We Stand... at Arches

Back in September I was able to take a really special trip with a group of my young women. The leader I work with, Kim, arranged for us to go down to her stomping grounds in La Sal, Utah near Moab.

The theme of the youth programs of the Church this year is "Stand Ye in Holy Places and Be Not Moved." We have focused a lot on temples and family history work, but also on making anywhere you stand into a holy place. We are gearing up for our stake cultural event titled "We Stand: A Youth Celebration of Standing in Holy Places," and have been taking and sending in pictures of the young women standing in holy places. This trip was a wonderful tangible reminder to me that these beautiful young women want to be in holy places, and are so good at making their ground holy. They are amazing!!

We stayed overnight at Kim's parent's house and got up the next morning to do baptisms in the Monticello Temple.

I have been on youth trips to the temple, but this was the first time I was able to participate in baptisms with my girls. It was a sweet experience to be with them, dressed in white, and spend time in that peaceful place.

Temple grounds are so beautiful. After working on the Atlanta temple grounds I have a special place in my heart for them. No matter where they are (I have been to temples in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, California, Hawaii, and Georgia) they always feel the same. The spirit is strong and the grounds are well-kept and peaceful. It is obvious to me when I enter that I am in a holy place.

After our temple trip we headed up to Arches National Park. Lucky for us, we unknowingly beat the government shutdown by a week and were able to get in! We spent the afternoon hiking and exploring. 

Only half of our Mia Maids could come, but we loved spending time with them and getting to know them better. Pictured with me are Camille, Serena, Saydee, and Emma.

I am in awe of Mother Nature... it's amazing to see these arches in person! The red rock is so narrow in some places and so beautiful set against the bright blue sky. 

Of course we had to hike to the famous Delicate Arch, the one on Utah license plates! It was a hot 3 mile hike and we got literally sandblasted (we later found sand in every pore of our bodies!) but it was worth it to round the bend and see this:

You don't realize it, but the arch is actually standing in a large basin/bowl like area and you have to hike down in to get to it.

Once you get up there, it's a big drop off on all sides!

I absolutely love Kim and am so grateful to work with her. I have to admit, this was a refreshing trip for me to get away from home, have no worries, and spend time with fun people! (While I was away, Mike fed Jake 9 bottles and took care of all the kids for two full days, including getting Maddie to gymnastics and piano lessons. Super Dad!)

The last arch we visited was deemed the favorite. It is through some cool rock canyons and back in a shady, sandy little cove.  

When Kim told me she had climbed the arch when she was younger, I couldn't leave without accepting the challenge! The girls followed suit and we got some cool pictures.

I am so privileged to Stand in Holy Places with these amazing young women!

Fall is Fun!

We are still getting outside as much as we can! The weather has been fickle, but we take full advantage of the sunny days.

Last week I took the three little ones to a park for a picnic. They love the "Rainbow Park" (see slide in the background). I love it too because there is never anybody else there and we have full reign!

Ella's preschool class went on a field trip to the fire station and then a local farm. Ella surprised me and bravely help out some food to the goat.

The favorite was the bunnies. They are just so cute!

Ella got to pick a preschool pumpkin from the patch to decorate at home.

Tyler was in heaven (seriously) when I told him he could ride the train. He talked about it all day long!

Little Jake was a trooper and just viewed it all quietly in his little man sweater. Oooo he's so yummy.

The fall photo opportunities are amazing! Just put a pile of pumpkins together and it looks good. Tyler of course wanted to pick them up and throw them (boys really are wired differently!).

During fall break we tried to take our cousins back to the same farm, but after a full day of rain the day before it was too muddy. Our back-up plan was to try Cornbelly's, but when we saw the pricing we opted to just take pictures at the entrance. (Cheap, I know, but when you're planning on a $2 trip to the farm, $30 to fight the crowds just wasn't in the cards!)

It still looks like we had fun right? Actually, we ended up having a great time going back home and picking the rest of our own pumpkins, and sending some home with my nephews. The cousins just wanted to play together anyway, and you don't need money for that!

To really feel like fall we need to jump in some leaves. Maddie tried hard to get our handful in a pile yesterday, but it was just too windy. We might have to borrow a park or something to get our fix!

Jake's First Food!

I can hardly believe it, but here's how it happened... Jake ate some baby cereal!

