Halloween Festivities

Halloween really crept up on me this year, especially with our travels to Utah. But we had a lot of fun and managed to fit in lots of things. On Friday, the girls enjoyed Hallween parties at school. I'm actually surprised given the strict nature of our school's environment, they still manage to have a very fun Halloween celebration each year! The parade is my favorite part for sure, and this year we even had decent weather! I loved being able to visit each of the girl's classrooms...we made homemade twix on a stick for Ashton's class- so yummy. In Jordan's classroom, Cole cashed in on the snacks and even jumped in the class picture. Regan also had fun at preschool- she just kept talking about how they played musical chairs.

Friday evening was spent eating chili and carving pumpkins with the Garner clan. We had 7 kids and 7 pumpkins to carve, and it was actually a pretty calm affair. The kids had a great time and we even learned some new carving techniques from the Garners. After the last pumpkin was carved, we took some photos on the porch. It made me think of how we have spent much of our Iowa journey with these special friends- when they moved to Iowa, their youngest was just a baby and Cole and Regan weren't even born. Our numbers have grown, but our friendship has remained strong. It is always fun to get together. We always do a lot of laughing.

Last night was trick or treating and as I have said before, we have the best trick or treat neighborhood! People go all out with decorating and treats. It is a lot of fun. The best moment of the night was when a fake spider dropped down on the side of a house right by Ashton's ear. She screamed so loud- classic!

Just a note about the costumes:

Ashton decided to be Dorothy after seeing Wizard of Oz this summer. Her Grandma Cindy made the costume and it was beautiful. I could not get over how well it turned out. Of course, Ashton wanted all the details down to the braids and red shoes.

Jordan chose to be a witch, and she wore the witch costume my mom had made for me when I was just her age. That was pretty cool. Seeing Jordan in that costume was like looking at my self 28 years ago. Wow.

Regan picked her costume out at Target over a month ago. She spotted that ladybug and that was it. She made it perfectly clear though, she wasn't a lady bug, she was Ladybug Girl, who is a character in a favorite book we read.

What is there to say about Cole? Ashton so wanted him to be her dog Toto. We bought him a dog costume and I knew there would be no way he would wear it. We tried several different times over the last few weeks and he freaked out everytime he even saw the thing. Last night I forced it on him for pictures but he wouldn't even wear it down the street. He trick or treated in his white shirt and jeans. One guy said he went as "the boy next door". That works. Cole was funny to watch because he insisted on walking and he tried to give the people handing out the treats the candy.

All in all, we have had a very fun-filled few days. Let the candy-eating begin!

While we were gone...

I wanted to write up a little summary of some of the things we did while we were gone to Utah. Even though the main point of the trip was the funeral, we were able to do several fun things and spent lots of time together enjoying amazing autumn weather. It was actually nice to take a surprise trip to Utah because we were able to do some of the things we have wanted to do for a long time and haven't been able to fit in.




Monday: We always need a day to recover from our car travels so we always take it easy that first day. We did go right over to the Orem cemetary to visit my mom's grave since that is something I didn't do in the summer. We also enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite spots- Brick Oven. So yummy!

Tuesday: The girls and I went to Grandma Patsy's school for lunch and then we all headed to IKEA- what an experience! We then picked Katy up at the aiport and ventured to Temple Square. It was just like old times- our family plus Katy, and it felt great. Temple Square was beautiful and we also got to tour the Conference Center. Of course, we had to finish our day with dinner at Crown Burger- so many memories at that place!

Wednesday: We went and hiked to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. Wow, it was breathtaking, especially with the colorful leaves. We also stopped at the BYU Creamery. Mel came down with her girls and it was so good to just hang out together. My dear Nauvoo friends, Erin and Jayna, stopped by and we laughed until late into the night. I was reminded of how much I treasure these special friendships. I miss these girls so much.

Thursday: See previous post- We spent the day in Helper at the funeral.

Friday: We ran errands in the morning and also got to see Grandma Mary. In the afternoon, Chris and his family came down and we all hiked to the Y. Boy, I remember that hike being hard, but it was really tough this time- especially because we had little babies with us who needed to be carried. But we all made it, and that was quite an accomplishment. It was worth the view- incredible! That night we just enjoyed the rare chance of being together. It doesn't happen too often. I stayed up way late chatting with my brother and sisters. Gosh, I sure love them and miss their company. Each one of them is amzing to me and someone I really admire.

Saturday: Packing and prepping for our journey back. Katy headed home to Texas- always tough to see her go. We did go to a park with the kids and also watched some of the BYU game. It was fun to be able to spend this extra time with Chris and his kids, as well as Mellie. We were also able to visit with the Meyers family, our friends from college. It was so great to see them after several years and to meet their cute kids- we picked up as if we had never been apart. We finished the evening with a family meal at Spaghetti Factory. And I got to spend some time alone with my dad (grocery shopping!) which is always a highlight.

Sunday: Driving- Left aroung 5 AM- stopped to eat in Rawlins, Wyoming and Lincoln, Nebraska. Arrived home around 11:30 PM. Exhausted but so thankful we took the trip and travelled safely.

