Traveller Family

Welcome Home

2010-05-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

So, a little over a week ago, I was fortunate enough to attend Women's Conference with my Mom, Grandma, and sister-in-laws. Tony kept the kids at home and took good care of them while I was away. It was a nice break and much needed time to myself. It was also nice to come home and find all well here. I had to laugh at the little things that I noticed over the first couple days of coming back. I had to make a top 10 list of my discoveries...

10 Things That Tell Me I'm Home & I've Been Missed

1. Sticky fingerprints everywhere...door knobs, cabinet knobs, cupboards, fridge---a friendly reminder that the clean house I left is ready to be cleaned again!

2. Kids ready for some "real" food, not another sandwich!

3. Children arguing in church the next morning over who gets to sit by Mom.

4. Cache's surprise haircut--Thank You! That needed to be done!

5. Cooper's non-stop details about the RC he researched on the internet...He couldn't wait to show me!

6. Two little blond visitors in bed with me the first night home...can you say sardines?!?

7. "Welcome Home" sign made by Shelby & Libby with a little help from Grandpa & Grandma Traveller!

8. "Welcome Home" treat...chocolate chip cookies made by Tony and kids...So, you can bake!

9. Libby's smile when she woke up and realized I was home.

10. Shelby's hug and the words, "I just love you so much!"

Sad News

2010-04-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Just an update on our pregnancy... This past thursday I went in for my 17 week appointment and the doctor was unable to detect a heartbeat. After an ultrasound confirmed things, we scheduled surgery for a D&E the following day. Needless to say we are all still in shock, but the surgery went well. I am feeling quite a bit better physically today and over time I know the emotional struggles will pass. The doctor couldn't see any obvious problems with the baby or the umbilical cord upon removal, but further testing will be done on the baby as well as myself in a couple weeks to see if we can determine what went wrong. We may never know, but find comfort in knowing that this was nature's way of taking care of an unhealthy baby. Thank you to all for your concern and prayers in our behalf.

We're So Lucky!

2010-03-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know of our exciting news, but with St. Patrick's Day in a few days I thought I would formally share our luck and announce that we are expecting! This past year has quite a journey for Tony and I. We felt very content with our family, but Heavenly Father has a way of altering thoughts and feelings. After many impressions, lots of prayer and fasting, we came to terms with what Heavenly Father had in store for us. We truly are excited for the changes that lie before us. Our kids definitely share in the excitement as well. I am due September 9th and feel pretty lucky!

A MIA Apology

2009-03-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I spent a little over an hour viewing all the blogs on my list. It made me realize how behind I am! (Not that the Halloween pictures below would give me any indication of my last blogging moment.) Anyway, to all of you who check my blog frequently, I AM SORRY! I do feel I have been missing in action, but I am going to attempt to update a few things. This might have to suffice for my blog today, but I will try and add some photos and journaling assuming the kids cooperate with my idea of how the rest of the evening is going to go.

I do want all of my wonderful friends and family to know how great you each are. I read your blogs, smile at your life adventures, see your darling children, read about your creative projects, hear of your trials, and am so uplifted by the fact that you are all a part of my life. Thanks for being my friend and loving me despite all my faults and failures.

Stay tuned for more to come...

Halloween

2008-11-04T21:06:00.001-08:00

I LOVE HALLOWEEN! I think is it so fun to decorate the house and be someone or something else for one night. We had a blast this Halloween with school parties and trick-or-treating. It was especially fun to have Grandpa Hobbs here to share it with us.

Cache and Cooper with bug filled grass for hair!

Our little Belle...so sweet!

One cute cat! MEOW!

Cache Turns 9!

2008-11-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

Cache turned nine years old on October 7th! He celebrated in a lot of places with a lot of his favorite people! Grandma Hobbs bought him the ultimate gift....a motorcycle shirt and gloves.

Tony surprised everyone (especially me) with a 22 gauge rifle & 410 shotgun for Cache. They have had a lot of fun since then shooting targets.

Popping Grandma and Grandpa Traveller's money filled balloons!

Celebrating at Grandpa Hobbs for breakfast!

Celebrating with Aunt Stephanie!

Moab

2008-11-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

With the changing of the leaves, comes another trip to Moab. This time, we took the Wards with us. After a lot of stress and disappointment, they left their Bronco at home and rented a Jeep Rubicon instead. Tony put it to the test and it (and it's driver) did great! Thanks for coming with us!

Through the crack!
Amazing!

Cache driving...gas, brake, & steering! Should I be worried? I guess this is a typical Moab thing. At least he'll know how to drive by the time he's 15.

