It's football season.... Yes I overheard that somewhere... I wouldn't know it otherwise but this is the best way I can think of to 'kick off' such a season!
Enjoy!

1995 -- Graduated from Ricks and moved to Cora WY, lived in a little house on the Ranch, added Caleb to make us a family. Bailey and Grandma came to visit for a month when Caleb was born.

1996 -- Moved to the house in Pinedale, WY, I ran a daycare from home and Patrick worked long hours in the cold. Channa came to visit and then we decided to take a trip to visit Texas so we left Pat to work and off we went for a month.

1997 -- Pat helped to work on restoring some of the pioneer trail monuments and ferry crossings in preparation for the sesquicentennial celebration. Sparky returned from his mission in France and joined us for a reenactment for one week along the pioneer trail. Pat built a handcart and Mum, Sparky, a friend of mums' Patti, Patrick, Caleb and I experienced the dusty trail.

1998 -- We moved to Salt Lake City, living in a townhouse in the Sugarhouse area. Channa came to live with us and try out SLC as well. Caleb and I hitched a ride with some friends to Victoria and spent the next 12 weeks traveling with Grandma... Hornby, driving to Utah, then Texas... then we actually took Pat with us on TWO trips... one weekend campout to Arizona and another long weekend trip to Northern California to a treehouse campout with John and the Japanrights.

1999 -- Bought our first house, Bailey was our first houseguest, added Sarah to our family. Grandma came for a few weeks after Sarah was born but had to leave for Texas because Tree was coming! We left Pat at home again and went to Hornby for a big Gathright Christmas.

2000 -- Channa was married in Sept. so again we had company from my family. Grandma, Grandpa, Jill and family, Eden, Sparky, and practically family Lorelei.. and of course they stayed at our house. Caleb suffered a head injury and we opted to home school that year...

2001 -- Miles blessed the family with big smiles and big worries. Grandma, Jill and Bailey came to help with Miles and Mackenzie's births. Patrick stayed home in Aug. while kids and I ventured off with Pierre to Sparky and Valerie's wedding.

2002 -- Grandma and Jill came to visit in March while we babysat Mackenzie as John and Channa finally went on their honeymoon to Cancun, Mexico.

2003 -- Patrick worked out of town almost the whole year but we got pregnant with Duncan somehow and had complications that put me in bed for 6 of the 9+ months... We played a lot of chess and watched a lot of movies. Caleb was baptized and then Duncan was born. Channa gave birth to Cooper so Duncan wouldn't be alone.

2004 -- Patrick had the chance to get a passport and use it with a working trip to Samoa to rebuild the Samoan Temple. We finally got a dog this year... Opus the beagle.

2005 -- Jim moved to Salt Lake City to be part of the mayhem... We added Derek to our mix in October.2006 -- I guess it wasn't a crazy enough life... so we invited any and all cousins between the ages of 6 and 15 to come to a Noble retreat! WHAT A SUMMER!! Then, both Bailey and Grandma came to visit in the late summer/early fall. I went to work at a charter school and the kids attended there as well... We sold our home and prepared to move over Christmas holidays.
2007 -- We moved into our new home during the coldest weather I've ever experienced since moving to SLC, and finished our year at the charter school with determination not to do that again!... We added two kitties to the family this year. Daddy went to work out of town again and stayed gone April to Dec... home for most weekends.. We renovated half the house and built an addition in the moments that he was home. Rhyanna and Marina were our first house guests in the summer and Grandpa spent Dec. and Christmas with us and baked up a storm.

2008 -- Grandma surprised us all with a New Year's Eve visit and stayed for January. So far we've had Pat out of town Jan. to May.. and then the kids and I took off for Texas for the month of June... we spent July going to the Ranch two times and then Valerie and the girls came to visit us for most of August! We've worked on our yard whenever time and weather permitted and we're looking forward to relaxing now that fall is around the corner and we only have to do school, work on the yard some more and generally keep very busy!... oh... and Pat's headed out of town again.....

