Five curious kids, teaching two adults about life.

February 2018

2019-01-01T14:06:00.002-05:00

Stephen attempted a group photo at church in Geneva.

Rosie snuggling in a blanket Aunt Renee gave her.

Stephen went on a 3 day winter backpacking trip.

Quinton and Rosie's artwork.

The back yard after a snow storm.

The front yard.

January 2018

2019-01-01T13:51:00.001-05:00

Rosie passed out on the bench after being told she couldn't get down until she finished her dinner.

In a pose similary to Rosie, Chayce took a break from learning how to ski and Beaver Mountain.

Quinton learning to ski.

Payge cleaning he skis off before returning them.

Epic.Bubble. Bath.

Effie, Quinton, Rogan, and Stephen went snowshoeing in Geneva.

December 2017

2019-01-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

We drove up to Pocatello for Rogan's birthday and went to a trampoline park. Here Zachary and Quinton are jousting. Afterwards we went to Effie's apartment for pizza, cake, and ice cream.

Stephen, Rosie, and Quinton packed some hot cocoa and a camp stove and took a short hike up the Providence Canyon single track trail. They didn't choose the flavor wisely, it was not one the little people cared for.

On the road from the parking lot near the gate to Providence Canyon. They were so excited to go winter hiking with dad and were running to the single track entrance.

Renee came up to go to Hardware Ranch, an elk reserve east of Hyrum Utah.

Renee brought cookies to share with everyone on our sleigh.

Rosie and Quinton

Chayce

Renee and Chayce

Chayce, Quinton, Payge, and Rosie we enamored with the large draft horses that pulled the sleigh.

Our friends the Brannons came to visit. All the kids went sledding in the back yard and then we built a snowman.

Zachary learning to push snow with the skid steer in Geneva.

Quinton's BIG snowman.

Poor Quinny got bacterial pneumonia and we had to get him on antibiotics.

November 2017

2019-01-01T13:43:00.003-05:00

Yoga Rosie.

Rosie lamb.

Rosie wanted to replace the noise maker in her toy and used a maraca. It worked, but it also looked like Julius Caesar.

This year we were creative with the Bratzli iron. We tried chocolate (the all dark stack) and ginger (the swirl stack) flavored Bratzelis.

Playing card games after making Bratzlis all day.

October 2017

2019-01-01T13:42:00.001-05:00

Effie and Rogan came to visit. Zachary babysat for us while Effie, Chayce, Jillian, and Stephen hiked the Preston Valley trail that starts in Green Canyon.

While everyone else is at karate, Rosie and Stephen and Rosie go on walks to the park.

Halloween music recital. Chayce is the skeleton in the background and Quinton is in front of her.

Rosie was throwing up, but that didn't stop Derp from snuggling with her.

September 2017

2019-01-01T13:40:00.000-05:00

Quinton and baby Derp.

Zachary's friend Carter Carlsen biked up to say hello.

Quinton, Zachary, and Payge at the spiral jetty.

Shadows on the beach.

Chayce was trying to not be grumpy.

After last years attempt on Mount Borah, Amy and Stephen tried again with Effie and made it to the top. Here they are on chicken out ridge.

Playing nertz with Coyan Hillier's children in Geneva.

Steve Tonks and Renee at the BYU/USU football game.

Steve Tonks, Grandpa Tueller, and Zachary at the BYU/USU football game.

Grilled pizza, one of our fall favorites.

Jillian and Rosie snuggling on the couch.

August 2017

2019-01-01T13:37:00.002-05:00

Huckleberry picking!!! We cannot disclose the secret location where the berries are or too many people will be competing for them ;).

Jillian tried a hammock, and fell asleep.

Rosie discussing how to take care of a baby doll on the front porch.

We found this little furball abandoned by its mother, stuck in our neighbor's fire pit. Chayce had been asking for a pet for the last two years, and Jillian finally acquiesced. He has been dubbed Derp.

Stephen took the children to the county fair.

Sheriff Q.