White Knuckle Hill. Notice that I got out and Cache got in. He is just like his Dad!

Another crazy descent!

Fall Photo

2008-11-04T20:14:00.001-08:00

When Grandma Hobbs was here visiting she took this photo of the kids just before we walked into church. Some days I can't believe how much my kids have grown. Oh, how I love them!

September

2008-11-04T19:16:00.001-08:00

The month of September started off with going back to school and getting back into a schedule. Shelby started Apple Blossom Preschool and loves it! She goes to school on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Cache is in the 3rd Grade and has Mrs. Sato as his teacher. Cooper is in the 2nd Grade and has Mrs. Speicher as his teacher.

Labor Day weekend was filled with fun. We started off by going to the rodeo at the Twin Falls County Fair with the Ward Family. It was "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" night so Tony bought the girls pink bandanas to wear on their heads. The kids also got free horses when we entered the arena. That helped to entertain them, not to mention the donuts, cotton candy, and carmeled apples.

Cooper with his buddy Corban!

On Saturday, we drove to the South Hills and then hiked 3 miles to Phantom Falls. Here is a photo of Tony and the kids under the water fall at the end of the hike.

Saturday night, we set up our tent in the back yard, ate hot dogs and smores, and watched a movie...all six of us! The kids were in heaven!

Check out the static cling on Libby's hair!

A week or two into September Libby decided to cut her own hair. I wasn't sure whether to get mad or get the camera. What a girl!

The pile of hair and the scissors!

A side view of where she cut!

Libby with her new hair cut! She actually looks pretty cute with short hair...if only the side will grow back in.............

One of Cache and Cooper's favorite things to do is ride the motorcycle. They are amazing for their age! Everyday they ask if they can ride. We really need to move and get some land!

A huge highlight of September was when Cooper lost his first tooth! He has been waiting so long for that to happen! I love his smile!

At the end of September, Tony turned 38!

Look at all that smoke....

Look at all that fire...

Does is really take that many people to light all the candles?

Our Baby Turns 3!

2008-09-08T10:02:00.001-07:00

It seems that our kids birthdays last at least a week. It was the same with Libby's 3rd birthday. We started a week before her actual birthday when Grandma Hobbs came to celebrate. She loved the cupcakes with princess rings in the shape of the letter 3. She was also in heaven with more food for her kitchen and a double stroller. Libby is still obsessed with babies. Grandpa Hobbs sent her money to buy something special just for her. She chose a purple princess backpack of course! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!

On her actual birthday we celebrated again with family and friends here. It was all about Belle...from the cake the girls help me make to her Belle dress-up gifts. It is hard to believe that our baby is three! We love you Libby!

Summer Highlights

2008-09-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am finally finding some time to post! I know...I know...it has been awhile. Nevertheless, here are some highlights of our summer.

AUGUST

The Shoshone Falls were beautiful this summer. We spent one evening having a picnic there, going on a short hike, and looking at the falls. The kids also had fun being monkeys in the trees. They insisted on me taking their pictures. Libby was a little more cautious and opted not to participate.

Another fun highlight of August was having our friends, the Hickmans, come to visit. They moved from Twin Falls a couple years ago and hadn't been back since. It was so fun to spend time with them. The kids had a blast and we laughed and laughed. Besides boating on the river, swimming, hosting a barbeque with lots of friends, we took the opportunity to go to the temple open house with them.

The Twin Falls Temple Open House was a big part of our summer. Tony worked security several times, we helped put on foot-coverings with the young single adult branch, and I served cookies in the hosting center the last day of tours. We also took our family through many times as we took other family members and friends through. It is absolutely beautiful and how fortunate we are to have a temple here. Besides taking our children through for the first time, I really enjoyed the tour Tony and I had from President Clarke of BYU-Idaho on the day we did foot-coverings for the VIP tour. It was the first time either of us had been inside and I was in awe of everything. It was equally touching to have Cache with us at the dedication services.

JULY

Thank goodness for swimming lessons! Our kids love the water and two weeks of wet fun is just what they needed in the middle of July. Here is a photo of Shelby jumping off the diving board. She is fearless!

Another annual event early in July is the Traveller Family 4th of July. As always, we had a blast and with a little bit of luck, our team took 1st and the trophy for this year. I'm not sure who was more excited, me or our kids. It has been a long time coming!

Our biggest adventure of July was travelling to the Oregon Coast for the Ragnar Series Northwest Passage Relay Race. I will do a separate post of that, but it was also a wonderful summer experience.

