The Varley Family

Final months of 2011

2011-12-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

Busy, busy, busy can pretty much sum up these last few months of
out lives, as I'm sure some of you can relate. Jeremey is still trucking away for the county weed control and is enjoying more responsibility as he is climbing the work ladder. He got his elk in October and filled our freezer, woo-hoo, and now has the itch for whitetail with his bow. When he is not providing for our family, Jeremey loves spending time with his two little rascals and giving mommy me-time.
Ashley tried out for Salmon Idol this year along with big sister, Jenny, and placed third out of all the contestants which was a fun experience and her hard work finally paid off when her school kids performed "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" in the beginning of December. Ashley is now finally enjoying baking holiday goodies again, spending evenings with the men in her life, and of course, rearranging/cleaning her house after turning her downstairs into a drama shed. She will be back at the drama grind at the end of January and is excited for her upcoming adventures with the ones she loves.
Besides being a ball of energy and Mr. Independent, Rowan is loving childhood (well, hopefully, anyway). His first day of pre-school was on his 3rd birthday which he has been just a thriving at and he seems to give the bus driver a hoot with every short bus ride, or so we've witnessed. Rowan went as our little stinker, a skunk for halloween, and is excited to see what Santa brings!

Little Kael is growing like a weed, can sit up all by himself and is very close to crawling and cutting his first tooth. Like Rowan, he is a special spirit, smiley to all he meets, and is not Mommy's but Daddy's little boy! (Jer wanted me to be sure to mention this, neener, neener!) We hope all of you are staying warm or cold or whatever suits you for the remainder of this year. We love you and hope you keep in touch.

August 2011

2011-08-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Our family, like all of you, have been nothing but busy this summer. The newest member of our family, little Kael, turned four months old on August 13th and is just a thriving. He is getting stronger everyday, is quite the little vocal man already with his goo goo ga ga's, and will be cutting his first teeth soon, (we're sure of it!) Rowan has taken more of an interest in being in the outdoors with his daddy, hiking, fishing, camping, and collecting bugs, the Cyphocleonus Achates to be exact, which is a root boring wevil that attacks spotted nap weed. The other day Rowan spotted some type of noxious weed that Jeremey taught him about and asked me if we could spray it, he he he. He will be quite the outdoorsman we think! Ashley has been working at the pool part time teaching lessons and guarding which has been just about the right amount of "out of the house time" and social time that she needs. Her activities coordinator calling has kept her busy and she has been finding opportunities where she can sing more in church or for the community and will be the assistant drama coach for the school district again this year. Jeremey has been extremely busy this summer with work, work, work and taking people down the river. He can't wait for the hunting season to begin and is perfecting his aim with his new bow. As always, we hope you are all well and we send our love your way!

Summer Lovin'

2011-06-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is a short one but at least it's an update of what is going on in our lives. Jeremey is extremely busy with weed work and can't wait for the hunting season to arrive. Ashley is enjoying being a mother of two and will be teaching the Mom's and Tot's swimming course again this year at the Salmon City Pool.
Rowan is getting smarter every day and is preparing for his first over night camping trip with his daddy and friends, can't wait to go hiking and fishing he says. He has recently been liking Go Diego Go and Dora on the netflix and can now count from 1-10 in Spanish. Kael is thriving and is now 24 in. and 12 lbs. at 2 months old. He is starting to recognize those close to him and gets in a big belly giggle now and then. We are soaking up the sun and are waiting for the river to drop so we can enjoy it's rapids! We love you all and wish you a Happy 4th of July and a great summer!

And then there was two...

2011-05-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome home Kael Luke Varley! Kael was born on April 13th, 2011, 6 lbs. 10oz., 19 1/2 in and was just as perfect and beautiful as they come. Kael was a week and a half early and came the day before opening night of our "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" musical so I was not able to be there but luckily had trained all of our tech people on what their duties were. Phewwww! I was a little disappointed to miss the show but Kael had other plans for me.

Kael at 4 days old and getting ready to go home from the hospital

Kael is such a joy in our lives and all four of us, yes, we consider Chai like part of the family too, is enjoying the new baby brother. Besides Rowan's first response of, " We put him back now?" after seeing Kael, he is very sweet on him and tries to share all of his toys already.