Rosie wanted to be sheriff too, but was too short. So here we have sheriff fuzz-neck.

A batch of ginger beer made with our honey.

Stephen's scouts planned a backpacking trip to the top of the Preston Valley trail in Green Canyon (which is not connected in anyway to Preston Valley itself, nor to the Preston Valley camp ground located in Logan Canyon). This is a picture of Logan Peak, one of the Peaks Stephen climbed last month.

July 2017

2019-01-01T13:37:00.001-05:00

Quinton and Stephen went on a four-wheeler ride up Providence Canyon and took pictures up at the quarry.

Originally, Quinton's tent was far away from Stephen's hammock, but a little voice came out shortly after bed, "can I come closer to you dad?"

Stephen borrowed a neighbor's four wheeler and drove forest roads to Garden City with Brent Fresz and David & Jaden Knight.

Payge crossing the 'bridge' to our campsite. She and Stephen used the same campsite as Quinton did a few nights before.

Stephen climbed Little Baldy, Logan Peak, Millville Peak, and Big Baldy all in one day. Ever time he looked down, his neck was in the shade of his hat. But he didn't think what happened when he looked back up. He had a bad sunburn.

The view from Logan Peak.

We failed to think it through and planned a trip to Bear Lake over the 4th of July weekend. There was no room. So we went to Montpelier and had a picnic with Grandpa and Grandma, Effie and Rogan, Mandi and her kids, and Jessica. The Moody's were with Stephen from Indiana, while Jillian and Cheryl where with their friends hike near the west end of Uintah National Forest.

Mandi was still in the area visiting from Nashville, and we hiked up to Donut Falls with the crew.

Payge was queen of the mountain.

June 2017

2019-01-01T13:24:00.002-05:00

After memorial day, we brought Grandma Tueller's piano home with us. Hoping to be able to have duets, we placed it next to the electronic keyboard. Which promptly died. Never to work again.

Zachary, Kamden, Miles, and Logan installed shelves into the scout trailer.

She's a montser. AAaaaahahahawawaa.

Payge was running in the utility easement behind our house and fell on some lava rock. We could see the bone underneath. Six stitches and no bending the knee for a week.

Playing in the waterfall at the Providence Canyon quarry.

The road going above the quarry dead ends, and someone left this message. After trying to go a little higher, Stephen had to concede.

Jillian and Melissa.

LaMarr and Melissa.

Quinton's head, and Chayce with the waterfall in the background.

Little bitty Rosie tosies.

Summer group photo.

Scout camp. The boys attempted a raft, but ran out of logs. They tried floating it anyways. It didn't (float).

Zachary and Logan working on the game design merit badge.

Stephen told his car load he would take them to Egypt on the way home from scout camp. They were skeptical, but Stephen delivered.

May 2017

2019-01-01T13:18:00.002-05:00

Jillian and Stephen were married at the Idaho Falls temple in 2001. Sixteen years later the temple was renovated and we went to the open house with our children.

After the temple open house, we went to Rexburg to visit grandpa and babci browing. Here are Traycin and Payge.

Stephen dug holes to put in a trellis for hardy kiwi vines. Before the posts went in, Rosie and Quinton asked to be put in the holes.

An elusive subterranean Rosie.

One of the baby kiwi vines.

A late May snow storm damaged these raspberry canes. We lost most of the fruit on our trees, and some of our grape vines died back to the ground.

Our elder's quorum president has several daughters, and changed the father/son campout out to a father/child camp. We went to the Cinnamon creek girls camp site, and the kids had a great time. In the back ground is Zachary and Payge, and Logan Fresz and Chayce by the fire pit (they are trying to, and eventually succeeded in lighting a fire).

Logan gave Quinton and Rosie rides on the hand cart.

Rosie tried hammock camping with dad. No one slept.

The completed kiwi trellis, which we design to double as hammock hanging posts.

The whole crew up at the quarry in Providence canyon.

Despite the late freeze, the greens and herbs did great.