JUNE

We traveled to Utah the end of June to spend time with the Hobbs family. Everyone was in town from far away places and we had a great time with everyone. As part of the fun, we tried a photo shoot of all the grandkids. It didn't turn out quite how we envisioned, but the kids looked darling. Here are a couple snap shots I took of my kids.

June was also filled with lots of baseball games and two cuddly bunnies. Cache and Cooper really enjoyed playing ball this year. I think their new bat bags might have had something to do with that. It is always more fun when you look the part. We also found the perfect pet and they cared for these rabbits perfectly! It provided great entertainment and taught them a lot about responsibility. Unfortunately, they very suddenly died in August from unknown causes. I think we will try them again in the spring. The kids sure loved them!

Thanks to several invitations from friends, we also enjoyed the benefits of Bass Lake. Thanks to all who invited us! We had a blast!

In the middle of June, I ventured to Lake Tahoe again with six other friends and family members to run the Lake Tahoe Relay. It was so much fun last summer, I decided to do it again. Thanks Kari, Jodi, Brenda, Tammy, Jenna, and Lisa for a great run and a great time!

Last, but not least, Shelby started the summer off with her first dance recital. Tony surprised her with roses in her favorite color, pink, of course! She was darling and performed so well.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-13T06:37:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to take a minute and honor my Dad for Father's Day. I am off to Lake Tahoe in a few minutes and in cleaning off my memory stick, I came across this great photo of him and Shelby. The boys brought these glasses back from Moab and Shelby thought she looked just like Grandpa with them on. It is obvious from the photo what a great Grandpa he is! We love you Grandpa Hobbs!

Cooper's 7th Birthday

2008-06-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

I know this post is over a month late, but I did want to post pictures of Cooper's 7th birthday. We made a sign that said he "Rocked at age 7!" and got him a huge guitar balloon. He thought that was awesome. I actually can't wait for him to learn the guitar. He is such a music lover! We ate cake down at Northwest because Tony couldn't break free from the blazer. At the time I wasn't too happy about it, but it worked out fine and Cooper was thrilled just to have his family around him and eat a cookie dough cake from Cold Stone. His highlight had to be his new mountain bike...now he can outride Cache! Cache was a little envious at first, but has been a great sport about Cooper having something better than him. (It's about time though, Cooper always gets the left overs from Cache.) All in all, I think Cooper had a good birthday! We love you and everything you are!

MOAB

2008-06-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a few highlights from the adventure to Moab at the beginning of May. As you can see, the blazer changed quite a bit! In my opinion, I think it turned out great! Don't let me fool you though...it still needs a few minor adjustments and the final paint job will take place this winter. In the shortness of time, it only got primed!

This trip definitely was a long time in the making and the boys (Tony, Cache, & Cooper) had a blast! It was worth every minute without Tony while he rebuilt the blazer just to hear the thrill in their voices when I talked to them on the phone and see the smile on their faces when they returned home!

Just a note to my wonderful husband...I'm glad you are passionate about this! It brings so much fun and excitement to our family and the boys love it nearly as much as you do! Thanks for spending your time creating something you can do with us and doing it so well! I love you!

Where Is Tony?

2008-04-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't seen Tony at recent family events, I thought I'd better show evidence of his "justified" disappearance. Over the past six months, Tony has gotten very serious about rebuilding his 1972 Chevy Blazer. He has researched doing this for years, but has recently made decisions about what he wanted the outcome to be and gotten the motivation to tackle the project. In order to fund this massive undertaking, he had to sell his blue blazer pictured below. I think he'd admit that it was a fair trade-off though! We are under a deadline to get the new blazer done. The boys are heading to Moab the first part of May, so there is still quite a bit to do before it's first showing. Nevertheless, here are a few photos of the rebuilding process...

New transfer case (That was expensive!)

New roll cage (I feel better knowing my boys are protected!)

New cage over the motor (Tony feels better knowing this is protected!)

Rear panels that have been shorted and narrowed!

An overall look!

I plan on posting before and after pictures of it when it is all done. For now, there are just a few final things to do to the body and cage before it is taken apart and off to be painted. Then it is time to put it all back together! As fun as this has been for Tony and the boys, I am anxious for it to be done. My honey-do-list is nearly a mile long! I can wait though...only 4 more weeks!

Happy Birthday Shelby!

2008-03-14T14:22:00.001-07:00

Shelby celebrated her 4th birthday last month on February 25th. She actually had a whole week of fun starting with taking birthday treats to preschool, then having a "Littlest Pet Shop" party with her sister and six close friends, followed by a trip to Utah and celebrating with the Hobbs family, and finally having dinner and cake with the Traveller bunch at home! Shelby loved all the attention...thanks to everyone for making it so special!

