Here are some highlights from the 4th week of September.
The kids had a short week with a half-day Thursday and no school Friday for parent-teacher conferences. Ironically, it lined up perfectly with the start of the deer hunt on Wednesday. Steve had meetings with all the boys' teachers, and it was wonderful to hear so much positive feedback about them.
Hudson and Nyles w/ firewood ready to sale. Getting closer to our cruise!
On Wednesday afternoon, Steve picked up the boys a little early from school right after work. Once they got home, I helped them finish loading up the rest of the gear for their deer hunting trip. Rob drove up right behind them, and Zach met them all up at the camp. Once they got up there, they finished setting up and had dinner. Nyles went out looking for deer w/ Zach. Rob, Nyles, and Steve had deer tags this time for the muzzleloader hunt.
Zach had his tent, Rob had his new trailer, and Steve and the boys had our camper.
Just after they went to bed, Hudson woke up at 11:30 PM and started throwing up. Steve said it happened several times throughout the night, leaving both of them completely exhausted. Despite the lack of sleep, Steve still managed to get his deer the next day! On his way back into camp, he spotted several deer and went back to show Carter. He grabbed his gun—which only had a single bullet left in it—not expecting to find any bucks in the herd. But as luck would have it, a buck appeared, Steve took his shot, and he got it!
Steve's deer he shot.
Poor Hudson was still pretty tired from the night before.
Steve and the boys up on the hillside.
The boys got hungry, so Steve cooked up a Mountainhouse Meal for them really quick.
They then worked hard to get a deer for Rob or Nyles.
Beautiful landscape.
They went all over looking for a buck, but mostly just found does.
Saturday afternoon, Nyles actually shot a buck, but unfortunately it ran away. They tried to hunt it down for over 2 hours, but never found it. At one point, they did find a moose though. :)
I worked in the office all week! Since the boys were gone, I finally caught up on laundry, dishes, and cleaning. I also started taking walks after work while listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks. I actually started them just a couple of weeks ago and am already on the fifth book—they are so good!
The boys got home late Saturday night. After showering, we all went to bed. They were thankful to be home, and I was thankful they were home! They had a great time though.
Sunday afternoon, we went over to Pauline's house to celebrate Lincoln's 7th birthday coming up on October 1st. We sang Happy Birthday to him. Pauline made him a cat cake :)
Here are some highlights from the 3rd week of September.
On Wednesday, Nyles, Steve, and the rest of the YM/YW took the tram at Snowbird.
Steve said it was really foggy up at the top. Group picture up at the top: Steve, Scott Ellis, Rich Mitchell, Emily and Bode Jensen, Josh, Kyle and Cameron Moreton, Nyles, Kaitlyn Moreton, Brad and Jacob Hamilton, Tristan Bernard, Oliver Hunter, Sophie Anderson, Natalie Marston, Ryder Anderson, Malece Marston, and Misty Anderson.
After getting to the top, they took the trail we did, down to the tunnel. Unfortunately, many turned around and went back down the tram. Some said they weren't feeling well.
Steve continued down and back w/ the rest of the group.
Getting a snack after the hike.
On Friday, I took Carter and Hudson to school (Steve left earlier for work). I then went into the gym to watch Hudson get his Student of the Week award. Hudson was so excited to get his award!
Carter's teacher, Mr. Lowe, allowed Carter to come watch Hudson get his award. Hudson was excited to see him! Kind words about Hudson from his teacher Mrs. Sullivan.
Nyles put in a new light on the side of the house (with a little help from Steve).
Some fun AI pictures of the boys in the 80s. :)
Saturday morning, Steve took Nyles and his friend Lincoln out duck hunting on the Youth Waterfowl opener. They left at 3:30 in the morning to get out to Farmington Bay.
Thankfully, they got a few ducks.
While they were gone, I dropped Hudson off at his friend Porter's birthday party.
I then took Carter up to Murray to take another ice skating lesson.
After we were all home, the boys played w/ the Evans boys. Tate bit his tongue while jumping on the trampoline, so I gave him some ice cream to make it feel better (we didn't have Popsicles). Then the rest of the boys got Creamies.
Beau, Carter and Taft Evans. Nyles on the swing, and Tate and Hudson on the slide taking a break.