Rowan happy with Kael at 1 week old

Kael is nursing well and thriving and mommy is feeling great besides the regular aching feet and being tired at days end. Jer is loving coming home and cuddling with his little "grunts and groans" boy and Rowan loves giving "my baby" a bath. We hope all of you are doing well and that you enjoy the pics! Cheerio!

Kael at just 2 weeks

Marching Forward in March

2011-03-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

March has come and gone and like always, we have been busy. For Ashley's birthday, Jere took her to Whitefish, MT for a weekend getaway and we had a blast catching up with Micelle, Wade and Kamryn. Little Kamryn made up Ashley's mind for her and Ashley would love a little content girl, but she and Jere will be pleased as long as baby #2 is healthy. Jeremey is doing very well with his job with the county and has been able to learn many new skills and has been traveling more. He also has had fun with his scouts and is turning Rowan into quite the little, future fly fisherman.

Ashley's musical and church calling will be keeping her busy up till the time she pop's, and Rowan is growing smarter every day and is patiently awaiting for the spring weather to arrive so we can visit the park right down the street. Ashley had her baby shower for baby #2 and received lots of useful items for the upcoming arrival! Thanks to all for the gifts by the way! The baby is growing healthy and strong and if Ashley's body can hold out, he/she will be arriving on the 18th of April, hooray!

2011-02-25T07:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick video of Rowan. He has grown so much, we love him so much!

January Has Come and Gone!

2011-01-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

Hello Family, Rowan (along with Jere and Ash) is sending you a big smooch fom our neck of the woods!

We are trying to be better about updating our blog this year and January has been quite the month for us. Jeremey has been busy helping mom and dad Hawkins get their website going for their business and is now the official Lemhi County Weed Superintendant Assistant and Aquatic Specialist. His first day starts tomorrow and we couldn't be more proud of him and his hard work, way to go Jere! Ashley's first big musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, is keeping her busy during the week nights, along with Relief Society Meetings, and she and baby are getting bigger everyday. At this point in time, we are going to be surprised about the gender of the baby so if any of you have girl clothes that you want to get rid of, please send them our way. Rowan has really taken to potty training and is daddy's big helper during his Thursday night Boy Scouts while mom is at work. Grandma Hawkins and Ashley are in the process of planning Becky's baby shower and will be sending invitations to all you girls soon. We love you all and will blab some more at you in February!

And for the First Post of the Year...

2010-12-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

Greetings Everyone! We hope all of you had a wonderful 2010 holiday season and that the spirit of Christ was in your homes and hearts and will be for the 2011 year. The Varley family was extremely busy this last December so forgive me for not posting these pictures sooner. The pictures include the following:
Ashley's set display for the one-act play that she co-directed this winter, "Shock of His Life";

Jeremey and Ashley in Salmon's community production of, "A Christmas Carol", portraying Young Man Scooge and his beloved, Ms. Belle;

Jere's bed frame that he put many hours into for himself and Ashley;

Rowan potty training, yippee!;

Rowan's new jammies from Gma Stults; And last but certainly not least, Rowan kayak-sledding with Beary, his bear. Enjoy!

Baby #2 On the Way

2010-10-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to announce that baby #2 will be joining our family in April! We announced our big news on Rowan's 2nd birthday to everyone living here in Salmon by giving Rowan a "future big brother" t-shirt and everyone caught on pretty quick.

As far as the pregnany goes, mommy is more nauseous with this one (hhhhmmmmm, maybe it will be a girl?) and a little more tired at the end of the day, but Rowan helps her pass the time and is good about having lots of snacks with her. Daddy, of course, is a HUGE help as well and is kind enough to give mommy foot rubs, aaaahhhhh!

We will keep you posted on our fun journey ahead!

Wimpey Creek ATV Date

2010-08-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Jeremey decided to take me on a surprise ATV ride up Wimpey Creek and boy, was it a blast! I got to drive an ATV for the very first time and experience the breath taking views near Salmon. Jere taught me a little about the area and we both decided that we would have to visit this place again to get a closer look at the lakes below and the scenery that surrounded us.
There were several cabins we spotted while on our ride and most were abandoned or boarded up. However, some you could tell are visited by hunters often. We also came upon an old mine shaft.

The flowers in this area were to die for, the indian paintbrush with it's vibrant color and the lupin that filled the air with it's sweet aroma. Even though the lupin was everywhere, I didn't snap a picture of it but got a picture of another flower, the Lemhi Pentstimin, which is an endangered flower and only grows in Lemhi County. Pretty neat stuff! We had a lot of fun and Rowan didn't mind us being gone either because he was with GRANDMA! Yahooo!

