Fisher at the Zoo

Loryn at the Zoo

Mommy

You know, to be a mom, you have to be willing to sacrifice a little pride. Like looking abnormally frumpy and out of fashion most of the time. And toting around large bags like a pack horse. And making some really strange faces. When I saw these pictures of myself at the zoo, I gasped audibly. And the first thought that came into my head was, "When did I start looking like that?" But, what do you do, I'm a mom. So, even though I'm seriously considering some ridiculously drastic diet and a wardrobe makeover, when all is said and done. . . I'm a mom and I sure do look the part.

Zoo with Megan

In honor of Quincy's birthday and her love for animals, Megan and I took the kids to the zoo last weekend. We had a wonderful time and I was sooo appreciative for Megan's help and her camera!

As we drove to Salt Lake in a complete downpour, we were a little discouraged and almost changed our plans. But a few minutes into our zoo adventure, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It ended up being a cool and beautiful autumn day at the zoo. The leaves were gorgeous and we had the zoo almost completely to ourselves.

To the kids' delight, we had a peacock join us for lunch. And we narrowly missed the next storm by just few seconds. The clouds burst right as we pulled out of the parking lot. All in all, it was a blessed day. And I was glad to able to share it with my kids and one of my bestest friends. (even though she ended up breaking her foot in the process! sorry megs)

By some strange twist of fate, some of the women that would make the greatest mothers in the world are not yet mothers themselves. To these women in my life, I would like to offer my deepest respect, honor, admiration, and gratitude. You are tremendous examples and blessings in my life. Megan is one of these great women. She will make an incredible mother someday. In the meantime, I reap the enivable benefits of her being the greatest auntie to my kids.

And boy, do they love her!

Puntin Patch

Today for my turn doing preschool, I opted to take the kids to Pumpkin Land. It was Quincy's birthday, so I thought we should do something fun. The kids loved all the big pumpkins, the animals, the toys, and the light alley. It just wouldn't be autumn officially without a trip to Pumpkin Land. Fisher thought the corn maze was heaven! He was dashing all over the place and the rest of struggled just to keep up. Like everything is lately, he thought it was "super awesome cool dude."

My Baby

My baby turned two this week. As Quincy is our last little one, there is something sad about bidding farewell to that chapter in our lives. Since the day she was born, Quincy was my little koala bear, always clinging to me. She is very sweet and holds a very special place in my heart. I will treasure these pictures that a friend took of us without our knowing one day at Seven Peaks. It epitomizes the very special time in my life when I could be a a mother to a baby, a time that is quickly drawing to a close.

Butterfly in the Sky

Our Auntie Tiffy orders caterpillars every year for her second grade class. And every year we go to see them in their various stages. Today, we got to see the butterflies before she releases them tomorrow. I have to thank the butterflies for being so willing to cooperate with all my photo ops.

Word of the Day

Quincy's word (and obsession) of the day: pottits . . . or pockets.

Apples with Aunties

On Saturday, Megan and Tiffany suprised us by showing up at our doorstep with all the fixings to make homemade apple crisp. And who I am to shut down homemade baked goods? The kids love helping their aunties cook, so they pitched right in.

Queen Quincy

There is no question who runs our house. And you're looking at her. Queen Quincy. It seemed like she started talking overnight and hasn't stopped since. She calls Fisher "boy" and runs around shouting orders at him. She knows all her colors and is very proud and eager to point them out to anyone who will listen.

She also likes to take off her clothes. Almost every day when I wake her up from her nap or in the morning she has taken off all her clothes, and often her diaper. I am looking for a solution. She is bubbling over in personality and is very strong willed. She is a true delight and we're having so much fun with her.

Loryn's Soccer Team

Loryn's soccer season wrapped up a couple weeks ago, triumphantly undefeated. (Dan likes to thank his expert coaching abilities for the title!) Loryn did a great job this year and really improved. She is a lot more confident and aggressive and ended up scoring several goals this season!

The Marathon

This year's marathon was the hottest in St. George's history. And you could feel it. I could feel it as I simply stood and waited at the finish line. I could see it as I saw a record number of people collapsing in front of me, being pulled off the course by ambulances. I could hear it in the stories of people finishing well behind their intended pace.

I was so proud of Dan for finishing the race--he is amazing. There is something very emotional about standing at the finish line of these races. I saw two blind man cross the finish line, canes in hand. I saw a man with a shriveled arm. I saw a thirteen year old finish. I saw others that had to be in their eighties. I saw one man pushing another paraplegic man in a wheelchair. I saw people literally being dragged across the finish line by national guardsman because they couldn't walk another step. I saw people's legs literally buckle beneath them in exhaustion mere yards from the finish line. I saw people come across bleeding, crying, skipping, dancing, walking, crawling. I was so proud to have a husband, brother-in-law, cousin, friends, and neighbors among them.

St. George

After dragging 11 children around the marathon expo, we rewarded them with hiking on the red rocks the day before the race. They had so much fun, but it was SOOO hot, especially for October. We didn't last long before retreating back to the swimming pool.

We had a small putting green in the backyard of the condo we were renting that the kids loved. They spent a huge amount of time practicing their putting and scaling the red rock wall in back of the house. Thank goodness we had so many cousins to share the weekend with!

We capped off the day with a "carbo load" spaghetti dinner and watching the BYU game with the Hansens and Abbotts.

Taylor's Birthday

Taylor turned nine years old on September 30th. On that day, we drove to St. George in preparation for Dan's upcoming marathon. So, we celebrated a few days earlier with grandparents, cake, and presents. Jeffrey took credit for my parents gift to Taylor, so here they are in a very sweet hug. That's one happy uncle.
On Taylor's actual birthday, she went to the first half of school where my mother kindly dropped off cupcakes and juice boxes. I checked the girls early out of school to begin the drive to St. George. Once there, we took her out to Pizza Factory with the Abbotts.