Ward Campout

Ward Campout - Here we come!!!

Dan came home from church a few weeks ago, totally excited about an announcement he just heard at church. He has been saying for years that with as fun as fathers and sons outings are for him and the boys, he wishes the church would sponsor or host a campout for the whole family to attend. Well, They Did....And we got excited.

The date was set for the last week of August to be held at a fantastic church owned campground called Camp Zarahemla.

We were the second family to arrive on that Friday, so we had our pick of the campgrounds. We chose the one closest to the canoe dock which butted right up against the lake. With a family of 5 kids, we had no shortage of helpers as we pitched the tent and organized the camp area.

The kids were amazed by how many chipmunks there were. They were everywhere and definitely not shy. While unpacking sleeping bags from the car and hauling them to the tent 3 chipmunks climbed in the car and started helping themselves to our food.

After our campsite was all set up the kids were ready to go exploring. They wanted to check everything out and find the perfect hiking stick and a stick to use for carving with their pocket knives. That’s right folks we let a few of our kids run around with pocket knives. Axes Too. Yikes, watch out!

Speaking of exploring and pocket knives, here are the first 2 injuries of our trip. A little gravel to the knee for Kase, and Hailey swears she got cut from the stick she was carving and not the knife she was using to carve it. (Uh Huh, yea right.)

After exploring and playing around in the canoes for a while we ventured back to camp for some dinner. Chili and Hot dogs, with a side of BEE'S. That's right, Bee's. Like swarms of them. They couldn't resist the succulent meal we had just prepared. HOLY COW, we couldn't keep them off of us for the entire meal. Where ever our plates were, they were dotting the surface of our food. Yuck!

After dinner and a quick little hike, we worked our way over to the Ward Talent Show for some improve comic relief. Our kids showcased their talents by grooving to the ever popular song - Ho Down Throw down, by Hannah Montana. Ky also remembered a few of his skits from scouts and rounded up a few kids to perform them.

We ended the evening around the campfire roasting marshmallows and dodging a couple of dozen "eye pokers" that were freely handed out to children ranging in age from "to young to trust with a sharp stick" and "younger". :) No serious casualties though, just good old campfire fun......and the chocolate marshmallow mess that always accompanies such an event.

After the younger kids went to bed and the older ones were busy running around in the woods with friends, flashlights and walkie talkies, Dan and I popped some popcorn and invited the Armitage’s down for a game night at our campsite. What a fun day!

The next day was fun as well. A service project followed a ward breakfast, and then it was time to hit the lake again.

A few of the kids even braved the cold water by plunging feet first into it from the jungle vines known as the "rope swing". Dan says he would have braved the FREEZING cold water as well, and really shown the kids how to do it with style, if it wasn't for the drive home that was fast approaching and his desire not to drive home wet. We all know it was a cheesy cop-out, but if that makes him feel better about himself and his manhood.....we can play along. Maybe next time Dan, Right? I think we’re scheduled to go back in January, you could always show the kids how it’s done then. Looking forward to that! :)

Sister’s Gone Wild :)

(YES- we went a little camera crazy, but believe it or not I'm only including a "few" of my favorite pics from the weekend. Just enough to remember how much fun we had together :)

It only took Megan 5 years of begging, a couple of free plane tickets, an awesome husband, and perfect timing to make a trip to Utah to see my little sister happen.

Megs lives on her own down in Utah and she is always asking us to come and visit. My sister Leslie and I both had a free plane ticket to use from our frequent flyer miles so we decided to make all of Meg’s dreams come true and drop in for a few days :)

She picked us up from the airport around 1:30. Since we were in Salt Lake we decided to spend the day and do a few of the “Mormon Activities” they have there. First stop was to the Humanitarian center for a tour. It was really amazing to see how organized and prepared our church is for any disaster. It was also amazing to see the amount of people all over the world that have been blessed by the service, education, jobs, and supplies the church has given them. So cool. It made me want to get involved and help out in my own small way.

Next it was off to Temple Square. We walked around for a little bit and then Leslie and I were able to do a session together. Loved it, thanks for sharing that with me Les, and a big thanks to Megs for waiting for us.

