Pumpkin Patch 2010

When the pumpkin patch on the corner starts to emerge, it is my sign that good things are about to happen. Cooler weather is on it's way. Halloween is approaching. Thanksgiving not far after and then the holidays will be in full swing. Christmas, birthdays and lots of things to look forward to. So although the pumpkin patch is a money trap that we somehow buy into every year, I love it because of what it stands for... fall and fun family times.

We went twice this year. Once as a family and another time with our ward (only ended up being a few families, but still fun).

Our first visit as a family yielded lots of sliding, lots of bouncing on the trampoline by Dallin and Claire, and lots of mini pumpkins thrown by Spencer (Dallin was given a penny for every pumpkin he picked up and he ended up earning $1.18... yep, Spencer threw A LOT!).

The kids had a blast and we had fun watching.

A couple of weeks later, we went for FHE with some members of our ward. It was fun to be with friends, revisit some of the kids favorite pumpkin patch rides, hang out with the farm animals and down some delicious pumpkin dessert.

There was even a new bouncy basketball thing, so guess where Dallin was 99.5% of the evening :).

The kids have been really sad watching the pumpkin patch get torn down, but I get all giddy inside knowing what will be replacing it... Christmas trees!!! Yep, my favorite time has arrived.

Joy Jumping

Another reason why my family is so stinking cool...

Lemon Lime

In our backyard we have a tree,

lemons are what we thought we should see.

Years have gone by and all we did we know,

these lemons stayed green, never turned yellow.

We thought this tree in the back was a laugh

until Claire brought one in and had me cut it in half.

The color was great and the smell was divine,

It finally hit that this lemon is a LIME!

So for 5 long years this tree has produced,

some beautiful, green delicious fruit.

But because it's owner has a really black thumb,

I am happy about the limes, but feel really dumb.

-Missi Waldron

Wasatch Wrap-Up

Utah Family Reunion Trip Part 3:

The final 2 days of our time in Utah was spent playing, playing, and more playing.

We played lots of UNO.

We played with the ice maker in the hotel hallway.

We played in the hotel swimming pool.

We played on the hotel stairs.

We played at a super-fun water park in Lindon with Scott, Sara, Jen and the Meyer's family.

*this is a photo of Uncle Scott holding up Dallin getting seriously attacked by that bucket of water :)

We played so hard that we could hardly play anymore.

We played at Grandma Lolo's house (more UNO).

We played 20 questions in the car ride up to Park City.

We played on the Alpine Slides in Park City.

We played "let's see if we can keep Spencer from falling off of the ski lift".

We played on the Alpine Coaster (um, SO fun).

We loved having so much fun playtime with family and with each other during our Utah trip!

Heavenly Hike

Utah Family Reunion Trip Part 2:

On our way home from our family reunion in Herriman, we stopped by the Draper temple. It was gorgeous. We drove back to Provo and had some dinner at Pirate Island. It was most definitely pirate... a pirate server donning pirate attire and a Jack Sparrow accent/attitude. There were slides, arcade games and really yucky pizza. The kids didn't seem to mind considering all the fun that was surrounding them. Dallin of course loved the basketball game, Claire had fun playing skee ball and Spencer loved being chased up and down the slide. Good times.

The next day was Sunday and we decided to go on a family hike. We got on our hiking shoes and hiked to the 'Y' as a family. It was a beautiful experience.

The whole way up, we listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and there was something so spiritual about listening to that music and being surrounded by God's creations. One song in particular came on and brought tears of joy to my eyes. As we hiked, looking up was a huge blue sky interspersed with white marshmallow clouds, on one side were trees, flowers and majestic mountains, on the other side was a vast and beautiful view of Provo and Orem.

We couldn't help but feel the spirit as these words rang through the still air:

Whenever I hear the song of a bird

or look at the blue, blue sky

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

or the wind as it rushes by

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

or walk by a lilac tree

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world

Heavenly Father created for me

It was one of those moments in life that I will never forget... watching my sweet children trudge up a mountain, walking next to my wonderful husband, being surrounded by immense beauty and listening to the Tabernacle choir sing this song. It is officially etched in my forever memory.

Switch-back after switch-back after switch-back, we finally hiked the mile up and rejoiced as a family. I think Dallin was the most thrilled.

Spencer simply fell asleep.

We sat on that Y and looked down at the valley below. We talked, listened, and enjoyed the still beauty. It was great.

The way down was fun. Claire would grab my hand and run with no hesitation. I am honestly surprised we didn't fall and roll down that mountain (we were two clumsy girls going way too fast). A little miracle occurred going down the mountain that day ;). We arrived at the bottom in no time and it felt good to have accomplished that as a family. The kids were so proud of themselves.

There were 11 switch-backs and it was so exciting when we would reach each marker. Here are the kids showing which marker they arrived at, 2-11 (we thought of the idea at marker #2):