Who knows what the future may hold ... but it is safe to assume that the guest bed will be well used... and we'll be going on more trips.... maybe even together for a change!

Sparky graciously loaned out his three girls for three weeks and we miss them. We loved having them and all have fond memories of their visit. We do hope that he will accompany them next visit though. I asked for some input for this blog just to shake things up a bit and we'll see if that happens again!! Favourite Memories of Alyssa are:

Patrick -- waiting for Opus at the doggy door

Nova -- anytime she'd let me hold her instead of Sarah. I loved that she had a special blanket and bear and how excited she was when she found them...(they were lost a few times)

Caleb -- had to close the hatch on the stairs until she learned to climb up and down the stairs

Sarah -- She was really cute, she was very light to carry, she's fun to play with

Miles -- I liked to play with her

Duncan -- playing bouncy balls with her because she likes me

Mackenzie -- playing with her downstairs with the cell phone that flips open and talks

Cooper -- I played on the swing very gentle with her

Derek -- she goed up and down da stairs.
Favourite Memories of Audrey are:

Patrick -- her talking very matter of fact about her garden and her home in San Diego

Nova -- how excited she was about playing the behaviour game, how much more fun it was for
Duncan to unload the dishwasher with Audrey than it was to have to do it alone, how fun it was to spoil her, knowing I was getting away with stuff when I bought her a slurpee!

Caleb -- making our bugs for the library

Sarah -- sleeping in the tent, saving the baby bird

Miles -- Swimming in the sand box (if that doesn't make sense... read post entitled, A day at the beach)

Duncan -- dig in the sandbox, and playing in the house and going in the bunny cage with Elowen and me, and I liked the singing at bedtime

Mackenzie -- sandbox with the pool ... it was fun

Cooper -- She says please lots

Derek -- she yikes yummy snacks
Favourite Memories of Valerie are:

Patrick -- she sure was dedicated to doing those Family Home Evening kits.

Nova -- fhe kits, olympics, too many late nights, discussing patriotism with Amber, reading Janet's blog, cursing, Janet, stalking Janet, forgiving Janet (all whilst not having any communication with Janet), homeschooling conference, library bike ride, and so much more, so glad she came!

Caleb -- when she was babysitting, cause she is fun, she is one of my favourite aunts!

Sarah -- she let me hold Alyssa lots, and when she brought us little surprises

Miles -- helped me make a milkshake, and she read lots of stories to me

Duncan -- Valerie didn't have a cup with her name on it yet but now she does

Mackenzie -- watched a movie with her.. can't remember what it was called

Cooper -- she is in charge of both of them (referring to Audrey and Alyssa)

Derek -- she goed nova's house.

We started to ask about Sparky but everyone gave a similar response so I gave up... besides... his photos in a pink border might have looked silly....
Oh... they all said... he talks on the phone a lot!

On the final night before Valerie and the girls left, we decided to do a cookout in the backyard. Audrey was so excited. Patrick who arrived home late and exhausted from work, was bombarded when he came in the door, so that he would light the campfire so we could roast marshmallows. Forget that we had to cook the dinner first... forget that the temp. outside was over 90..... forget that it would take a while after he lit the fire for it to be ready to cook on... learning patience was a lesson for a different day.

It was dark outside when we were ready to finally cook.... (good thing there isn't really a bedtime on the last night of a vacation). The kids found plenty to keep themselves busy with while they waited for the dinner to be pronounced 'done'. Tetherball didn't last long but climbing the pole was a real accomplishment! Alyssa took a nighttime romp on the trampoline... she didn't really care about the campfire... she was glad to be up late and outside jumping. Our foil dinners were done rather quickly and they were oh so yummy. The kids roasted a few marshmallows and Patrick made our desserts in his campfire sandwich cookers... s'mores don't stand a chance to the dessert sandwiches! mmmmm!!

