Fall break

We started the kids fall break by spending a couple days at the cabin.  The lantern in the dark, with the leaves, gave it a spooky feel when we arrived.

The kids playing Spot it (which is one of their favorite games to play at the cabin.)

 

Kev started up a nice fire for us.  Then we watched The nightmare before Christmas.  It was the perfect movie to watch on a crisp October night.

The next day we spent enjoying our horses.  We wanted to get in the last of this seasons riding.  Halle has always loved being around the horses.

Hayden had fun playing in all the leaves.  He had just thrown a pile into the air when I took this picture.

Addy had fun shaking leaves off the smaller Aspen trees.

 

Kev took the older kids for a longer ride.  Mckenna and Parker are both comfortable guiding their own horses now.

We rode on horses up part of the canyon and then hiked the rest of the way in to see our tree.

 

I hadn't been up to see our tree in almost ten years.  We were happy to see that it is still standing.

 

Parker came on the hike with us.  He was a good sport and took pictures when we asked.  It was fun having him with us.  He entertained us by whistling as we hiked along.

 

I took this panoramic picture on my cell phone.  The Aspens were bright yellow the higher we went up on the mountain.

Addy and I feeding apples to the horses.

 

I love this picture of Mckenna.  She is looking so beautiful and grown up.

 

The kids wanted a picture with their fort they built out of dead trees.

 

We spent a day in Park city.  It is a family tradition of ours.

 

We went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory.

 

We then went on the alpine slide.  This picture is of the kids waiting in line and trying out their sleds.

 

We all had a great time.  We ate lunch and then did some shopping at the outlets on the way home.

My 34th birthday!

I turned 34 years old on October 11th.  It was beautiful Fall weather that day!  I had the best birthday.  I had Kev take a picture of me wearing my new clothes.  I received lots of new clothes for my birthday since I have lost 25 pounds.  I started trying to lose weight about six months ago.  We bought a treadmill and I started running on it 5 out of 7 days a week.  I also started counting my calories.  I hit my weight goal right around my birthday.  It was a lot of hard work and sacrifice but I did it.

My best friend Kathleen stopped by that day.  She brought me a present and we got to hang out for a little while.  I always enjoy spending time with her.

 

Kev and I drove up Provo canyon to see all the Fall colors.  The scrub oak had turned all different shades of red and orange.

The sun began to set right about the time we reached the top.  The sun created a cool illusion by  reflecting on the lake.

 

We ate dinner at Red Lobster.  I was in the mood for seafood.  I enjoyed my shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, lobster, and crab legs.  We always enjoy their cheddar garlic biscuits.  I was not watching my calories since it was my birthday.

 

Since it was my bday they brought out a live lobster for me to hold.  The waitress was telling us all about how lobsters are like dogs.  They like to be stroked and tuck their tail under when they are nervous.

The next day I had a big birthday dinner with my family.  Loni made me a delicious dinner of Café Rio pork burritos with the creamy tomatillo sauce.  We had kneaders pumpkin chocolate chip cake for dessert.  It was a great birthday and I felt loved.

Eat, Breathe, Sleep SOCCER

The last two months of our lives have been ruled by soccer.  We had at least two practices a week and sometimes four games a week.  Our boys love it though, and we love cheering them on.

 

Parker's got the ball and is taking it up the field.

 

The boys did a lot of running.  They had a small team this year.  They had no subs, so the boys were running the whole game.  It did teach them stamina!

Parker looked good playing goalie.  It is his favorite position and he is good at it.

 

Parker reaching out to catch the ball.  Nice save!

 

Parker in action.  Some great footwork going on.

 

Parker launching the ball out of the goal box.  I really enjoyed using my telephoto lens for shots like these.

Hayden just finished his second season of paying soccer.  He has improved a lot this year.  He is so cute and loves to have me take his picture.

 

I love his expression as he is soaring down the field.

 

He may be little but he is fast.

 

Hayden on his way to make a goal!

 

He is not afraid to get in the mob to kick that ball.

 

Coach Terry was an awesome coach to the boys.

 

Hayden was so happy to receive his medal and certificate.  Kev and I are relieved that the season is over and we can get back to life as we know it.

Double date

We went on a double date with my brother Mike and sister-in-law Amy.  We had planned a Saturday to go up to Oktoberfest.  The day we were supposed to go was freezing cold and raining hard. But we decided to go anyways.  On the way to drop off our kids with Kev's parents we saw The waffle love truck.  It is my favorite!  I just love randomly finding the truck.  I convinced everyone we needed to get a waffle before we went to Snowbird.

When we got up there we ate again!  It was Mike and Amy's first time trying all the German food. I had my favorite Spaetzle and noodles.  It was nice and warm on such a cold day.

 

We had plans to ride the tram up to the top of the mountain but it was snowing higher up.  The leaves were beautiful.  We did walk around and look at some of the shops.  Kev wanted to go look at the ski swap going on.  It was fun hanging out without all the kids.

Let the good times roll

We got together to celebrate Jan's birthday at Brick oven.  It was such a fun night out with my best friends!  We first stopped by Danielle's house to say hi and meet her new baby girl Riley.  She is darling and we had fun catching up.  We were supposed to meet Kathleen at the restaurant.

 

We got there a little earlier than she did.  There was no wait which was a surprise and they took us right to our table.  It just so happened to be that we had sat at this very spot years ago in high school.  We remember clearly because it was the night that Kathleen accidentley spilled her apple beer all over Jan.  We sent Kathleen a text saying we were at the table where she spilled the apple beer.  She knew exactly what table we were talking about.  I got an apple beer in honor of the occasion.

 

Jan and I both have new phones and were trying to figure out how to get a good selfie.  We were laughing are heads off.  This is the best picture we got with our chins cut off.  A couple at the other table offered to take our picture but we told them no thanks we wanted to try one this way.

 

They brought out a birthday dessert and sang to Jan.  We asked if she could still tie the cherry stem into a knot with her tongue like she used to.  She gave it a try and exclaimed, "I've still got it!!"  We drove to Spanish Fork after to see Kathleen's new house.  They had moved in three weeks earlier.  It was beautiful and she already had everything decorated so cute.  We spent forever talking and then I drove Jan home.  We talked again until one in the morning.  I was sure tired the next day but it was worth it!

Our little sunshine

Our little Addy will be three years old in about three weeks.  She is such a little sweetheart.  She brings so much happiness to our lives.

 

We refinished the toddler bed which used to be a cherry wood.  She was so excited to get to sleep in her new bed.  She has made the transition really well.  She is happy because she gets to share a room with Halle.  It is surreal that we no longer need the crib after twelve years of use.

 

We also decided to paint the girls room.  It has been red since we moved in.  We gave it a nice coat of Ocean bath green.  It really lightens up the room and makes it feel bigger.

Halle and Addy at Parker's soccer game.  They are both wearing their BYU blue.  My cousin-in-law April made them darling bows with a Y in the middle.  Addy likes to watch the games with Dad, and shout, "Goooo Cougars".

Addy and I go visit Great Grandma Rosen together at least once a week.  My Grandma loves spending time with her.  She can always cheer my Grandma up when she is having a bad day.  Grandma always comments on Addy's curly hair and big brown eyes.  Addy also brings happiness to all the other residents.  Another Grandma has asked Addy to be her adoptive Granddaughter.  She always asks Addy for a big hug.  I just wanted to write all these thoughts about Addy down so I can remember how adorable she was at this age.