More of Awesome October. Here are a few pictures that I loved. My Grandma and Pops are so dear to me. It was special for us to spend an afternoon with them.

Papa read the coolest construction book to Carter.

Hazel and her little cousin Ian.

Rise and shout, the Cougars are out!

I love BYU! It's my alma mater. I learned so much there, in the classroom and out. I had so much fun with friends there. I met the love of my life there. I am utterly grateful for the time I spent at BYU. I would love for my kids to have similar experiences there as young adults. And so, I've started early to instill a love of BYU in their young hearts.

Whenever we go to Utah we spend a day at BYU: eating ice cream at the Creamery, bowling in the Games Center, getting a souvenir from the BYU Bookstore, hunting animals in the Bean Museum, listening to the carillon bells, and walking around campus. I always point out where I lived as a freshman, including the freezing cold concrete outside that their daddy and I sat on late at night, talking and sipping hot chocolate. I love that place and want them to love it too. How can they not when it includes BYU ice cream and chocolate milk??

I came across these ferocious cougars in the Bookstore. I stayed far away from the second one...it was particularly wild. They both calmed down, however, after I took them to the candy counter and let them choose some candy.

On this trip we went somewhere new: we meandered through the HFAC and briefly enjoyed some exhibits in the Museum of Art. The memories came swarming back to me as I walked through those buildings. (The MOA got me all lovey dovey and missing Aaron because we used to go on dates there all the time.) Those buildings smell exactly the same as they did 10 years ago!

I wanted our day at BYU to be perfect, but it was much more like the above picture. :)

I told the kids about the amazing library. They thought it was so cool that they were walking on the sidewalk, and there were people under them studying in the library! Carter was enthralled by the sidewalk sweeper pictured above. He thought it was so dang cool!! I told him that when he grows up and comes to BYU, he can get a job on the maintenance crew and drive one of those sidewalk sweepers. He was in heaven. He looks forward to that day!

Like I said, I'm instilling the love of BYU young. Isn't it great?

Cousins and corn maze

I love seeing so many cousins together! We live far from these guys and miss them so much! Four of these boys belong to my big brother, Jaren. The other little guy belongs to my little brother, Jordan. I adore this picture because it's all kids and babies, no grown ups. It's fun to see the little kids growing up enough to help take care of the babies.

Run!

One little person cried in the maze because we kept hitting dead ends and he thought we were lost. Poor kid.

The unnamed little person was relieved when we saw the exit sign, and absolutely ecstatic to see a huge excavator dumping dirt onto a conveyor next to the maze!

This is a great photo! Look at J.J. man's face! I love it!

Hazy and I had fun too!

Grandpa Clark

As soon as we got home from Flagstaff, the kids and I turned around and headed up to Utah for my Grandpa Clark's funeral. It's sad for those of us left behind, but Grandpa was ready to move on. While we miss Grandpa, his funeral provided the opportunity to get together with lots of family. I loved seeing my Grandma Clark, my dad, aunts and uncles, cousins and their cute kids. I absolutely loved the time with my family. It was a short trip and there was not enough time with them all!


I love this picture of my dad (far right) and his siblings. He's the oldest of the six. His sisters are the wee babes. The other boys are somewhere in between.

This picture makes me smile!! All of my dad's kids (5 boys and 3 girls) were able to come for the funeral except one. I loved being with my siblings, even though it was so quick. I wish I'd had more time to spend with them.

A family funeral gathering isn't complete without a funny face by J.J.

This saddle belonged to my great grandpa. When my grandpa inherited it, he put it on this big old spring for the kids to ride. It is so much fun. My grandma brought it to the family luncheon and the great grandkids were lined up for this thing!!

Chilly air in Flag

Our fun friends invited us up to enjoy the cool air in Flag. Our goal was to see leaves changing colors and teach our kids about autumn, since we don't really have one here. We were a little early for the leaves, most were green, but we caught sight of a few colored ones. We enjoyed the cool air and the company of our friends.

Andy and Andrea took us on a fun hike.

Lily climbed right up this big old rock. Andy was a great spotter.

Lily was a great little hiker and found lots of leaves, sticks, and pine cones to bring home.


Carter had some technical difficulties...relieving himself in the great outdoors proved a little challenging. :) But he sure is cute anyway!

Hazel enjoyed the ride on Aaron's back.

They aaaalmost reached around it!

Look at those yummy pizzas! Andy and Andrea had some great pizza ideas to share. If you know me well, you know that I love to make homemade pizza. I'm excited to try their tips at our house:
1. Pre-cook the pepperoni in a pan for a few minutes then dry it on a paper towel. It gets rid of a lot of the grease.
2. Slooooooowly caramelize onions in butter. We're talking hours in a frying pan over low heat.
3. Basil pesto instead of red sauce.

Those pizzas were delicious and hit the spot after our jaunt in the fresh air. Thanks, Andy and Andrea!

Meow, woof, purr!

The dog catcher was about to snatch up these cute little cats and dog, but I, the benevolent veterinarian that I am, rescued them and took them into my home forever.

We had lots of fun brainstorming ideas and then making our costumes this year. Lily and Hazy were perfect little cats and Carter was a ferocious dog.

Lily chose 11 sparkly jewels to adorn her collar. And she loved wearing makeup for the big night.

Carter is scared to death of real dogs but made a fabulous one himself! His little face was so cute all painted up!

What can I say, this little darling is adorable! When I painted her face she thought I was trying to feed her. She kept trying to eat the brush!

We had lots of fun at our church Halloween party, a friends' party, and then trick-or-treating on Halloween night. We have way too much candy. I've got to find a way to get rid of some (a lot!) of it without the kids knowing. If you have any sneaky tips you'd like to share, let me know!

Awesome October

October was an awesome month. It started with Hazel's first ever pony tail! You have to look closely but it's there...behind the flower. Isn't she beautiful?!

During General Conference, the kids played in their cool forts. They used a ladder and some strong clips to hold up their blankets. Lily's face is peaking out between Carter and Hazel. Can you spot her?