Can I just say..... YUM!!!

I fell in love with this mix after discovering it at Costco last year. Once I had made all four batches worth that it comes with, I wanted to buy another box but was SO disappointed to discover they did not have it anymore because it is a seasonal item. (They didn't have my beloved french onion soup, either - for the same reason. It was a sad day.)

Sadly, I had to live without these delicious pumpkin spice muffins for many months. (Yes, I am sure there is a recipe for a fabulous homemade version out there, but I guess I am just not that proactive.)

I was delighted recently to find this mix again at Costco. I use it to make quick and easy muffins, and we have already had them with our dinner several times in the past few weeks. My whole family loves them!

Now, you'll have to excuse me while I brush the muffin crumbs from my keyboard....

Bike Rides

Our family has been going on bike rides several times per week for the past month or so. We really enjoy getting out and riding together. I am SO glad we finally got the bikes out and tuned up after letting them sit dormant for several years. It's something I really look forward to each Sunday, and the kids do, too! Jeremiah is not as gung-ho as the rest of us about it, but he usually doesn't put up much of a fuss.

(Oh, did I mention Jeremiah is reading Breaking Dawn? Yes, I got him to read the series - it should be required reading for all men, in my opinion, along with a thorough and in-depth study of Edward. ;-) Jeremiah doesn't love the books like I do; however, he IS still reading at book four, isn't he?)

When we ride, I pull the two younger kids in a bike trailer. One day I even rode eight miles round trip to pick up Kylie from preschool with the bike and trailer. I had all three kids in there (yes, that's over 100 pounds of kid!), and I about died on the way home. We had to stop for a break at a park along the way, but we made it!

We decided to buy a co-pilot for Carolyn that attaches to the back of Jeremiah's bike. This way, we can go on longer rides without the worry of her tiring out. The girls take turns riding on it, and they LOVE it. Jeremiah is very exciting to ride with - up and down curbs and all sorts of fun.

We found a great deal on the co-pilot online, and we were all so excited when it arrived a few days later. Isaiah assisted Jeremiah in assembling it.



Then Jeremiah and Carolyn were off on the maiden voyage!



I am loving this fall weather and hope it lasts long enough for many more family bike rides this year!

Tarah's Wedding

Last month we had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Isaiah's birth mother, Tarah, and her awesome new husband, Michael.

We arrived shortly before the ceremony was to begin, and one of Tarah's friends asked us to follow her to where Tarah was getting ready. We went inside for a few moments of visiting, then it was time for her big moment!



Tarah's darling son, Austin, walked her down the aisle. He was so cute in his little tux!






Tarah and Michael are such a beautiful couple!










The boys gave each other lots of big hugs!

I just love that they love each other so much!

The wedding and subsequent dinner were so festive and fun! Michael is from Hawaii, and there was a definite Hawaiian flavor to the evening. They even had a few friends perform some live Hawaiian music - so pretty.

I enjoyed visiting with Tarah's mom, and grandmother - two very awesome women - as well as her dad. It was also neat to see and chat a bit with some of her sisters and sisters-in-law. They are a great family!

We adore Tarah and truly enjoyed being there for this occasion.

Breakdancing Kids

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Just look at us go!

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Church History Museum

My dad is serving a mission as a docent at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. Last month, he kindly took my sister and I and our children on a private tour. It was a great way to spend a Sunday evening. They have a really cute children's area, too, where the kids had a lot of fun!

Goodbye kindergarten, hello 1st grade!

With her wonderful kindergar- ten teacher during the last week; outside her school on the last day.

Carolyn about to head out for her first day of 1st grade; with her 1st grade teacher.

Rock Band

My cute sister-in-law invited us over to decorate sugar cookies one evening, and after frosting (and eating!) lots of cookies, my brother lured us to the Wii for some Rock Band. (We have a Wii but not this game.) As you can tell from the picture, Carolyn loved being the lead singer! My sister Rebecca helped Kylie on the drums, and my sister-in-law Krista was on the guitar.

The Good Old Summertime

We loved cooling off at the nearby spray park through the summer. Here are a few pictures showing one such fun family outing.

Isaiah taking some time out to enjoy a little snack

Kylie doing one of her favorite tricks

Isaiah on the slide for probably the 20th time

Carolyn running from one fun activity to another

Carolyn and Kylie finishing off the evening with a little water fight

I really enjoy taking my kids here and am so glad it is only a few minutes from home. I have a lot of good memories from playing here all summer, and (though I do really love fall) this is one of the things I will miss most about summer!

