Pomp and Circumstance

I put that title so the song could go through your head while you read. Tim earned his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix this week!! The program took 18 months straight through. It was a little grueling at times, but we hope it will pay off. For now, he isn't changing jobs. I'm excited to get date nights, game nights, and just hanging out nights with him back. We might even be able to go on trips again. He couldn't take much time off school, so we really didn't do a family vacation this past summer. He wrote a million papers, read a lot of material, sat through lectures, and prepared numerous power point presentations. I'm proud of him and look forward to what the future may hold for him!! Congrats Tim!!!

Fall Break

Tim is the youngest of 8. His oldest brother visited from Portland with his family this week. These two may be 15 years apart in age, but they are two peas in a pod. They just think similarly and are great friends. We love hanging out with his family despite the age differences. I enjoy talking to his wife because I feel like our lives parallel, just a few years behind. Don't they even look similar? :)

It was pretty crazy with 13 kids and 6 adults around, but fun chaos. I've already invited everyone to my house for Thanksgiving this year. I think I'm a glutton for punishment.

Lydia doesn't have school Friday and Monday. It seems torturous to me and yet she just started school a few weeks ago. What did I do with them all day during the summer?!? Part of it is I feel terrible and all I want to do is sleep. Ali's off and on with her naps lately too. What are these girls trying to do to me? They are good girls. I don't think it would be so hard if I felt decent. I hope Winter break is better.

What do you with your kids when school is out?

Finally Fall!

It's been quite the indian summer this year. We've been in the high 80's still and I'm all decorated for fall and Halloween. On Thursday Lydia had a field trip to Hew Haw Farms. It was way too hot, but I put them in their Halloween shirts anyway. First we saw the animals. Both of my girls love critters, so this was a treat. This is a hen the kids all got to pet.

Lydia and Ali climbed up the hay bales to slide down this 2 story slide. You can barely see Ali trying to go back down, but Lydia was brave and went down!!

We also went an a hay ride. The girls thought it was fun and Ali sang "Rinding the Range" (from Backyardigans) through the farm. I didn't think about sunscreen in October, so we all got a little sunburned. Oh well.

Friday Tim's sister and neice from Portland came to visit for conference weekend. She must have brought the Oregon weather with her because the fall weather finally showed up!! We had a great weekend playing with them and all the local cousins as well.

This is Riley being a horse for Ali (and yes, she started singing "Riding the Range" again). We had a great week and we are happy to finally see the fall weather. Tim even turned on the heat for a little while this morning.:)

The Beauties of Mt. Timp

Tim hiked Mount Timpanogos this weekend with some scouts and leaders. They hiked up to the meadow on Friday night, camped, and then hiked to the summit on Saturday. They were back by 1:00 in the afternoon. His scouts did wonderfully considering it is a VERY tough hike. It was even raining off and on through the night. I'm proud of Tim for making it again and for encouraging his scouts to be able to make it as well. He came home renewed and feeling victorious. There is nothing like conquering nature to do that for you.

On Sunday Tim thought it would be fun to take a family drive through the mountains (the Alpine Loop) and see all the the beautiful changing leaves. It was just breathtaking!! It is amazing to me how many things God has done for us just so we can enjoy life. We had a great drive, walked a little, and saw many beautful views. If you haven't gotten to do it yet this season, now is the perfect time! It did cause me to ponder on my blessings and appreciate my wonderful family.

Quizes

Two of my friends have posted quizes this week. I thought it was fate, so I thought I would post my results. It's kind of fun. I don't know if it will include links, and I'm not very good at hyperlinking. I took a class in college, but let's face it, that was a while ago. Anyway, enjoy!

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Take the Quiz here!

Midnight Sun Reactions

For those who aren't Twilighters, you won't know what I'm talking about. Those that are I was wondering how people felt about the Midnight Sun leak and subsequent posting. I was really looking forward to Midnight Sun and understanding Edward better. The chapter that had been posted was very good and I wanted more. When it was leaked and Stephenie Meyer said she was no longer going to finish it, I was sad. After reading it and feeling like it was left hanging was so disappointing. Especially because it ends just before the really good scenes like the meadow and the whole James thing. I was glad to get the 12 chapters she wrote and I am a bigger Edward fan than before (if that is possible), but I want more. A curse on the one who leaked it! So, how do the rest of you feel about it? If you haven't heard about the leak, you can find the link to the book at stepheniemeyer.com It is 265 pages long. I for one hope she can get past her disappointment enough one day to finish it. Midnight Sun was my favorite of the entire saga. We still have the movie to look forward to. I heard she used Midnight Sun to help inspire Rob Pattinson for his scenes. November 21st!!

Drive-in Fun

Tim made cars out of boxes with the girls on Saturday. They thought that was loads of fun. They have doors and headlights and everything on them. Then they watched a drive-in movie.

They all took a trip to Artic Circle in their cars to get ice cream. Then they played on the "playground" which was the couch. I'm glad the girls have a dad that is willing to play their pretend games with them. It endears me to him even more than I already am!