Halloween Fun

A pretty bright pumpkin.


Four pumpkins for the four older kids. Amy isn't ready for a pumpkin according to her siblings.

All tricked out for Halloween trick or treating.

The kids loved Halloween. Emily was a pumpkin, Peter Gordon was a pirate, Hannah was a witch, and Becca was a "1950s girl." Amy was a baby cow. She likes milk. =) They got to trick or treat twice--once in downtown Springville and once in our neighborhood. After trick or treating we watched the original Star Wars movie. Peter Gordon thought the lightsaber fight between Darth Vader and Obi-wan Kenobi was awesome. The kids have been eating candy all day.

Field Trip Fun

Becca and Hannah both had field trips last month. I took a day off early in October and went with Becca's class on a field trip to Camp Floyd. We learned about life at the camp, went to a frontier school house, made a candle, and learned how to drill like soldiers. It was a pleasant outing and Becca seemed to enjoy herself. Last week Chantel took Hannah on a field trip to Hee Haw Farms. They went through a corn maze and wandered a pumpkin patch. They also went on a short hay ride.
The students file into school.

Becca gets ready for class in a pioneer school.

Hannah hangs out with the sign in front of the corn maze.

Uncle Brad comes to town

Brad and his wonderful nieces and nephew.

Brad hangs out with Amy.

Bradley came down for dinner yesterday and we really enjoyed having him here. He took the kids for a walk and played "catch" with them. He later lamented that none of his nieces or nephews can catch a ball. He also entertained them with his piano playing abilities and let them hang all over him. They were in heaven. It is always nice to have one of my brothers drop by. The best part of the afternoon for me was having Brad meet Amy. He held her for a while and eventually got her to go to sleep. Emily and Peter Gordon borrowed his Utah hat while they cheered "Go BYU." It was pretty funny. I don't think Brad made any converts to his cause.

Homecoming weekend

Mom, Amy, Becca, and Emily anxiously await the first parade entry. Notice how Emily has co-opted Amy's carseat.


Hannah and Peter Gordon ham it up for the camera.

Dad hangs out with his five wonderful kids.



This past week was Homecoming at BYU and it is always fun to celebrate with the Cougars. Tuesday Chantel and Amy came up to campus to attend a luncheon with me at the new Hinckley Building. The food was good and the company was even better. Saturday we took the kids to the pancake breakfast and parade. They thought that the blue pancakes were awesome and had fun dancing on the hill while we waited for the parade. They cheered the Cougar Marching Band, the International Folkdancers, the Young Ambassadors, and Cosmo. They also cheered for the library's entry in the parade. Their favorite thing, though, was scavenging for candy as the parade participants tossed it into the stands. It was cold and snow flurries swirled here and there but we had a great time. Enjoy the pictures from our outing to the parade.

Fall has arrived

Ready for the rain.

Bundled up and strapped in. Here we go.

The weather has turned and it has been quite a bit cooler the last couple of days. In fact it rained most of yesterday and was drizzling when we got up this morning. The sun has come out but it is still pretty chilly outside. We went for a nice long walk between Conference sessions in the rain and the kids thought it was great. Emily stood on the back of Amy's stroller and gave marching directions. She is a funny little girl.

Soccer days

Peter Gordon headed for the goal.


Hannah makes another save.

Hannah and Peter Gordon have spent the last two months playing soccer and have really enjoyed themselves. Hannah is the goalie of choice on her team and is getting to be really good. She had her last soccer game on Wednesday and they won 4-0. Peter Gordon has the potential to be a good forward. He is quick and fast with ball as long as he is going in a straight line. He will be really good when he figures out how to turn with the ball and pass it. His last game is Tuesday. He will be sad that soccer is over.

Happy Birthday

We celebrated my birthday by attending Peter Gordon's soccer game and then came home for a great spaghetti dinner and raspberry cream pie. The pie was quite good. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I don't feel any older but when I think about how old my kids are it is obvious that I am.