Fall is in the Air!

Fall is in the air!!! I get so excited for autumn time!!! There are so many wonderful things that come along and bring with them a sense of excitement and anticipation. Beautiful scenery, changing of the colors, conference time, cooler air for the morning run! ~ Fun music, activities, pumpkin EVERYTHING!!! Pumpkin spice hot chocolate, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes... harvest time, mine and Clint's birthdays, and Halloween! ~Then bring on Thanksgiving and all the holiday fun! I just LOVE it!!! So, as we jump into the fall, let's bring on the FUN!!!
~Fall decorations!

~The kiddies at the corn field...

~Picking pumpkins from the pumpkin patch!

~Looks like a good one! ;)

~Hmmm... decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

~This was my first year learning how to can the peaches from our peach tree! (Thanks to my sweet mother-in-law;) After a color and a haircut, we spent a few hours in the kitchen getting going~showing me the ropes~blanching, peeling, cutting, mashing (for the yummy jam we made), filling, boiling, sealing...

~It was an all day and all night project! Here is my sweet husband going strong! I think it was about 3 a.m. when we finally got to bed that night! Ooo and he is my BEST helper! ;)

~After we were all done, we had a couple of dozen jars of peaches, and about 18 jars of peach jam. What a good feeling to have learned and accomplished something so useful and what a pretty sight!

Decorations, pumpkin patches, and jars of peaches and jam... This is the beginning of another beautiful fall season! ~And it's always the season for having fun, learning something new, and being with those that you love! Happy Fall!!!

Our Conference Drive...

One of my favorite things to look forward to in the fall is the changing of the beautiful colors, going for a drive in the mountains to see them, and listening to inspiring and encouraging messages during general conference. This year, we watched all of the sessions at home, and then packed a picnic lunch and went for a long drive during the last session. It was like candy to my senses... beautiful scenery, riding next to my very best friend, and feeling an abundance of the spirit of it all. ~A love of being together~ and learning together what we can do to become better people, become closer as a family, and how to live more fully the gospel of Jesus Christ. I LOVE conference!!! After the sessions were all over, we had a fun time exploring through the canyon and stopping in pretty places to capture a few of the scenes on film...
Here is Clint surrounded by the kids ;)












...and the Mom surrounded by the kids ;)










Then of course Clint had to go and be funny and make us all laugh by clinging to this cozy tree trunk. What are you , a tree hugger? ;)

But then it looked like so much fun that we all wanted to try being tree huggers ;)

...and little Kambriella too ;)

This picture made me smile, but if you're wondering where Dallin is, he had decided that sitting and smiling wasn't near as exciting as...

...exploring on his own! (That cute little stinker;)

Three handsome brothers...

Here's the whole gang up at Nebo Loop.

And you know the saying, "till the cows come home?" Well, that's what we saw on our way out of the canyon! All kinds of cows just wandering around out in the wild! Kambriella even yelled out the window to the brown one, "Hey cow! I like your hair!" It gave us a good giggle for the ride home.

Conference weekend all in all was so enjoyable! Great times, great lessons, and great memories together. Now, bring on the fall! Anyone for some pumpkin spice hot chocolate?

A Day of Miracles...

I firmly believe that we live in a day of miracles. When I just look at the world around me, I can see them both great and small. For example, the other day I took the kids over to the park after they got home from school, and it didn't take long at all for all of us to start running barefoot through the grass, rolling down the hill, and spying all of the trees ~ flowers ~ and yes, even the dandelion weeds that Kambriella so instinctively started picking and blowing to make wishes on! As we sat there, I had the thought of the miracle and beauty of life and my precious children. Particularly this little princess who was born with such complicated heart problems, and now is completely healed and living life to the fullest. You would never know if you passed us in the grocery store what we have been through. Nor do we know what anyone around us may be going through as well. I have people in my life that celebrate the good and the bad daily, and it makes me realize that we all have the need for each other, the need for hope, the need for more unconditional love, and the need to have a close and loving relationship with our Heavenly Father through prayer. Miracles happen all around us every single day, but it is usually through the hand of another that we witness these things both great and small. ~Lives are touched, burdens are lifted, tragedies are overcome, and broken hearts are mended. ~Babies are born, news travels the world instantly, illnesses are battled, and our paths cross daily with all those lives that are being affected. Whether we know it or not, we may be the answer to someones prayer. We may help a miracle to come. Maybe it will only come as a thought at first, but if we listen to the spirit carefully, each one of us can bring about so much good. I am so grateful to be able to see the goodness all around me, and for humble and sincere prayer that can strengthen us when we are weak, inspire us to serve and be someones answer to a prayer, or even to recognize true miracles in our own lives everyday. Whether it's a young girl confined to a wheelchair, a sweet smile you pass in the grocery store, or a little princess making dandelion wishes...look around you and see the miracles.

