Turkey Trot 2017

Lately, Dave, Dax, Kase and Vard have been traveling for work A LOT!  All over the country and even to China, Australia, and Amsterdam.  James and I just had a good little laugh as I dropped him off for his "business travel" with his sleeping bag.

I kind of dread home art projects but theses guys made this one super fun.  Disguise the turkey.  They worked hard, and their turkeys look it!

First year the whole family got to participate together in the Whitby Farms Turkey Trot.  Tons of fun!  Everybody is holding up the fingers for their place in the different categories of races.  I actually came in a close second, but there were three of us close at the end.

These guys are defending the fort while James and I trim out the basement getting ready for carpet.

After losing Mato (I don't think I've written about that yet), we've taken a stronger liking to these last two kittens.  This is Bibsy looking in the window while we watch the live Face to Face event with Elder Oaks and Elder Ballard.  He often looks longingly in the window at us.  

We had been missing Mato for a few days, and we started to worry a bit.  The morning James was leaving for three days to his inservice, I was running along the canal and found her.  I guess it was a tender mercy to find her so we knew what happened and could take care of her, but it was also a bit traumatic.  Here is her obitituary which was published on our family GroupMe.

"I hesitate to post this because I can just imagine the boys lol.  This is a tribute to Mato.  She showed up on our back porch as a kitten the same week we moved in---meant to be.  Her striking orange fur and green eyes have never been matched in her 30+ offspring.  She's mothered many cute kittens like a champ, patient and attentive.  We've watched her meow because of hunger and then sit back and let the kittens eat first.  She's never let us down mousing.  When there's been a mouse in the house or a window well, she is summoned and her missions have a 100% success rate.  I've never had a problem with bunnies or birds in my berries.  I've watched her catch birds out of the air.  I've never known a cat to come when called by name, but Mato did.  She was the perfect combination of tame and wild.  She would purr and cuddle when wanted, but was never underfoot.  We will miss you Mato.

At 9:15 pm, in the rain, with a rope, Talmage lowered me into the canal and pulled me back up.  Bryant dug the hole.  Sariah held the flashlight for it all.  Mato is respectfully buried in the backyard."

And this...is Bryant's first parking job.

24 and 16

Time to turn in the gear and say good-bye to #24 for awhile.

Think it was a bit tough for Talmage to peel his numbers off after a hard fought season.  

(He was proud of the scuff though.)

The bright side was that he didn't have to worry about practices during the 2 "NO SCHOOL" days this last weekend.  Had plenty of time to crack wheat for breakfast.

Spechts invited the kids out for a nerf gun war in honor of Veteran's Day.

Not sure what this was about, but it makes a mom happy that these two thought it was picture worthy.

Somebody turned 16!!

Talmage arranged a double date on Makaley's birthday and he took Kassidy Naef and Colton took Makaley.  It was pretty chilly outside, but they built a fire down on the beach and roasted smores.  Said they had fun.

Dreamy

After family home evening tonight, everyone congregated by the fire as Talmage read, "Chester, I Love You."  (Talmage has a fantastic reading voice.)  I looked around and was both joyed and pained.  I absolutely could not be happier than to have my family gathered in front of the fire reading together.  It is a dream come true.  I am heartbroken at the same time to know that it won't be like this forever.  (I'm listening to Talmage sing Christmas carols in the shower right now.)  They will move on, and our living room gathering will dwindle and it just hurts my heart really.

Talmage's football team traveled to Spokane for their first post-season game.  They found a snow covered field at Gonzaga Prep and didn't come through with the win.  He loved Golden Corral though!  (Got home at 1:30 that night.  Makes a parent nervous.)

It's cold outside!  Supposed to get down into the 20s tonight.

Halloween 2017

The artists in this family make carving pumpkins more than it would ever be with just me:

Sariah's creation:

Tinkerbell

Love the way the wings glow differently.

 Daddy James's creation:

Captain America against the Hulk

Hyrum's "Toothless" from "How to Train a Dragon"

Rex's Chiawana with Talmage's #24 in the center and Lyle's 3D football flying out of the pumpkin, which you can't see very well in the picture.

Costumes 2017:

Lyle and Rex

Hyrum, the perfect Harry Potter

Sariah as Rosie the Riveter

At Aunt Stacey's: Dad as Dr. Seuss, Talmage as his coach, and B and Sariah getting a kick out of B's Rosie the Riveter muscle.

Last harvest of 2017

On Saturdays in October, we are up early getting the pumpkins loaded.  It's cold and wet usually, but invigorating.  The last Saturday of October this year was particularly beautiful with the sun coming up in the fog.

Once the sun came out and burned off the fog, it was the perfect day to finish off selling pumpkins.  Dad had one crew and I had the other.

Last of the Warm Weather

 I've never harvested raspberries and pumpkins on the same day, but this year I did it several times.  Loved having these berries up until frost.

Cleaning out the flowerbeds one afternoon, caught Hyrum reading Harry Potter on a a pumpkin.  How perfect it that!

They lost their first tooth a couple months apart, but their 2nd one came out on the same day.

Harvesting pumpkins with Dad on a beautiful Friday afternoon.

An early morning in the patch.

Selling on a cold and rainy Saturday.  

The thing is, these boys never knew it was miserable outside.  James played football with them the whole time, and even taught them how to do a 2 minute drill.  I don't think they will have a memory of a cold, wet Saturday, but a memory of a super fun day with Dad.

Sunshine and Snow

We were grateful for the sun in the Tri-Cities for our first day of pumpkin sales.

James, Talmage and Bryant woke to 8 inches of snow near Pomeroy where they camped with Claire Gibbons and the Boy Scouts.  They said it was gorgeous and they had a great time in Claire's heated tent.

Birthday Party and Spots

Pretty sure the doc didn't have camel fights in mind when he gave her a "waterproof" cast so she could swim at her own birthday party.  Probably not her back flips off the diving board either.  

Pizza and sugar cookies and 10 girls.

Poor Rexy woke up looking like this on Friday morning.  He had to be quarantined in the kitchen while everybody else swam.  Big bummer.

Looked horrible but didn't seem to bother him one bit.  Didn't respond to Benadryl so it wasn't an allergic reaction just a "reaction" to the amoxicillan he was taking for Strep.  So grateful he wasn't miserable because it sure looked like it would be.

October 11, 2017

On all the paperwork "today's date" and "birthdate" looked a lot alike.  But she got her wish, a "waterproof" cast.

...and a teal "big joe" chair.

For lunch she chose BK's chicken fries, McD's french fries, and Applebee's orea shake.  Cast or not cast, I loved spending the day with this "young woman"!

Bryant is somewhere in the middle of this starting crowd.

But he finished within the top 10 with another PR, 19:12 I think.

Hyrum keeping his brothers warm during the bench time of their last flag football game.

Rex with his trophy and Coach Gray.

Lyle with his trophy and Coach Gray.

(They really like Coach Gray and so did I.)

And finally...birthday cake after mutual.