After that we ate at the Melting Pot. The Melting Pot dining experience takes about 3 hours. Our 3 hours were spent perusing the menu, trying out lots of yummy food, posing for an outrageous amount of pictures, laughing, faking Leslie out with a bouquet of Roses we found in the bathroom garbage can, laughing, and then laughing so hard pop came out my nose. Super Fun Dinner.

Needless to say after a 3 hour dinner of cheese and chocolate we all had to take a short potty break (when I say short potty break, I mean a good 30 minutes) before we could continue on with our evening of games and fun until 2am. (Here’s Megs in the “Farting Position”) OH BOY!

On day 2 it was off to the Lagoon bright and early. All 3 of us love amusement parks and fast rides so it was a no brainer that this was going to be a fun day together.

6 seconds of craziness on "Wicked"

We paid extra to go on the Sky Coaster and the Sling Shot Ball. They were well worth it and our absolute favorites of the day!

Click on the videos below to see for yourself.

This is us dangling at the top of the sky coaster right before we dropped.

This is a video of what it looks like from the outside of the sling shot ball ride.

(20 sec. of nothing at the begining you may want to skip ahead a little)

Megs and I: View from inside of the ball during blast off.

Les and I: View from the inside of the ball during blast off.

On our way home from the Lagoon that night we stopped off to catch a 10:00pm chick flick… The Traveling Man’s Wife. Once home we stayed up chatting until 2am and then finally crashed.

The next morning I was pounced on by Megan and Leslie screaming, “morning photo opp.” (Behold the “Glamour Shots” below. UGH.)

Because it was raining we choose to cancel our plans to Park City where we had hoped to do the zip line, alpine slides, and shop. Instead, we settled for a trip to the mall where we splurged on pedicures and eyebrow waxing.

The cool thing about this unexpected turn of events is that since I had just lost my toenail a few weeks prior (another story all on its own – OUCHY) I was able to have a fake one glued on and painted up all pretty and perfect. It was quite a funny sight to see. I went in without….came out with!! Yeah!!

After we were all dolled up we were ready for a night out on the town. We went to “Comedy Sports” which is an improv comedy club kind of like “Whose Line Is It Anyway.” It was fun watching them in Utah because of all of the LDS humor that was thrown in. Some of those jokes could only have been told and understood in Utah :) The Ref used lots of our ideas we yelled out which made it super fun for us. Especially when he caught Megs yawning, and called Leslie cupcake. The comedians had us rolling most of the night.

For our last day together we wanted to make sure to get in a trip to the Mayan, one of my favorite Utah restaurants. Leslie had never been so it was fun to treat her to something new.

Temple Square was our last stop on our way to the airport. We got to finish up what we didn’t get to see on our first day at temple square. It was a nice way to spend our last few hours together.

I had a ton of fun, let’s not wait so long for our next sister’s weekend. Maybe next time we can do it at Disneyworld :) Anyone in?

Dance Camp, Golf Camp and Swim Lessons…

...are a few of the activities the kids filled their summer days with.

Swim lessons for the older 2 were more about learning skills, than they were about survival, while the younger 2 still focused on the floating, bobbing, and other basics.

Dance Camp was for the girls. Alaina did the High School Musical Dance and Singing camp where she got to refine her Broadway skills. Hailey got to be a princess in a sleeping beauty ballet. Each had a blast and totally did great.

Alaina and Ky did Golf for the second summer in a row. They get to putt, drive, and chip their way to a good time with golf pro’s coaching them and their YMCA teams for an action packed day. Watch out Tiger Woods….here they come.

Our busy summer is nearly over. The kids have had a blast and are super excited for school to start!

I KNOW… I KNOW… I KNOW…

Every parent is aware that a 2 year olds favorite word is... NO.
My 2 year old happens to love this same word, he just uses it in a different context… KNOW.

Hudson responds back to just about anything I say with the phrase… I KNOW. Sometimes he says it very sweetly… i know :), and other times it’s sassy. Very long and drawn out… I KNnNnOOoooooOOooWWwwWwW.

