Mid October

We had a FHE at Bonneville to teach Caleb what to do if Mom is late picking him up at school.  

I am the worst mom ever and did just that the day before.  Another mom saw him alone and took him into the office.  Meanwhile, I had realized my lateness and was driving like a madwoman to the school.  I called and had his teacher and the secretary running around the school grounds with me.  While we were running around outside, the other mom brought him to the office.  When the secretary went inside to check inside again, she saw Caleb.  

Boy, did I ever get a tongue lashing about my mistake!

We went to the school and did a physical walk through about what to do next time.  I also ordered him a medical alert necklace with his information on it just in case.  

The older boys played basketball and I had to take a picture of Josh helping Kyle up after he was knocked to the ground. 

 We had a power outage that lasted all evening and into the night.  That has never happened for more than an hour, before.  The kids loved getting out all the candles and my oil lamp.  

 When it was time for bed, Blake was scared so his wonderful older siblings laid with him in bed.  

 It turned into watching videos on Josh's phone.

 Also, helping Caleb read his new Dogman book with my book light.

Blake got to watch "How Animals Eat Their Food" for the first time.  The giggles (from all 5 kids) went on for over a quarter of an hour.

What does Josh do when the power's out and all the little kids are sleeping?

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Annual Camping Trip With The Duces

 General Conference weekend at Hyrum Reservoir.

We listen to conference on the drive there and back.  We always miss Saturday night and Sunday morning sessions but you can't stream camping with family over the internet if you miss it.

Carly(Brandon & Melissa's daughter) LOOOOOVES Katie!

Marie, Melissa, Bart, and Brandon.

Do these two even look related.....?

Bart showed Josh how to eat an apple with salt.  I'm not sure Josh tried it.

(Adam and Lindsey are pictured in the background.)

Adam goes shed hunting every year and Josh look forward to seeing what he finds.  He wasn't prepared for the rack Adam brought out of his truck.  

We asked Josh if he could lift them to his head.  He couldn't even get close.  They were so heavy and tipsy.

Brandon's new Great Dane puppy, Koda, was a huge hit with the little boys.  She was so calm and patient.

See ya' next year, suckers!

Blake's 5th Birthday

 5 year olds are so easy to please with presents.  Case in point: Blake 🔻

Look at that smile when he unwrapped two porg stuffed animals. 

"Another present?  The Infinity Gauntlet Thanos wears in Avengers?  No way!"

 "A LEGO set with Thanos and the Guardians of the Galaxy from Infinity Wars!"

I can't get over his smile in this picture while he looking at his new treasures.

Happy Birthday, Beke!  We are so glad we didn't stop at 4 kids.  

Joshua's Mission Farewell

Joshua spoke in our ward on September 16, in preparation for serving his mission.

He had just learned he needed to postpone because he had an ankle injury that they thought needed surgery.  It was hard for him to speak in church when he had so much disappointment in his heart but he did a great job.

Here, we are meeting in the backyard with friends and family who love him.

In the next picture, Josh and his 8-9 friends took one of their own ties and laid it on the table.  Each boy signed his name on each tie.  That way, they would each have a tie to wear on their mission with all their friends' names written on the inside.

Ben, Derek, Kolten, Josh, Bryce, Kyler (holding a tie for Brennen), and Tyler's brother (holding ties for Tyler, Isaiah, and maybe Garrett?)  Those boys in parenthesis were already serving their missions so family members signed the names to the other boys' ties and will mail their son's ties to them. 

#where'sspencer?

 Blake was loving that JR was playing ball with him.

Mason, Jacquie, John, Wes, and Brent.

(I'm sorry I surprised you and took your picture.)

Caroline, Jeff, Brian, Noah, and James.

Kyler (half way in), Kolten, Spencer #thereheis, ? girl I don't know, Jennie, Hayley, Morgan, and Derek.

Josh, Kyler, and Shelbie.

While Gpa Wes was here, we took him to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point.  Their Zinnias are much bigger and healthier than mine.

Blake loved that the ducks and fish were following him along the shore line.

I know, I know!  

It's terrible to take pictures of people's backs.  Blake (maybe Gpa) was hungry so we started rushing out.  A picture of two backs is better than no picture at all, right?

More Early September

I was a chaperone for Caleb's field trip to the children's museum at Thanksgiving Point.  

The building block room was a favorite for Caleb and his lunch buddy Kimmy.

I never found out the story behind this setup but I cracked up when I saw this when I checked on the kids before I went to bed. 

Helping Cool Kyle mow the lawn.

I don't have a clue what award he was getting (how long 'til we are done with scouts?) at pack meeting. 

On the days I need a nap, I try different things to get the kids to leave me alone.  Telling them my plans doesn't work.  I've tried leaving a note on my door.  That didn't work.  So, I put this piece of tape in my bedroom doorway right at face height.  It actually worked.  We will see if it works again next time or if it was a fluke.

Jeff and Ken.  A friendship that is stronger than their baseball teams' rivalry.  

Early September

Caleb is showing more progress in his eating.  I made scones for breakfast one morning.  I cut them in rectangles so they'd look like donuts.  We iced it with nutella and sprinkles.  He actually took 2-3 bites before asking for cereal.  

Nobody's cooler than an older brother!

I signed Caleb up for Special Olympics.  It is free for anyone older than 8.  He has been practicing bocce ball with all these big kids.  I bet the closest age to him is 20.  He has worked past the frustration of not being able to throw the ball very far and will now stay for the entire practice. 

For Labor Day, we took one last trip to our swimming hole, Manila Pond, with the Bonneys.

Kyle and Mark

Jeff and Ken

Caleb and Blake

Walking Caleb to school while the weather is till warm.