July 2010

2010-07-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

This summer has been very wet but the weather finally held out for us to take Rowan's first river trip ever! (outside the womb that is.) We floated from 14 mile to Shoup bridge where we stopped for lunch and then continued on our way to the salmon bridge. Rowan loved kicking his feet in the water and helping daddy row the boat. He is definitely our child and has no fear of the water.

Rowan has gone through so many changes as he quickly heads towards being two years old. He turned 22 months old today and is learning a new word every day it seems. Besides being mommy's little helper with the mowing and watering, he is a monkey and can climb up the kitchen drawers and sit on the counter with what seems like no effort at all. Also, he has figured out how to unlock the sliding glass doors. Let's just say I have to keep a good eye on this wee one and teach him right off what he can't do!

After completing Rowan's crib almost 2 yrs. ago, Jeremey has decided to make a head and base board for our bed. He went and got some nice pine from the hills and is in the process of getting everything scraped and sanded. He let me take a turn and work my upper arm muscles. Next time he will have to be the one in the pictures with Rowan.

Rainy Days with the Cousins

2010-05-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain, go away, but please come back on a hotter day! Puddles have been Hunter and Rowan's form of entertainment lately, and Britton can't wait to ride his new bike where he has a paved driveway.

We were glad the rain clouds held off for a few minutes on Memorial Day so we could visit the gravesites for Mathew, Grandma and Grandpa. The boys all wanted to put their own flower at each site.

Rowan's First Hair Cut

2010-05-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

Shame on me for being a bad blogger and not including some fun things that have happened around our neck of the woods. Rowan finally got his first hair cut after 19 months, his hair was finally long enough, and was extremely patient with the whole process and seemed to enjoy it, (the pictures seem to show otherwise though!)

Miss You Jilly Pilly!

2010-05-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Even though she was a stinky dingo dog, would scratch you with her nails till she got a foot rub, and was quite stubborn (always head of the pack), we will miss her not being out at the Salmon house. She had a sweet spirit, loved roughing it with Jake, and couldn't wait to go walking with the kids. It won't seem the same without her around. I'll bet she's having a doggy dog time up in doggy heaven.

I Got A Bite...A Big, Big, Bite

2010-05-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Jeremey's first 30 in. steelehead on his new fly rod, yippee! Rowan was taking a nap so the little cousins decided to jump in instead and have a hand in the fun.

Just Around the River Bend

2010-04-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Last saturday our family decided to go down river and have a picnic near the water and that was where I was able to capture some cute pictures of Rowan on the perfect tree and having fun daddy. After our picnic we went asparagus hunting, walked a few trails and skipped rocks which, of course, was Rowan's favorite part. If we didn't stop him, he would have been having his bath early that day. Overall, it was a nice family outing and I think I got enough asparagus to last us a few dinners. Yummm!

Children's Museum

2010-03-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

By far, Rowans favorite part of the Missoula Children's Museum is the dinosaur dig station, where he can discover different bones and fossils. He also really enjoys the construction room where he can build with blocks and wear a hard hat.

Funny Story

2010-03-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

The other day when new snow had just covered the ground, Jeremey was preparing Rowan's meal and was very pleased that Rowan seemed to be quietly entertaining himself in the next room. Soon enough however, Jeremey realized Rowan was being "too" quiet!

We don't know about the rest of you parents, but when our son is "too" quiet, it usually means that he is doing a "no, no!"Anyway, back to the story...

Jeremey didn't have to look very hard for Rowan when the back door was wide open and there was Rowan, sitting in the snow with soaked socks and a big, goofy grin on his face. Jeremey just lost it in laughter, and after dragging Rowan back inside, had to have a little discussion about opening doors!

Got to love them kids!

The Joy of Each Other

2010-03-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that we have been having a lot of fun these last few months. We have enjoyed walking around the elk foundation and touching noses with the animals, skiing up at Lost Trail, posing in our pj's, kayaking at the U of M, and riding our buckin' broco!

At the end of your life...

2010-01-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent. -- Barbara Bush

Our Little Punkin Playing w/ His Pumpkin!

2009-10-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Rowan playing with his pumpkin out in the yard, and our little curious cutie helping dad build a toasty fire!

