Yeehaws at Hee Haw's

 We made our annual fall visit to Hee Haw's in Pleasant Grove. We know the people who own it and like to support them, and it's always fun if we run into someone we know there. This was S's third time going there and she's enjoyed it more each time she's gone (strangely enough, ha!). There are lots of things to do and we all enjoyed our time there. S did not want to go down the big slide this time, though, which surprised me. She also really did not like watching the big huge pumpkins being dropped on cars or refrigerators :) Oh well!

S and Daddy 

She loved the tractors

Relaxing in the corn box

Pony ride

Momma, is that your cow face?

Happy times!

This hole is really for a bean bag toss, but
we took a picture of her peeking out of it her
first year and now we need a picture each time
we go!

She loved the animal train and even went on it
by herself. She didn't like the noise, though :p

Tractor swings

Hayride

There was a spectacular sunset that night. Gorgeous!

Spudnuts

We've got spudnuts! My mom often used to make spudnuts (a type of doughnut that has mashed potatoes in it) in the fall. Since she now lives nearby I thought it would be fun to get together with my mom and sisters who live nearby to make spudnuts this year. It also helps to have plenty of hands because the recipe makes a lot of doughnuts. 

I made the dough and started letting it raise and then Mom came, then Lori, then my sister, Cheryl, with her daughters and their children. It was a lot of fun! We made 124 doughnuts plus a couple dozen doughnut holes. We had a pretty good system going. It was still plenty of work, but it was fun doing it together. Plus, we each had a good amount of doughnuts to enjoy afterwards (not to mention while we were in the process =).

Mom, Lori, and S with the spudnuts.
Some of the spudnuts are on another table
and Cheryl had taken some home with
her by this point, too.

Me, Mom, Lori (I looked pretty awful that day)

They can be too hard to resist!

A trip to Idahon't know where

My nephew, Carl, left yesterday for the Dominican Republic to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This is the faith I've been raised in and which I continue to embrace. Carl spoke in church on Sunday and we drove up to hear him and to say goodbye.

Thanks to an 80mph speed limit, the trip wasn't too long. We stayed in a hotel next to my parents and sister, who also drove up. It was good to see where my sister Janet, Carl's mom, lives and to spend time with family. S got to play with her cousin just 4 months younger than she is. They had fun. She also had a great time playing with my sister Lynda.

Carl gave a good talk. I'm glad I could see him before he left. I feel a little nervous for him leaving, but I know the Lord will protect and watch over him. I'm excited for him to have the amazing experience of a mission. It makes you grow and stretch a ton in a relatively short time. He'll be a great missionary.

S and her cousin

Silly girls!

Playing with Aunt Lynda

Janet & Carl

On the way home we stopped at Nathan's sister's house to see his niece Lydia. She is also going on a mission and spoke in church the same day. We missed her talk, but wanted to still show our love and support for her.

This is the gorgeous tree in the backyard!

Celebrate good times...Come On!!

We had lots to celebrate with our 6th anniversary and then S's 3rd birthday! We spent the weekend at a Park City resort. Nathan's sister watched S the first night and then we picked her up and spent the next night there together. We had a nice weekend.

Nathan introduced me to Ruth's Chris, an amazing steakhouse. Nathan developed a taste for great steak when he worked for a company that often took their employees out to eat at nice restaurants. He has since passed this on to me. He loves a rare steak, but medium rare is as far as I go (still a big change from well done, which is what I used to order!). I don't like eating steak as often as he does, but I like a great steak every once in a while. ALL of the food at Ruth's Chris was a-maz-ing! It's not a low-cost meal, either, but you get great food! I love blue cheese on my steak and the blue cheese crust there was to-die-for! I also loved the crusty sourdough bread and the creamy lemon-basil dressing on my salad. Anyway...we like to celebrate our anniversary by going out to a nice place to eat. Ruth's Chris did not disappoint!

We had a nice evening in Park City and the next day went to pick up S. I was worried about her sleeping over at someone else's home for the first time, but she had no trouble. I was so glad! One of her cousins braided her hair and one of them painted her fingernails. She also played outside and with their dollhouse. She hardly noticed when we left and hardly cared when we returned =( But I am glad she was happy and had a great time.

We shopped for a while at the outlet mall and found some shoes for Nathan and some bright pink, sparkly boots for S (very much an impulse buy!). Then we spent some time in the pool and explored the resort. Then we had dinner there and relaxed the rest of the night in our room.

The next day was S’s 3^rd birthday!! She’s been excited about it for so long. We gave her a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before we left that morning and when we got home she found a new play kitchen in her room. That evening we had grandparents and my sister over for cake and ice cream and she got to open more gifts (I think it’s time to pack up some of her older toys!). She had a great day!

Pretty hair

Our cheezer in the pool. This is how she
smiles for the camera now.

Happy Birthday Crazy-Haired Girl!

A NEW kitchen!

Birthday blow-out! She wanted a Daniel
Tiger cake again this year

A princess MUST have her umbrella =)

Our little family

I am so grateful for Nathan and S in my life. They bring so much happiness to me! I know that happiness is found in family life!

Fall fun

We love to take a drive up into the mountains every fall to see the changing colors. This is such a beautiful time of year! It's taken me a while to come to appreciate fall because where I grew up, it just got cold all of a sudden. It wasn't really a gradual change. I also sort of dread what comes after fall. But, I'm learning to appreciate more and more the cooler temperatures and the gradual change. It's not hard to appreciate the gorgeous colors--so beautiful!

We drove up to Wasatch Mountain State Park, by Midway. This is where we went last year, too. It's not as busy as the Alpine Loop. I loved it. My favorite view, however, is heading West down into Provo canyon. It's just breathtaking with the golds, oranges, and reds mixed with the tall pine trees, all lining the towering walls of the canyon. It just makes me grateful for the beauties of the earth!

Mommy, it's too bright!!!

Love it!

Aahh, that's better :)

Some friends invited us over one evening for a hot dog roast. Their family has some property in the city that isn't developed. It's an isolated, cozy spot and seemed to contribute to the coziness of the evening, with roasting hot dogs and then marshmallows over the fire. We had a great time and are so grateful for the good friends we've made here.

S loved the swing

Pretty cozy, no? Gathering around a campfire with
friends and family is one of my favorite things ever!

The picture doesn't do it justice, but the moonlight
through the trees was just beautiful!