Table for Eight

We were able to take the kids to a corn-maze-pumpkin-festival-thingy in Utah last night. (And two friends. Which is always a hard thing for us. With 6 kids, if everyone brings a friend, we are short on seatbelts-- and sometimes cash --ha! So we end up doing this somewhat consistent rotation for bringing a friend to family events. Which, I'm pretty sure the kids will need therapy over because it never turns out "fair." If you know what I mean.) Anyway, my point! I don't think we'd been to something like this since the kids were tiny, and it was actually a lot of fun. There was so much to do! (The corn maze itself, pig races, goat races, pumpkin launching, mini-corn mazes, horror houses, paintball shooting, potatosack slides, and so much more.)  It felt a little like the County Fair, only with more "all inclusive" rides and games. We liked it! (PS: I'm always reluctant to post the names of places we go--because I'm wo...

Papaya--a long time ago. Probably age 6? I read something this week that really got me thinking. And I'm bummed because I didn't write it down, but here's the jist of it: "Some of us are expecting our children to grow up to be respectable citizens ... without ever showing our children what a respectable citizen LOOKS LIKE." BOOM!   In other words, unless we are SHOWING our children HOW to be a "good human being" on Planet E., then we can't expect them to KNOW how to be a good human being on Planet E. BOOM! I know, profound, right? It's not that I had never thought of this before, but I think I needed to be reminded . Big time. Because if Dave and I can't show our children HOW to treat people kindly, how to care for living creatures (including themselves), how to work hard, how to bounce back after failure or disappointment ... how to ENJOY life, etc., then how in the world do we expect them to do it themselves? It all...

I take the Easy Road when it comes to caramel apples. Dave and I have been talking a lot this past month about the notion of "EASY." In part, because my experience on Survivor taught me that taking the "easy" path in nearly every scenario is not a good thing (you gain muscle when you struggle--and that's a good thing in the big picture). And in part, because Dave is reading a book where the first chapter is entitled, " The Pursuit of Easy Things Makes Men Weak ." Kinda hits ya in the face like a ton o' bricks, right? Here all this time, I was thinking EASY was a good thing (Easy tests? Love them. Easy workout? Even better.) But it turns out I was wrong. We NEED resistance in life in order to build our strength and character. Now, that being said, this notion of "easy = not-so-great"  doesn't necessarily apply to all life-situations. Like, take caramel apples. In this instance, taking the EASY road actually i...

Jr's new Halloween mask: a Thoroughbred Horse. SO FUNNY. (This morning he came out from the shower with his robe and this on!) Zu made this awesome pumpkin centerpiece after reading a craft section in The Friend magazine: http://www.lds.org/friend/2013/10/pumpkin-fun?lang=eng Jr did an art assignment/report on this piece of public art--outside at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art. (Artist = Michael Whiting) Lu grew these pumpkins--ALL on her own. (Like, we didn't even know she planted the seeds until the vine started growing!)

Sunday afternoon we were all sitting at our kitchen table when Lu said, "Oh, I want a pear"--followed by a quick move to grab said-pear from a basket on the table. And somehow (seriously, we don't know how), she bonked her pinky on the hardwood table in a weird way when she went to reach for the pear. And immediately she flinched and said, "I think I broke my pinky." I couldn't imagine it; it seemed like a small bonk. But sure enough, her pinky finger got chubby and immediately hurt. And 24 hours later, the x-ray from the ER showed the pinky is, in fact, fractured. What the what?   It's wacky, I tell ya: breaking your pinky finger reaching for a pear. Fortunately it is a small fracture and it is likely to heal in about 2-3 weeks. Sometimes life is so nutty. Poor Lu and her pinky. Blasted pears! (PS: We were able to be online at the same time as our missionary son, Jay, yesterday--so we told him about Lu's finger. He's...

Jonathan apples ... by the bushel. "Small" shakes from Iceberg. Making no-sew fleece blankets. And more no-sew fleece blankets. And more!   Spending lots of time outdoors. And time with friends ... Bam w/ Janae. ***** Meanwhile ... Elder Meehan's out serving in Indiana--where we hope he's loving his first Fall in the midwest. (Photo taken during his time at the MTC in July.)

I am SO excited: today is my first day back at BYU after a very very long break. (My last class was in April--before the Survivor Caramoan finale!) I love BYU. Absolutely everything about it.  So I'm really happy to have school begin today. I hope wherever you are today, it's a great day. Much love. Sidenote: This is an "old" photo taken last year on my first day of Fall semester at BYU. Elder Meehan took it. And, we heard from Elder Meehan late yesterday--so I thought I should repost it. (Psst: All's well in Indiana. He's doing great. Yayhoo!)

Bam, Papaya, Lu, and Janae's kiddos at the park. Labor Day weekend was soooooooooooooooooo nice! We didn't do anything spectacular, but we did get to check out a new park by our home and have a fun BBQ Monday night (cooked entirely by Dave--yayhoo!). (The only downside to the holiday is that we didn't get any mail delivery--so no update from Elder Meehan. Drats.) I hope you had a great holiday weekend.  And Happy Labor Day--today--to my Canadian friends. Jr and Papaya having a pull-up contest. The girls on a spinning thingy. This park is incredible. The equipment, the layout, the landscaping and rockscaping, the brook running through it--are all incredible! This brook flows into a nearby lake. Dave and Bam. Zu, Lu, Jr, Papaya, and Janae's kiddos.   There's a drill and conveyor belt in the sand area. Along with volleyball courts. Our weather has been between 85-95 this week. The clouds were bea...