Fall has been full of family, changes and some trips.  Jeremy has been to South Dakota, San Francisco, and Arizona for some different work opportunities during the last two months.  He has enjoyed the challenges and handled the pressure and stress well, including the change to a new job at SQRD.  Lots of changes going on around here.

The kids and I enjoyed our annual trip to the Timpanogous Storytelling Festival.  As kids get older and schedules changing I am trying to embrace the idea that our whole family being together for events does not always occur and that I need to enjoy who is able to come and not stress about everyone not being able to be there.


Allison turned 16 and decided to spread the joy out over a week.  She had her friend Kaori who moved a half hour away come join us for a weekend.  It happened to be the same weekend Spencer came home to go to a friend's farewell.  So Jeremy drove Spencer to and from Logan that weekend plus took Allison and Kaori out for an all day photo shoot of Vocal Point at the Salt Flats.  Allison got her drivers license on her birthday.

Then Jeremy took her out for her first date of going to a shooting range then a fancy dinner at Sundance. Think your first date should always be your dad - show you the way it is to be done.  They had a great time.  (And she has gone on dates since with guys hopefully almost as amazing as her dad)



For General Conference weekend we had the Hall family join us for brunch and conference which was a wonderful way to spend the weekend.  Then we took a grumpy Robyn and the rest of us up to the canyon for some fall color therapy.  Amazing views soon chippered everyone up.  We have just decided that when the grump puberty genes start talking in our family we are just going to go ahead and do activities regardless of the fact that they don't want to.  It usually works out just great.




One weekend we checked in Taylor to respite and went up to USU for the day.  It was awesome to have our family mostly together again for some catching up time.  I am proud of how Spencer is doing as he does adulting full time right now.  We went to the agricultural BBQ fundraiser where we ate waaaaay to much, a USU football game and then up in the canyon for some fall color.  The day flew by and we just talked non-stop catching up on life.



Regular life of Jeremy doing fall portraits, choir concerts, school and homework, dance classes, piano, church stuff and date nights all fill our days.  I got to have a girls night of dinner, pursuing Bath & Body for new lotions and seeing Thriller, a very cool and eclectic dance performance.  It was a great night.  Two of my favorite parts was first when Robyn didn't know high school dance students dressed up as zombies roamed the theater until she ran ahead of us and we saw this little figure in the distance start screaming and running back through the parking lot with a "zombie" chasing her.  Second, when Allison turned to me after the performance and commented that is was a very cool night.  We are enjoying the late Sunday starts with Sunday breakfasts and Sunday night craft times:


Taylor's last school Halloween party as he graduates in May:


Over Fall Break, Allison 3 year dream of going to New York with her theater group came true.


They left Wednesday night at 11 on the red-eye and played super hard till they came home at 1 a.m. on Monday.  She saw 5 Broadway Plays: Wicked, Lion King, Anastasia (her new favorite), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and School of Rock.  They had dance, singing, and acting workshops.  She walked 10 miles a day (no joke) to see every tourist spot in New York, going to the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Twin Towers, Churches, Central Park, Radio City Music Hall, Amsterdam Theater, went to the backstage doors to get autographs each night, ate at amazing places and wore herself out having a great time with some amazing people.


While Allison was off in New York, I took Taylor to respite and Robyn and I flew to Denver to spend the weekend with the Denver Skeehan's.  Robyn was so excited she was up since 1 a.m. that day!  We did have to leave by 4:30 and she was worried she would sleep through her alarm.  So later that day she crashed for a 4 hour nap!


We got to watch Matthew's preschool fall performance, surprise Claire and Samantha at school for lunch, go to an amazing farm for a perfect fall day, go to a ward trunk or treat, attend Matthew's soccer game, breakfast at Kneaders, crafts and treats. runs in the preserve, picnic at a park and a night at the Cheyenne Zoo.  Robyn has been dreaming of feeding a giraffe and was giddy to be able to do so.  And we got to be there for Sammy's birthday.  It was an amazing retreat from everyday life where we packed in family and fun and loved every minute of it.


Then it was back home to life and school and the everyday happiness and crazy.  Where shopping for costume pieces at Target requires brownies and bubble bath recovery time, where we have ward Halloween parties and Allison wakes me up to tell me she made curfew and that she made it safely home.  Grateful for this life we lead.