Leaf Walk

Leaf Book we made from the leaves we found on our walk!

Madi looking over the bridge!

Isn't it great that even a little leaf can be a treasure!!

Madi and I enjoyed the fall day by taking a walk and looking for leaves! We had so much fun together!

Cheetah Cookies

Taylor checks out some kind of wild animal book every week at the library. They are fascinating to him, but not so much to me since they are all encyclopedia types and take a long time to read. Anyways, at the end of this one there was a recipe to make Cheetah cookies, any of you who know Tay know how much he loves BIG cats so we decided to make these for FHE! We had a blast making them, but the end product didn't look quite like the picture and to be frank they tasted nasty! Joseph and I tried to choke a couple bites down without saying anything because we didn't want to hurt Tay's feelings and then he said, "These aren't very good are they Mom." We decided it is a fun craft idea, not a good dessert!

Mother's Frustrations!

Do your husbands think of really creative, fun activities to do with your kids that
cause REALLY big messes?!!

As you can tell from the video below, they had a blast, but I was less than thrilled! They really stunk when they came in and had tomato seeds and juice all over their clothes and hair. However, Joseph did clean them and the yard up after so I guess it will be a fun, memory building activity, but one this mother hopes doesn't become a tradition!!

First Snow!

Although snow so early wasn't my favorite thing, the kids loved it! It only last a few days and is all melted this weekend and back up to 70 degrees. Not too bad I know, but considering we got snow in May, we are now looking at only 4 months without any snow. It is when I have realizations like this that I really miss Sunny California! None the less, the kids and I did have a lot of fun making snow angels and building snow men!

Open to Anyone!

After considering whether to stay private or not,
I decided to open our blog up! There were many
people I was forgetting to invite from friends and
family so now it is open to all. Hopefully I won't
regret this, I don't really want comments from people
I don't know, but we will give this a try!

Pumpkin Patch

We had such a fun time at the Pumpkin Patch! They take you out to the patch on a hay ride and then you get to choose and pick your pumpkin! When we came back from the hay ride they had a petting zoo and cookies and hot chocolate! It was a really fun fall activity! Taylor had specific requirements for his pumpkin! He and Joseph looked for quite a while until the find just what he needed. He wants to carve it into a wild cat standing up on two feet so he needed a taller pumpkin. Our son has such a fascination with big cats, ie. lions, tigers, leopards, etc.





















Our Friends we went with!! We are lucky to have so many nice families here
in Sheridan!











These two women are two of the reasons I love Sheridan! They are both due very soon in this picture. Their due dates are only a month apart! (actually by the time I posted this, Brooke had her baby! A beautiful baby girl. It is funny how when you are away from family, you really become each other's family! We feel that way about Matt and Brooke and their little girl Hannah! Congrats Guys!!)

Thanks Joseph!!

Many of you know that I have picked up running the past few years and have really enjoyed it. I was even up to 13 miles last summer. However, after struggling with some health things recently my doctor told me that I really shouldn't run and it could make my health problems worse! I was so bummed about it and have really been kind of depressed at the suggestion that I should walk for exercise. (It takes double the time to get a good workout walking as running) Well, my wonderful, sweet husband surprised me last week with his own solution. I came down stairs one day after getting Madi to sleep for her nap and found a bike sitting in the middle of the family room. I walked outside to see Joseph home for lunch and unloading a bike trailer to go with it! What a great husband I have!! Madi and I have biked all over this week., singing class, story time, and play dates. Now I can exercise while we are going to all our activities! I am so excited! Thanks babe!!

Not so appropriate Sunday Activities!

Tay had the idea to hang a rope off our deck, then they would hang on and Daddy would swing them up on it! They had a blast. Not so sure it is Sunday Appropriate, but we were laughing and bonding as a family. It is so hard to get our three to play reverently and quietly all day so this will have to do?!

Later that night, I was tired and they needed something to do so I said they could do my hair and makeup. Little did I know I would turn out looking like something from a horror movie! They had a blast though!! Thank goodness for soap!

What a Man!

So, I have recently learned that in Sheridan, one of the very manly things to own is a chain saw! Joseph and his buddy decided rather than pay someone for wood this year, they were going to go and get their own. It would save us money, right?! Well, a permit, gas, and a chain saw later I am not so sure about the saving money part. However, Joseph had so much fun getting the wood and it has been a hobby with usefulness because we will really enjoy all this wood come winter! So, thank you hun for taking the time and enduring the aching muscles to go and get wood for your family so they can be warm this winter!!
They have another trip planned this weekend only they are going to camp out overnight. I said he could go with my blessing as long as I didn't have to come. Nights are starting to get pretty cold around here and I am not a cold camper!

Kite Festival in Spanish Fork

We went to the Kite Festival in Spanish Fork with Joseph's Brother and Sister
and their families! It was actually a very cool thing and I hope SF makes it
an annual event!

Here we are riding on the Segways! I was horrible at first, but once I got the
hang of it, they are quite fun! Beach in UTAH? Well, the closest thing these two
have seen to one in over a year and they loved it! However, it did spur comments like,
"mom, when are we going to move back to California?" and "I wish we could live in
California forever!"

James and Katy's Wedding!!

Fun Family Pic!

It was such a long day and the kids were such good sports!

Wedding Day pics! Taylor and my nephew Logan were the ring boys and Emma and Madi were the Flower girls. They had a ring ceremony that night for Katy's family!


Of course I am lucky to be married to the best looking groomsman!Logan and Madi went first down the line! Logan started out ahead of the bridesmaids and groomsman and Madi was fascinated with throwing her flowers and would throw one handful and then stand there and look at them. We finally got her walking and then she looked at Ash and started sobbing. I guess she finally realized everyone was watching her! Hopefully we didn't detract from the moment, but I thought Logan and Madi were a hoot!

Sunday Afternoon!

Can I just say I love 9:00am church! We love our afternoons at home on Sunday! Here are a couple of pics I took last Sunday! Tay and Emma were playing so nicely together outside, Daddy and Madi were taking a nap, and I caught up on my blog and prepared dinner! What a great day!