adverbial update

He's sitting up, mostly.

He's teething, probably.

He gets up on all fours, wobbily.

He is eating solids, sloppily.

He sleeps in his own crib, finally.

He's my boyfriend, definitely.

He drools and spits up, frequently.

He poops at 4 am, religiously.

He smiles, beautifully.

He's ticklish, extremely!

He grabs and touches everything, curiously.

He wants my cell phone, desperately.

He is our baby, undoubtedly!

Put a pin in it!

For the last few months, "Let's pin it!" has been a common phrase around here.

And no, it is not a reference to my latest obsession with Pinterest.

Rather, a reference to Jack's latest obsession with bug collecting.

Everywhere we go, Jack is looking for bugs.

He finds them in our house.

He finds them in the park.

He finds them on hikes.

At school.

At church.

It is not uncommon for him to come home with a live bug in his pocket.

I keep finding my Tupperware in the yard housing a new critter.

Then they usually make their way onto the kitchen counter where they sit until "pinned".

Jack even found a black widow (yikes) on the outside of our house.

Thankfully, he knows NOT to touch them.

But dad had the bright idea of capturing it, along with her egg sac, and keeping it in the house (in some Tupperware, of course) until it died.

Well, a week went by.

Then two.

Then Three.

Then four, and that little widow was still ALIVE! Not only was she alive, but so were her new 200 baby widows...all crawling around in my tupperware! Talk about heebie jeebies! I'm doing the spider shimmy and shake dance as I type!

Once we realized these black widows were invincible AND they had just increased in number ten-fold, we decided we had no other option than to freeze them.

It worked.

So you see, it has not been easy making this bug collection. I am out of Tupperware, tired of seeing bugs in the kitchen, and ready to call the exterminator.

But Jack LOVES it and is so proud of his collection.

(He's since added a really impressive GREEN praying mantis, a grasshopper, and a bee.)

apple hill

I was beginning to mourn the fast disappearance of October when I realized it was the morning of the 29th and we hadn't done our usual fall outings to the pumpkin patch or apple hill.

So, we quickly got dressed at 8 am and headed up the hill to pick some apples and eat some warm donuts.

Apple hill is just as it sounds. It's up in the foothills below Tahoe where you can pick from 60+ apple orchards to tour.

We started out at Rainbow Orchards which is famous for their hot-out-of-the-grease apple cider donuts. Oh my. We each got one, then decided they were too good to stop at that so we went back for another round.

Our kids only care about picking their own apples which is fine with us because we much prefer the smaller orchards over the ones that practically have fair attractions that your kids beg you to pay for. We were a little late in the season for the yummy red apples, but with some serious searching we managed to fill a basket full.

It was a great way to start a Saturday. Click here to see last year's Apple Hill trip.

trick or treat

Halloween 2011 Highlights:

- We attended the ward Trunk or Treat. The kids made 16 rounds around the parking lot until their buckets were FULL. Jack threw up 4 times that night.

-Troy and I made dueling chilis for the chili cook-off. Let's just say that one of us won and it might have been the same person who won last year, and she might just be a girl.

- Jack's school party went off without a hitch, but after A LOT of food/party preparations our house looked like a category 5 hurricane had blown through! We still haven't recovered.

- We bought a cute crab costume for Sammy. We purchased a 9 month costume for our 6 month old and couldn't get it over his feet! We make kids jumbo sized over here, which is weird because we're so petite!?!

- Hollie treated us to warm potato soup and homemade artisan bread on Halloween night. We chowed down then sat in the driveway handing out candy.

- We carved 2 pumpkins barely in time for the holiday. Like, right before bedtime on Halloween night.

We had a real life "Captain Jack" Pirate.

Lucy was Ariel the Mermaid.

Grandma came to visit with some great Halloween books.

Our bum cousins came begging for candy!

sundance

I love Utah.

Utah for me symbolizes independence.

Even though Idaho was technically the first place I landed after leaving home for school, there is a feeling about Utah that reminds me of my most formidable experiences with becoming independent.

Utah also reminds me of love.

I fell in love many times in Utah...none more important than the LAST!

Just driving around there reminds me of the fun butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of giddiness of those college dating years.

Utah is also home to the birth of many lifelong friendships.

Going to UVSC with Jayner and Jill.

Bumming scooter rides with Sherri and Jenna.

Getting advice from Shelly, or visiting married friends like Mere.

Lots of great memories.

Last weekend I got to go back for a short visit.

It was a visit filled with lots of new emotions.

Sadness, gratitude, laughter, heartache, togetherness, and fun.

On my last day there, I took a drive with my good friend Heidi.

We visited one of my FAVORITE places on this earth....Sundance in the FALL!

We dined at the Foundry Grill and then drove through the painted mountains.

It was a majestic way to end an emotion-filled weekend.

(please don't laugh at my George Washington wig. I had a bad date with the waving iron.)

Idaho - On the water

In McCall, we enjoyed some great days on the water. Even though, really, the water was freezing and pretty choppy, it didn't stop some die-hards from hopping in.

(Just in case you're wondering...NO, I was not one of the die-hards. Surprised?)

The little cousins had a blast hanging out together and holding up the flag when asked. A few of these girls were braver than myself and rode the tube or the kneeboard.

It was fun watching the reactions of the tube riders. I always enjoy watching people get bounced around until I'm the one doing the bouncing.

This crash was particularly entertaining. Then the one right after this, Colton got ejected right over the back side of the tube.

You can't tell from the picture, but we were all laughing so hard because the wind caught skinny little Makenzie's life jacket and was blowing her over.

Boom Time

We had several brave beginners try their luck skiing off the boom before braving the deep water start.

Here's Mike wake boarding.

I swear boys never miss an opportunity for a little foul play.

hope

I will never forget the day one of my college besties, Jayne (who we middle-named Lucy after because she's that great of a person), sent me an e-mail pleading for us to pray for her cousin Stephanie Nielson, otherwise known as Nie Nie. The e-mail stated that Stephanie and her husband had been in a plane crash and their likelyhood of survival was unknown. Please pray for them she plead.

I remember hearing that news and instantly feeling so heartbroken for their family and their children, as most of the world did too.

Last month I had the pleasure of listening to Stephanie and Christian tell their amazing story of survival, struggle, testimony in their Savior, and ultimately the virtue of HOPE.

It was uplifting.

Earlier this week, I heard news that my cousin Laura's husband had been in a plane crash in Utah. His outcome was not one of survival. He leaves behind two beautiful boys and a wife who undoubtedly loved him more that anything! The last time my husband and I were together with Laura and Jared, we commented on their love and respect for one another.

Our family is aching for Laura and her boys. I cannot imagine an earthly trial more challenging than losing a child or spouse. I was moved to tears on Wednesday in the middle of my treadmill run at the gym with the thought of Laura and how she will move on.

But then I thought about Nie Nie and her message of HOPE. And I thought about my cousin who I KNOW has a deep love of our Savior and a belief in the Plan of Salvation. I know she is going to make it through this because she has faith and HOPE.

One of my favorite apostles of our church said this of Hope:

"Hope . . . is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father."

~Dieter Uchtdorf

I know she will be reunited with Jared again one day.

I believe that with all my heart.

Laura, we love you!

new baby

I don't usually post my work over here on this blog,

but I just loved this session so much that I couldn't resist.

See the same thing over HERE.