FLASH FLOOD!!!

On Thursday we had a big storm hit us. Chase, Baylie and I were at a friends house doing some scout stuff and saw the storm coming. Baylie had a softball game (if the lightning didn't cancel it)later that night so we all had bets whether she would be playing or not. After the scout activity we loaded up and headed to town and as we got to the softball fields they called it off (my luck, drive to town just to drive home again).

On our way home past the prison we saw a lot of water coming off of one of the fields and over the road. It was a lot of water!!! About 1/2 of a mile up the road was another spot where the water was over the road. As we came to the top of the hill just before you turn to come up to our house I had to stop, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it going home that way. As I got closer I could see we would be okay so I hurried home to get my camera because the water looked like a white water rafting adventure could possibly take place there. The water coming off of the road and down the field sounded like a waterfall. I grabbed my camera and went to take pics but it had calmed down considerably by the time I got back there. So the pics are only part of what there was.

UPDATE!!!!!!!!

Okay so i dont really update this very often but i keep saying i am going to get better at keeping it up. Just to get you up to speed....

My brother is serving in the Air Force in Iraq and will be coming home soon!!!! I got an email from him a little while ago and was telling us that he recieved the "Airman of the Month" for his group and they have only given 5 out since he has been there so we are really proud of him. He is one of our biggest hero's.

Stetson is continuing to progress in therapy i don't have any pics lately i will be getting some. He is walking on a treadmill on a litegait training system which harnesses him above the treadmill and they can change how much weight they put on his legs. He is at about 20 percent of his own weight and has gone from a speed of .8 / 1.3 mph to 2.5 mph in the last month and going for 2 sessions of 10 min. He is doing awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soccer is finally over!!!! Bay did pretty good at the end of the season but i think she needs to have a bunch of balls kicked at her so she wont be so scared of the ball hitting her next year!!! she was trying to get away from the ball not going for the ball most of the time during her games. i have some pics and will post them below.

Chase got to go to OMS (ontario middle school) today for a tour of the buildings. Every year the Middle School 8th graders take the incoming 5th graders for a tour of the school so they have an idea of how the layout of classes are for the next year even though they wont really be changing classes much. They have what they call self contained classes that they started 2 years ago. they will only change classes for pe, facs, art, and choir or band if they choose to take those (or even those might be required now who knows they are always changing things at the Middle School). He is soooo excited he came home tonight and wanted to get his binder ready!!!! school wont start for him for another 3 1/2 months!!!!!!! I dont think he is even remembering that he has to wear a uniform which means no more camo everyday to school!!!!

Loney is really busy working on the farm. Things are all planted but now he is busy trying to get all of the water on all of the fields.

This summer is going to be a busy summer, Stetson will be attending Boy Scout Camp for one week and the week before that he will be attending a Nation Youth Leadership Training Camp which will be at the same place of the Boy Scout Camp. he is also only 1 badge and about 4 merit badges away from getting his Eagle Scout!!!!

We missed the sign ups for Chase to play baseball this summer so he will probably be helping stetson with his stuff while he is away and helping me out around the house.

Bay will be starting softball here pretty quick since soccer is over.

Loney and I celebrated 15 years in March and I bought myself an anniversary present!!!!

I got a new GMC Acadia SUV crossover!!! I absolutely love it!!!! in fact the first weekend we had it i had each of the kids pick a friend and we all went to a movie and played at the Game World we had a blast!

2 Sundays ago we had a big storm come through the area and it even brought a funnel cloud with it. It never touched the ground so it wasn't officially a tornado but it did bring with it the hail. Yes i even got pictures of that. They started out as small stones and then grew!!! i just bit my tongue cuz i havent even had my new car for a month at the time and yes it has hail damage now :( Oh well life goes on!!!!

Well that should get you all up to date for now i will try to keep you all up to date. I see my sister in laws blog spot and wonder if she can do it with 4 boys all under the age of 9 ( i think) then i should be able to do it.

okay so im not the best on keeping you all posted. so heres my new resolution only 1 month late. i will try to keep this updated more frequently.

This has really been a crazy couple of months at the Larson household. Between trips to Boise 2 times a week, basketball practices 2 times a week, basketball games on Saturdays, scout camp outs and so on.

December was busy for all of us getting ready for the holidays and so on...

My mom and grandma came for a week to visit since my brother is in Iraq in the Air Force. Mom didn't really want to be alone at Christmas so her and Grandma flew into Boise and we had them here for almost a full week. We had an awesome visit. Grandma Kathy (my mom) took the kids to the movie one day while Loney and I were supposed to be finishing up Christmas wrapping but it didn't work out so well. Between running errands and so on by the time we were on our way home the kids and mom and grandma were already home from the movie.

