The Staley's

Daniel

2011-03-03T12:18:00.002-07:00

Snow Bunny!

2011-03-03T12:17:00.002-07:00

Our Bundle of Joy!

2011-01-21T19:26:00.002-07:00

On Tuesday, January 18 we had our baby boy Daniel Cameron Staley. He was 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 21 inches long. He is such a good baby and we are so happy to have him in our family. Katelyn has been a great big sister and loves her new baby brother.

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-26T18:07:00.002-07:00

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with the true spirit of Christmas. Love, The Staley's.

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-12-02T16:30:00.004-07:00

This is my little Fairy this year. She had a great time trick or treating. After she would get her candy she would turn around and say "next house." She thought it was pretty fun getting candy in her "punky bag." We couldn't believe she went trick or treating for 1 1/2 hours. It was just too much fun. Now whenever Katelyn sees her Tutu or wings she says "Halloween over." This Halloween was so much fun because Katelyn could participate and she loved it. It is one of those things that makes being a parent so much fun!!!

Update

2010-12-02T15:48:00.004-07:00

I know, I'm sorry this took so long. We have had many exciting things happening around here besides getting ready for a new baby. We celebrated Katelyn's 2nd Birthday! I can't believe my little girl is 2 and so big. We had a fun day by going to the park and swinging (That's her favorite thing) Then Grammy and Papa came and Uncle Gary and we had a fun time playing. I tried my hand at cake decorating and made her an Elmo cake. I think it turned out pretty good. I was just glad that you could tell that it was Elmo.

Jeff came home from his mission in Richmond, Virginia. We were all so excited. He got home really late so we made our sign with Christmas lights, It's kind of hard to tell but it was a pretty cool sign. This is Ashton and his goofy sign, we thought it was funny though. Katelyn wasn't so sure about Uncle Jeff but now she has found that he is pretty cool and she calls him "Gus" because she can't say the "J" sound.

Surpise!!!

2010-09-03T12:19:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone, it is time for us to anounce that at the end of January, Katelyn is going to have a little brother. We just found out today and are so excited. Now we get to think of all things boyish. It will be so much fun to see our family grow. We are so grateful for this new little person to come to our family!!!!

A Great Summer!!!

2010-09-01T16:03:00.004-06:00

We spent a few days in Bear Lake with Cameron's Family. It was great fun and we even got to see our new nephew Jayden. Katelyn had a great time at the beach with Grandma and Grandpa.

We been having so much fun this summer that I didn't have much time for blogging. But here is a little update of the things that we have been doing. We went camping at Craters of the Moon National Monument. It is about 1 1\2 hours from our house so we decided to explore it. There were lots of fun walks to go on and we even got to check out some caves! It is a very desolate place but also beautiful in its own way. Katelyn's favorite part was when we all got in the tent to go to sleep. She squeeled and giggled and was so excited about that part. We had a fun time even though it was really hot!

A Day at the Pool!!!

2010-07-05T15:00:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago it was warm enough that we could finally get out the pool. Katelyn loved it. She played in it for 2 hours, that's a long time for her attention span. Here are some cute pictures. She loves her hat and sunglasses and actually leaves them on! We had so much fun at the pool!!!

Funny Katelyn!

2010-07-05T14:55:00.003-06:00

So when it was cold at the end of May I made Katelyn wear her gloves and hat outside. After that she wanted to wear them all the time so here are some cute pictures of her.

Our Great Vacation!!!

2010-07-05T14:30:00.003-06:00

Sea Turtles at the Aquarium.

The USS Lexington.

The Dolphin Show.

Our favorite place, the pool.

I know I'm a horrible blogger, I'm sorry. Anyways, in May we decided to take like a real vacation, so we flew to Texas to visit Cameron's sister, Crystal, Andrew, and our new nephew Jayden. We had a great time. It was such a nice change of weather from the Pocatello cold and one of the best parts was that we left Katelyn with her Grandmas. That was the first time I had left her in her whole 20 month life. I think it was harder for me than for her, but she had a great time and loved playing with Penny and other cousins, and I'm pretty sure that the Grandmas loved it too!!!

We were so excited to go because in our 4 years of marriage we had never been able to go on a real vacation, like on an airplane to an different place. School kind of gets in the way of fun things like that. So we left Saturday and arrived in Corpus Christi that evening and just hung out and went to the pool. On Sunday we went to church with Crystal and Andrew where they blessed Jayden, so it was fun to be there for that. We had a nice afternoon at the pool and having dinner with some of Crystal and Andrew's friends. Monday, Crystal took us to the Texas State Aquarium where we saw some neat fish and dolphins, we got to see a couple different shows and touch a Sting Ray. We saw the bay and shore line of the city which was really cool. The next day it was raining, but we still went swimming because it was still like 80 degrees, then we did some shopping and ate out at a Seafood place where I was brave and actually had seafood. Then on Wednesday we went and sat by the pool until it was time to get back on the airplane and head home. Thanks Crystal and Andrew, we had a great vacation.

