October

This month started out with a trip to San Luis Obispo. The Harris family was out of town, so we went to keep Papa & Nana company. They even had work for us to do. It was nice to help them with a house project for a change.

 The boys were troopers helping move concrete and it didn't hurt that they got to drive the golf cart. 

It was conference weekend so Ben got to go with Papa, Matt & Noah to his first Priesthood session. 

Nana took Zack and I around to pick fresh citrus, berries and veggies. We also gathered some eggs. 

We missed seeing the Harris' at their house, but caught them in Vegas for an afternoon of fun at the Bellagio. 

We also got to see the Benhams and partake in a little buffet gluttony. 

The Life Is Beautiful Festival was so much fun! They transformed old downtown into a really great venue for art

food (we just missed meeting Tom Coliccio)

and music. Kings of Leon and the Killers in the same weekend? Perfect. And Imagine Dragons, Cayucos, Beck, Nico Vega, Alabama Shakes...amazing!

Matt is one year closer to old age. But he still rocks it like he's in his late 20s. 

It took almost the entire month for Zack to complete the Halloween decorating job. He kept fiddling with it and fiddling with it until it was just right. 

 On Halloween night, we borrowed Ken's fog machine and definitely had the best Halloween house in our neighborhood. He was so proud! 

I am totally over Halloween costumes, the kids are too. They just want candy. This year we fulfilled a three year dream to trick or treat at Queensridge where legend has it they give out FULL SIZE candy bars. 

It was better than we thought. Some houses give full size, some give King size or even the theater boxes of candy. WHAAATTT?? Who does that? 

Let's See What Happened in September

We spent Labor Day weekend in Brian Head. Isn't this an amazing view from up on top of a mountain somewhere? We hiked all the way from the parking lot to this spot. 

 The kids have taken up a little bit of shooting. Just a little bit, nothing like their dads. Matt is becoming a little gun obsessed (in a normal, sane way) and we spent a fair amount of time while we were in Utah trying to find a certain gun he wanted. No luck. These are just BB guns. 

 On the way home, we were trying so hard to get to Dick's Sporting Goods in St. George before it closed, but we were thwarted by an accident. Perfect time for a little stretching. For the first time ever, we were without drinks or snacks in the car. We weren't stopped for more than an hour, but things could have gotten sketchy if we were for longer. This prompted me to put together a little emergency kit for the car. It makes me feel safe every time it almost falls out of the back when I open the door. 

 This picture marks the beginning of the craziest rain storm of my life. We had a rain-er than usual August and by the middle of September my car was looking super dirty, but I didn't want to wash it because it was raining every day. Finally, there was a 0 percent forecast for rain. Zack and I drove my car to the carwash, got a slurpee while they cleaned it and noticed dark clouds forming in the sky. So much for ZERO percent chance of rain. 

 Of course I needed some stuff at Target so we ran in to do some shopping and that is when we heard the rain start. Not just a little sprinkle, but a very noisy downpour. This picture is supposed to show the rain. 

 At this point, all hope was lost so we finished our shopping at Smith's and I got some Papa Murphy's Pizza which she triple wrapped so I could also use it as an umbrella to get to the car. The parking lot was completely flooded. 

 Rain in Vegas can get dangerous pretty quickly and the roads were flooding fast. I got on the freeway and was talking to Matt on the phone about all the rain. He was home and sounded a little confused. We continued a mile or so and went under an underpass to find dry roads on the other side. I took the Charleston exit by the Red Rock Casino and noticed that the parking lot was completely dry.  Another quick call to Matt confirmed that they didn't get a drop of rain at the house. We were less than 10 miles away from home. Weird.  

 Ben is a lover of ribs. He has been so excited for Lucille's to open and we went there for a birthday dinner. 

 Zack used the Lucille's sign as inspiration for Ben's bday poster. (I am so glad he is doing these now!). 

 Ben really, really, really wanted this chair for his birthday. It is actually very comfortable. 

 Zack helped me make his cake which is chocolate with a mint filling. 

 It's like a giant peppermint patty. His taste buds are so predictable. 

These are Ben's favorites at age 12. 

 Matt's cousin Jamie is serving a mission in West Virginia. We went to Mesquite for her mission farewell. While we were there, I allowed the boys to get For Real shakes. It was a big deal. Poor kids. 

 Zack likes to plan complicated games for his FHE lessons. This game was a little complicated but also fun.  

 Grandma & Grandpa came to visit for Ben's priesthood ordination. A few of us took a Sunday drive out to Red Rock Canyon...

 and Bonny Springs Ranch. 

My birthday is also in September so we probably did something for it. I honestly can't remember. It makes me feel better that neither can Matt. And this is why I need to document things sooner.