Saturday, October 23, 2010

A Utah (wo)Man Am I!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Now that we were back in Utah, my chances of getting to attend a U of U football game in person went WAY up! (o: I lucked out when my aunt Jill called to tell me she had an extra ticket she wanted to let me use for the Colorado game. I think it was Colorado State. I was so excited!! It was a rainy day - we joked that I must have brought the Oregon weather with me. But the soggy weather didn't dampen my spirits one bit. It was so fun to attend a game with my family. When I walked into the stadium for the first time in over a decade I got the chills! There's something so exciting about attending a football game in a huge stadium full of fans. All the beautiful red, the smells, the excitement, I was loving it! The first quarter was slow and disappointing - kind of the pattern the Utes followed a lot this season. But in the second quarter they picked up the pace and things just got better from there! It was such a FUN game.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.


From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
As the sun came out and the rain subsided the game got better and better. Look at all of those empty seats - Utahns don't like sitting in the rain apparently. It was kind of miserable and cold at first, but when your team is playing well - who cares?! Jumping up and down always warms you up.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Mom and Tina and I trying to keep warm.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Andy gets pretty serious about the games. (o:

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Russ in his fancy shmancy football blanket poncho thing. He was prepared.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Poised for a touchdown on our end of the field! I don't remember the final score, but it was a blow out. It was 31 to 6 at the beginning of the third quarter and I think we broke 50 if I remember right. (I just checked - it was 59 to 6!) Normally, I feel a little bad when there's a blow out, but I couldn't get enough of cheering for those touchdowns! (O:

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
We didn't get to sit by Chrissy because she is sits with the MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section). I think Chuck* was the one that told us he saw Chrissy on TV. So we came home to check my parents recorded version of the game and sure enough the cameras went to these goofy guys about 4 times during the game. Believe it or not, there ARE some kooky U of U fans and Chris sits right behind them in the MUSS. (o: She's the one in the white poncho looking straight ahead behind the goofy "naked" guys. And she's right next to Hailey my cousin and Lauren (my other cousin's girlfriend) who are talking. Pretty funny.

Starting New Traditions

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
October means pumpkins whether you're in Oregon or Utah! So when my sister in law Lisa told us about a nearby pumpkin patch and invited us to go along we were in! The pumpkin patches here are not as cool as the ones in Oregon. Not nearly as scenic and no train or boat rides. But we had fun with the cousins. And we got to bring aunt Chrissy with us too! Oh and did I mention it was HOT?! How weird. We were sweating picking out our pumpkins. October was super warm in Utah this year. It was nice!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
This was the most scenic angle I could get.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
So we traded scenery for getting to go with these awesome people! Kelton and Chrissy!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.

A shot from the teeny tiny "corn maze" (o: It was just a "U" shape - but good for teeny tiny kids, I guess!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Here's a new "tradition"! This was the first time I'd filled up gas in the car in AGES!! I was so glad Chrissy was there to help me and get a picture of the momentous occasion. We were laughing so hard the guy next to us got the giggles. Who knew getting gas could be so hilarious! I spilled a little on the ground when I forgot to let go of the nozzle. Oregonians and gas pumps don't mix!! I really, really, really miss my full service gas stations. Especially on freezing cold days!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
This was an awesome place at Thanksgiving Pointe called Cornbelly's Corn Maze. It was a gigantic corn maze with tons of other fun activities. Natalie did not get what was so "fun" about getting lost in a corn maze. She wondered why people pay to do that. It does seem a little silly. The maze made her very nervous - she does not lot to be lost. No matter how much we explained that there were workers there that would help us if we couldn't find our way and we wouldn't be stuck in the maze forever. Natalie much preferred all the other cute and fun Halloween stuff. She looked with terror when we'd go anywhere near the haunted and even scarier corn maze playing eery music.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
This was a gorgeous centerpiece to the venue - it was fun to look at all the detail of the pumpkins.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
The big corn house was one of the girls favorite things. I even jumped in - it was pretty cool.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
We had a fantastic time at this fun place and will definitely be back! We'll try to avoid Saturday nights in the future, but the weather that night could not be beat! It was so nice!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Another new tradition - bundling up! While October was unseasonable warm in Utah, the beautiful weather had to come to an end. We are living in the Wasatch Front now. I bought these coats at Costco back in Oregon the week after we decided to move to Utah. I knew our wimpy Oregon jackets would not provide the warmth we'd need on our first COLD Utah winter. I also had to invest in snow gloves, thermals and snow boots - a Utah wardrobe can get pricey!

Friday, October 22, 2010

New Life New Style

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.

Since before the move, the girls have been asking to get a new haircut. I told them that could be one of the first things we do to start our new life. A fresh start and a new haircut go hand in hand, right? (O: And now that we're in Utah we have aunt Lisa who is a hairstylist! Perfect! The picture above is their long hair before the cut. (They are also sporting their new Halloween shirts and homemade leis I made them to wear for Hawaiian Day at school. (We lucked out that the school had a whole week of dress up days while we were living in a hotel with most of our belongings somewhere in storage! I had to be creative.)

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.


From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.


From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.


From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
Don't they look cute? They were so excited!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

A Sweet Surprise

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
A few weeks into our hotel stay, we found a wonderful surprise while checking our P.O. Box! Mrs. B. our dear friend and teacher from Patterson sent the girls a package! I was so touched. The girls were screaming. She sent us a sweet Halloween card, a stuffed animal for each of the girls and cool light up Halloween pens. Angela also got some little pumpkin stickers. It was so thoughtful and made the girls whole day! They STILL carry around those Halloween dolls and it's January. (O; We LOVE Mrs. B.!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Happy Birthday Sarah!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
A week and a half after our big move, Sarah turned 10! She got to enjoy a unique birthday this year! She looked so cute in her new, blue velour outfit.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
I usually try to bring a balloon to the girls if their birthday falls on a school day. This balloon was very entertaining for the girls during recess. (o: That's Sarah with new friends Amelie, Sophia, and Gracie.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
What a treat to get to celebrate birthdays with family!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
A party with daddy's side of the family . . .

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
AND a party with mommy's side of the family! Cool!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
On Sarah's birthday, after school we went to search for Halloween costumes and look who we ran into! He's shorter in person than I imagined. Love his style.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
We did our family birthday get togethers at various times, but the night of her actual birthday we headed to good old Chuck E. Cheese! It was actually quite fun - not many people go there on weeknights!

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
This picture makes me laugh so hard! Angela and her funny bug eyed expressions!! What a cutie pie.

From Blog Favorites Sept.Oct.
And the huge cherry on top of a wonderful birthday was the Harry Potter Hogwarts castle lego set. Sarah was in heaven! Happy birthday sweetheart - it's hard to believe you are a decade old!