Union Station

---------------------

❁❀✿ FALL BREAK ✿❀❁

---------------------

Train station with Gma and Gpa!!

 Logan was obsessed with trains for like 3 years when he was little. We still tease him and whenever we see a train say, "Logan, a train!!" ha ha. He secretly still loves it.

Eight is Great!

---------------------

❁❀✿ FALL BREAK ✿❀❁

---------------------
Well haven't I fallen off the blogging wall?
I am going to try and get caught up over the next few weeks. Because, wow, it has been an eventful few months to miss on my blog!  A few more posts about our awesome Fall break in Utah.

See this cute Girl, she turned EIGHT while in Utah!! 

 (OBSTACLE COURSE with pvc pipes)

Grandma was so cute and planned a party for Miss Lily. The Spackman family came over, and Grandma prepared ALL DAY for the party that night.  She made "dracula" cookies with the kids....

 ...and she bought all kinds of cute little prizes for a bingo game with both families.
~HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY~ 
to this darling girl of ours.
Lily is such a sweet, patient older sister. She is so mellow and just goes with the flow. She loves to choose the right, do well in school and play with friends. She is so smart and so loving. We are so thankful to have this sweet thing in our family! {Of course her special baptism was after the trip at home, more pics on that to come}

(Lily and Sophie on gma and gpas back porch)

PS- Grandma had Val set up big tables with table cloths and place settings, so everyone could sit together for Lily's birthday dinner. It was soo much work! They borrowed tables and chairs, and spent so much of the day getting it arranged. It touched my heart that it is worth the effort of preparation to set things up for wonderful moments of togetherness as a family. I thought about her on Thanksgiving, as we were debating setting up tables all together or just letting people eat wherever. I remembered that day at Bruce's moms house and how much work went in to being able to sit down as a family with the Spackman's and us and all eat together. I decided it was worth the effort.

Happy Birthday Miss Lily!!

Logan's Temple

---------------------

❁❀✿ FALL BREAK ✿❀❁

---------------------

Logan has asked multiple times in the last few years to go see the "Logan" temple. He thinks its pretty cool there is a temple named after him. 

This trip... that dream came true.

It was so so cute how excited Logan was to see "his" temple.

When the kids saw the HUGE hill in the back of the temple... they of course wanted to roll down it. Which they did over and over.

Then Grandma Judy said she loved our kids because they are happy to do anything. She said a lot of teenagers come over and act like everything suggested is "dumb" to do... but she noticed that our kids are excited about anything. I was glad she made that observation out loud to me. Because I realized it was true, for the most part. (We still get our grump on now and again) But I am thankful for children who get excited about even little activities. I always say to people, "we are easily entertained".  ha ha. And I have heard Emma repeat that same comment. I love that about my children.

Brigham City

---------------------

❁❀✿ FALL BREAK ✿❀❁

---------------------

Next Stop: Brigham City

We stayed at Bruce's moms house from sunday-thursday.

My kids love that small town main street, where they can walk to see a movie, and use the "flag system" to cross the busy street!

 

They drove us to this cute little lake a few miles from their house to go on a family walk around it. Upon seeing it, I whimpered,
"Why don't we live in Utah?!!"

Of course as soon as Dallin saw the creek, he was in it. 

I can't even remember why...

While walking around that cute lake, Dallin spotted a snake along the path. Without skipping a beat he picked it up and came to show everyone what he found. ha ha. That boy.

Bruce's mom and Val were so cute and planned so many fun activities for us to do with them while we were there. We toured a cheese factory, went to hot sulfer springs and a train museum to name a few. I personally loved that we gathered with them every night and read scriptures as a family. I loved feeling their testimonies of the gospel through the comments they made while reading scriptures.

Blanding

 ---------------------

❁❀✿ FALL BREAK ✿❀❁

---------------------

This year for Fall Break, we drove to Utah.

1st stop: Blanding.

 We stayed friday and saturday night with Bruce's sweet sister Kari. She is so fun! They have the sweetest family. Their house is in such a dreamy place with lots of land to explore... and lots of fun things to ride. My boys were in heaven.

And when I say my boys, I mean Bruce.

The kids all loved it... wild berries, lots of cats and Uncle Kurtis's taxidermy shop out back filled with all kinds of animals and heads, guts and creations. I love walking down the tiny downtown to the little drug store that sells everything from medicine to house decor to clothes and toys. Blanding is where Bruce grew up, so he has a special place in his heart for it. 

We watched Saturday general conference with them. What a treat to stay there and feel what good people they are!

FUNNY STORY:

One moment while staying there the boys were exploring around outside. Logan comes running back so excited. He was yelling "I found a trumpet!" I was expecting a flower that looked like one or something... but he came and showed me a full brass weathered trumpet that he found out in the field. He was so excited to find such a treasure. Later that trip I found it in his suitcase. Like he thought "finders keepers"... ha ha. So I texted Kari to tell her Logan took it and asked if she wanted it back. She said he could keep it because the cousins had found it in some junk yard and brought it home. Logan and I thought it was so cool, we hung it on our wall in the living room when we got home.

Happy Fall!

Hooray for fall decorations out.

Hooray for homemade chicken pot pie last night!

Hooray for its Jack O'Lantern face.

And Hooray for the CUTEST little haunted house drawn by Miss Lily!

My little Cub says good-bye

Tonight is a big night.

It is Logan's last Den Meeting, ever.

 He is getting his ARROW OF LIGHT at Pack Meeting... 

then moving on to Boy Scouts. 

I took these pictures last month when Logan was helping raise the flag in den meeting.

I am so thankful for 2 sons who love the scouting program. I am thankful they learn to honor their country, family, self and others at Scouts. My boys have been with some boys with special challenges through the years. I'm thankful for that. Life isn't about associating with only the "cool" or people just like you. It's about learning to love and enjoy all kinds of people, no matter what their challenges. 

Logan always loved getting his uniform on. He was always, on his own, dressed early, shirt tucked in, neckerchief in place, hair done. Aaaaaah... my sweet little Cub no more.