The day Valerie and the girls left we caught a photo of Grandma with all the grandchildren here at the time... 10 of them.... and it's only half!Duncan, Marina, Caleb, Miles, Derek, Cooper, Mackenzie, Audrey, Sarah and Alyssa


Obviously we didn't expect to catch them all looking at the camera or smiling for that matter!
Derek was done with sitting, Audrey was heartbroken about leaving, Alyssa could see mummy, Cooper had just been reunited with his stuffed Rat "Cheese" after he'd left it at my house for a few days and the others just wanted to have the photo over with!
But we took it anyway!

Four Cousins born between Sept. 2003 and June 2004, Duncan, Cooper, Audrey and Sadie!


In August 2003... the pregnant bellies... Expected were two first babies(Eden and Valerie), a second baby but first boy(Channa), and a fourth baby and third boy(Me, the veteran). All wildly anticipated!...
But We ALL MISSED SADIE! Cooper is the only one of the bunch that has even met her!

Summer isn't complete without a freezie break... I know... no one here calls them freezies except Channa and I. Whatever you want to call them.. 'otter pops', 'popsicles', 'freezie pops', 'icies', they are a frozen delight on a hot summer day! I think we are finally past the please wrap it in a cloth because it is too cold to hold it stage! And they are all old enough to hold it tight to melt it down themselves so I don't have to get numb hands anymore! BUT OH WOE!!! They still don't have the best flavor here in the states... The old white ones from the corner store will be a memory of our childhood we just can't pass on!

Thanks to Grandpa BC we had somewhere to go to cool off this summer! His apartment pool is just the right size. And it didn't seem to really be crowded. Cooper and Derek overcame some fears of the water as soon as they realized it was actually fun! Duncan did his typical 'don't worry about me.. I just water walk wherever I please' . Miles and Duncan took on snorkeling with a vengeance this year! We'll have to get more snorkels and masks by next year... Kenzie and Sarah were giggly fish all summer. We sometimes had the pool completely to ourselves but sometimes we brought extra mayhem with us having friends come too. Channa found some cool pool water squirters. Derek could be heard over all the din "Don't squirt Derek!"

A quiet afternoon tea at Elowen's house. Duncan has become very good at being a fairy with Elowen and Audrey and tea time was delightful! (most of the time, apparently he had too much tea and couldn't finish... but a gentleman fairy doesn't complain... they just make sulky faces)

Valerie made plans to go to one day of BYU Education week with her sister and I agreed to 'babysit' the kids. I was scheming already what fun things can I squeeze into this day! She left giving us instructions such as ... breakfast, and naptime.... I shooed her out the door and then started giving totally different instructions to the kids... They were a little confused but when I said put your swimsuits on and lather on the sunscreen... they didn't question my instructions...
We met up with Channa and her neighbour at Liberty Park. I had told Channa that they have a water feature for kids to play in that was really fun and we could meet there and then go for a picnic and be home before Valerie.

When we arrived at the park we parked next to Channa's van and started to walk into the park. Liberty park IS HUGE! So huge in fact that we walked past a playground or what I thought was just a playground and there was Channa and her gang playing in a water park in the middle of the playground!... I was very surprised... She was so glad I suggested it this is a lot of fun... but but.. this isn't the water park I was suggesting!... apparently there are two totally different water parks at Liberty Park! So we played for a while here at 'Channa's liberty water park' and then we packed everyone up to go check out 'my liberty water park'. Good thing Channa found one ... mine was closed for maintenance! We'll have to go back another day... mine is so much fun... and I want Patrick to see it.. maybe he can adapt one like it for the back yard.... he needs another project to work on....

We headed off for the free picnic in liberty park... offered for kids all summer long... and ate next to yet another park... although no water at this one! After we ate we headed back to the functioning water park for a little cool down. Liberty park is definitely going to need some further exploration... we didn't even know about the music park at the park or the tennis courts, or horseshoe pits... or the full swimming pool or the amusement park with ferris wheel!!!... we did know about the bird aviary and feeding the ducks though. It was fun for all but knowing that I was not heeding any of Valerie's instructions about a good nap for Alyssa who by the way was a perfect angel!, we headed home.

