Halloween

My ScArEcRoW man and PuMpKin kid.

(Grist Mill Pumpkin Walk)

Kelsey's class entered their pumpkins in the Pumpkin Walk - and won 3rd place. Their theme was "I Wonder". This is Kelsey's pumpkin. Apparently she's a bit disturbed about carving time.Kelsey diving in with both hands! Jake in his bat costume with Kelsey's finished product.
Aunt Patty in her Halloween Lion fur - we ALL got a good laugh from that!
My "glitzy vampire" and "queen" (as Kelsey refers to it). Kelsey with her friend Ashlynd and her sister Brooklyn. Their dad got the honor of pulling them around town on their "chariot" trailer to trick or treat.

Just loved this picture of the girls - thanks Todd for taking them - and not coming home until you hit every house in town!

The pile of goodies - which I was told was well worth it!
Thank goodness for dental insurance.....

Fall Ball Is Over

Monday night was Kelsey's last softball game for the year. As busy as it kept us, and as much as we need a break, I will miss it. I love being there watching her play. Her second game was so neat - we were down a few runs and had 2 outs, and Kels (the Hammer) was up to bat. The girls were having a hard time hitting off of the other teams pitcher - I think she was new at it. Anyway, as Kels looked to her coach for her hitting signal, he told her, "C'mon Kels, it's Hammertime!". With the biggest grin I've ever seen on her face, she swung and hit the ball. That's my girl - going out in style!

These are a few pics that one of the other girls' mom took throughout the summer.
Granstville All-Stars 2008
(Kelsey is 2nd from the right)

Here she is running to first.

Kelsey with her softball buds....

Great job Kels! I hope you had a great year!

We are so proud of you!

Bewitched!

Friday, my mom and I took the girls to Gardner Village to see their annual display of the witches. Kelsey was very excited and wanted to wear her new princess costume for some "photo ops" with the witches. She looked so cute, I couldn't resist.

The famous Witchy Poo.

This fishing witch was my favorite! (Notice all the "TNT".)

And here is Kels puckering up to the Kissing Witch.

We all had fun - but we learned something... NEVER, NEVER go to Gardner Village on UEA weekend! There were SO many people, it was almost impossible to go in to all the little shops.... which may have been a good thing... I didn't spend any money this time!

Black Rock

Last week for our young women activity, we took the girls to Black Rock. (For those of you who don't know, Black Rock is the big rock that USED to be surrounded by water on the shores of the Great Salt Lake.) Unfortunately, the sun had set before we got there, but the sky was still lit up, and it was beautiful! Aly and her friend, Kiley on the climb up.

The moon was full and looked SO big. After taking in the view and getting some great pictures, we had hot chocolate before heading back. I love that I get to do this with Aly!!

Happy Birthday Dad!

It was my Dad's birthday a few weeks ago - he turned 62, and thanks to my brother and I, he has the gray hair to prove it! I am so blessed to have him for my dad. He has the strongest hands I've ever known - from fixing cars and building houses to teaching his kids the gospel and taking such gentle care of my mom during her brave battle with cancer. He loves and treasures his family, and can't get enough of the grandkids. In fact, he is usually on the floor with the kids being used as a trampoline or a rocket. He is always willing to come out on a moments notice to help with anything. Thanks for everything you do for us dad - we love you!

Jeff, Dad, Kels, me, Steve

Jayce, Jayden, Jaxson, Grandpa, Kelsey, and Aly.

Mmmm..... Cheesecake

I have to catch up on a few things - it's been a while! A few weeks ago, Steve's sister invited us over for lunch. (Thank you Nat, it was awesome as usual!) However, it was dessert that brought out the competitiveness in my sister in law DeAnne, Steve's dad, and me. We had little cheesecakes that we decorated with different toppings. I'm all about the caramel and cherries, DeAnne is chocolate and cherries, then there's Chef Boy-R-Yates who was just out to beat us - which he did. Good job Yates Sr.!

I don't think we'll be hosting a food show anytime soon, but, we had fun.

Aly and Kels with their cousins Whitney and Amanda.

Looking for Elk in All the Wrong Places...

Last Thursday, Steve and I headed south for the elk hunt. We pulled into camp around 1, where my dad was already camped and saving our spot. The fall colors were out, and it was absolutely beautiful!

Friday afternoon, we decided to go for the little ride in the Jeeps in hopes of spotting some elk. Well, we didn't find any elk, but we found a big mud hole. My brother was the first to dive in, get stuck, and be towed out.
As soon as Jeff was out, Steve's cousin, who was so excited to find mud for his new Rhino, drove in, got stuck, filled up with water and mud, and then had to be towed out. Through it all, he kept a smile on his face. Way to go Dave!
Then, there's me. Being the only girl (aside from Dave's daughter), I couldn't just stand by and watch, I wanted in on the fun. So, after my brother dared me, I jumped in the Jeep and headed for the mud hole. My family knows that there's pretty much nothing I won't do, especially if "girls aren't supposed so".

I dove in, got stuck, and had to be rescued by my brother. It was still worth it!

Trying to give it another shot, my brother tried again to no avail. But, that was my glory, I rescued him and towed him out. Opening morning of the hunt, it was cold. Steve and I drove up to the skyline where there were blizzard like conditions. We had hoped for snow because it's easier to track the elk, but this was a little too much! We did find alot of tracks, but the snow covered them up quickly.

Monday morning the weather was getting better. There was still snow up on top, which fine, but made for a LOT of mud! Here's my great white hunter hoping to see something besides deer.

Beautiful view from the skyline.

I had 5 layers of clothing, plus my coat and orange fleece vest. I felt like the Pillsbury dough boy, and looked a lot like the oatmeal kid.

Even though the hunt was unsuccessful, I had such a great time hangin' out with the 3 most important guys in my life - Steve, my dad, and my brother.