For New Years Eve we pretty much did the same thing we do every year.... Try to stay awake to watch the ball drop on Time Square! Guess What??? We actually did it this year. We had one of Chase's friends came and spent the day and night with us that day so we got out our party hats and horns and at 12 a.m. we blew the horns and screamed out HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! then off to bed we all went! Well at least we made it.

In January we were successful at getting Stetson back into Elks Rehab Hospital in Boise for some inpatient therapy. He was supposed to go in right after Christmas so that he wouldn't miss any school but thanks to wonderful insurance and all that good stuff he finally got in on the Sunday after New Years. He did end up missing 2 weeks of school but it happened to be the last 2 weeks of the quarter. That wasn't too bad of a deal however due to the fact that he had already missed so much school that quarter due to surgery on his knee and being sick for the week he got laryngitis (spelling???), croupe, and bronchitis. The teachers have been so good to work with him after school to help him get all his work caught up though.
While in therapy he was able to have the same therapist he had at the beginning of his accident. His therapists name is Joe and he really knows how to push stets. Since Stetson was at therapy we found out that our carpet in our house was hard for him to walk on with his crutches or his walkers so we made the decision to change the carpet.
The two weeks while stets was at Rehab he was able to get on a light gait system that would hold his body weight so that he was able to walk on a treadmill. He walked for the first time on that for 6 min. with a break and then another 6 min. The next time he got on the treadmill he was able to walk for about 10 min. straight with no break. Then at therapy this last week he was able to walk on the treadmill for 12 min. with no break. He is doing incredible.


Baylie has since started playing rec. basketball this month and loving every minute of it. She has practice on Tues. and Thurs. (which happens to be the days stets has therapy in Boise)which is a little chaotic for our life, but we still do it. Bay has played in 3 games so far with her cousin Chaney on the same team which is really fun for them. The first game the score was 27 to 2, the second game was 24 to 12 and the third game was 2 something like 10 to 6. Baylie is on a team with 1st and 2nd graders and is a good "head" taller than the others she plays against. she is one tall girl. She is loving playing sports though.

Chase has turned 11 which means he is an 11 year old scout and can start working on the Boy Scout requirements!!!! He goes on Wed. nights while Stets goes to his scouts on Wed. nights and Bay goes to Activity Days on Wed. nights!!! So yes we spend wed. nights in town at 2 different churches. He also got to go on his first Scout Camp Out. My 3 boys were invited to go on a snow cave camp out up in McCall, Id. They left on Friday afternoon and got up there at dusk and spent a couple hours digging their caves and the rest of the night cramped into a cave. (doesn't sound fun at all to me!) Meanwhile Baylie and I were comfortable at home cuddled up in my king size warm bed that wasn't even wet!!!!! The boys then went tubing at the Activity Barn and had a blast!!! Im glad that the 3 of them had fun and spent some father son time together.

Well that was about it to get you all caught up to speed on what we have all been up to. Hope you will check back and hopefully i will get with the program and keep this updated. You know i look at my sister-in-laws blog and she keeps hers up to date with pics and all and i hope i can do the same.

This year we had a big decision to make about school pictures. I am tired of paying the high prices for some company to come in and take pictures of my kids with the same old background and the same old choices of packages but the prices seem to keep climbing for such poor quality and if your lucky they are centered. Oh and don't forget they might be in focus and they might be okay enough to send to family and friends.

Lucky for us we have a photographer in the family. So even though Ashley was withing weeks of delivering baby number 4 she was willing to meet us at the State Park in Ontario and shoot some pictures of the kids.

That morning was of course a normal morning, Mom!!! Stetson did this!!! and of course I did not but Baylie said this!!!, and of course the peace maker in the family says lets just get ready for pictures and get them done so I can come home and play with my Legos. That was the morning and on the way there Stetson of course made the comment "I am NOT having my picture taken with her!!!!" and of course Baylie responded with "thats fine I dont want my picture taken with you either!!!" ENOUGH!!!! I said of course.

When we got to the park Ashley had already been there scoping where she wanted to place the kids. First she did some individuals of each of them then she had them do some all together. She even did some of just Bay and Stets (yes they both did it and even had smiles on thier faces), and she did some of Chase and Bay and then some of Chase and Stets.

That afternoon she called and said that she did not envy me at all and i asked why she said that she was glad that she wasn't the one who had to pick poses. I soon got my copy on cd and had to burn multiple cds to send to family because i couldn't pick either so i left it up to others to pick the ones they wanted.

