October 2015

As I mentioned last time, we started out the month of October by going on a mammoth road trip. We spent something like two weeks visiting family in Utah and Idaho, and it was wonderful! Well, except for the 48 or so cumulative hours spent driving in the car. Those weren't quite as wonderful, though they weren't quite as bad as they could have been, see why here. 

 We spent several days staying with Ethan's Mower grandparents in Bountiful, UT. It was so fun to get to visit with them, and while we were in the neighborhood we took the kids to the LDS Church History Museum and Temple Square. It was fun to turn the kids loose in the children's room in the museum and watch them explore, although it was General Conference weekend so the place was packed! We'll have to go back sometime when things are quieter.

Our next stop was Rexburg, ID, where we stayed in Ethan's Aunt's home where his Grandma Clements lives. His mom was also there for a visit, so that made it extra fun! We made sure to take the time to go visit the other Aunts and Uncles, and the old family farm (which now is used, in part, for an awesome Fall Festival that the kids really enjoyed).

There are so many memories in this place for Ethan, and some for me as well. It was fun to wander through the area and think of Grandpa Clements and the time spent with him.

It was really fun to get to stay with Grandma Clements and let the kids spend some time with her. She's a special lady!

After leaving Rexburg we spent a night in Grantsville, UT with my Aunt and her family, then headed southward again, stopping for the night in Las Vegas. I hadn't been there since I was a kid, and Ethan had never been, so we decided to spend a bit of time wandering The Strip and seeing the sights. We spent several hours and only saw a tiny fraction of what there was to see.

 It was fun, but even in October Vegas is HOT, and being seven months pregnant walking in the heat was a bit rough. I was glad when we went back to the car! I don't think I was the only one who was glad either.

We piled back in the car and headed out of town for Lake Meade and the Hoover Dam. This was actually the real reason we had come to Vegas, Ethan wanted to tour the dam. We couldn't take the kids on the full tour, but we were able to do the Power House tour. It was fun, though pretty overpriced.

Our next stop was in Winslow, AZ at Marquette and Cameron's house (where we'd actually spent the first night of our trip as well). We got to hang out with them for a while, which is always a fun treat. They took us to La Posada, an old Harvey House and train station, where we toured the old building, played in the hay bale maze, and watched trains go by. It was such a neat place.

The rest of the month was fairly uneventful. We did a bit of hiking around to enjoy the gorgeous country around us. We really do live in a special place.

Erik got his very own fishing rod and was SO excited to give it a try. He and Ethan headed down to the fish pond by our house and came back before too long with a nice trout. Erik insisted on bringing it home and eating it, though after tasting it he decided he prefers catch and release fishing. 

While the boys were fishing, Sharli and I made some bread. I'm actually not sure if she or Erik had more fun that day. 

Halloween is always a fun time of year. Erik changed his mind about what to dress up as almost daily in the weeks leading up to Halloween, so I didn't actually start making his costume until the day before his school party. That was a big mistake, I think I got about 2 hours of sleep that night, but I managed to get the darn thing done just barely in time. 

I found the idea for Sharli's costume online somewhere and fell in love with it. She loved it too and wanted to wear it around for weeks afterwards. 

How I love these two!