Take me out to the REAL game!

What a beautiful September sky and the perfect night for some REAL fun! This was what we arrived to on the night of our first Real soccer game. After a yummy dinner at Joe's Crab Shack where we met Kevin and Laura, we began the fun with a literal jaunt over to the stadium, (where they have NO parking) following Kevin's leaps and bounds in his "moon shoes." I wish I had a picture of them! They were awesome! - So tall and bright and that's how I could follow him in the crowd! (Well, that and the extreme darting and weaving in and out of the crowd:) (Oh, and be sure to scroll down to the music player at the bottom of my blog to hear the music of One Republic! They were in concert after the game was over!!!)

Well isn't this a good looking bunch to be sitting with? ...I'm a lucky girl;)

The Real games certainly have a FUN atmosphere! It's loud, people are dancing, clapping, and cheering all of the time - and it almost felt like I was at Hogwarts or something because everyone around me was wearing a red and gold scarf - they all looked like a bunch of Harry Potters! Then this giant REAL flag started working it's way around the stands! It was kind of like doing the wave except you get buried in a sea of RED!!!

Here is a look at the field...this is the Rio Tinto Stadium sponsored by the Kennecot Copper Mine here in Utah. (This is also right before the Real scored the winning goal of the game!) (Actually it was the ONLY goal of the game;)

...and here we are passing the flag! Swimming in a sea of RED!!!

...and here we are celebrating the winning and ONLY goal of the game! It was crazy loud and these people really get into it! (I guess when you wait that long for someone to score, you really have to hype it up!!!) There were people stomping, a band playing, music blasting, flags waving, confetti flying, and we were laughing!!! Havin' a good old time!!! (Haha Kevin!)

Leo the mascot made the rounds for pictures after the goal, but this was as close as he got to us...

...then we actually got to rush the field (even though they said NOT to run) we were kind of carried in another sea of people as we went down onto the field to hear One Republic in concert after the game. We were almost in the very front! I tried jumping up in the air where I stood to see how far back I could see people, and they were all the way to the back of the field! Oh, and the guy sitting in the middle of the stage was my favorite. He was playing the cello and I think he did an amazing job! (And oh how I wish I had a picture of the short little Japanese lady that was standing right next to us! She was so cute and giggly when Kevin would pretend to use her head as an arm rest!!! Except for the time when he ACTUALLY DID rest his arm on her head! It was hilarious!)

And here is one last shot of the 4 of us all together after the fun was coming to an end. We had a great time! ...and it's so nice to actually love the family that you are stuck with for the rest of eternity!!! We love you guys and thanks for the fun and the memories!!!

Happy Birthday Gavin-ater!

September 15th, 2011 - 6:30 a.m. Little Mister Gavin-ater could not wait for the day to officially begin!!! Every morning for the last three weeks leading up to the big day, we would all hear the numerical countdown of just how many more days till Gavin's birthday! (And it finally came!) Gavin wanted a "Finn McMissle" birthday cake from Cars 2 and so I cheated and bought him the remote control car to go on the top! It was much easier and much more spiffy looking than anything I could have ever done, plus, he ended up with one more awesome present in the end! Happy 6th Birthday Gavin-ater!!!

(Thanks for the yummy butter cream frosting recipe Cherie!~ It was delicious!)

I just loved this moment...Dallin knew how excited Gavin was for his "Cars 2" birthday party, so he went down stairs and found one of his very own miniature sized Cars 2 cars and wrapped it up all by himself and presented it to Gavin with a big huge smile! When Gavin unwrapped it and saw what it was, he gave him such a big hug that they both ended up rolling all over the kitchen floor! It was so cute and I love to actually see my children do something nice for each other - just because they want too!!