A Time to Remember

Two weeks ago today, on October 9, my Grandma Betty passed away peacefully. It was a day I had known was coming for a few months, I had even tried to prepare myself, but when the day actually came, I still couldn't believe she was gone. As soon as we found out, there was no question in our minds that we would all be making the trek out to Utah to say our good-byes. Each of us has a personal relationship and love for Gram, including Tod and the girls. By Sunday morning, we were on the road, and we were in Provo by that evening. Knowing that we were coming to honor Gram made the drive much more bearable and the kids were champs. I was so glad that we had decided to all come.

The day of her funeral was an absolutely gorgeous fall day with perfect blue skies. It seemed fitting for this great lady. At the service, the great grandchildren sang and each of the six grandkids shared memories and feelings of Grandma. It was beautiful. I loved standing up with my 3 siblings and my 2 cousins- the six of us bound together by our connection and our grief. The situation felt different from a typical "grandparent " funeral. My own mom has been gone for 10 years, so in many ways my bond with Grandma was more parental and also a tie to my mom. It was difficult to feel that that was ending. At Gram's burial, we released balloons to send our love up to her. That sight is something I will always think about from that day. Also, that several of my mom's friends made the drive to Price to support our family. It was very special. I also loved spending time with family. My mom's brother and his family had taken care of Gram all her life, but especially the last years. There are no words to express thanks to them. I hope that we will remain close to them forever.

Grandma Betty has been such a huge part of my life and such an infuence on me through the years. She has been a part of every major event of my life and most of the minor ones. She has supported me and loved me since the day I was born. I have so many memories of Grandma- from happy childhood days spent in Helper to her role in my life even across the miles after I was married with children of my own.

There are so many things I admire about her. Grandma was resilient. She was one of the strongest people that I know. Grandma Betty had a very hard life with many trials and much heartache, yet she was a very happy person who was always concerned for others. Toward the end of her life, when we would talk on the phone, she didn't want to talk about her own problems, but wanted to know about each of the kids and about me. She was a caretaker to all and took care of my mom for the last months of my mom's life, and then gave us strength to get through that ordeal. Grandma was a master cook, and she taught me so much about hospitality and the love of cooking for others. We will all miss Grandma's birthday cards- she never missed sending a card and a little money for each grandchild, spouse or great grandchild. She also sent cards for holidays, too.

In the coming days and years, I will remember Grandma Betty whenever I make homemade pizza or oreo dessert. I will think of her when I eat pink mints, admire flowers in the garden or do a puzzle with my children. I will think of her when I warn my kiddos not to step on the headstones at the cemetary (as she used to tell us!) and when I utter some of her favorite phrases like, "hells-bells, " or "what the devil!" I will remember when I see the little teacups that each of my girls have from her home.

There will be many tears shed (there already have been!) for the absence of Gram. I can't imagine not visiting her or hearing her voice on the phone. For now, I think of her and the glorious reunion she had on the other side with my mom, Grandma Thelma, Grandma Char and others she loved. And I can't wait to see her again, to get a big fluffy hug from her and thank her for all she did for me. I will love you forever Grammie. I already miss you so much.

Cole at 18 months

Our little Cole "man" is 18 months old. Here are some things about him at this age:

-He loves all things electric, including plugs (hence, the above picture). He is constantly trying to plug things in and unplug things. We have safety covers over the wall outlets, but he is still always trying to mess with them and looking for any opportunity to try to get his chance. Maybe he will be an electrical engineer like Grandpa.

-He is almost always on the go and into everything. This is all very new to me, as the girls were not like that at all. He loves to pull chairs over to the counter and then unload the drawers.

-He is very accident prone and is always falling down, bumping his head and scraping his knees.

-Cole loves trucks and cars and tractors. One of his favorite things is to get in the driver seat of the van and pretend to drive. He absolutely loves keys and Dad's tools. He also loves balls and pretends to throw a ball at the neighbor's basketball hoop

-He is really good about going to the YMCA daycare and church nursery. Sometimes he cries, but just for a minute. When I pick him up, he is always excited and runs to me.

-Cole likes to go pick the girls up from school. When he sees them coming he gets all excited and goes and gives them big hugs. He has decided that he is too big for his stroller and the grocery cart and that he must walk everyone. However, he doesn't even try to stay with me but instead runs the other way!

-He is still not a great sleeper. His favorite sleeping place is right next to me in my bed. Cole started to be a way better eater when I let him start feeding himself- very messy, but worth it.
-He is starting to say more words- "Mom", "Dad", "nana" (banana), "go" (whenever he doesn't like a situation) and "gink" (binki).

I love this little boy so much. "Manny" has got every one of us wrapped around his finger, answering his every call. He is cute and he knows it! I am loving having a boy- it is a whole different world, and I am thankful everyday to be experiencing that world.