And the Winner is . . .

2010-04-21T14:41:00.003-06:00

Well, Cameron was right, I guess you all don't know me that well because on the day this picture was taken I had 47 pairs of shoes. Yes, I said 47. I did get rid of a few but what can I say, I like my shoes. In my defense though, if your feet had not grown since the 7th grade, you would probably have collected a lot of shoes too. And most of them I got on sale or in the kids section anyways. I guess I am a little defensive about my shoes but I do need them all. This was just a funny day for us.

Guessing Game

2010-04-08T13:46:00.003-06:00

So my shoes have been out of control lately, I just could not keep them in my closet. I just thought that it was Katelyn. She loves shoes and would get in my closet and just pull them out one after the other. So Cameron, who must have been tired of my mountain of shoes in the closet, bought me a nice shoe organizer. I didn't have time to put the shoes in, so during piano he decided to help me. He started pulling shoes out, and pulling shoes out, and pulling shoes out! He couldn't believe how many shoes I had in the closet and neither could I. So here is the game: Try to guess how many pairs of shoes I own!!!

Update

2010-03-11T14:43:00.004-07:00

So I know that I will never win the prize for the best blogger ever. But I do try to keep things updated for our friends and family. We had a lot going on this winter but our main project was to prepare and sell our rental property. The tenants moved out over Christmas and we thought we don't want to have to sell 2 houses next year so we decided to fix it up and sell it. Things went pretty good but it was a lot of work. I painted the whole house while Cameron worked on the tile and Jay did all the little projects. The tenants left it pretty much trashed so we had a lot on our plate and we had to get it done all in between semesters because once the semester starts Cameron's time is limited. So we worked for two weeks straight to get it done and then we put the sign up. We were so blessed in this because after 1 month we had an offer on the house and we closed the end of February. I am always amazed at how much my Heavenly Father takes care of me and my family. To be able to sell this house was such a great load off of our minds and I know that we are being watched over. Here are some pics of the completed project.

Growing Up!

2010-03-11T14:34:00.005-07:00

So my baby is going to 18 months old this month. I can't believe she is that big already. Sunday was her first day in nursery and I just about didn't know what to do with myself not having to chase anyone around the church. I am so glad that she went, and hopefully she continues to like it. But the other day I found her up on our hearth. She has finally grown up enough to climb up there. I never thought that day would come. She was pretty proud of herself for doing it too. Here are some pics on the fateful day-Climbing!

Fun with Dad!!!

2010-03-11T14:19:00.006-07:00

She amazes me. She is such a pretty girl!

What Staley home would not be complete without a basketball hoop!

Katelyn looking out the window.

On Saturday I had to spend the day helping at the Piano Music Festival that my students were participating in so Katelyn got to spend the day with her dad. I wondered how the day would go for them but Cameron had a good plan. We had a box left over from our new TV so Cameron and Katelyn made a house together on Saturday. The house has 2 windows and an open floor plan but it is a great for an 18 month old. They even drew pictures on the walls. And don't forget the most important thing-the basketball hoop. It is so funny. Katelyn thought it was pretty neat! When I got home she showed me the pictures they drew and the basketball hoop. I am so glad the Katelyn has such a good dad and that they had fun on Saturday. Sometimes the most simple things make the best toys! Now Katelyn goes in and reads her books and plays with her animals, it is so cute.

Would You Be My Valentine?

2010-02-15T20:40:00.002-07:00

Let's just say it's a good thing that she is so cute or else I don't know who would put up with such a grumpy face. We hope that everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day! Ours was pretty uneventful but still very nice. Cameron surprised me with a new dress and a church CD. He is so good to me. I always enjoy Valentine's day and remembering all the people that I love!!!

Cute picture update

2009-12-16T09:23:00.002-07:00

Katelyn is growing and changing everyday! It is amazing to see her little personality revealing itself. She loves books which is a wonderful thing. She turns 15 months old this week, and it is so hard to believe. She is so sweet and cute! We hope that everyone is enjoying their holiday season!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T19:45:00.002-06:00

We hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween!!! Katelyn looked so cute in the flower costume while it lasted!