Payge riding uncle Rao's horse in Geneva.

Zachary learned how to change a tire. The car fell off the jack and we had to get another jack to fix it. Luckily, there are plenty of large jacks in grandpa Tueller's shop.

Chayce and Quinton on the horse.

Rosie's turn.

Rogan, Rosie, and Quinton being lead by Payge.

Grandpa Tueller giving the Memorial day dedication at the Geneva cemetery.

Aunt Rinny taming the curls.

We put together a green house for Grandma Tueller.

April 2017

2019-01-01T13:06:00.001-05:00

Rosie's epic fuzz-head on the trampoline, and bee keeper Quinny on his way to inspect the hives.

Jillian came out to North Carolina with Stephen on a business trip. After work, we went to the coast.

She didn't feed the alligators.

The USS North Carolina has been retired to the outer banks.

Cleaning feet after a walk on the beach.

Taking a long hike at Umstead state park.

A face in the tree.

Payge and Stephen hiked the ridge behind our house.

Quinton ready to go to church and enjoying the spring greenery.

March 2017

2019-01-01T13:01:00.003-05:00

We collected scion wood from our neighbor's favorite apple trees and grafted them into our two old apple trees whose apples were not all that fun to eat.

Payge's 9th birthday party.

Rosie the moose at grandma Tueller's house.

Every year around Jillian's birthday, we get baby chicks.

Chicks on the belly.

February 2017

2019-01-01T12:59:00.000-05:00

A brief compilation of a tired Rosie. She was growing this month.

Stephen went hiking and ran into several bull elk.

Effie and Stephen snowshoeing behind the Tueller homestead in Geneva.

Zachary and his scout troop snowshoeing at Wood Camp/Jardine Juniper trail in Logan canyon.

January 2017

2019-01-01T12:58:00.001-05:00

Quinton sledding on the hill across the street from the Providence South Stake stake center.

Payge recovering from a powder stop.

Quinton and Rosie playing at the park while everyone else was at the dojo.

Baby onions getting ready for early spring transplanting.

December 2016

2019-01-01T12:56:00.002-05:00

The annual Bratzelis.

Quinton helped with the Bratzelis by licking the beaters.

Chayce practicing kata at the dojo.

Selfie time with mommy.

Rawr at the camera.

Our ward had a Christmas party with a live nativity, including camels and donkeys. Here we're watching the presentation of the nativity.

Sledding in Geneva.

Rosie eating snow instead of sledding.

One of the Aunts dragging Payge back to Grandma's house.

Another birthday party for Quinton at Grandma Tueller's house in Geneva.

Rosie getting ready for a night hike.

Hiking with dad after Christmas.

December 2015

2019-01-01T12:51:00.006-05:00

Quinton turned 4 years old!

Someone wanted to roast marshmallows for their birthday. In December.

Rosie and Kaycin at the Browning's house in Rexburg.

Jillian left an impression on Chayce.

Not sure why, but all the spices were relocated to the living room.

Sometimes little boys do their make up too.

Aunt Rinny straightened Chayce's hair.

Little Rosie.

Quinton and Rogan dressed as dinosaurs in Geneva.

Snowshoeing up Jakey Lane, here is Chayce and Amy.

Chayce and dad.

November 2016

2019-01-01T12:36:00.003-05:00

After returning from our trip to Chicago, we had an abnormally mild November and Jillian and I went with our neighbors Brent, Alec, and Connor Carlson to climb the Wellsville mountains. We made it to Box Elder Peak but were short on time. The Carlson's continued on to the Wellsville cone while Jillian and I descended back down Rattlesnake Ridge to the head of Sardine Canyon.

Rosie was...doing her make-up.

More make-up. All our little girls went through a phase like this.

Moonset from the ridge East of our house.

Cabbage harvest. At this point, the deer were starting to come down and eat anything left in the garden.

Stephen took the scouts camping in Green Canyon, and Quinton came along.

