Blanding

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❁❀✿ FALL BREAK ✿❀❁

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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.

Music Night

Last month my beautiful ooober-talented cousin-in-law Bekah had this picture of her posted on facebook by her sister with the caption:

  "Dreams really do come true. Rebekah Jennings has been waiting to own one of these babies for a looong time!"

It made me cry. 

Because nobody deserves one of those babies more than her. She is the most talented person I know on the piano. She can listen to a song in one ear, and play it on the piano as she hears it. 

It is so crazy cool to witness.

She said she wanted to start hosting "music nights" and invite families over and let the kids/adults all have fun performing their talents in a casual setting. She invited us to her first one!

It was the cutest.... thing.... ever.

Their kids sang songs, played the xylophone, played the piano and violin. (and hung colored paper fishes they made from string all over the living room as a backdrop for their 'Under The Sea' song)

Logan played the piano, Emma played the piano and the ukulele and sang, Dallin played the guitar, Lily chickened out on playing the violin.

Emma on the Uke:

Emma and Annie also sang the cup song from Pitch Perfect, Emma on the ukulele, Annie on cups. So cute. Everyone sang along.

Bekah's sister got up and sang "Defying Gravity" while Bekah accompanied on piano. It was so so moving, they could've been on stage. To sit in that sweet living room listening to their enormous talent... amazing.

Then Bekah played any song people called out... and everyone sang.

 This is my cousin Andy:

1. I babysat him when he was younger
2. He also played the piano for us that night 

3. Such a great husband and father

4. He scored in the wife department

Fingers crossed we are invited again.

PS) I was so thankful Emma had a place to perform her "Tribute" piano song by Jon Schmidt that she's been working on for 2 months. It's 6 minutes long... and so beautiful. She did awesome.

PSS) Emma's AP teacher asked her to bring her ukulele every friday and sing the class a different song. So she does. And she knows lots of songs now.

He's the Man

Logan came home a few weeks ago wanting to run for Treasurer. I immediately remembered Emma's awesome boa poster (click here)... and told Logan we should write his name with a boa too. But black, because its more manly. 

We came up with a cute slogan, mustache, suit... 

and took some pictures.

Then I found out there were 9 kids running for treasurer. WHAT??! ha ha. One of whom was a darling boy he's friends with. Darn.

I went to school to watch all the cute speeches. 

Logan wore his suit like the photo in his poster... 

I am going to be honest, that boy has some guts... and charisma. I watched his speech and he was so funny. He said all these reasons he should be treasure, ending each phrase by holding up a stick with a mustache to his lip and saying really funny "because IM THE MAN". Multiple times. Then he even sang in front of all those kids his silly "fishy fishy" song he sings all the time WITH the dance. All the kids laughed. But his friend did darling too in his speech, and wore a huge afro wig. Which was way cool. 

We were in suspense for the whole labor day weekend.

Then this morning I went to flag ceremony to see them announce the election winners. And GUESS WHO WON??! 

Congratulations Logan!

He told me I can't tell our family yet, because he wants to walk in the door and yell to everyone "SWEET MONEY IN MY HANDS!" hahaha. 

Oh that boy. I love him.

24 hour Pet

 The cutest thing happened a few weeks ago.

#1 I finally bought new flowers from LOWES for our front porch pots.

#2 While I was carrying in one of the pots of flowers through the kitchen, I thought I saw something fall out of the pot. 

I looked to see what it was, and to my surprise, a little tiny frog had jumped out onto our counter. The kids were right there and after a lot of flopping around, Logan finally caught the little guy.

 Since he clearly liked that pot, I wouldn't let the kids make a new home for him, but told them to leave him in the pot. So we did. Every couple hours the kids, especially Logan, would go check to see if he was still there. And he was. Then to our surprise, even the next morning (saturday) he was still there. Logan was so sweet and kept bringing the pot/frog water. It was so cute to walk out the front door and see him on the leaves. After 24 hours everyone already loved that little frog...

But then sunday morning when Logan checked on him, he was gone.

And Logan was really sad.

It actually kind of broke my heart.

Fresh One

 Ashlin's first day at ASU!

Ashlin texted me the above 2 pictures.

I knew that with a treat in her hand, and fuzzy walls in the background... she had to be at the Institute building. 

That place is AMAZING!!

 Last May I went to the ASU bookstore and took these pictures. I was blown away at how much The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invests in its people for each stage of their life. Below is the HUGE LDS building as ASU, with its own parking garage behind it. I cried when I toured it. Gym, lounge area, study area, chapel, religion classes, fun weekly activities, kitchen with fridge/microwave to keep their lunches... all right in the middle of campus.... for freeeee. Talk about a "refuge from the storm". 

I am so thankful for the church!

 Ashlin posted this picture on instagram with the caption:

#firstdayatASU #nailedit

I laughed out loud at Zack St. Martin's comment on her pic: 

"good job wearing something that lets people know that you ARE mormon"... ha ha ha

LOVE this cute little Art-Education-Major girl of mine!

PS: Ashlin did end up going to "Feed My Starving Children" with this group of friends she put together. I made this big mexican dinner for them, so they all met at our house first, to eat. (I wanted to meet these new "Singles Ward" "Return Missionary" boys she's been hanging with all summer. I'm so sneaky.)

♥♥I love you Miss Ashlin!♥♥