He downed it, more easily than I remember any of my babies. He is so interested in what we're eating and getting grabby, so I knew he was ready!

We have a cute video of it but as usual blogger doesn't like it, so just imagine lots of siblings cheering him on! Don't you want to just hug that little man?

Conference Weekend

Oh how I love General Conference time! It is always a time of refreshment and feasting for the soul... and body! I have to admit good food makes it all the more enjoyable. I planned on making whole wheat pumpkin muffins for the Saturday morning session, so I turned on the wheat grinder and ran upstairs to finish something. I came back down a few minutes later to a white kitchen!!!

I had forgotten to put on an attachment inside the bowl of the grinder, and the flour dusted the whole room! I persevered and made the muffins anyway, and they were worth it.

In between sessions we went to a yummy sandwich shop and met my parents and Dana's cute family for lunch. What a treat! Conference always makes me nostalgic for my growing up years when my mom would tat lace while she listened or we would listen on the radio while we did our Saturday chores. I feel so grateful for good parents who raised us int he gospel.

I just love the time to be together as a family, curled up in blankets on the couch, with no more important place to be than there, listening to our prophet and chosen servants' inspired messages.

Saturday afternoon we worked on some housekeeping items, changing light bulbs and washing windows. The kids sure love that ladder... I think the best part was having Daddy home with nothing else competing for his attention!

Sunday we had to get creative to keep the kids occupied. Ty and Ella played with playdough while Maddie actually took really good notes! Later we built a fort in the living room.

In between sessions we went outside to soak in some sunshine. Ella loves to play spider with Daddy on the swings.

Then I got a turn with her and captured this happy face on the upswing!

Mommy's Monster got some energy out on the playset!

After conference Mike made good on a promise to teach the girls Monopoly! They played for hours that night and had so much fun! I was amazed at their grasp of it and enjoyed listening to them counting money, buying real estate, and charging rents.

While they played I finished our Sunday dinner that had been making my mouth water as it roasted all afternoon... there is no better smell in the world. When I was growing up this was my very favorite meal, and I think I have passed it on to the next generation! The pickled beets completed the time machine, taking me back twenty years in an instant.

As far as the spiritual feast, I have too many favorites talks to name... but one of my favorite quotes was from President Uchdorf, "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." I really appreciated all of the messages on keeping hope and faith through trials, and I needed some of the reminders on how to raise our family: keep your temper, read the scriptures to prevent strife, and LOOK UP!

Pumpkin Patch

It was time to pick the pumpkins and move them to the front porch. We planted a little bit late this year, but still got enough to make a festive display. I just love how the fall sunlight is so bright and makes the colors saturated. Such a beautiful time of year!

 Everyone had a turn cutting and carrying pumpkins to the wheelbarrow.

This one's heavy guys!

Baby Jake wasn't too interested but he was there too.

We tried growing giant pumpkins this year, but because we planted late we only got one. She's a beauty though!

 Daddy's pretty strong to carry that crew!

 

Maddie wanted to make a pumpkin snowman so we picked a green one for contrast. Pretty cute!

We also cut down our cornstalks and tied them up for the porch.

 

For some reason, I have been slow to warm up to fall this year... In the past it has been my very favorite season, but I think it was ruined last year by morning sickness, and the memory is still strong enough to taint my feelings about it. I think decorating for Halloween with the kids helped me to finally embrace it and be ready for it... although I wouldn't mind a few more Indian summer days!

It's just so hard to say goodbye to the yard when everything is in it's glory! The flowers are still going strong and the back lawn is finally getting thick and pretty. Hopefully we have a few more weeks to enjoy it!

Jake at 5 months

My oh my, where does the time go? This little man is getting big! I took the traditional monthly photo with the blue bear, which seems to be shrinking! :)

Little Jake is teething, so he likes to stick his tongue out! Its so cute, but it translates into lots of waking up from naps and nighttime sleep. I love most things about babyhood, but teething I could do without. 

I think this little guy is going to be a mover! He has learned to roll back to front now, and just a few days ago realized it's a method for travelling! I put him down with the elephant toy while I was making lunch, and looked up to find him magically a few feet away! He has also been rolling to his tummy in his bed, which makes him really mad because there's not much room to get to his back again. I guess he might have to learn to be a tummy sleeper!