The Pumpkin Patch

Last year was the first time we went to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins.  It was such a great experience for us that we decided this will become a yearly family tradition.  The Patch we go to is off 11800 South and is a farmer's property that he lets everyone come on.  This year we were able to go on a hay ride and the ride takes you through their land and around the house.  Someone on the ride said that this whole pumpkin patch thing started years ago when they were trying to save money to pay for a mission for their kids.  It has now become a huge thing and people continue to come.  It feels good helping out the local farmers with their finances, especially when they do some much to entertain the kids.


Kyson loved the corn maze this year.  There was one point where the kids ran off and were in the maze by themselves.  Kris hid and scared them and the screams were great.  They were fun screams and not "I'm so scared, I'm going to kill you" screams.  The farmers bring out old tractors and allow customers to take pictures with them, and they set up other places for pictures.  It's a photographers dream.

I'm so grateful for the opportunities around us to have memorable experiences as a family.

The Pool

Even though we have a membership to the Rec Center, we don't get to the pool as often as I'd like.  I was able to take the kids the other day though when I had a few days off for UEA.  This is the first time I've had UEA off, because I work at a private school.  I loved having the extra time to play with the kids, go to Kyson's football clinic for the first time, and just not be so stressed all the time with work.  I truly look forward to the day when I'll be able to work one job and have more time with the family.

At the pool, Kyson is really improving with his comfort level in the water.  He'll go into deeper water and can bob himself where he needs to go.  He can't swim still, but he does a great job of moving around in water safely.  Kodi is getting more and more comfortable with the water as well.  Sometimes she's a little too comfortable and will jump in the water even when I'm not standing there ready to catch her.  She's done it so much with me that she doesn't understand why it would be any different without me.  I won't let her get more than arms distance away from me. The kids truly love going swimming.  I wish I could take them more often.

Football Clinic

As I mentioned last month, Kyson is participating in sports clinics to see if if enjoys a sport or not.  He did t-ball last month, which seemed to bore him, and this month he did football.  Football is better for him because he is able to run around and dive into the in-zone on a mat.  He doesn't like waiting for his turn and he still has a hard time following instructions.  He's a very "free spirit" who wants to do what he wants, and he wants to do it his way.  I'm not sure how to solve this problem except to continue to hold boundaries.  He's so easily angered and then he quits as well.  I'm hoping with a little maturity, he'll outgrow this childish response.

The football part of it, however, he did very well.  He could run well with the ball, he would hit the dummies as he ran by them, and he loved jumping in for a touchdown.  If Josh weren't one of the people running this clinic, I'm not sure what we'd do.  Josh helps keep him in line and keeps him going when he shuts down.  I'm so thankful for him - he's wonderful with Kyson and the kids adore him.  We've signed him up for basketball with his friend Parker for December.  I really hope that he'll learn how to work as a team.  Right now, he just doesn't get it.

The High-Mile Club

In October of 2000, I returned from my mission and bought a car within a month.  I found this little 1997 Ford Escort with 47,000 miles on it and I bought it for $4,700.  I thought it was a great buy, but I didn't know how great it would be.  In the 12 years that I have owned this car, I have had it in for repairs twice, been in one car accident (which wasn't my fault) and total have spent very little money on it over-all.  I recently passed the 200,000 mile mark and had to make sure I took my camera to work to catch its glory.  This car has been a wonderful purchase and I've had it longer than I've known my husband - we have quite the bond.

Weekend Getaway

Kris and I have been married for 11 years, had children in the picture for 5 years, and in that time, we've never gone away just the two of us to enjoy one another's company.  We've always gone away with family or had the kids with us.  This year for our anniversary, I surprised Kris with a weekend getaway to Cedar City.  While I know Cedar City isn't an exotic place, I didn't care where we went, only that we had some time together.

 I bought the tickets for everything in February and I had arranged for my sister to take the kids one night and my parents to take the kids another night.  We planned to leave on Friday when Kris got off work and return on Sunday afternoon.  Because my mom was in the accident and unable to work, she was looking more and more like she couldn't do it.  I had asked Carol and Errol if they could be our potential subs, but they hadn't been feeling well and weren't able to take on a commitment like that.  I had thought about my sister, but she had to work on Saturday and wouldn't be able to take the extra day.  I thought about our friends, the Holts, but hadn't asked yet.  At that point, my sister was my saving grace and the only one who I thought could help us out.

A week before we were scheduled to leave, my sister called.  She had a surgery in February and got a blood clot as a result.  She finally found answers about her leg and that answer was surgery.  The blood clot was 13 inches long and if they didn't operate, they said she'd be dead in 30 days.  She needed to go in for surgery immediately and could not help by watching the kids.