Right after church on Sunday, we hitched up the camper to scout out a deer hunting spot. We lucked out and found a great location, so we got camp all set up. The plan was to leave the camper, then Steve and the boys would come back on Wednesday for the start of the deer hunt (muzzle loader). Steve, Nyles, and Rob all had deer tags this year. Zack was also going to come up to help since he didn't have a tag this year.
Beautiful location up in the mountains.
"Camp" all set up. Plenty of space of Rob and Zack to come up later.
Here are some highlights from the 2nd week of September.
On Monday, September 7th, it was Labor Day so we all had the day off. It was also my mom's birthday! Steve and the boys left in the morning to go to Diane's house and take a run to the dump. On their way we did a 3 way call to my mom to wish her a Happy Birthday!
Diane's house just about ready to list!
After the boys got home, Steve cut wood and the boys stacked it.
Since we had the wood out, the boys wanted to have a fire and do s'mores.
Steve let the boys try starting a fire by lint and a steel stick.
The next day, someone asked for a large load of firewood, unbundled. Steve and the boys stacked the wood on the retaining wall then helped the customer load it in his truck.
Pretty flowers in bloom in the front yard.
Thursday evening we went over to Draper Park. They had fire and safety booths.
The boys got free bike helmets and other free swag.
I worked in the office this week. The SLC Temple is coming along, and we got tickets for the open house next year. It'll be awesome to see the changes.
Carter also got an award at school for being a great example in his classroom.
Steve was able to step out from cooking and see Carter get his award. Go Carter!
On Friday evening, September 11th, we drove up to the cabin to help Dave load some things from the garage. Along the way, we stopped in Heber to grab Cafe Rio for dinner. While driving through town, we saw a massive American flag suspended over the road, hanging in honor of the 25th anniversary of September 11th. It is hard to believe it has already been 25 years. I was just starting my senior year of high school when it happened. I distinctly remember being in seminary when we first heard the news, and we spent the rest of the day watching the devastating events unfold, including the moment the second tower was hit. It is truly a day none of us will ever forget.
The American Flag in Heber. The boys up at the cabin w/ their airsoft guns.
We brought Piper up as well and Rob met us up there a little while later. Piper smelt something in the firepit and kept going back to check it out. We also had a bat fly into the garage. Nyles was 2 when Steve and I helped put in the cement stairs/walkway. The cabin is under contract now and is supposed to close/be sold by October. It'll be sad to not have it anymore.
After loading up the flatbed trailer with gear from the garage, we headed inside to play a game and pop some popcorn. While we were playing, Nyles mentioned he wanted to go to the Youth Waterfowl Festival the next morning. We talked it over and decided it would be better to head back tonight so we wouldn't have to wake up so early. We packed everything up, hit the road, and finally rolled into the driveway just after midnight.
Cute Piper. Playing a game. The boys all fell asleep on the way home as it was late.
Steve and Nyles drove up to Farmington Bay for the Youth Waterfowl Festival.
Phill and Conor met them there. Nyles and Conor each won door prizes!
While they were gone, Carter and Hudson walked over to the church at 9am to practice for the Primary Program. When they got back, we took Carter up to Murray for his first ice skating lesson.
Carter learning to ice skate. He wants to play hockey after he's good on skates.
On Sunday morning, Carter and Hudson participated in our ward's Primary Program. We were so grateful to have Dave, Joann, and Diane there in person, and my parents watching via the broadcast. Thank you all so much for your love and support; it means a great deal to our family.
The boys did a wonderful job singing and sharing their talks. There was a beautiful, strong Spirit in the chapel, and the truth of their words was deeply felt. Because our ward was one of the first to hold its program, my upcoming Sundays will be spent visiting other wards for their programs as part of my calling in the Stake Primary. The children are so precious, and it is a privilege to feel the Spirit they bring.
Our Primary kids (Left to Right): Ray Cowley, Suzie Hunter, Timbo Marcinowski, Hudson, Beau and Clay Evans, Carter, Ethan Gatherum (tallest in the back), Tate Evans, and Archie Barton (front).