Quinton was too lite to keep his hammock weighted down consistently, and at one point in the night, feel off the hammock and into the sleeping back that surrounded the hammock.

Thanksgiving with the Browning cousins in Rexburg.

October 2016 - Fall vacation to South Bend and Nashville (Part 3)

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On our way back to the airport in Chicago, we stopped at the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln and then went to Indianapolis on Halloween. The next day we hiked Eagle Creek State Park in Indianapolis.

October 2016 - Fall vacation to South Bend and Nashville (Part 2)

2019-01-01T12:35:00.000-05:00

After Chicago, we went to Nauvoo, Hannibal, and Nashville (these pictures are in reverse order).

After church with Mandi and Mikal Weekes, here is Zachary, Lizzy, Jessie, and Rosie.

Cousins in a hammock.

Swimming in late October, something not possible back in Utah.

After a Halloween parade, we visited a Civil War cemetery.

Off to a Halloween street fair. Lizzy, Rosie, Chayce, Payge, Zachary, Matthew, Jessie, and Quinton.

The cousins at a replica of the Parthenon that was built for the 1897 Centennial Exposition.

We hiked to the top of Fort Negley, a Civil War era fort.

Quinton, Rosie, and Payge at a Mark Twain memorial across the street from the hotel we stayed in.

We visited the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum and the Hannibal History Museum.

Epic Cuteness.

Rosie and daddy at Carthage (she's not happy that we curtailed her tendency to run out in the streets).

The Navuoo Temple

Patty Sessions is an ancestor of Jillian's father, Lamarr. Her house is preserved in Nauvoo.

Some child in this picture, who we'll keep anonymous, forgot her coat in Indiana and had to wear her father's shirt to stay warm on an overcast day next to the Mississippi river.

Rosie. And big horses. We made it just in time for the last guided tour on a horse drawn wagon through Nauvoo.

October 2016 - Fall vacation to South Bend and Nashville (Part 1)

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Payge and Quinton helping dad water grandpa's cows out by Uncle Bill's old log cabin. A couple years ago we found a very old photograph of the cabin when it was new at Utah State's historical archives. They have a large Tueller section.

Zachary with his scout troop prepping for their 20 mile hike. From left to right, Isaac Low, Bob Schneiter, Logan Fresz and Zachary Tueller (with Josh Kirk behind), Connor Carlsen, Caleb Kirk & Kamden Bentley (with Jake Cambel and Brent Carlsen behind), Miles Petersen, Alec Carlsen, and Ben Sanders.

Mid hike, Logan, Kamden, Zachary, and Josh. We did two loops around a hill just north of the Spiral Jetty.

We flew to Chicago, visited the Moody's and Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Nauvoo, Carthage, Hannibal (birthplace of Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain), Mandi and family in Nashville, Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, and Eagle Creek State Park in Indianapolis. Here are some pictures from the first part of that trip.

We first visit Cheryl and Greg Moody in South Bend and showed our children Notre Dame and the house Zachary, Chayce, and Payge lived in when they were young. Here is Rosie shooting aliens in front of the Moody's house.

Quinton was helping Rosie hunt aliens.

Zachary and Stephen went to mutual with Greg and Doug Moody. There was a bonfire and they played mafia and made smore's. This fence was on the Indiana/Michigan border, and Zachary was leaning over so he could be in two states at once.

In Chicago, we visited the Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum of Natural History, the Adler Planetarium, and the Shedd Aquarium.

At the Museum of Science and Industry.

Not sure where this was, but it is cute.

While this bunch was with Stephen at the Adler Planetarium, Jillian and Chayce were visiting the Art Institute of Chicago.

Quinton with a space man's backpack.

Payge at the Shedd Aquarium.

Going native.

Petting live rays at the Shedd aquarium.

The view from the Willis tower, the tallest building in Chicago.

Trying to use a view finder, but they were too short. It runs in the family.

September 2016

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The kids worked together to turn the monkey bars Stephen made last year into a clubhouse.

