Deer Hunt 2009

This year's deer hunt was over for me at 7:45am on opening morning. I bagged a nice 4x3 when he popped up on top of the ridge right in front of me. He saw me and ran, and I downed him with just one shot from about 50 yards away. My niece, Rachael, got hers just up the ridge from where I was, and just a couple of minutes before me.

It was a lot of work for everyone getting the deer back down the mountain, until Dad showed up with his 4 wheeler. After that, the remainder of the hunt was spent hiking and enjoying the scenery outdoors and taking plenty of pictures.

This post authored by Jason

Breakfast In Bed

The boys worked to earn their reward of choice: breakfast in bed. I figured it was such a novel thing, that I would capture the moment in photographs. Who knows when I'll ever do something like this again. (Those who know me well, know that I am not prone to even cooking breakfast. I'm lucky enough to even pull myself out of bed to pour a bowl of cereal for my kids!) Brevin and Spencer loved it, though. Can't you tell?

This post authored by Amber

National School Lunch Week

This past week was "National School Lunch Week" and parents were encouraged to come to the school to eat lunch with their children at any time during the week. I looked at the meal calendar and decided that Monday would be my day to go for the chicken sandwich. (Jason chose to go on pizza day.)

I left Garrett in the care of Grandpa Park, and Spencer and I headed over to Art City Elementary to eat lunch with Brevin. Either my palette for foods have become more accepting since I've become an adult, or lunches have really improved over time. The meal was great. The portion sizes were huge, though. I marveled that any student could sufficiently eat to clear a space on their tray before they felt lured by the desire to dump it and go play outside.



We headed out to the playground following the meal. There were calories to be burned, you know. Talk about a field full of energy. The place was abuzz with little bodies running, jumping, skipping, and wrestling, all working up to that little puppy-dog scent that lingers throughout the entire day. It was so entertaining to watch; it felt so carefree. Ooh boy, did Spencer love every minute of it! So did I.

This post authored by Amber

Pick of the Patches

One thing we have loved to do is grow pumpkins in our backyard. In years past, the variety of choice has been the "big mac" pumpkins. They are robust and lend themselves nicely to the ornate carvings that Jason does. Unfortunately, the nursery wasn't carrying them when we were purchasing plants in May, so we had to resign to the smaller type of carving pumpkins. While this year's pumpkins were smaller, their yield was greater, and we wound up with ten total. We spent Saturday morning picking them, washing them, and transporting them to the front porch for display.

On Monday, when it came time for our extended family's traditional trip to the local pumpkin patch, we really weren't in need of purchasing any additional pumpkins. I think the Brevin and Spencer were just as content to spending the entire time jumping from the bales of hay and navigating the maze, while Garrett delighted in exploring the pumpkin field, gathering handfuls of dirt and rocks to throw along the way. These traditions have become such an integral part of our experience of the Fall season. It's no wonder I love this time of year.

Brevin age 7:

Spencer age 5:

Garrett age 17 months:

This post authored by Amber

Friday Night Lights

I figured I'd be consigned to stay at home with the kids for every BYU football game this season, only to catch a few plays here and there in the highlight reels. I'm glad I was wrong. My friend, Karen, called me and invited me to use the season ticket that her husband had to forfeit due to his work schedule, and I got to go Friday night's game. As it turned out, the Cougars were hosting the Aggies of Utah State, my Alma Matter.

I must have been a sight with my BYU beanie and USU sweatshirt on, but a girl has to represent, you know. The nice thing about having a vested interest in the welfare of both teams is that as I watched the game, I was much more relaxed. I didn't have to get all worked up because Max Hall's ridiculously arched pass was completely readable by the defender who picked it off, or stress out when USU's punter planted two kicks beautifully within the 5 yard-line. It wasn't too heart-breaking when Diondre Borel's attempted pitch went awry, and I didn't pout about USU's inability to convert in short-yardage situations. And while, deep down, I hoped for an Aggie win (I'm a sucker for the "underdog"), I was okay with the Cougars coming out on top. (That was kind of expected, anyway.) I just had such an enjoyable evening in an atmosphere that felt like Fall to the very core and in the company of a dear friend.

This post authored by Amber