Got Deer?

2009-10-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

Jeremey and Ashley both got their deer this winter, yippeee! It was Ashley's first hunting trip and she had a blast! Ashley nailed the buck in both the lung and tip of the heart but unfortunately the bullet destroyed the buck's left shoulder and some of the meat we could have had in our freezer, darn! Jeremey's shot to his buck happened so fast that his cousin Jesse didn't even realize what happened, woweeee! Rowan wanted to come cuddle with the dead bucks like he does with the dogs, so we let him for fun. However, when it came to helping daddy gut his buck, that was a big no no. Think he'll be a future hunter like his dad!

Rowan's 1st Birthday!

2009-09-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Rowan had a fun birthday with his mom, dad, cousins Britton and Hunter, Aunt Becky, Uncle Jared and G & G Hawkins! He had a blast playing with his new toys and trinkets and unwrapping his new garb, however the best part was his future fisherman's cake which when presented to him, he gave daddy and mommy a look like, "Is it okay that I'm putting my fingers in this?" Thanks to everyone for the gifts and cards! We love you all!

Chug-a-chug-a-choo-choooo!

2009-09-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't posted in a while! The month of August kept us busy and the start of September has been darn fun! Jeremey and Ashley got to bike the famous Hiawatha rail trail on the Idaho-Montana state line during labor day weekend while Rowan got to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Hawkins. Ashley and Jeremey rode the Hiawatha stretch between the East Portal and Roland trailheads which was 15 miles of downhill fun and included 10 tunnels and 7 high steele trestles. At first, Ashley was a little disoriented through the 1.7 mile long Taft tunnel with just a small head lamp but with her caveman, Jeremey, leading the way, eventually her eyes adjusted and they were well on their journey!!! We recommend the trail for any of the family, and very kid friendly for those who don't mind a few bumps!

And Rowan Will Have Fun, Fun, Fun Till The End Of The Day...

2009-07-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from 4th of July weekend in Missoula of us about to go on the carousel, Rowan in his birthday suite (even though it wasn't even his birthday!), Rowan being his happy self at the Salmon house, and the best picture of all...Rowan reading one of Britton's books from the library! :-)

"We didn't start the fire..."

2009-07-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Not to scare anyone, but we thought we'd let you all know. At around 2 pm on July 23rd we had a bad field fire right next to Mom and Dad Hawkins property. Ashley had to be a firewoman for a while, spraying everything she could with the hose, but couldn't do too much more when the wind took the flames. No of us or the neighbors or their animals got hurt and all of mom and dad's property was mostly saved except the south side vegetation of the house. However, it did burn the back far side of the unfinished house, all the way to the drywall, the back trees, and all the vegetation up to the planter boxes and to Ashley and Jeremey's bedroom window on the south side. None of the house was damaged except that back corner though, thank goodness. The firefighters got everything under control after that point and they think the source of the fire was the neighbors generator but we will know more when the paper comes out with all the details next week. Just thought we'd include some pictures for y'all to see.

10 Months Old

2009-07-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

Rowan James turned 10 months old today and is just thriving with each new thing that is thrown his way. He now loves to pull himself up into standing position and is very quick with crawling on his hands and knees or with the bear crawl. Now that Rowan is more independent, he rarely eats anything from a spoon held by mommy or daddy and must do it himself. He is a pro at holding his sippy cup and his bottle and is very vocal with opinions about everything,...... you know, with the ma ma ma ma ma's and da da da da da's and teh teh teh teh teh's, and na na na na na's etc. We enjoy Rowan boy so much and love how he is growing so big!

Missoula Fun

2009-06-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

To break up our routine a little, the three of us traveled to Missoula for Memorial Day weekend to have fun with Grandma and Grandpa Hawkins. We spent Memorial Day at Robin's house, one of their close friends who has a lake outside her back door, and had a blast in the paddle boat, fishing and having a yummy barbecue.

Mom and Dad came across a fun wagon and thought the grandkids would enjoy it and boy!.....did Rowan ever! Anything Rowan can do outside makes him extremely happy. He doesn't sound like Jeremey at all, huh?

Boy Fawn Encounter

2009-06-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

It was just our luck, while traveling over to the Hanson's home for dinner that we heard a boy fawn distress call. Jeremey, Britton and Ashley had fun petting the fawn and didn't want to leave it alone so it's mom could come back and claim it, but had to let nature run it's course. He sure was a miracle and watching him walk on his new legs was sure cute!!!