After kindergarten was over, Gavin had a couple of friends over to play, and pretend, and growl, and laugh with!

This next series (literally a series, sorry!) of pictures was just too much fun!!! We went to the Herriman Recreation Center where they just opened up their new swimming pool, and the kids had a blast with their own version of the T.V. show "Wipeout!" They were trying to run all the way across these slippery rubber lilly pads and logs without falling off! It was HILARIOUS!!!

Graceful Kierra, gracefully flopping into the water!

The birthday boy securing himself onto launch pad #2!

This one had to be my favorite of all the wipe outs! (Yes, that is Dallin in the "secret agent scissor kick with a twisting windmill ninja move!;)

...and here we have Carew trying to beat the odds and maneuver the ropes above, but to no avail...he landed in the watery pit below!!!

Kierra trying once again to gracefully slip slide her way across... but only to land with a graceful dunk!

Mr. Gavin always seemed to find the second log the most slippery! Oops!!!

And even the most competitive big boy out of the bunch never did seem to make it past those tricky lilly pads... (Silly Dad :)

And lo and behold! The Dallin-ater won first prize with the quickest, most graceful, light footed, and ONLY successful trip across the water!!! Out of all the attempts from everyone at the pool, this was the only time someone DIDN'T WIPEOUT!!!

Oh we had a fun time celebrating Gavin's happy day! After we were done at the swimming pool we went to Gavin's favorite restaurant where you can "eat all the bone chicken and ice cream you want!" (says Gavin:) Mr. Gavin-ater, we love you soooooo much! I'm still the luckiest mom in the whole galaxy;) Happy Birthday! We love you!!!!

A flood of emotion, a flood of gratitude...

I feel like anymore that each little plot of time that we are given with our loved ones, are times that are forever treasured. Specifically this last couple of weeks, my parents were able to come back up and see us for a bit. My uncle passed away and though it is always sad to say goodbye to our loved ones, I always enjoy any opportunity to be with my parents again. I love to see my children smile and run to hug them when they arrive. I love how my boys move very quickly whenever it is a request for help given by grandma or grandpa. I love how they are so comfortable in just "hanging out" around the house. -And I love how much our love still grows for each other with each passing day. That's why I feel so strongly that we really need to be grateful for the little things in life...
I love how my kids come up with big smiles on their faces and say, "I bet you can't get me!" (When in reality they are just dying to have grandma or grandpa snuggle into their neck and get their sugars!)












I love the memories that come flooding when things tickle my senses, like the smells and sounds of things I loved as a little girl. -Like always getting a soda and a candy bar whenever we would go on a road trip, or hiking up at Hatcher's Pass...and here is my dad with one of my favorites! Making huckleberry pancakes! When I was little we would always go out and pick blueberries or huckleberries and make yummy pancakes with them.












This particular morning my dad was up making these pancakes at 6:00 in the morning because him and my brother were headed out to go fishing. It was such a treat to have them for breakfast once again!












When we went up to Idaho to my Uncle's funeral, I really felt a sense of belonging as I was gathered around all of my family. I also felt a need to remember those important things and important people in my life. There was a special spirit there as I walked around and remembered my grandparents Harris and Norma...

...and my great-grandparents Michael and Sarah.












I also loved hearing the story my mom told me of this little river where her and her cousin used to go and play and use an old milk wagon and pretend like they were pioneers. They would pick mint leaves to eat and try to cross the river in their long skirts. This is also the place where my mom got cut really bad on a barbed wire fence. She still has the scar...times sure are different now days...

This old building on the left used to be a large chicken house where my dad worked when he was a teenager...

...and here is the house that he stayed in while he was working there. I guess it was close enough for him to get to date my mom :)...and take care of the chickens. (I wonder which one was the major motivating factor ;) Hmmmm...

...and though it is kind of hard to tell from this picture, this is where my mom used to go sledding as a little girl! I can just imagine it, squealing and laughing the whole way!

I am thankful for good parents that have always taught me about what is most important in life, and that I have been blessed to realize just how important family is so that I can pass that on to my own children. My memories both of my life now and as a little girl will always be one of those things that tug on my heartstrings.