years to come!

8. Parker destroying our new table. I'm sure most of you know the story but just in case you don't...here is goes. We finally bought a new table and chairs for our kitchen and I waited 2 months for them to arrive. We got everything put together and the next morning we were all getting ready to go out and buy a new tablecloth. I walk around the corner and there is Parker painting RED NAIL POLISH all over the kitchen floor, dishwasher and all over my NEW TABLE. I just about threw up. The nail polish ate through the varnish and stain on the table. I called RC Willey in tears and they agreed to sell me a new one for only $200. We bought it but it is still in a box in the garage. I figure I may as well let the boys destroy this one before I get the other one out.

9. Going to Utah for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun getting together with everyone and being able to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Whitaker. We always have so much fun playing games and hanging out. The all-night shopping excursion was one I will always remember as well.

10. Thowing my Mom's 50th birthday party. My mom is NEVER surprised about anything and we got her GOOD this year. She thought she was coming over to watch the boys and little did she know a limo was coming to pick her up from our house. The limo came and picked her up and took her all around the city. It would stop randomly and pick up her friends and family who came in from out of town. Then the limo took her back to her house where we had all of her friends from Boise waiting to surprise her! We decked the whole house out in pink and black.I had the whole thing catered from GoodWood. Ash came up and helped with the food (thank heavens) . Natalie put a bunch of pictures to music and we played some fun games. It was classic!

11. Trying out the dog thing. What a learing experience. If you think your life is difficult...try throwing a puppy in the mix for 6 weeks. When the puppy is gone...you realize that life really isn't too stressful after all! Even though I loved that little puppy..I don't think the Starnes family will ever be pet owners again. (Except for fish)

12. Our Christmas this year. I will never forget the boy's expressions. Grandparents SPOILED us this year!

Well....this year has definitely been a good one. Hopefully the next will bring as much joy as the last one has! Happy New Year everyone!

A few pictures from the season

Who doesn't love a new pair of Christmas jammies?!!!

Sweet little boy!

Dallin was VERY excited to get his Light Sketcher!

Our Christmas cookies for Santa. Janet's recipe! They turned out D-licious!

Checking out the model train exhibit downtown.

Landon meeting Santa for the first time!

They were pretty exited to tell Santa what was on their ever changing lists!

Christmas 2007

I keep putting off blogging because I left my camera at my parent's house and I want to put some pictures up! As soon as I get it back I will definitely get them up. Christmas was AMAZING this year. We had such a wonderful Christmas Eve with Nat and Robby, Jas, and Mom and Dad. We started off with an amazing dinner with everything imaginable. Turkey and ham and Swedish meatballs, BBQ meatballs, and crab cakes...and those were just the meat choices! We had all the fixings to go along with it and cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory for dessert! (Bring on the calories!) The highlight of the evening was being able to talk to Elder Rock. He sounded so great! You can tell he is 100% lost in the work he is doing. After talking with James we proceeded with the annual Rock Family Christmas Program. Its a miracle I know...but Staci Lynn Starnes actually SANG in the Christmas program. I couldn't look at Nate because I knew I would burst out laughing. I did sing WITH Nat, Robby and Jason...but hey...this is big for me!
We ended the evening with the candle tradition. When Nat and I were little we started this tradition where everyone sits in a circle and we dim the lights. One person holds the candle and proceeds to talk about the previous year and the things they are grateful for...then they pass it to the next person. It kind of turns into a testimony meeting of sorts but it is such a great way to really feel the spirit of the season.
We left my parents at about 11:00 and little did we know how LATE we were going to be up getting all the toys ready for the next morning. I finally crashed at about 1:30 but Nate was up until 3:30 putting the bikes and scooters together!
Christmas morning was so incredible. The boys came into our room at 7:00 and asked if Santa had come. I was shocked that they didn't just go down and look for themselves but I was glad because I was able to catch their initial reactions as they came downstairs. They were so SPOILED this year. They would run from one toy to the next and then to the next. Landon pretty much tried to eat bows and wrapping paper the whole time. Dallin is so funny.He had this huge plethora of toys including remote control cars, moon sand, huge dinosaurs and other things and what was the one thing he was the MOST excited about?? A fractions book that I got him from the dollar store.
Nate spoiled me as usual. We always make an agreement not to go overboard on each other and to focus on the kids. I try to stick to that plan but Nate always disobeys and makes me feel so stupid.
I have been SO busy the last couple of days trying to get back on top of everything here at the home front. It is amazing how quickly the laundry and dishes pile up when you kind of ignore them for a few days! Thank you to everyone who helped make this Christmas so special for us. We loved recieving so many Christmas cards and we appriecate you taking the time to remember us during this Holiday Season.