Regan's First Day

Finally, it was time for Regan's First Day of Preschool! The older girls have been in school for weeks, so honestly I don't think Regan thought she was ever going to have to go to school. I don't think she was really all that excited to go either, as she enjoys having all my attention and getting her way around the house. I finally told her that no preschool meant no dance class so she agreed to go so that she could start her ballet. Anyway, there actually were a few things she was excited for- getting to bring her lunch, seeing her teachers from last year and finally getting to wear her new clothes!

Back to School!

This summer went by incredibly quick, and it's hard to believe that the girls are back in school. They had their first day last week and did really well. These pictures are especially for their daddy who is still travelling on business. We miss him a lot!

When I took the girls to school on Thursday morning, I got them all settled in their lines. They were both a little nervous, but mostly excited. Then I had a moment of sadness just knowing that now they are going to be away from me during the day again. Because we travelled so much this summer, I really got used to having them around, and I am really going to miss them. I even had a few tears...until the fussing and whining from the 2 children in the stroller snapped me back to reality! It willl be nice to get some cleaning done and some projects finished. But it's always hard to say good-bye to carefree summer days, especially this year.

On to Utah

After our fun-filled week in Colorado, we still had our time in Utah to look forward too. We had such a good time and were able to do so many things. Of course, there are always more things to do and people to see than there is time...but I'm glad for all that we accomplished and experienced. Some of my favorites:

-Driving through Springville and Mapleton with the kids- showing them where Daddy and I first lived and where Mom first taught school and first met Grandma Patsy- such happy memories

-Getting to spend an additional week with Katy- it's no secret that she is one of my favorite people and Sutton is just an added bonus!

-Remodel adventures- Dad's house is in the middle of a major makeover so we were mostly forced to stay in the basement but everyone made the best of it- of course, we made friends with all the workers and loved to watch their progress- the girls are still talking about "Brent". I learned that you can make almost anything in the microwave (even scrambled eggs) and we loved eating on the deck.

-Going to the Bean museum, eating at the Cougareat and telling the girls all about college- loved my years at the Y, such a great time of life.

-The girls loved "helping" Grandma at her school. They also loved Hogi-Yogi ice cream- Ashton asks for it every time we visit Utah.

-Being able to shop at the Church Distribution- the girls thought it was such a treat to be able to pick out church pictures.

-Going to Helper- cleaning out Gram's pantry, waiting for the rain to stop so we could go swimming, hanging out with the Mascaro's- I love them so much for how they are taking care of Gram. It was hard to see Gram aging, but I am so glad we got to be with her.

-Getting the grandkids pictures taken at Target- what a project with 7 kids and 3 babies. I'm glad we did it though!

-Eating at Robintino's with Nick's family- I love that restaurant so much and his family is first class in every way.

-Van shopping all over Utah- by myself!! Finally finding the right van for us and knowing it was the right van when we ate Crown Burgers in it! Thanks again to my "cousin" Ernie for watching my girls ALL day long!

-Pioneer Day Parade in Dad and Pat's neighborhood and fabulous ward breakfast- I loved being able to celebrate pioneer day, especially in such a gorgeous setting.

-Going to Toy Story 3 with Grandpa Kirk

-Visiting the Bountiful 14th ward- truly one of the places on this earth where I feel the most at home, such incredible people. When I am there I feel close to my mom and to my roots. It was neat to be able to have the girls attend primary in the same room where I did so many years ago. Getting a flat tire after church wasn't so great, but having time to spend with the Becks was priceless. So thankful for their kindness.

-Girls trip to Dollar Store with Grandma- they each came home with many "treasures" including their glasses

-One of my favorite days of the trip was my day out with Pat. I love spending time with her. We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen and then birthday shopped at Down East Basics and Tai Pan Trading. Seriously, what could be better? The kids had a great time with Jenna, a girl from Pat's ward- she played right along with the kids and they loved it.

-Visiting Grandma Mary- that woman is timeless and elegant as ever. I wish we lived closer. She is still sewing and creating beautiful quilts every day.

-BYU Creamery- especially when surrounded by tons of hyper EFY teenagers!

-Gateway Mall and museum with Mel and girls- days like this make me want to laugh and cry. Laugh because we have so much fun together and it's almost perfect, cry because those days are so rare and precious because we are so far apart.

-Picking Tod up from the airport- even though it hadn't been very long, we were all so excited to see him

-Eating at Brick Oven (lots of memories there) and playing mini golf at Cascade- hands down the best landscapped mini golf course ever.

-Running errands alone with my dad- some things never change, I still love spending one-on-one time with him- such a rare event!

-Seven Peaks as a family on our last evening there- it was amazing to be playing at the waterpark and be surrounded by gorgeous mountains. My dad tended Cole and so it was a real treat to just go as the 5 of us. It was a blast.

We left Utah early on a Saturday morning. I had a really hard time saying good-bye to Dad and Pat and as we pulled away with the sun just peaking over the mountains, I was crying like a baby. I love Iowa and it is my family's home in every way, but Utah will always be my home. I'm so glad that we got the chance to visit and make memories and spend time with those that we really love so much.