So if you are looking for a really good photographer give Ashley a call she is incredible!!!

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!

BAYLIES FIRST DAY OF 2ND GRADE. SHE WAS SO EXCITED TO GET BACK TO PLAYING WITH HER FRIENDS. SHE IS REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE MRS. BAUER TOO AS HER TEACHER.



CHASES FIRST DAY OF 5TH GRADE LAST YEAR IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. NEXT YEAR IS MIDDLE SCHOOL!

STETSONS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL.

THIS IS HIS LAST YEAR OF MIDDLE SCHOOL THEN ITS OFF TO HIGH SCHOOL!

FUN IN THE SUMMER

THIS SUMMER WAS PRETTY BORING UNTIL THE LAST MONTH. WE STAYED HOME MOST OF THE SUMMER UNTIL IT WAS TIME TO TAKE STETS TO SHRINERS IN CALIFORNIA. WHEN THE TWO OF US LEFT CHASE AND BAY STAYED HOME WITH LONEY. BEFORE WE LEFT CONNOR AND AUSTIN CAME UP WITH RYAN FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS SO THE KIDS HAD SOMEONE TO PLAY WITH. THE KIDS HAD A BLAST RIDING 4 WHEELERS AND MOTORBIKES AND JUST HANGING OUT.

CHASE RODE BACK TO POCATELLO WITH RYAN AND THE BOYS AND STAYED AT AUNT AIRONNS. AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS GRANDMA LARSON DROVE UP AND PICKED HIM UP AND TOOK HIM BACK TO UTAH. CHASE GOT TO STAY WITH GRANDMA FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEN WAS SENT TO OMA AND OPAS. WITH OMA AND OPA CHASE GOT TO FLY ON A PLANE FOR THE 2ND TIME IN HIS LIFE TO LACKLAND TEXAS. THEY WENT TO SEE MY SISTER EMELIE GRADUATE FROM AIR FORCE BASIC TRAINING. WHILE THERE HE VISITED RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE ALAMO, AND SOME OTHER MUSEUMS. HE HAD A GREAT TIME AND EVEN GOT TO PURCHASE A UNIFORM LIKE WHAT THEY WEAR. HE LOOKED PRETTY SHARP.

BAYLIE WAS STUCK AT HOME RIDING IN THE COMBINE WITH HER DADDY. SHE HAD SOME FUN BUT IT GOT PRETTY BORING SHE SAID AND SHE DEFFINITLY GOT CAUGHT UP ON HER LACK OF SLEEP. SHE FELL ASLEEP IN THE COMBINE.

AFTER STETS AND I GOT BACK FROM CALIFORNIA, WE PACKED UP ABOUT 4 OR 5 DAYS LATER AND DROVE TO UTAH TO PICK UP CHASE. WHILE WE WERE IN UTAH WE DID SOME FUN THINGS BUT SILLY ME FORGOT OUR CAMERA. WE WENT BOWLING AT FAT CATS AND PLAYED VIDEO GAMES, WENT SWIMMING AT OMAS FRIENDS HOUSE, WENT AND SAW A SHOW ON THE 3D IMAX SCREEN AT THE GATEWAY, WENT TO BOONDOCKS WITH GRANDMA KATHY, HAD A BBQ AT GRANDMA KATHYS WITH ALL OF MY COUSINS AND THIER KIDS, WENT SWIMMING AT GRANDMA KATHYS. THE FUNNEST THING OF ALL WAS WHEN GRANDMA KATHY TOOK THEM TO BYRONS WORK AND LET THEM SEE THE HELICOPTERS AND THEY EVEN GOT TO SIT IN IT.

AFTER THE TRIP TO UTAH IT WAS TIME TO COME HOME AND GET READY FOR SCHOOL TO START!!!!

Shriners Hospital II

Today is another day!!! Stetson has been released to walk with me on the floor whenever he chooses. Yesterday and this morning he walked about 50 to 60 feet. Yesterday he went for his tennis lesson and had a great time. He also learned new techniques to work on. I guess we are taking up another sport!!! never thought that it would be tennis. Today he has left the building!!! Our good friend Jeff came and got stets for a guys day out after he got out of football practice. What an awesome young man he is to come all the over from Sierra College to take stets out. I guess they were going to the new batman movie. He is also going to come and take us to Six Flags tomorrow since there is no therapy tomorrow. The weekends here are soooo boooorrrrriiiinnnngggg!!!! We are hoping to come home by friday next week. more updates to come!!!