Harvest Time

Over 100 quarts of grape juice from our own row of grapes.

Apple juicing at Warren's this year:

And selling pumpkins:

We even have enjoyed the end of the fall bearing raspberries on the 20th of October!

Heavenly Father's hand is so apparent in the harvest!

Looking Unstoppable

This week under the lights at Lampson, Chiawana looked pretty unstoppable.  Talmage got in for several plays both offense and defense during the 3rd and 4th quarters.

We have had beautiful nights for football games this year, and this week was no exception.

Life Rank

Not the greatest of pictures with me mid-word and B with his eyes closed, but I was sure proud of him.  Now he is onto Eagle!

Teenage Girl!

Sariah turned 13!

Spechts gave her fairy lights, Gp and Gm Wells gave her a gift card and Gm Hales sent a beautiful handmade card.  James and I gave her a super soft blanket which she has affectionately named "lamby."  She got herself a glass microwave popcorn bowl that she uses almost daily.

Even though it was HER birthday, when I went out to the van to take her to school, I found 13 handmade envelopes tied with baker's twine.  Inside each one was an inspirational quote--just perfect for my concerns.  

I can't even imagine what our family and our lives would be like without this amazing girl!  The night before her birthday was Young Women in Excellence.  She came so, so close to earning her entire Young Womanhood Award in one year.  Even though she just finished reading the Book of Mormon for her Personal Progress, she jumped right on the challenge from the prophet when he asked the women of the church to read it before the end of the year.

This is what she did for her YW's leader.  She makes everything more beautiful!

Rollerena---finally!

The kids earned a free trip to the roller rink this summer when they finished the summer reading program.  After begging and begging, I finally took them.  I was super proud of them when they realized it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be.  They kept at it and greatly improved in the hour and a half that we were there.  It had been years since I had been roller skating.  After awhile, it came back and I actually had fun.  

Homecoming 2018

Talmage and Kassidy

Chandler Woodward, Talmage, Coleson Beus, Even Dawes, Kolton Beus, Tyler Jenkins, Carson Woodward

A bunch of good looking kids!

Oliver

I came to pick up Bryant one day at Sister Naef's after he mowed her lawn and he had a surprise for me.  

He had rescued a beautiful bird of prey that had a broken wing.  

He had already named it Oliver after "Arrow."

Talmage knew it was an American Kestrel right away and was in heaven holding it.

We called the Blue Mountain Wildlife Rescue and we handed the beautiful bird off the next morning.  Unfortunately, Oliver didn't make it.

Feeling Loved

How can I not feel loved when little friends like these show up to lift my spirits?

Found this little blue friend one night when I went in to go to bed.  Thanks Rex!

Next day, I found him on the other side of the bed with a new message. 
Made me smile BIG both time.

Sariah came home from school with this "tree of life" that she made me.  

During rough days, I get extra hugs and I really am touched by how kind and sensitive my kids can be.  

Sariah's First Girl's Camp

Sariah's first Girl's Camp may not have been all that we were hoping for, but she was part of this masterpiece.  Each girl did a color by number square and when all the squares were put together there appeared this amazing picture of the Savior.  When we do our part, however insignificant it may seem, we are part of God's great masterpiece.

Happy Birthday Dad

I just can't even imagine our lives without our Dad, the rock of our family.  Unceasingly working to provide and protect.  We are stable and happy because of him!

First Day of School 2018

The long-standing reward for Sariah finishing the Book of Mormon was getting her ears pierced.  This summer, she and I got serious and started the Book of Mormon over with the goal to finish by the end of summer.  We were super diligent but Sariah still had about 50 pages left the last Saturday before school started.  She plowed through the last 50 pages and got her ears pierced the Saturday afternoon before school started.  This was her first day of school (and last smile for awhile).

These three didn't even skip a beat headed back to school.  Phew!

Big Boy Fun

I was walking down the hall of Chiawana and saw this. 
Talmage is the second from the right on the back row.

I was holding back the tears as Talmage ran onto the field for the first game of his last season.  He has come so far in 4 years, being the freshman kid that walked onto the team having NEVER played football before.  We really couldn't be more proud of him sticking with something so challenging for very little play time.  I am so going to miss him and his fearlessness.

The last Saturday of September, Rhonda and Robert McBride took Talmage and Bryant rock climbing.  Apparently, they did a fantastic job and were key to helping everyone be successful that day.  Robert said he has taken a lot of athletic kids climbing and has never had one top Talmage as a rock climber.  Bryant was just as skilled, just not quite as tall as far as being able to reach the anchors.  Way to go boys!

Labor Day 2018

Dad and Kase had never hiked Badger before so we took the troops up the morning of Labor Day.

Afterwards we headed to "our beach."  I've never seen it so crowded, but the kids had fun anyway.

James being a good dad and getting all the way in the water.   It was a little cold for me.

The famous launches.

Football with the Uncles

Rex and Lyle could not get enough of football attention from Kase.  On their early out Wednesdays once school started, Kase would come and they would have "football practice."  They were super motivated to get their piano done every day!

All Together

While Kase was between jobs, he and Brielle spent some time in Washington.  The weekend that Jacob Jenks got married, Blaire and Kioa came up so the only one we were missing was Cole.  Being together really made me excited for the cruise.  Nothing like being with all my brothers and sisters!

Pretty cool except it was just seconds before Taneil broke her leg!!

New Friends

The last week of summer we headed to the Moses Lake waterpark with the girls that Sariah will be going to school with at Olds Junior High School this next year.  When they closed the park down because of smoke, Vard saved the day and we headed to the lake.  The girls had a great time!

Heidi and Sariah

Sariah watching her new friends.

Katherine, McKenzie, Sariah, Kyla, Kennedi, McKaddi, Heidi