I had lots of exhausted sleepers in the car when I pulled into the driveway. Alyssa transferred beautifully and had a great nap. If it hadn't been that we had had a great time and everyone wanted to talk about it, Valerie might not have been any the wiser!!!

Grandma has been on quite an adventure. A story or series of stories for her to tell, but her adventure brought her through Utah however briefly. She has been traveling with Great Uncle Lloyd Gathright and his wife Muriel. The three of them in a small motor home for a month searching through cemeteries and record offices across the mid west and the south. They uncovered many a family history mystery and I'm sure we'll all learn of their discoveries in due time.

Although we only saw Lloyd for a brief moment as he left Grandma here so she could catch her return flight home it was delightful to meet him and thank him for caring for Grandma for us! A pleasant man with an obvious passion for living life to the fullest. At 91 he has learned so much and is still a kickin'!

We didn't have time to take Audrey to the ranch to experience farm animals but we could get to Wheeler Farm. We went early in the morning so we wouldn't disturb Alyssa's nap. The animals were all still being fed and were alert for us. In all the times I 've been to Wheeler farm I hadn't ever seen rats before... but they had some this day. The kids thought they were in a pen and part of the attraction of the farm... They were certainly relaxed and not afraid of us at all. We referred to all of them as Templeton.
Another highlight was the tractors we found parked at the farm. Audrey was going to figure out how it worked and Derek was concerned that the yellow one has a hole in it. Everyone had a go on all three of the tractors... Future FFA members?? or as you see below... a blast from the past...before kids needed playgrounds....

This year's summer reading program theme was 'Get the Reading Bug'! As one of the activities the library gave out a small styrofoam oval and the instructions to build a bug using this oval and your imaginataion and whatever you felt inspired to use!... SO WE DID!

Saturday morning while Daddy was home we all sat down and built bugs... did we have anything more pressing to do (yard work, housework, three lessons to prepare for church the next day, laundry to do so Daddy could go out of town next week...)... I guess not because we spent the whole morning building bugs!
I guess we built memories too! It was a lot of fun and the bugs turned out great!



Audrey and her Butterfly


Caleb and Miles Shoulder with their joint Fly(Miles) caught on a Spider's Web(Caleb)


Duncan and his Ladybug


Sarah and her Dragonfly (daddy did help a bit)....
but she googled dragonfly and made sure that what they were building was fairly accurate!


The creative minds at work

While not actually at the beach, since Utah is technically landlocked but when your cousins who live near the beach come to visit I guess you say they brought the beach to us!!! We already had a large sandpit in the backyard... actually about all we have so far but I digress... and now we have a beach... Someone had a brilliant idea to turn on the hose and put it at the top of the slide and let it flood the sandpit while everyone dug fast and furious in the sand to make a hole for it to pool in. And then they all played in it!..


Kids viewing it as a great sandpit/beach fun day.. and Mummy thinking of it as the world's largest mud pie factory... and madly thinking of a way to rinse off outside and not in the house!

This was all Audrey and Duncan wanted to do for about three days straight.. the older kids joined them off and on but these two remained constant beach players!

Children everywhere universally struggle to close doors! Our house is no exception! So with all the children in and out of our house(17 yesterday) the door is frequently in an open position! Really the problem isn't that children keep getting in or our but that BUGS keep getting in... (Rarely out)

We've been getting creative about teaching the children to close the door! We had the children draw pictures of bugs and put them on the door as a way to remind them why we need to close the door... I hung some plastic bugs from a thread in the doorway so that they would walk into them and that might remind them that we want the door closed!

However these things didn't work. Instead... the kids leave the door open and play with the hanging plastic bugs!

I had to run to the dollar store in the morning and Audrey and Duncan went along for the ride. I learned a lot from these two 4-yr old companions in a dollar store.

Audrey: Nova, we need to get this flyswatter. We can get rid of the bugs that are in the house now.

Nova: I don't see why not. (thinking that is is only fair they should take care of the bugs they were letting in!)

Duncan: I want a red one.

