John Johnson Farm--near Kirtland Ohio

We headed out to Ohio for the baby blessing of my brother Tyler's newest baby. while out there we hit some Church History sites. Tyler and his family are about an hour from Kirtland. We first went to the John Johnson farm. It was a great experience for all of us. We enjoyed the history of the farmhouse (where Joseph Smith was dragged out in the middle of the night by a mob who proceeded to tar and feather him--he still got up and preached forgiveness and kindness the next day, and even saw some members of the mob in the crowd). We enjoyed learning more about pioneer life and the sacrifices the early members of the Church made.

The children enjoyed comparing the place to the home of Charles an Caroline Ingalls (of Little House on the Prairie). I have begun reading the series to them each night after scripture study, we are only on the second book. Natalie says it is her favorite part of the day. And Everett amazingly sits quietly and listens. They are really enjoying the books. Dan and I love them too...they provide many opportunities to teach the kids about pioneer life. Anyway, we spent time comparing and contrasting the two homes. It was great for them to see something tangible in relation to what we have been reading. I was disappointed that they could not have listened a bit more intently to the guides.

Everett loves dress up!

How cute is he?

Halloween Costumes 2009

Dan was informed by one of his co-workers that he is "cheap"...what a great compliment--to us anyway. Reason being, the total for the two outfits was a whopping $1! Sure, if people want to go out and spend who knows what on an outfit the kid may wear one time, so be it. We are happy spending our $1. Dan helped Natalie create her outfit, "a pharmacist". Everett's "Woody" costume, I found at a yard sale this summer for $1, complete with shirt, pants, and horse. We added the hat--given to us from our dear old friend, Brantley Baird, of Rock Art Ranch in Arizona. The kids were so dang cute!

Pun-kin Painting

Dan suggested, since we picked our pumpkins so early, that we paint them first and carve them only right before Halloween. Great idea! The kids had a blast. And I never knew how talented Dan was in regards to pumpkin painting...

The joys of living "near" a farm

Before we moved here we were warned that the farmer behind us likes to work in the middle of the night. We were surprised, though, to find it true--for one night as Dan and I were playing Rummicub at 11:45pm, we heard a terribly loud sound coming from the back yard. He was out there with bright lights doing something to those crops. Anyway, one Saturday morning we enjoyed watching him cut the corn down. The kids bundled in a feather blanket, sipped hot cocoa and were set. These are the days...

Pun-kin Pickin' time!

We went to a pick your own place ($4 any size) complete with hay ride/the works. Boy, are pumpkin patches dirty! We had to get our money's worth and searched for the biggest ones we could find. Of course, Everett just had to have a "baby" pumpkin too. Yes, as you can all tell I have grown quite quickly--and I still have two months to go. Numbers would astonish you. Needless to say, the doc told me that this baby will weigh as much, if not more, as my first...12 pounds. Interestingly, I learned that people have smaller babies at higher altitudes (some dispute this but it seems to hold true in my case). At 400ft above sea level I gave birth to a 12 pound whopper. At 5,000ft above sea level I gave birth to a wee one just under 9 pounds. And now, at only about 150 ft above sea level, I am afraid to see what the scale might say. We sure know how to grow 'em big in this family...I was right under 12 pounds at birth too.

Good-Bye Ava!

The kids LOVED thier neighbor friend, Ava. They always had a friend to play with when they went outside. In Sept. Ava and her family moved. It was a sad time for all of us. it is so nice to have great neighbors.