A girl finally moved into our ward ;)
Sunday evening we went over to Dave/Joann's place to have dinner w/ them and Diane. Steve smoked a beef roast. I made some breadsticks to do w/ it, and some Pumpkin Gingerbread for dessert. We played a few rounds of Apples to Apples Jr. after dinner. It was a fun evening.
On Monday, August 31st, I had a funny experience. I was working from home and thought it would be easy to take Carter and Hudson to get their cavities filled before school (since Steve was working). Their appointment was at 8:30 AM. We had to pick up a special sedative medication for Hudson on Saturday. We grabbed the prescription and made it to the office on time—only for me to realize the medication was missing. After a frantic search of the car, we rushed back home, convinced I’d left it on the counter. I looked all over the house, but found nothing. Finally, Hudson discovered it hiding under the passenger seat the whole time! We raced back to the dentist, now 10 minutes late. At first, they told me they’d have to reschedule Carter, but thankfully, the dental hygienist stepped in and said both boys could still get their teeth fixed.
After Carter went into his appointment, I waited with Hudson until he was called back. They gave Hudson his medicine, and a short while later, brought him to the treatment room to get started. I sat in the chair right next to him as they began the numbing process. I could tell he was pretty uncomfortable, which triggered my usual reaction—I started feeling faint. I tried to distract myself, but the lightheadedness grew so intense that I actually had to lie down on the floor to keep from passing out. I stayed there, hot and dizzy, the entire time his cavity was being filled.
Once he was finished, I thought the worst of it had passed. We walked out to the reception desk to pay, but the lightheadedness rushed right back. I had to sit down immediately and hand my credit card to Carter so he could take care of the bill. The moment the receptionist confirmed we were completely done, I hurried outside to finally get some fresh air.
I started getting lightheaded again, so I rushed to the car and threw the seat back with the windows open. I felt so sick to my stomach that I had Carter scramble to find a bag. Luckily we had one, because I completely lost it and threw up a few times. Once the worst passed, I drove us home. The kids were still so numb and sore from their cavity fillings that I skipped dropping them at school. They stayed home all day for the numbing to wear off, while I worked from home the rest of the day and felt totally fine after that.
The moral of the story: 1) I am officially retiring from taking the kids to get fillings. 2) Schedule dental work for the end of the school day. They aren't going back to class with numb mouths! Lesson learned. 😅
Carter all numbed up after the dentist. Hudson by his picture he drew of himself at school. Steve and I went to the Jordan River Temple and did sealings.
Tate, Hudson, and Taft playing in the mud one night after it rained.
Cute Hudson w/ his craft he made in Kindergarten.
Thursday night, Steve took the boys to go swimming at Jeff's community pool.
Dave, Joann, and Diane met them there also.
They all got in to swim except Steve.
They had a good time.
On Saturday, Steve and Nyles went to cut more trees down for firewood.
While they were gone, Hudson, Carter, and I went on a hike to Little Bell.
We found some cute ducks in the reservoir.
It was so beautiful up there.
So pretty.
Carter and Hudson on a big rock.
Carter went to a free street hockey clinic outside the new Utah Mammoth facility in Sandy.
He got another T-shirt. We went inside and watched the ice cleaner for a minute.
Nyles fell asleep on the way home from cutting down trees.
Carter and the group played a scrimmage game at the end.
We were going to eat at Texas Roadhouse after Carter's clinic, but it was too busy, so we went over to Chili's instead. We wanted to celebrate Nyles and Hudson's birthdays. They came and sang Happy Birthday to them and they got some free ice cream.
Nyles wrist was hurting so Steve took him to the Dr. They did X-rays, and it showed he had sprained his wrist. The Dr. told him to wear a brace for a while and not to do rock climbing for at least a week.
On Sunday evening, we headed over to the clubhouse at Dave and Joann’s for family dinner. It ended up being a small group—just us, Dave/Joann, Diane, and Melanie’s family. Joann set up a really fun guessing game about everyone's past jobs, which was a huge hit! After cleaning up, we helped unpack some things at Dave and Joann's place. Before heading home, Hudson asked for a Priesthood blessing for his toothache, and Nyles asked for one for his wrist, too. I'm so grateful for Dave and Steve to give them both blessings.
Another firewood sale on the porch. Diane and Nyles w/ their wrist braces. Beautiful sunset.
