I LOVE October! It is my favorite month! I love that it is the start of the holiday season and the fun festive activities that it holds! I love the traditions and I love the memories. It is also a bittersweet month since it
holds the anniversary of my mother's passing, but I'm glad her birthday is the 2nd so that the happy memories come before the sad ones. To kick off this years October we made and decorated festive cookies for the first Family Home Evening of the month. The kids love to decorate sugar cookies, but for some reason they don't eat them as quickly as they make them. We had cookies to last us almost the whole month!
Soon we cold feel the chill in the air and figured we'd better get in one more boat run before it was really too cold. Unfortunately, for me, the water was already too cold... like ice water! But the crazy guys suited up in a wet suit and
had one last ski run for the season. I am going to miss the summer even though it is unbearably hot. I am very grateful there are four seasons, so that I can appreciate each phase!
Todd's been outside working a lot on the weekends doing various chores and Gary boy is his constant shadow :) One Saturday, working down by the river, Gary boy worked himself so much that he got his first blister! It was hilarious because his dad and grandpa were acting as though it was a right of passage :) Can I get some of that inspiration in the potty training department, please!
On another Saturday Gary boy went out to help his grandpa clean the windows (I had attempted this but couldn't get any success, turns out the right tools and arm strength makes all the difference when it comes to getting irrigation water off the windows!) I just had to snag this picture of little Gary being so proud to help out! (Liv also helped, but I missed the photo op.)
Every now and then we get days that aren't too windy and are able to go out and play. This day was especially fun because Gpa Gary brought out a long rope and started teaching the kids to jump rope. I learn new things about him all the time,
it's one of the things I love about living with Gary and Karlene. Turns out that big Gary loved to jump rope with the girls at recess when he was in elementary! So I couldn't let the moment pass without capturing the kids' grandparents jumping
rope too!
I was so excited last week when I got a call from my life long bestest friend Laura Joy, she wanted to come visit! Unfortunately it was a very busy weekend for me, but she was game to participate in whatever we had going on. So I we dressed up, her as a clown, Karlene as a devil woman, Todd as the "Swine Flu" (pig with wings, get it ;)), and myself as the swine flu vaccination and we went to our ward Halloween party! I think the party was a hit! I loved how creative our ward was with their costume
creations! We did a spin off of Fear Factor, but nothing was exactly gross or scary, so we called it the "Fun Factor". True, it wasn't for everyone, but it was a hoot nonetheless, and I appreciated all the participation we got!
And then Saturday I took Laura into Zion, I couldn't believe that she'd never been there before! We went on the short but beautiful Weeping Rock (yes, it's my favorite hike to take visitors on) and she loved it. The fall colors are just
breathtaking right now! It was a fun and gorgeous fall day, I had fun taking pictures and I think Laura had fun just taking it all in! Thanks for visiting Laura, I miss you already!
A week ago or so southern Utah got some snow, enough that it stuck around through the day. The kids were super excited, it was so cute! That afternoon we bundled up and went out for some fun. The kids had themselves a little snowball
fight full of giggles! Then, noticing the bit of snow on the tramp, had to take their fight onto the bouncy surface! Then we decided to make a snowman. This was the most fun I've ever had making a snowman since both the kids
were extra helpful! Playing in the snow is so much more fun with two adorable kiddos! Plus, the sun was shining bright so we were actually quite warm, all the bundling wasn't actually necessary... just habit I guess. By the next day the snow on the
ground had all melted, but we were excited that Mr. Snowman hung around a couple days longer!
that's why I haven't thoroughly enjoyed it. Or maybe it's just a sign of maturity, I'm not sure. But what I do know is that I have fallen in love with fall! On the way walking home from school one day the kids and I stopped at a neighbors house
who's yard was blanketed by leaves & had a great time tossing them about. The kids were not happy when it was time to head home, but the tummies were grumbling. I thought it was too cute & was glad that I had my camera with me :)
one & I'm excited to see how it goes with the baby. This little princess has an antique white dress (from the early 1900s) that she'll be wearing when she is blessed, so her mom asked that I make this one as it fits the flavor of that era. I think that is awesome!
fun in my "digital darkroom" teaching myself some of the things photoshop can do! I love actions but I can't afford them yet and I don't have CS3 that is required for the actions I do like. Anyways, so here are some fun creation I made! 
my mom! It was a beautiful wedding, and I was happy to see that my old friend found someone to settle down with! Thanks for letting me be there to celebrate with you!
marriage. Chew that over for a bit :)) Everyone tries really hard to make this a really fun and memorable event, and for me it really is! This year the theme was hawaiian, yay, hosted mainly by Kris (my aunt) and Misty! There was carnival 
games, hawaiian festive food, and a lot of water fun! There was a scavenger hunt where we followed clues that led us to different parts of festive clothing such as: leis, grass skirts, flowers for the hair, flip-flops, etc. Although it was a deadly 
event, due to extreme heat, it was a lot of fun... especially for the kiddos! I love that my kids can know play with cousins and don't always need us right by their sides. I hope that events like these will provide them with the opportunity to stay 
connected with their extended family and develop meaningful relationships with them! To fund the reunions each year we have a "Country Store" and a small auction where items that have been donated are sold. I was reading in Grandma Young's journal, that had been typed up for the auction, and found it interesting that in 1983 she wrote about one of her family's reunions where they had a "Country Store" for the same reason. I guess good 
ideas stick! The reunion is always finished with a memorial service of Todd's Grandpa Young. I love hearing the stories of not only him but other family members that are told throughout the weekend. I try to write down as many as I can so I can share them with my kids as well! Thanks for the great reunion family!