Happenings at the Staley's

2009-10-07T13:31:00.009-06:00

I know that Labor Day was like a month ago but so many things have happened since then that I haven't had time to post. We decided to go hiking for Labor Day this year. There is a trail on campus that isn't very long but it goes up a hill and then you can see all over Pocatello. (Not that exciting, but I figured since we live here we should do it at least once.) It was a cloudy day but not bad for a hike. A family in our ward gave us a hiking backpack so we could take Katelyn along. She didn't really like the backpack, but she did tolerate it okay. We had a fun time going on a little family outing!

Other happenings around the Staley household lately have been:

1. Katelyn walking. One day she just stood up and walked across the room. I wondered what she was doing since she had never done that before. Ever since then it has been goodbye crawling and hello running. She has gotten really good the past few weeks and thinks that she is pretty big stuff!

2. I started teaching piano lessons. A lady in our ward who was teaching quit and so I thought maybe I could take a few of her students from our ward. I called a few moms and the first day I had 5 students. That sounded good to me. Then the next week it turned into 9 and the next week it turned into 11. So I guess I am going to be busy doing piano now. Luckily, Cameron can come home early on Mondays and Tuesdays and watch Katelyn while I do lessons. So far it is going really well and I think the kids are having fun.

3. Cameron turned 27. I can't believe he is 27. That just sounds so grown up but he still seems the same to me. He works so hard for our family and is such a good husband and father!

4. We babysat 3 kids for 8 days. Their ages were Boy-9, Girl-6, Boy-3. They were pretty good and loved Katelyn. She, however, was not too fond of them. They would hug her, kiss her and just be in her face and Katelyn would just scream at them. I don't blame her but she was pretty grumpy to them. She likes being an only child I think. So we survived that week of craziness. Now things are back to normal again.

Happy, Happy Birthday Katelyn Dear!!!

2009-10-07T13:10:00.003-06:00

So we celebrated Katelyn's birthday this month. We were so excited to have Grandmas and Grandpas, aunts and uncles all come visit us. Katelyn was really cute and she just had fun! When we gave her her piece of cake she looked at it for a minute, then she took one little pinch of frosting, then another pinch, then a handful, and then two handfuls. She really liked her cake! It was so funny to watch her, she didn't really want to be all messy, but she was sure enjoying the cake! We were so glad we got to celebrate with our family and just have a fun time seeing each other.

Katelyn has definitely changed our lives in the past year, but it has been good. She has a little twinkle in her eye that she is up to no good and she loves to tease! She thinks that "no" or "Don't do that" means hurry faster. Mostly she does it when she is heading for the stairs or putting something in her mouth that she knows she shouldn't. She is growing and changing every day and it is just amazing. Cameron and I feel so blessed to have Katelyn in our lives. We love our little girl!

What a Face!!!

2009-09-15T19:14:00.003-06:00

This picture will definitely make everyone smile! I don't know where she gets it from but it is funny! She gives anyone and everyone this look, but at least she is so cute!

Playing in the Dirt!

2009-09-01T15:08:00.004-06:00

As summer comes to a close we find ourselves still pretty busy, but I still had time to catch these cute pictures of Katelyn. Everyday it seems like there is something new! She sure had fun playing in the dirt!

Our Katelyn Girl!!!

2009-07-28T15:35:00.003-06:00

She is just so cute I can hardly stand it some days.

More Island Park!!!

2009-07-23T13:48:00.003-06:00

We also went to Quake Lake this trip. It is neat to see all the rock formations and how the Earthquake affected this area. You can see where the moutain slid down in this picture.

Here is the Earthquake Lake.

We also went boating while we were there. Everyone had a fun time except for Katelyn who whined about it until she fell asleep.

And yes this is my mom on the tube. A sight I never thought I would see!!! I think she actually had some fun but she had this look on her face the entire ride. Way to go mom! You did it!

All in all everyone had a great time and I think Ryota had an experience he will never forget!

We love the cabin and always hate to go home.

Island Park Fun

2009-07-23T13:34:00.003-06:00

Last week we had a wonderful getaway in Island Park. We love going there. Our whole family was able to make it and we had a blast. We took our bikes this time so we could go for a ride!
We rode our bikes the 14 miles to Mesa Falls where we met my mom, dad, and Katelyn. Is was a fun ride and everybody made it!!! Here are the boys: Cameron, Ryota, Dad, and Ashton.

Katelyn was such a good sport the whole day. She is so easy to take places.

Beautiful Mesa Falls

We saw this pretty Rainbow in the sky my mom said it is called a sundog. I don't know how to spell it.