A Special Treat!

2008-03-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

During the week of Valentine's Day, the kids and I had a "Be Nice to Daddy Day" for Tony. (See sign on mantel.) This is an idea that started with my mother-in-law, but I love it! On this particular day, who ever is being honored, is spoiled rotten! For this day, we centered everything around Tony! I think it cheered him up...although, the next day, after Tony reprimanded Cache for doing something wrong, Cache whispered to me, "Mom, I don't think the "Be Nice to Dad Day" worked. I guess Cache expected Tony to have changed into "Mr. Nice Dad." I assured Cache that our idea did work, but that Tony still had to play the role of the responsible father and discipline his son.

On Valentine's Day, I got my own special treat! I was busy at the computer doing PTA stuff, when the kids came in and told me they had a surprise for me. They led me out into the living room with my eyes closed and then sat me on the sofa. They then told me to open my eyes and I saw what you see pictured above...they had formed a band! I was then privileged to listen to a couple Jack Johnson songs with the help of Cache's ipod nano and Cooper's idog. Each of the kids played a special part and definitely melted my heart!

Winter Swimming

2008-02-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

I realized that the girls were getting cabin fever when they begged me to wear their swimming suits in the bathtub. I gave in and indulged them, but the next thing I knew they had swim toys and inflatable tubes in as well. I'm amazed they didn't go for the swim noodles! I guess this is how we swim in Idaho during the winter!

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby

2008-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

We experienced our first Pinewood Derby last month. Cache and Tony had a fun time creating the car. Things got a little hairy when it was deadline time, but as always, Tony came through with a solution. When the glue wouldn't dry hard enough to hold the weights, Tony drilled holes through quarters and screwed them in to weight the car. We all thought it was fitting that his car carried "cash"! They met the weigh in with perfection...exactly 5 ounces on the first try! Cache was thrilled with the custom stickers (his name, number, and flames) Tony had made just for the occasion. What a great Dad!

Christmas Day

2008-01-09T21:41:00.001-08:00

Santa Claus certainly found our home on Christmas Eve! From the fun things the kids got, it looked as though the Traveller children had been exceptionally good in 2007. Libby's favorite toy was her baby doll and purse from Tylee. Shelby liked her doll house and all its fun accessories. Cooper and Cache have been jammin' to their Ipod Nanos from the second they spotted them Christmas morning!

The funnest toy by far has been the Nintendo Wii!

It entertained everyone!

Christmas Eve

2008-01-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun hosting Christmas this year. Our kids loved spending time with some of their Hobbs cousins (We missed you Camden, Sam, Alex, and Clara!) as well as Grandpa Hobbs and their aunts and uncles. We had our big Christmas dinner Christmas Eve and then told the Nativity story intermixed with songs while the kids put a sticker scene together. The kids were then allowed to open their Christmas pajamas and gift from their Hobbs cousin. Finally, it was time for pie and bed!

Christmas Dance Recital

2008-01-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

Shelby had her first dance recital in December! We had so much fun getting her dolled up. She danced to "Christmas Don't Be Late." Here she is pictured with her good friend Brenley.

BUNCO!

2007-12-04T21:38:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a picture of the table setting from the Bunco party I hosted a few weeks ago. I centered everything around pumpkins including the food and prizes. Thanks to my friend Nicole, the glittered pumpkins for centerpieces were a huge hit. I think all twelve of us had a good time, and as far as I know, I am the only one that got sick (a flu bug...not really from the food)!

Happy Halloween!

2007-12-04T21:21:00.001-08:00

I realize that I am 6 weeks after the fact, but with some serious nagging (thank you Laura), I am back! Here are some snapshots of the kids at Halloween. Shelby...fairy, Libby...princess, Cooper...knight, and Cache...vampire! We had a fun day with school parties, then off to our ward trunk-or-treat, and finished with a few homes of family members and friends. What a spooktacular night!

It's Always Fun When Grandma Comes!

2007-10-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun with Grandma here over the weekend! It was nice to have her stay longer than usual! We were able to enjoy each other more and not feel so rushed to squeeze everything in. Here are some highlights of her visit...

We all had lunch at the school with Cache and Cooper! The boys thought it was a very special treat!

Shelby painted Grandma's toenails and fingernails SEVERAL times! "You just can't have too much polish!" said Shelby.

We played with bags of raked leaves on the trampoline. Grandma and I even joined in! We felt like kids again!

Eight is GREAT!