Butterflies

Carolyn loves animals and creatures of all sorts! She has for many years been telling us that she would like to be a pet shop owner or live on a farm when she grows up.

For her birthday she was given some money by one of the friends who came to her party. We went to the store to pick something out, and she looked at various items as she tried to decide how to spend her money.

Then she saw a butterfly habitat and needed to look no further! It included an insect cage and a certificate for live caterpillars.

When the time was right we sent away for the caterpillars. She was so thrilled when they arrived!
Once they hatched (after about 10 days), we kept them at home for several days then released them one beautiful evening. It was very important for Carolyn to have her cousin, Ammon, be there for the big release! She timed her caterpillar order so they'd hatch about the time of his trip here. They actually hatched the week before he came, and we released them as soon as he came to town!

Goodbye, Butterfly!

Kylie's Birthday

Kylie turned four in July. She wanted a small, intimate party with just a few of her very favorite people. We played pin the tail on the donkey, had lunch, played in the backyard in a kiddie pool and slip-n-slide, decorated and ate cupcakes, opened presents, and had a treasure hunt.

Since this birthday was her fourth, I will list four things (though there are obviously WAY more than that) I love about Kylie:

1. Her smile can light up a room! Her eyes literally sparkle, her grin is a mile wide, and her dimples are to die for! And I love the sound of her giggle!

2. She is super creative! She is always doing something artsy. She draws, paints, dances, thinks up games - you name it.

3. She LOVES to sing. When the radio is on she always asks me to find a "girl song", which means a female singer. Then she will do her best to sing along, even if she doesn't really know the words. A few of her favorite songs to sing are Tattoo by Jordin Sparks and Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie. (She also really likes Bad Day by Daniel Powter and Home by Daughtry, though neither is a "girl song".)

4. She is just such a sweetheart! As with anybody, she can have her moments, but Kylie has a very gentle and sweet persona and is rarely anything but.

We love Kylie so much and are so glad she's ours!

Playing Catch-Up

It has been nearly two months (!) since we emptied the pictures from the camera onto the computer. We finally did it, and now I am going to play catch up and post a bunch of the things we've been doing over the past few months.

I'm sure it's going to take me a little while to get caught up, and I'll never be able to cover everything, but looking through the pictures has reminded me just how negligent a blogger I have been lately!

(Don't worry - I will only be posting a tiny fraction of the ~1400 pictures we've taken.)

TGIF!

Carolyn is not a morning girl (the apple didn't fall far from the tree there), and, although she really loves school, she has been looking forward to going off track so she can enjoy three weeks of sleeping in! When I go into their room in the mornings, Kylie (who has afternoon school) is usually wide awake and looking at a book or something, while Carolyn (who DOES need to get up) is dead to the world.

Last night we were out later than usual because we went to the state fair. For many years my family (parents and siblings) and some family friends have been running the giant yellow slide. Each year Jeremiah and I take the kids to spend an evening riding the slide over and over again - for free! Carolyn LOVES it and goes easily a dozen times. Kylie has really enjoyed it the past several years, but this year she decided after one time that she was done and she might like it better in a year or two. Isaiah went three times, and it was enough for him. I would say he tolerated it more than enjoyed it.

We had a lot of fun at the fair, but despite our best intentions the kids were out past their bed time. Miraculously, Kylie was still asleep when I went in to wake Carolyn, and Carolyn somehow managed to wake up after a few moments of prodding.

This morning as I wandered through the peacefully quiet house (I really LOVE being up before the kids) toward the kitchen to make Carolyn's breakfast, I discovered Jeremiah already there making french toast. I thought this was really nice of him, but I worried that he should be getting out the door to work - I didn't want him to be late (whatever "late" is - they have a fairly flexible schedule at work). A minute later I noticed he was wearing clothes more suitable for working at our new home site rather than his workplace.

Then it dawned on me.... it's his Friday off! What a pleasant surprise! It's Carolyn's short day at school and Kylie's day off from school (she goes M-Th). With Jeremiah off work (he gets every other Friday off), it really is a family day!

Starting in two weeks, EVERY Friday will be Jeremiah's Friday off. His work offered the option of working four 10 hour days each week, and he took them up on it!

I just love Fridays!