Pumpkin Patch

Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch...a wonderful bumpy hayride to hopefully put Amber into labor...

No such luck! And, of course, pumpkins as far as the eye could see....well, at least they filled the whole field! We found some great pumpkins...now time for Colby to get carving...yes dear...all five of them!

Sick days and birthdays

On the weekend of Oct. 12th when everyone else was outside playing in the snow...we were having a barf-o-rama at our house...with all 3 kids! What fun! You can imagine.

But, a couple of days later, everyone was on the mend and ready for Holt's birthday bash! I can't believe my baby boy is 2 years old! He was so excited... right from the start of the day he was running around the house yelling "Party, party, party!" (Although it sounded more like "potty, potty, potty", but we knew what he meant!) Happy birthday baby boy!!

Colby's Birthday Bash

Another backtrack....to Colby's birthday.

It's always a little chaotic since he shares the same birthday with Hayley and Kennedy...so it's always a huge party, but we still try to make it special for him. This year, we had the big combined party at a park and then headed to Jackson the next day for some fun hiking....oh yeah, and a goose hunt for the boys, too.

The hike around Jenny Lake to the Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point was long, but gorgeous!

Even the thunderstorm and downpour couldn't deter us...we're always up for a little adventure!
Okay, so maybe the kids got a little cold, but we made it all in one piece!

Porter's soccer

Another exciting event for Porter this fall....he finally gets his chance to play soccer...and with his best buddies Will and Sam, too! Ah..life is great!
He gets so into it and does a victory dance with each goal he makes...so much fun to watch!

And as Porter puts it..."Soccer is my life! All I want to do is play soccer forever!"

Porter's first day

So...I kind of missed some things since the beginning of the school year... so I need to backtrack to Porter's first day of school. He was so excited to go back to school, because this year, he's one of the "big" kids at preschool ("4 instead of 3! That's important mom!") Not that it makes any difference...all the kids in his class are 4, but it makes a difference to him! Of course, he loved last year, too, which is another reason he was so excited.

Primary Program

So, I have to brag about my cute kids a little bit...
Our Primary program was today, and I think it was one of the best ones I've ever seen...seriously!! The whole primary did such a good job.
Porter actually stayed awake this year to be able to say his part, and he had it memorized perfect. Korinne, of course, did perfect on her part...and they were extremely reverent, too, (which, by the way, never happens when they are sitting with us in the congregation). We really enjoyed it. Such sweet kids that bless our home!
When I asked Porter what his favorite part about it was, he said he liked saying his part, but the best part was getting a fruit snack right after their final practice before Sacrament Meeting. What can I say....he takes after his dad and uncles...always thinking about his stomach!
Korinne's favorite part was talking into the microphone....of course....she loves an audience.

I'm back

So.... a lot of people have been asking why I haven't posted anything for a long time. Well, you can just look at the reason for yourself...I've been a little busy!

The princess (a.k.a miniature wedding gown) is finally finished. It was definitely taking up any spare time I had (which isn't much). But Korinne is soooo excited about it. And, no, this is not the dress she will actually be baptized in...do you think I'm crazy?! I'm not letting this thing near the water! This will be for her confirmation, and then any other time she wants to wear it to church or other extremely special occasions.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it is extremely poofy, with several layers of lace cascading down the skirt....let me tell you....it was a very involved project.

So, now, I might have a little time to backtrack and catch up on other happenings around here!

Stay tuned.

Lava Hot Springs

Well, another back track to another fun summer activity.

We went on a little family getaway with Colby's family to Lava Hot Springs at the beginning of August. I was dreading it a little bit...let me explain. I hadn't been to Lava for more than 15 years and all I remembered of it is a way crowded pool with no grass space to sit on. So, needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to fighting crowds with my kids and the rest of Colby's family when we have my mom's perfectly wonderful private pool right here! But, I went, because, you know, it's a family thing.

The camping was everything it's supposed to be...tetherball, volleyball, plenty of lounging, and, oh yeah, a few downpours.

Holt and McKinley in a friendly tetherball playoff!

Porter, Korinne, Reagan, Kennedy, and Cass ready for olympic volleyball.

We staked out good spots at the pool right at opening, set up our canopies, and hopped in the water. The kids stayed in for 10 hours, only getting out briefly for potty breaks and to eat a little lunch and dinner. Their energy reserves are unbelieveable!

Porter wasn't too concerned about turning into a prune.

We couldn't keep Korinne off of the high-dive...she loved it! She's quite the swimmer. She was begging us to let her jump off the platforms, but we weren't quite ready for her to take that plunge yet!

Good food and good company...it doesn't get much better than that, right?