Watch out, here comes Katelyn!!!

2009-07-08T14:13:00.003-06:00

This is serious business for her!!!

On Katelyn's 9 month birthday she figured out how to crawl. It was pretty exciting!!! She doesn't crawl the usual way though. She likes to have her own style I guess. She goes along with one leg under her and the other one sticking out. She just kind of hobbles along. And she now has carpet burn on her leg that stays under her. It may not be the best way of crawling but she gets around and it is so dang cute!!! Here are Katelyn's stats:

Weight: 21 pounds 4 ounces (90%)

Height: 27 inches (35%)

1 bundle of trouble

She is starting to lose some of her chubbiness which makes me sad but she is growing and is a happy little girl. Now I am watching her all the time but at least she decided that naps are okay again!

Wow, where has the time gone!!!

2009-06-09T18:31:00.003-06:00

So we have had a very busy past month. Here is the update in short form

-Cameron completed his second year of Graduate School. Horray!!!

-Went to Utah for Jennica and Ryan's wedding

-Katelyn cut her first tooth and is working on the second one

-We got a new Japanese student named Ryota. (I prounounce it Yoda but that isn't quite right)

-Stained our deck and fence (very big project)

-Went to Bear Lake for a weekend

-Went to Island Park and Yellowstone for a weekend.

-Did Yard work and planted a garden.

That is all I can think of right now but I will post more pictures when I have a little more time.

Sunday Nap!!!

2009-05-05T15:38:00.002-06:00

Katelyn and Cameron having their Sunday nap. They are so cute!!!

6 Months Old!!!

2009-04-10T14:57:00.003-06:00

Well Katelyn is six months old now!!! I think that is so great! I have enjoyed the first six months but I wouldn't want to go back. She is so much fun now and so adorable. When we went to the doctor Katelyn weighed 20 pounds and is 26 inches long. I don't even remember when she was only 6 pounds, I can't imagine that. She is in the 97th percentile for weight and about 50th percentile on all her other measurements. She is such a healthy, happy baby. And it is so fun to kiss those cheeks!!! Thanks to Aunt Sherrie who made the cute hats in these pictures. They keep Katelyn's bare head warm!!!

Valentine's Day

2009-03-02T13:13:00.005-07:00

So I have to brag a little and say that I have the best husband ever. He surprised me with these beautiful daisies for Valentines' Day. He even bought me a new outfit. What a great guy! It was so sweet of him! He has been working so hard lately and gone a lot but he does it all for us. He is the best!!! I love him so much!

Katelyn Update

2009-02-20T13:57:00.003-07:00

Katelyn chewing on the washcloth.

Katelyn in the tub. Look at those rolls!

She is just so cute!!!

Katleyn and her dad. She loves her daddy!!!

So Katelyn is now a chubby 5 month old, well, she has always been chubby. She weighs about 17 pounds which means she is in the 97th percentile for her weight, but she is only about 24 1\2 inches long. So she is really hard to buy clothes for (short and fat). She is usually a very happy baby except when she is tired or hungry. One thing though is that I cannot get her to learn to roll over. She just doesn't get it or is not motivated to or is just too chubby. But she has discovered sitting up and she really likes that! I really like this stage she is at because she is happy and will respond to you but she doesn't really go anywhere and she usually likes to take 2 naps during the day. Hurray for naps!!! But I can't get her to sleep through the night every night. Some night are better than others. So we are working on that. But she is a sweetheart and we are so glad to have her in our lives.

Update

2009-02-18T16:14:00.003-07:00

So I know its been awhile since I have posted but it has been crazy around here. In January we had Andrew, our brother-in-law, and Kono, a Japanese exchange student, living with us. It seemed like I spent a lot of time cooking during that month. I never knew a Japanese guy could eat so much! Kono came to Pocatello to learn English and to learn about our culture. We told him Pocatello is not really the place to learn American culture but he had fun anyways. We took him to Island Park and he rode snowmobiles, he thought that was pretty cool. Andrew and Kono went back home at the end of January and our house has seemed really empty since. We didn't get another student for February but I spent the last 9 days babysitting 4 kids while their parents went on a Carribean Cruise. Now that was quite an experience going from one baby to 5 kids. The oldest girl was 12, then a boy who was 10, and the two younger girls were 8 and 6 and then Katelyn. They were all great kids and we really had a fun time. Needless to say, it was a pretty crazy 9 days. I am glad that all the kids still like me and everyone survived. So now I am relaxing until March when we will get another Japanese student for 4 weeks. Here is a picture of Kono.