They carried their pretty flyswatters around while I finished shopping and then we went to check out. (and they are pretty with big flowers on one side)

Checkout Lady: You must have some flys at home.

Audrey: yes they keep coming in when the door is open, so now we have to get them with flyswatters.

Duncan: We made some signs on the door, but the bugs can't read and they keep coming in.


If only I had known it wasn't the children who can't close doors that is causing the problem... but all the pesky illiterate bugs we have here!

I have been begging for chickens for some time now. Patrick adamantly saying "No"... or "mmm, with dumplings", "fried", "BBQ'd"... he's like Bubba from Forest Gump about the shrimp... I think Patrick could go on for days with how he'd like his chicken prepared!
We both had chickens growing up. I view the ladies as egg laying, compost eating friends and Patrick views the fowls as a really gross asphyxiating spring time chore with daily feeding and collecting in between. I always win because deep down, Patrick must love me! I began to read about the benefits of using chickens as a more natural, organic if you may, alternative to pesticides near fruit trees. I had to have them now... and I mean NOW!!!

We brought a dozen day old chicks home with us from Texas... (I know not the sort of thing you here from, well anyone) Patrick who has been against the acquisition of chicks from the beginning was only surprised that I brought them from Texas not that we finally just brought some home. However I am conceding here and now that (in this instance) he was right. We weren't ready to have chickens. We are trying to finish the backyard and the interior of the house and now we have to stop and make a chicken home!... So we temporarily housed them in the old rabbit cage and all was well. But I am impatient and couldn't wait to see the ladies scratching around and earning their keep under the apple trees. So I convinced Patrick to build the run and that the coop could actually wait. And he did... but I only gave him an hour before I started to move the chickens in and we sat and watched our chickens enjoy their newfound freedom.

I trust my cats and dog... perhaps too well. By the time we'd moved all the chickens into the run we realized that kitties can scale a fence and stalk a chicken even in our presence!... ahhh... so we watched... they seemed merely curious... I guess these birds are out of their league... We felt safe to let the ladies be while we went on with our day. I received frequent updates on the chickens from the kids so I was feeling pretty smug about my impatience until "Opus is in the cage with the chickens!"

We all ran out to check on the situation... I wish now I'd brought out my camera. Opus has taken it upon herself to be a chicken herding dog. She has no desire (well she is a dog after all...) to eat the chickens just to keep them together in a group in one corner of their new run... Forget that we built it 100' long and want them to use the entire length. Opus was VERY good at her self-imposed job. We needed to reinforce the bottom of the fence so she couldn't push her way in anymore. Caleb and I were so pleased with our work.

We woke up the next morning to a mystery.... One chicken was completely missing, Opus was inside the run obviously frustrated with one wounded chicken that wasn't cooperating by joining the group.... cound it have anything to do with the missing chunk of her wing?... Opus was in the wrong place at the wrong time!... We moved all the remaining chickens to the rabbit cage... doctored the wounded chicken, scolded Opus, and searched to no avail for the missing chicken... Not even any sign of a struggle! So we were down to 10 1/2 chickens and a not functioning too well coop! Caleb and I weren't wanting to admit to being the ones who had reinforced the fence anymore.

We left the chickens penned up in the rabbit cage for the next 2 1/2 weeks while we took two trips to Wyoming and generally became too busy to deal with the chickens.
Then Marina came to town and Uncle Jim who had worked all night arrived in the morning for breakfast with an announcement. He had just seen Opus running down the road with a chicken in her mouth. "WHAT?" She took her job VERY seriously! She indeed had a very scared but otherwise unharmed chicken #12 in her mouth and had brought it home.

It had been a few weeks since I had been impatient... so I suggested we move the chickens out to the run again and see how they fared. At the end of the day we have a wounded chicken in a separate cage, and 9 chickens back in the rabbit cage and the other two no longer exist! No one saw what happened but Opus was in the run and the chickens who weren't in the close knit group were herded a little too roughly.... I don't know what will happen next.

It's hard to believe that all this happened two years ago!! What a blast!! We miss you guys!!