2007-10-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Cache celebrated his 8th birthday on October 7th! He had a great day and there was a special feeling in our home knowing what this birthday meant. Cache is very anxious to be baptized. He had his interview with the bishop tonight and in his words, he only got one question wrong...I think he passed!! He got new scriptures as one of his gifts and has been reading them like crazy. He has even mentioned to me on several occastions that he has felt that special feeling when he reads. What a GREAT kid!

California Here We Came

2007-10-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Like not showering today until my cleaning was done ( I have showered by the way...), I'm not going to bed until I've done some blogging! I am taking control of my life! It seems like I have been pulled in a hundred different directions lately. Don't get me wrong, I don't think things are going to slow down at all, I am just going to try to simplify and get caught up on everything I have wanted to do!

With that said, here we go...

We had a blast in California. We played every second our eyes were open and the kids had so much fun. It was so nice to be away as a family for over a week. We played at Disneyland, California Adventure, Sea World, and Legoland. It was so fun to go with cousins too! What great memories! Here are some highlights...

One Happy Family! I'm hoping all our dreams come true like they said they would!

We all got to eat lunch with the princesses. Each princess came to our table, signed autographs, and took pictures. Here is Shelby with one of her favorites...Cinderella!

We tricked Tony into riding this one. He said he enjoyed it when it was all done!

Cache & Cooper enjoyed every ride they went on and I think we might have rode every ride!

We even went on the giant ferris wheel pictured here (well, the kids and I did anyway, Tony doesn't do well with heights.)

We ate like kings and queens the entire trip! One of the kids favorite places was Rain Forest Cafe. They loved their rainbow slushes that Daddy splurged to get for them!

Our friends let us borrow their 2007 Ford Expedition for the trip. It was dreamy! Complete with navigation, DVD, and a sunroof which Libby played peek-a-boo with.

First Day of Preschool

2007-09-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

Shelby had her first day of preschool! What a big girl! She absolutely loved every minute of it. She loves being with her friends Colton, Drew, Brenley, and Elsie. Her favorite part is coloring and singing time. She is going to have a great year!

Birthday Cake

2007-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

We decided to do a birthday cake for Libby on Sunday when more family members could be there. She did a great job blowing out the candles and knew exactly what the money was all about from Grandpa and Grandma Traveller. She kept trying to put it in the pockets of her dress! After a long day of church with no nap, she actually wasn't even interested in trying some cake! (She has since had some.) It's official...our little Libby is two!

Grandpa Comes to Visit

2007-09-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Hobbs came to visit us for Labor Day weekend. We had a lot of fun with him! After spending Saturday morning cleaning up our Burley Houses, we found a fun spot to ride 4-wheelers near one of Tony's pits. Everyone got a chance to ride and Shelby even learned to drive by herself. Monday we took a bike ride along the canyon trail before Grandpa had to head home. We'll have to take all our visitors there. It is beautiful!

Libby Turns 2!

2007-08-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Happy, Happy Birthday!

I can hardly believe our baby girl turned two today! I think she definitely understood that today was her special day. She had fun opening presents and got lots of great clothes, a princess tent for her and Shelby to play in, and her own baby car seat and accessories! We plan on having cake and ice cream on Sunday with Grandpa Hobbs and the Traveller clan. The smile you see was a permanent part of her face today. What would our lives be like without Libby!?! Thank goodness for surprises!

Back to School

2007-08-30T21:05:00.001-07:00

Cache is the the 2nd Grade with Mrs. Beck as his teacher!

Cooper is in the 1st Grade with Mrs. Freeman as his teacher.

It was back to school time for us this past Monday. The boys were very excited to start learning again as well as see their friends. I shared in their enthusiasm as I realized we would have a little structure again and I might be able to get caught up on a few things! They both got great teachers and even have good friends in their classes. Shelby and Libby have enjoyed having Mommy all to themselves, but also get excited when it's time to pick up the boys! I can't believe I have two in school all day! I do find that I miss them....just a little!

Lake Tahoe Weekend

2007-06-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I returned from beautiful Lake Tahoe! The race was challenging, the company very entertaining, the scenery beautiful, and I had a blast! Things went well at home too. Grandma Hobbs came to visit and cared for everyone while I was gone. From the sounds of things, I think the kids had as much fun as I did. The weather warmed up enough at home that the girls were able to play in the sun and the boys got a chance to go on their 4-wheelers.

Our Lucky Four

2007-06-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

In trying to set this up, I realized how few photos I've taken recently. I guess I need to do better! The most recent photos I have of the kids are from March. They are all sporting their St. Patty's Day shirts! Every time I look at these pictures, I'm reminded how LUCKY Tony and I really are to have them!