What a cute picture!

2009-01-22T13:53:00.001-07:00

This is daddy's favorite picture of baby Katelyn.

Snowed Out!!!

2009-01-13T13:36:00.004-07:00

Well, while we were down in Utah there was a big snowstorm, it sounded like it was going to be the snowstorm of the century. We weren't home so our driveway was full of snow. We got stuck trying to get into it. I couldn't believe it. Then to make matters worse the Pocatello wind made snow drifts everywhere. The day after we got home I was out shoveling it during Katelyn's naptime. The snow was so heavy and I think we had a three-and-a-half-foot snow drift. I thought I would never get it done. Then a nice guy in our ward was on his way home and saw me and stopped to help. I am so thankful for kind people who are willing to lend a hand. It reminded me to always try to serve others. I know it doesn't look like much but believe me it was a lot of snow!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-01-11T20:16:00.004-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, we have been pretty busy. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!! We had fun visiting our families down in Utah, except all three of us got sick so sorry we didn't visit very much. We didn't want to pass the bug around. Here is Katelyn with Santa!

Our Home Remodel

2008-12-06T11:30:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite things to do together is work on our home. We purchased a house in a great neighborhood that needed a lot of updating. We enjoy watching the home remodel shows and for some reason Cameron thinks he can do anything he sees on those shows. Here are some "before and after" photos from our remodel. We would love to see what anyone else has done with their home because we are always looking for new ideas. Let us know what you think.

Here is what the outside of our home looked like when we purchased it. The pillars, shutters, and garage doors were faded brown and almost looked like rust. It had old three tab shingles that were blowing away in the strong Pocatello wind.

The pine tree is a little overgrown too!

This is what our home looks like now after we painted the pillars, shutters, garage door, and front door. We updated the lighting and put on new architectural shingles. Our neighbor across the street gave us the star above the door and it looked great. It is a pretty tall house and Cameron did not enjoy climbing the ladder to take those shutters down but he did anyway.

We also trimmed the pine tree and painted the mailbox and post to match the house.

Inside Before Pictures

2008-12-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

Here is the old kitchen. It had old appliances, no hardware, and 1980s linoleum. They just redid the countertop and did a horrible job with uneven tiles with wide grout lines. Half of the window frames in the house were dark brown and half were white.

Here is the dining room. Nice window treatments! All of the walls were a dull white and the carpet was old and stained.

The bathroom cabinets and countertops were worn and outdated. The floors were also retro linoleum.

Those sliding doors were not attractive.

Here is the front room with dark window trim and railings.

The garage had never been painted and the concrete had many stains.

The Master Bedroom, how inviting.

Here is a view of the downstairs familyroom from the entry.

Inside After Pictures

2008-12-06T11:19:00.006-07:00

We repainted the entire house, installed new carpet, and lightened up the rooms by painting the trim white.

We painted the garage white and sealed the concrete.

Guest Bedroom downstairs

Downstairs Familyroom

Cameron's office

Master Bedroom

We put in new hardware, paint, tile floors, and refinished the cabinets. Our tenant installed granite tile counters and new backsplashes and we also put in new faucets.

Looks a little better than the yellow countertops.

Cameron taught himself how to tile and layed the tile in this bathroom.

We put in new carpet throughout the house, painted the walls tan, and lightened up the window trim by painting it white and added new window treatments.

We extended the dining room and layed tile in the kitchen and dining room.

Our tenant did a nice job with the custom backsplash and granite tile countertops.

We tiled up to the ceiling in the kitchen and added new light fixtures throughout the house.

We painted, put in new appliances, upgraded the flooring, counters, lighting, and added hardware to the cabinets.

Love the cabinet space!

Outside Landscaping

2008-12-06T11:15:00.001-07:00

Here is our backyard, all of the trees have lost their leaves so it isn't that pretty.

We made a patio out back and hauled lots of rock in to line the yard.
Cameron created this new path, it looks a lot better than the old one.

There is a patio, covered deck, and built in storage shed.

A neighbor was giving away 200 bricks and Cameron could not pass them up so he created two new flower beds with the bricks. He also found free dirt online and hauled a few truckloads in to fill the beds.

Picture Day!!!

2008-11-19T19:25:00.004-07:00

We had our first photo shoot when Katelyn was two weeks old. A lady that I worked with takes pictures on the side. Katelyn was supposed to be asleep, but once we took her clothes off she was wide awake. She also peed on Cameron and all over the photographers stuff. It was funny but we felt bad that we made such a mess. We were glad that the pictures turned out so wonderful. It was fun to see our little family.