Random Happenings...

-We decided to go for a good old fashioned Sunday drive the other day. The leaves are all turning colors, so we grabbed the camera, climbed in the van and headed down the road. We were driving on a road that goes along the river enjoying the views when we saw a flock of blackbirds in the middle of the road. As we got closer the birds started to fly away, only they weren't quick enough. They flew right in front of us. There were a ton of them and it reminded me of that movie we watched in 9th grade English,"The Birds", which totally gave me nightmares. Anyway, we left at least 4 or 5 of them dead in the road and I don't know how many more injured. Then we got to an overlook where we stopped to take pictures, only to discover that I had forgot to put the memory card back in the camera! Oops! So much for a nice Sunday drive.
-This morning Jared asked me when I was going to make some homemade wheat bread. I said I was nervous to try it because I have never been very good at kneading, and I was afraid the bread would turn out heavy. Pason piped up "Don't worry Mom, I'm strong. It won't be too heavy for me!"
-We were at the park with some friends and one of my friends told me that she had tried and tried to teach her daughter to pump, with no sucess, but that she had just been informed that Pason had taught Bailey to pump because he is, in his own words, "an expert pumper".

A Few Pictures

Oh Brother!

Throwing rocks

Carter loves his Mommy!

Posing with cousin Jeffrey

What a tackle!

Ben and Jerry's New Flavor

Have you heard the latest big idea from PETA? I guess the cows have been complaining again so PETA made a suggestion to the people at Ben and Jerry's. Instead of using cow's milk to make ice cream, use breast milk! They said in their letter to ice cream extrordinaires, Ben and Jerry, that "such a move... would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health at the same time." Where do I sign up? Hey maybe it would be a good way to make a few extra bucks when you have a new little one that makes a dent in your budget with all those diapers. Another plus, when you leave your baby with a sitter they can just shovel Ben and Jerry's down the kid. I wonder if ice cream is cheaper than formula? Hmm...So let's hear it for PETA, another amazingly idiotic idea! The letter is actually kind of funny although I don't think they intended it to be so, but I got a good laugh from the whole story, so I just thought I would share! Remember, breast is best! http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=11993

My favorite time of year!

Has it happened to you yet? Have you walked out the door one morning to smell that crisp fresh smell that can only mean one thing? Football season is here! The last two weekends I have been gone...camping for Labor Day (which got rained out the 2nd night) and Jared's Uncle Tom's funeral last weekend. So this Saturday is going to be the first chance I've had this year to spend all afternoon curled up with my boys watching football. Okay, so football is only one of the reasons I like fall. I love the weather, with the cool mornings and sunny afternoons. I like the rainy days where you put on a sweatshirt and bake or read a good book. I love all the good food that comes with harvest season. Last week I made peach jam and peach pie filling, this week I plan to freeze corn, and hopefully I will be making salsa soon. I love the colors on the trees as the leaves change. And I love watching the boys play in the piles we rake up. I love just being home after a busy summer travel season(although it doesn't seem to be slowing down this year). And I love the anticipation of the holiday season just around the corner. When I was younger I loved going back to school and all the activities that came with that. The only thing I don't like about this time of year is that Jared is busy again. So anyway - this weekend I will be making a big pot of chili and enjoying my favorite time of year. I hope you all do the same!

A Fisherman's Prayer

When my parents were here a couple of weeks ago we went fishing. The boys were so excited to go fishing and it was Carter's first time. The night before we were to go Pason said this prayer. It was so cute I had to write it down.

Dear Heavenly Father
Please bless us to catch some fish tomorrow.
Please bless them not to be scared so we can catch them.
Please bless that they can be big so if we decide to we can eat them.
Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Fair Fun

Last week my parents came for a visit. We went to a baseball game, went fishing, went to a barbeque, and shopped. We also went to The Fair. What is it about a fair that draws such a crowd? Or for that matter, why do we ever go back? Is it the thrill of rides that look like they could fall apart at any second? Or is it the tantalizing aroma of animal waste, body odor, and fried food? Did you know there is a such thing as fried oreos? I think it comes with a defibrilator on the side! I did enjoy looking at the photography exhibit, and I have to admit that Jared's Viking(seasoned ground beef dipped in batter, and what else...deep fried!) wasn't all that bad. The boys had fun on the rides, and we discovered that Pason is a front-of-the-rollercoaster kid. Now we can't wait for Disneyland in a few months!

Lakewater

We have had a busy couple of weeks. Two weeks ago I decided to brave it and drive the 6 hours to the lake with the boys. Cousin Cooper rode with us to help keep things sane. I golfed one day, and read my book most of the rest of the time while the boys played with Grandma Gage. Thanks Grandma for keeping the boys happy while I was engrossed with vampires! We were sad that we had to leave Jared home alone, but he's getting to that busy time again. We also got to visit with the Gage family and watch a captivating round of extreme bocce ball!