For Example…

Hudson you need to sit down in the shopping cart. I KNOW

Hudson it’s time for bed. I KNOW

That’s Kase’s drink, not yours bubba. I KNOW

You're so Cute! I Know

Come sit down and have a snack. I KNOW

You're not suppose to have scissors. I KNOW

It’s time for a bath. I KNOW

Hey, you didn’t ask for that pudding. I KNOW

You're not suppose to take your diaper off. I KNOW

Jax, no hitting. Be nice. I KNOW

You're suppose to be laying down. I KNOOOOOOOOOW

And the “I KNOW” list could go on and on.

I’m pretty sure Hudson "the 2 year old" is a genius because HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.

1st Ostler Family Reunion “2009”

The Ostler family is growing fast and with all of our young families and busy schedules we thought it would be a fun idea to set aside some time this summer for a little Ostler reunion of our own. We have Extended family reunions every other year but this was a first for an immediate family reunion.

Ryan and Ashley took on the task of planning our first reunion and did a great job.They opted to stay in the Tri Cities and called it a “staycation”:) They packed two days full of fun family activities.

It all started on Friday afternoon, because of stormy weather some boating plans changed and we headed over to the church gym for some indoor games of basketball t-ball, tag, and a bounce house. The kids had a lot of fun running wild.

While at the church everyone went outside and created their very own tie dye shirt to be worn the next day.

After those activities, it was back over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a BBQ and playing with cousins in the backyard. The kids ate ice cream cones, watched a movie, and at dark we set up tents in the backyard. That’s right….CAMPING at Grandpas. Now that’s a staycation if I have ever heard of one!!!

Once the little kids were all tucked in and sawing logs, it was time for the real fun to begin. The adults spent the evening playing games and then whipped out the home videos for our viewing pleasure. Can anyone say “hilarious”. I especially loved the teeny, tiny pair of shorts and knee high socks that Ryan sported in several of the home videos. A few other worthy mentions would be the “migrant workers in the orchards behind dad’s house” nice one dad, and Dan’s love of “EXTRA SUGAR FREE GUM!” (Too Funny)

The next Morning we all got up for a big family breakfast and then headed over to Badger Mountain for a morning hike and family devotional. With the majority of the family being under age 2 most of the family stayed at the bottom of the mountain playing at the park. A couple of my kids hiked half way up the mountain and Ky and Kase went all the way to the top with Grandpa. Once back from the hike Dan shared a spiritual message on the importance of families and the importance of having fun family traditions and staying connected.

After the park we went back to the Ostler’s for lunch and then swimming at the Holle’s. The pool was great and the kids had a blast swimming with their cousins, crazy dad’s, and uncle’s.

After swimming everyone headed home to clean up and get a babysitter for the kids. We finished out the reunion with an adult date night. Which I thought was a super great idea :) Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters and spouses ended the reunion with a dinner and a movie date night together.

Thanks for planning the fun weekend and thanks to all who participated! We had a lot of fun and look forward to planning the next one in 2011.

Fun Weekend to Leavenworth with our “highest bidders”

In February Dan and I auctioned “ourselves” at a church service auction. “Date Night with the Ostler’s.” Our friends, Kate and Clint Armitage were our highest bidders. After spending $100 on us we couldn’t just take them to dinner and a movie so we started planning. Dan and I came up with… a trip to Leavenworth. We invited a few more friends and turned it into a couples weekend.

One of the stores I forced everyone into was an “old photo” store. You know the kind where you get dressed up in old fashioned clothes and have your picture taken. Dan and I had done this before on a previous trip with my brother and it was a lot of fun, so I thought it would be a lot of fun to do with this group of friends.

They handed me my outfit and once I realized how little fabric I was going to be squeezing into, I thought, “this is not going to be pretty.” It was then that I remembered why the picture from 2 years ago was so much fun…..Because in that picture I was dressed like a man. This time…….not so fun……had to put on a dress.

Above – This years pic. Below – 2 years ago.

All in all, it was a fun time, and this years pics made for some great memories.