Yearly Family History

We kept our histories very simple this year but thanks to Kevin writing this, you may get a little laugh.

Kevin Staples (36)

·         Absolutely astounded that there still isn’t a grey hair (that he has found) with all the stresses of being a father of 5, manager of 7 and Bishop of 443.

·         Somehow agreed to pay for bullet number 2 under Sonja.

·         Forces himself to workout 2-3 times a week running 4-6 miles on a treadmill…as an engineer had to test it to see just how fast it could go (4:30 minute mile…that lasted all of 30 secondsJ).

·         Became his wife’s “knight in shining armor” by replacing every light switch and outlet in the house from ivory to white as well as replacing the toilet and vanity in our ½ bath.

·         Spent 10 days in Puerto Rico successfully resolving a work issue…sounds like a great vacation, but not when you are spending 14-16 hours a day inside the facility!

Sonja Staples (37)

·         Ran her first (and last) marathon in May 2012.  Loved every minute of it, after surviving her torn meniscus surgery in December and now suffering from plantar fasciitis.  Biking and swimming are her newest friends.

·         Has the “knack” for home decorating…included new hardwood floors, crown molding, painting trim throughout the house white and new kitchen lighting (and the list isn’t done!).

·         Loves to encourage the missionaries to eat healthy by baking fresh homemade whole wheat bread, serving a fresh salad and fresh fruit!

·         Doesn’t mind “helping” in nursery so as to sneak our 16 month old in a couple months early…shhh don’t tell the Bishop!

·         Trying to find a calendar with large enough squares to keep track of PTO functions, kids appointments, our home updates, service opportunities and church activities.

Kamren (11)

·         Ran the last 7 miles of mom’s marathon with her…primarily for the Gatorade and goo stops every other mile!

·         Is now running cross country on the middle school cross country team at Portage Central Middle School.

·         Has started babysitting for mom and dad every Friday night so they can go on a date…loves the independence!

·         Loves to cook everything…doesn’t have any problem making waffles from scratch!

·         Still has the amazing ability of recreating anything WWII or military related with legos (also impersonates them with his nerf guns and fort in the woods).  Has his own military theme room!

Ashleigh (9)

·         Couldn’t recognize our daughter when she wasn’t with her best friend Molly this summer…didn’t know she could live without her.

·         Completed first season of soccer and was not distracted by the butterflies!

·         Ran the 5k Girls on the Run this summer with Mom in record temperatures!

·         If there is any rule that exists and she knows about it…it is followed precisely.  She helps Kamren babysit for Mom and Dad on Friday nights.

·         Bless GSK for their creation of “flonase” as it has helped immensely to reduce Ashleigh’s eczema.

Brynn (5)

·         Survived young “5s” with only 3 other girls in a class of 20+ and still wants to socialize with boys!

·         Broke 35 pound barrier…now weighs the same as Andrew!

·         Still amazing at creating her own world of imagination and is one of the few 5 year olds who will give Pinterest a run for its money given her passion for crafts.

·         Mastered the fine art of duck tape roses.

·         Has been one of our earlier readers…not that she likes to as she would rather brush mom’s hair while Mom reads to her.

Andrew (3)

·         Our rockstar three year old who potty trained in a matter of days…with only 2 wet beds in the last month!

·         Independent to the extreme…won’t let us come with him to the bathroom…results in a 3 year old streaker because he can’t pull his underpants up yet by himself.

·         Loves to ride his big boy bike with training wheels and can’t wait until he can pop wheelies and jump curbs like his big brother Kamren.

·         Is a true boy…are there any other toys that matter in life except for trains and cars?  He loves to make super long trains (or line up cars) and push/pull them through the house.

·         Willing to dress up, paint nails, barbies, polly pockets, American girl dolls so that he can play with his sisters.

Connor (1)

·         Survived living in a pack-n-play for 16 months…just moved into a big boy bed (twin) sharing a room with his brother Andrew and loving it!

·         Has become the family punching bag and according to the kids is the cause anytime they get in trouble.

·         Has mastered going up and down the 2 flights of stairs in the house with only falling down them 2 times.

·         Could survive off of blueberries and grapes alone…except for the diaper aftermath when he gets too much!

·         Our only child who has taken to a pacifier and will not go to bed without one or his blue silky blanket.