1st Piano Recital

Maddie and Ella had their first real chance to show what they've learned in piano! Our neighbor Erin teaches piano and invited us to join her recital on Oct. 24th. The girls are so lucky to take lessons from their talented Grandma, however we don't have many performance opportunities, so this was appreciated.

I didn't take a picture during the group practice except of the boys getting their wiggles out outside. Maddie and Ella were able to play their pieces for the other students to prepare for the big night. And thank heavens we did a run through... Maddie was super brave and did great playing her pieces first, but Ella is my shy girl and she froze up. I took her outside to calm her down talk through it. I had the idea to compare it to jumping in the water at swimming lessons: it's super scary at first, but once you dive in, you have fun! She thought about that hard, and then we tried again. I had to help her push the first few keys, but then she went with it... and felt so happy when she was done!

The night of the performance went very well and I am so proud of my little piano students. Maddie played "Chant Arabe" (anon.) and "Turkish March" by Beethoven. Ella played "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet" (simplified and right hand) by Caroline Sheridan Norton, and "Three Black Cats," by Helen Marlais.

The trenches of piano lessons and practicing pay off big time on special nights like these. I am so impressed with how far they've come and how much they've learned already!

Fall Activities

We've done a few family activities of late, trying to get out and enjoy the fall weather.

Some friends of ours went on the Heber Creeper (Heber Valley Railroad) and we jumped on board and tried it too.

The idea behind it was fun... the kids were super excited about seeing and riding on a real train!

The excitement lasted about 30 minutes. It was fun to watch the landscape go by out the window, and Ty spotted 4 deer running closeby.

About halfway through the trip it got dark, everyone got hungry and tired, and everyone had to go potty simultaneously. That combined with staying seated in cramped quarters made for an interesting trip, but it was worth the memories!

Over fall break we stayed home and enjoyed a real break from the rat race of life. By Monday I thought the kids needed a fun outing, so we went to Gardener Village and enjoyed the Witch Hunt.

We found all of them and turned our papers in at the end for a discounted cookie. $1.45 round trip... now that's my kind of fun outing!

Our favorite fall tradition is BOO-ing! Our kids brought it up the 1st of October and wouldn't let us forget! So for family night we baked up some treats, donned our black gear, and BOO-ed some friends. The kids think it is so fun to run around in the dark, and at the last house they got their fair share of running! The neighbors came out to find the culprit and a chase ensued! Now we know who not to try next time... Or at least that we need a better get-away plan! ;)

Happy face, silly face...Good times.

F is for Fall

Ty's preschool theme last week was Fall! To go along with learning about leaves and the color orange, we went on a field trip to Evans Family Farm.

I love this place. It's local, adorable, and cheap! Preschoolers only pay $3.50 and get to ride the barrel train, see the animals, do the hay maze, play on the slides, and pick a pumpkin on the hay ride!

 Happy kids riding the barrel train.

They had bunnies, turkeys, chickens, goats, a donkey, a sheep, and a pig.

 The maze was a favorite. It kept my kids entertained for awhile, trying all the different ways to go.

Jake especially thought it was funny to take the dead ends.

The hayride! Jake know how to say tractor so he was really excited to ride behind one.

Ty found his pumpkin!

The whole group on the farm truck. What a great photo-op!

Jake snuck onto the mini tractor while I was talking to the other moms for a drive.

These kiddos have been really fun to teach, and Ty thinks of them as his best buds. Preschool has been a great success so far!

General Conference Weekend

We love General Conference weekend! The words are so inspiring, the time together on the couch is memorable, and the food is yummy. Plus the weather was gorgeous for the soccer games intermingled, so what more could we ask? The girls lamented on Sunday that it was already almost over, so I'm glad they enjoy it as much as I do.

Maddie and Ella spent most of their time like this, working on their Conference packet together. It kept them very happy, although they didn't listen as much as they have in the past because it was so fun! Might have to find a simpler idea next time.

We got the idea from a family in our Primary to start a new Fall conference tradition--pumpkin pie making during the Priesthood session. The kids each got to make their own and they thought it was so cool!
 

Silly kids patting out their dough.

Maddie pinched her edges very carefully.

Showing Daddy the work in progress when he got home.
 

And finally, the finished product! They take a long time to bake and cool, so the kids were up late to taste them. Then we saved the rest to chill for Sunday dinner.

 They thought it was so fun to eat their personal pan pies!

 Whipped cream mustaches!

Maddie's got the smolder down.

Sunday morning we got out our Halloween decorations and Ty entertained us with dress-ups.

The girls made Obedience Officer badges and committed to obey the commandments and recent reminders to follow the prophet and be peacemakers.

In between sessions on Sunday we had a picnic in the back yard.

Ty and Daddy love to snuggle.

I love my "Children of God." I am so happy that they know who they are and where they came from. After conference we discussed goals, and each of them came up with sweet things to work on. We asked them Elder Hales' question ("Do you remember the first time you knew God was real and could feel his love?") and we shared our experiences feeling the spirit. I am so thankful we have the gospel to help us raise righteous families, and such inspired leaders to give us guidance on our journey Home.