These are the Days!

It's been a good fall. The first week of October I had one last outpatient surgery so my Mom came to stay with us for the month to help with the heavy lifting.  A few days after surgery Leslie and I played hooky and went to this fun Breast Cancer Survivors luncheon, featuring Ann Romney as the main speaker.  It was cool to be there with all those other ladies and also to meet Ann--a celebrity I had actually wanted to meet for some time because I admire her as a person.


 We all got a free copy of her cookbook.  I already had one, so Leslie can take her autographed copy to college.

This is my friend and mentor Dedee.  She has about a year's growth on me.

 I recovered pretty quickly and felt great by fall break, so we were able to have a little getaway to Vernal and do some hiking and sightseeing.  Since Mom came with us we were able to take a few family pictures (just on my phone).  These are at the Vernal Temple.





 Leslie is Mom's eldest granddaughter.





 Grandma is a bad influence.  Rosie's first ice cream cone.



 Boston entertaining himself in the car.  Rosie also thought he was entertaining, so we all appreciated it.
 Speaking of bad influence, when these boys were oh so tired and whiney on the hike back from the dinosaur tracks at Red Fleet, Mom (I think) suggested that they would not be so hot and sweaty if they took their shirts off.   It worked like a charm.  Magically recovered, they ran almost all the way back to the car.
 We also explored Flaming Gorge Dam.  Leslie tends to get carsick and can't read or look at her phone during the ride, so she's enjoying her novel here in the last bit of fall sunshine while the kiddos spotted fish and threw rocks.  Gorgeous water.  They were pretty spooked to see the other side of the dam and just how tall the dam was.


 Macy and Luke at Dinosaur National Monument's visitor center.

 Since Mom was here to watch the baby, we decided that it was important for Mark and I to go watch Leslie's last marching band competition at State in St. George.  It was kind of a last minute decision and she didn't know we were coming, so I took this picture as we were getting out of the car to text to her--"Have you used your friend finder (app for tracking each other) lately?  'Cause you've gotta friend in me!!"
She was stoked.  Thanks a ton to Aunt Di Day in Fillmore for bringing her a lunch feast on practice day and to Aunt Patti and Uncle Gib in St. George for coming to watch and letting us crash at their place!

 Here she is back corner.
While we were in St. George, Grandma whipped out the sewing machine and made this rose costume for Rosie!  So spoiled!



At the award ceremony they had all the bands in blocks on the field, at attention.  It was pretty impressive to look at, but kind of a downer because the kids couldn't celebrate at all as their schools were announced.  Leslie's band was reigning champion but took second to Lehi and their Peter Pan show.
Here is a link to the show.  Look for the tallest flute.  The battle scene is pretty cool.


Leslie and her flute friends.  They all enjoyed not wearing their hats (pardon, Shakos), this year.
This was also the first year in a few that Leslie has been home for Halloween.
 No, that's not Leslie, that's Luke in the Halloween parade.  Here's Leslie.
 Lots of people thought she had whacked her hair.  I think this old chemo wig is going to have a good life in the Halloween box.

Here some of us are.  Cooper is the mysterious man in blue.  Rosie didn't like him.

 Boston got to go to a Halloween pizza party with his buddies.
 This wasn't Halloween, but it was a fun fall Mother Daughter activity.  I even sort of remembered how to do the Boot Scootin' Boogie.

 Leslie has been living a bit of a whirlwind.  After state band, she left for a weeklong trip to D.C. hosted by her government teacher.  She had a blast and we were so excited for her to go.  That kind of learning is like drinking through a firehose. 
 Now we know what she'll do first when she moves out next year.
 This is part of the Berlin wall.
 I hadn't seen this monument when I was there a couple times in high school.  This is part of the FDR memorial.

Mt. Vernon.

 She also went to Sadie Hawkins with her friend Parker.  They did a crazy utensil lasagna dinner at our house (Leslie makes her own lasagna)  The theme was Rock, so all these clean cut kids were dressed in black, and a few of them had dyed their hair or maybe even had a fake piercing.  I wouldn't have wanted to meet up with this bunch in a dark alley.

Mom uncovered this fun picture of my Dad on his mission in Oregon.  He won a basketball spinning contest among the elders.  A few years ago he lost that fingertip in an accident and was chagrined that he could not longer maintain the spin.  Well Dad, happy resurrection to you!  Boston got to teach a lesson in church to his peers a few weeks ago and discussed the significance of this photo.

 I think Luke had been admiring that picture of his Papa (I put it on the wall) with the sweater vest INSIDE the jacket.  He was pretty bugged that I made him switch his outfit around.
 Boston dove into the sandbox while we were gone and landed on the sharp edge of the old Blue Thunder steering wheel I keep buried out there for the kids to play on.  Leslie got him cleaned up and had our neighbor nurse assess the damage.  We came home early from our date and Mark took him to get stitches.  Leslie is threatening to never babysit again--the time before that Cooper smacked his foot against the wall and needed an xray.
 I'm enjoying the short hair.  Usually I wear it Pixie style (I love me some Audrey Hepburn) but this day I was feeling a little bit sassy.  Lots of people have asked if I'm going to keep it short, and my reply is that I'm going to grow it until I don't like it and then I'll probably go back to short.  I don't think I'll go long again--I'll let my girls do that.
 One warm day Rosie and I went and laid in the leaves.  First time at this house that our tree was big enough to make a leaf pile.

My friend clued me into the Christmas tree tip that all 4th graders can get a free permit, so I talked Mark and our friends the Moore's (who have a truck) to brave the woods once more (Mark had sworn off cutting a tree ever again.)  He loves me.  So nice to have a Montana style tree that goes all the way to the ceiling.