Chayce borrowed our neighbor's honey extractor and we tried Langstroth honey extraction for the first time. Prior to this, it was crush and strain the top bar comb.

Daddy's girl!

Stephen's mom uses the term 'pooh-face' when frustrated. So we got her a Halloween mask.

Amy and Stephen made it part way through chicken-out ridge climbing mount Borah in Idaho before...getting too tired and descending back down. They'll try again next year.

Stephen with the mountains northwest of mount Borah in the background.

Chayce and Payge attended a recruiting event at the airport. They are trying to get more girls interested in being airplane pilots.

Quinton and his mommy making funny faces.

Quinton and Lillyth eating volunteer purple beans in the cabbage patch.

Baby sea buckthorn trees

Baby little leaf linden trees

Chayce decorating the chalkboard for a Notre Dame football party with friends from Indiana

A ten mile hike in Providence Canyon with the scouts. Zachary and his friend Logan Fresz are taking a break.

Jillian hired a friend to sew cushions for her semicircular outdoor couch.

Payge biking to the park.

"Dad, I want to climb da mountain!"

We hiked the upper loop of the Providence Canyon single track trail. Not everyone was keen on getting their picture taken.

Quinton, being...Quinton.

Walking to the waterfall.

One of the many waterfalls in Providence Canyon.

Drawing the waterfall.

A view of the Providence Canyon quarry from the waterfall.

Payge drawing the waterfall.

Momma and her fox.

The weekend before his 13th birthday, Zachary completed his Eagle project. When our neighborhood was developed, the old barbed wire fence just got bulldozed into piles, which remained around the park. Zachary wanted to prevent child injury and hauled off 8,900 pounds of fencing.

It had rained before the eagle project and it took much washing to get the borrowed truck and trailer cleaned.

Payge ready for church. But not satisfied with her hair. Read on for the big change.

Look, I'm upside down!

Excited about the new haircut!

Quinton started going to karate. When he's in the mood, he does really good.

Since grandpa sold the cows, this will have to do.

August 2016

2016-12-26T17:40:00.001-05:00

A fire in Box Elder county yielded epic sunsets.

Zachary, Quinton, and Stephen joined Bryan and Carter Carlsen for a camping trip to Hyrum Reservoire State Park. We kyaked across the reservoire. The next morning, the boys dug up tr(ash)easure from the water at the beach.

Stomping on radish seed pods. This is how we thresh larger pods when saving seed. Then we use a blower to blow out the pods, leaving the seeds (mostly) at the bottom.

Morning hike up Providence Canyon with dad. It took several tries, but we finally got one with all three smiling(ish).

The epic Rosie grin.

Grilled peaches, ready to go visit a bowl of ice cream.

Here Stephen is next to the rocks where the local eagles have their nests in the spring.

Going on a walk to the park. Lillyth and Quinton insisted that everyone hold hands.

The flag on saddle rock on the south side of Providence Canyon.

Jillian and here little man.

She did her make up. Again. Using paint.

We went to This Is The Place state park and toward about half of it before Lillyth fell apart, needing a nap. Then we went out for Chinese in SLC's china town.

Stilt walking. Or not. None of us, except Lillyth, did very well.

The reason Lillyth did well, is she had help.

Getting ice cream. You'd think they would serve old fashioned ice cream, but it was snowman poop (~~our~~ Stephen's euphemism for soft serve).

Zachary got his first shave from the barber. After being tied to the chair. Just in case.

While Jillian and the older children toured one of Brigham Young's homes, Stephen and the little people did laps on the wrap-around porch.

A wild tree baby in her natural environment. This girl would frequently be found up trees in the back yard all summer long.

July 2016 - family reunion, Rosie turns 2, and water falls

2016-12-26T17:24:00.002-05:00

Quinton, on our neighbor's empty lot, waiting for 4th of July fireworks.

Summer sunset

The birthday girl with her cake. She likes cake.