At this point, I felt so bad for my sister and for myself.  I cried and felt completely defeated.  I figured at this point, the trip was off and I wouldn't be able to spend time with Kris.  That evening, my parents left me a message asking me to come by their house on the way home from work.  I did, and my father said he was going to step up and take on the responsibility of watching the kids for both days.  I was so grateful and relieved  but felt guilty even allowing it.  My parents insisted and I gratefully accepted.

Wednesday, 2 days before we were to leave, Kyson started throwing up.  He was throwing up into Thursday morning, but was able to keep food down for the 24 hours before we left and I hoped all would be well.  I warned my parents, but admitted that he seemed fine.  We sent him to school on Friday and prayed all would be well.  Because Murphy's Law seemed bent set against us going, the only other fear I had at this point was a car accident.

We weren't able to leave Friday morning as hoped.  Too many things weren't working in our favor and we weren't able to get on the road until nearly 1:00 in the afternoon.  Once we got in the car and were on our way, we were just so grateful, we didn't care how late it was.  We were going to be away for two days and were ecstatic.

We arrived in Cedar City just in time to see Taken 2 and have a nice dinner at Wingers before we checked into the hotel.  The hotel was amazing and that night we went to the hot tub and relaxed.  It was so wonderful and so needed after 5 years of no opportunity to just be together.  The next morning we had a hot breakfast and decided to adventure out on our own, once again, something we had never done before.  We decided to go to Kolob Canyon and do a little hiking.  The weather was beautiful and we wanted to take advantage of it.  Kolob is very small and there was only one real hike that we could go on.  We walked the path and took pictures when we could.  There were some nice people who offered to take pictures for us as well.

The day was still young when we had done all we could in Kolob, so we decided to venture down to Zions National Park.  The drive was nice, but getting into the park was crazy.  It was so crowded that it was a wait just to get into the park, then we had to pray to find a parking spot.  Luck would have it that we did.  Maybe we payed our dues before we left so the Lord was making it up to us then.  We rode the shuttle, looked at the sites and did two small hikes before we decided we needed to get back.  It was a beautiful day of nature and company.

That evening, we went to dinner and a play with the Utah Shakespeare Festival.  I was so excited to show Kris the area of where I have gone every summer for the past 7 years when I chaperon the Shakespeare trip for La Europa.  We saw Stones in his Pockets starring the two artistic directors.  I thought it was a comedy when I purchased the tickets, but it was a drama so I was a bit disappointed.  They did a phenomenal job, but I wanted to show Kris a comedy.  Kris didn't care.  He loved it and thought it was well done.

The next morning, our last, we planned to have a leisurely breakfast and slowly make our way out of town.  We got a phone call that morning that Kodi had been throwing up all night and my mom started throwing up that morning.  Our vacation was over and the stress set in.  We quickly got ready to go, filled up, skipped lunch, and drove straight through.  When we arrived at my parents, Kodi was sound asleep and we didn't want to disturb her, so we took Kyson to McDonalds since we hadn't eaten either.

I asked my father how it all went and he said that he'd rather be back in Vietnam than go through that again.  I'm grateful that they were able to help, but I felt so bad that my mom got sick and my dad was so miserable.  I loved being away and feeling such freedom, but I don't think we'll ever be able to do that again.

Our Little Princess

For Kodi's birthday, she received a Princess Belle dress and a Tinkerbell costume.  She absolutely loves them.  In fact, it's only been a week or so and her Belle dress has already been sewn in 3 places.  We'll see how long they last.  She loves to dress up and it cracks me up.  SHe's fallen asleep downstairs in her costumes, and I've even caught her changing into her costumes after I've put her to bed.  It's no wonder we have to keep fixing them.  I will admit though, I think she looks so pretty in her "fancy dresses."

Getting to Myself

As a parent, everything I own comes last.  My sheets are the last to be changed, my bathroom the last to be scrubbed, and my bedroom the last to be cleaned.  Most times, it doesn't get done at all because by the time I've gotten through cleaning the downstairs, the kids rooms and the bathrooms  they all need to be done again and my things go on hold again.  I think when the kids are older and they can do chores, it might change.  Or at least I'm hoping it will change.  Well this weekend during conference, I decided to clean my bedroom and bathroom.

It was disgusting because I can never thoroughly clean it.  I can straighten up, but washing the curtains and the plants and a thorough job of dusting is something I never have time for and I'm embarrassed to say, it hasn't been done since we moved in.  For 8 hours I cleaned my room including the walls, every inch of the furniture  the pictures, the curtains, and the plants.  Then I went to my bathroom and got a good start, but wasn't able to get the tub done the way I would like.

That night when I went to bed, I felt so good about having a clean bedroom.  I only wish I could do things for myself more often.