What We Do For Fun

2009-06-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

We sure do experience lots of fun around the place in Salmon but lately, these are some of the few things we have had the most fun doing, or in Rowan's case.....discovering!!!!!

Rowan has enjoyed "kicking up" his leather shoes and tiptoeing around the property with the help of mommy and daddy, but has yet to "kick back" and relax for he is a Mr. Get-into-everything boy and with soooooo much energy too! Mom and Dad wouldn't have him any other way though. Rowan also loves playing in Daddy's fishing net and anything electronic is suddenly his favorite!

When Jeremey isn't working hard with the river, construction or weeds, he can't resist surfing a good wave or playing peek-a-boo while Rowan is riding high on his shoulders.

And then there's Ashley....she just likes to shoot things up all day. No, this was actually her first time shooting all year and Jer's just trying to work her up to the big gun for hunting this fall.

April Birthday

2009-05-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th birthday, Jeremey, and Rowan turning 7 months! Dad was kind enough to let the little guy open all of his presents! What handsome men!!!

April Fun

2009-05-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Even though Rowan was only 7 months old on Easter day, which also happend to be cold and rainy, Daddy still pushed him out in his stroller to get an Easter candy. Daddy ended up eating it, but Rowan did get to enjoy soaking the wrapper.

Family Time

2009-03-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures of our Rowan boy, playing with mommy, dressed in his Sunday best with dad, and cuddling close with Chai.

row, row, row your boat...

2009-03-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Our family would all have to agree that Jeremey's boat, "The Ashley Dawn", looks darn good out in front of the Idaho Adventures office. We know what you are thinking, that "The Ashley Dawn" it's quite a funny name for a boat, but Jeremey said "A boat's got to have a good, strong name and what better name would suit than that of my woman!".

"The Ashley Dawn" took one of it's first trips this year down the half day stretch on the river of no return, and if we ever get a blue bird day to go steelehead fishing, Jere is prepared and anxious with all his gear! Unfortunately, Jeremey hasn't had any luck with the fish, and Ashley somehow has him beat and caught her first rainbow trout of the year, and landed it on her 2nd cast too! We would of included a picture but it was only Rowan size, but hey, it was somethin'.

Kick off to 2009

2009-03-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

It has been crazy in Salmon for the first three months of 2009! Jeremey is pushing strong with his "temporary" work, but is very anxious to get on the river for steelehead trips and rafting trips. Ashley is keeping busy with her church callings and, of course, with Rowan boy, who is so energetic, talkative, and smiley. He has developed two new teeth, is enjoying his cereal, veggies and fruit, and loves to harass Chai the kitty by yanking on her fascinating, fluffy yellow coat. We can't wait for Spring to arrive (for good) and do some site seeing out our front door.

Baby's 1st Christmas Pics

2009-01-04T13:38:00.001-08:00

Rowan at 3 1/2 months loves to kick his legs and do his daily crunch workout.

A stylin' boy in his Christmas threads from Grandpa & Grandma V.

Daddy and Rowan playing in the Medford snow!

We are so happy to have each other for Christmas!

Say Cheese!

2008-11-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

At 2 months and 5 days, Rowan is even more smiles!

Mamma's Boy

2008-11-08T09:42:00.001-08:00

Rowan is growing so well! He is 8 weeks now and smiles a lot at his mom,...definitely a mamma's boy.

Rowan's First Story

2008-10-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Rowan is now responding to more of his surroundings, especially the voices of mom and dad, and even kicked back for almost an entire Dr. Seuss story.

Little Man is 1 Month Old

2008-10-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

Rowan is now 1 month old and Ashley and I are wondering where the days have gone!? Rowan is doing very well and is growing strong. He is starting to sleep more which makes mom and dad very happy. Here are a few more pictures of our little bundle of joy.

Still So Small

2008-09-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Mom Stults, Mom Hawkins, and Dad and Mom Varley all traveled to Salmon to meet their newest grandson and visit with his proud parents.

Our Family Has Grown

2008-09-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I are proud to announce the arrival of our new son Rowan James, born on September 12, 2008 at Steele Memorial Clinic in Salmon, Idaho. He is 7 lbs., 6.8 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. He has blue eyes, dark brown hair and has been the biggest blessing ever.