We attempted to utilize the chickens to kill the grass around our cherry trees. Unfortunately, the just stood by the fence wondering why they had been exiled. Too much work getting them out there every day, and little in the way of results.

We had three bushes I was ready to remove, but it turns out they were filburt bushes! We got about a half pint, unshelled, but that's a start. We have two filburt trees in the back yard that are several years from producing, but this will do for now.

Zachary finishing the horsemanship merit badge.

Quinton went camping with troop 376. He didn't stay clean. Not even close. One of the other leaders has a boy Quinton's age, so they both come with their dads when possible.

After the aforementioned campout, Quinton went home with his friend while Stephen and Eric Yoast took boys on a ten mile hike. Zachary was not impressed with our pace.

The deer trail we were following disappeared, so we got to practice traversing steep shale slopes for over a mile until we hooked back into a known trail. It was difficult for the boys, but they made it.

These guys were quite proud of themselves once we made it back to the trail and started down. This is about 3000 feet above our neighborhood.

Zachary and Stephen at the point just before starting our descent.

The Tueller Family Reunion was at our home in Providence. In the morning, we climbed about 700 feet to get a view of the sunrise and Providence Canyon. This short hike was much more pleasant for Zachary than the one described above.

We borrowed a bubble machine from our neighbors, and went through a couple dozen bottles of shampoo, letting the kids slip and slide in the afternoons. Stephen went with Steven (McRae) and Steven (Knight) and biked down Providence Canyon a couple of times. We went to the Browning gun museum and children's place museum in Ogden.

For having lived in Providence for six years, we were sure missing out on the waterfalls in Providence Canyon. We made it almost all the way to the falls in our 2 wheel drive mini van. We told the kids not to drink it, and found out later (during another scout hike) that cows used the falls for drinking several hundred feet above this point. And you know cows, they leave other thinks around wherever they go.

Another view of the falls. This didn't make the cut for the Christmas card.

Here we are shelling peas we let dry for a fall seed crop (which, unfortunately didn't do well).

Summer 2016

2016-12-26T17:05:00.001-05:00

We went to Geneva for memorial day weekend. Mandi, Mikal, & crew were in from Tenessee, and the Weekes and McRae cousins all stayed in tents with our children. Well, mostly. Some ended in beds in the house, but they tried! Afterwards, we left our children with Effie and Grandma Tueller while Jillian and Stephen attempted a anniversary trip. That was cut short by everyone getting a stomach bug, and we had to come back early.

Before the barfing broke out, we did manage a trip to Salt Lake and a temple session at the Salt Lake temple. Before going down, Jillian and I hiked up to the wind caves in Logan Canyon.

A view of the crimson trail from the wind cave.

The wind caves from the approaching trail.

The sunset during an epic lightning storm. This was taken from behind our neighbor's house.

June 2016 - Scout camp and funny swimwear

2016-12-26T16:57:00.000-05:00

Zachary's troop went rock climbing in Logan Canyon. Here he is with his friend Miles Petersen.

Zachary rappelling.

A view of Logan canyon from the climbing wall.

A view from the top of the climbing wall. Stephen rappelled too.

"Rosie, don't eat the [sand][dirt][mud]" was a common refrain. All. Summer. Long.

Back yard dance off. Dad lost. Quinton is the champion.

Baby tomato plants starting their vertical climb.

A day at the park with the girls.

Zachary shooting a black powder rifle. Then he had to kiss it gun (i.e., blow it out to remove any uncombusted powder).

Troop 376 on a hike. The camp director was leading the hike. But he had never used the route before. The trail disappeared. He had his three small children with him. One boy was slow getting back and Stephen stayed to help him and the little kids. The rest of the troop went back to camp, didn't look at the clock, and missed their afternoon merit badge classes. But getting 'lost' is always more interesting than a straight forward hike, so Stephen thought it was fun.

Playing by the peach tree on the front porch.

Then this happened. It took some effort, but we finally convinced this little man that wearing underwear outside of your swim suit was not appropriate swim attire, public, private, or otherwise.