Happy Halloween!

Mimi was a pumpkin, Zee was the pizza monster, Gee and Hebs were superheroes, and Em was a ballerina. And Momma is just relieved that Halloween is over with.

Our ward's Trunk or Treat was interesting, this year. The rain let up just long enough for everyone to show off their fabulous trunk decorations, and to let the kids run around and grab candy from everyone. Just as everyone was hurrying back into the church for the awards and refreshments, it began to rain again.

I had left Bradley at our trunk, with Mimi, to pass out the candy, while I went around with the kids. Being exhausted from a long week, we chose not to stay for the last part of the party. I led the kids inside the church to grab a cookie each, and in the less-than-five-minutes we were inside, the heavens OPENED, and it hailed and poured and lightninged.

That's not snow, it's hail.

We ended up hanging out inside the church for another seven or eight minutes, until the storm let up enough for Bradley to drive around to the back. Then there was a mad dash to the car, with squealing children splashing in puddles. By the time we made it home, two blocks away, it was barely raining. (It was a fairly soggy night for treat-or-treaters, though. We only had three come to the door.)

Hope you had a great Halloween!

Heartache

My friends' little girl passed away late Friday night. It's been a very heartbreaking and hard weekend.

You know the cliche, "Motherhood is having your heart walking around outside of you"? (Or something like that.) I'm really feeling it right now. Intellectually, I know the world isn't a more dangerous place than it was before this tragedy happened, but it seems more dangerous. Especially for little kids.

But I can't wrap my kids in cotton padding, or bubblewrap, or whatever, to keep them safe. I can't stop letting them play outside, or run around, or just be kids. I have to let them go, keeping them safe where I can, and trusting in God to make everything all right in the end.

Except "in the end" is so impossibly far away sometimes.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell writes in his book Not My Will, But Thine: "There is no way to go around in this ­life; ­we have to go through it". And sometimes the way is hard. Sometimes we have to hold really tight to the iron rod, to make it through the mists of darkness. But if we can--if we can just hold on and endure the hardships that come with this mortal experience--then, at the end, is peace and joy and reunion.

I'm holding fast to that right now.

Prayers for Lailla, Suzanne, and Dan

My friend Suzanne's little baby girl was in an accident today, and the prognosis is very bad. Could I ask a favor of all my friends and family? Could you all pray for Lailla, Suzanne, and Dan?

I don't know what else to do.

With Pepperoni, Naturally

This is what Zee wants to be for Halloween. Heaven help me.

October 19

Fifteen years ago tonight Bradley asked me on our first official date. Up until then, although we had spent a fair amount of time together, it was always "hanging out" with our roommates and friends. That night, my roommates lured me downstairs to the piano room, and there Bradley was, ready with a homemade song to ask me to the BYU Homecoming Dance.

All together now: Awwwwwwwwww!

I'll spare you my journal entry that night, as it is as gushy and excited and hysterical as you might expect from an infatuated 18-year-old. It was one of the best nights of my life up to then. Bradley asked me on a DATE!!!

I was already head-over-heels in love with him, you see. He didn't know what hit him, poor boy.

And nine years ago today he married me in the Las Vegas Temple.

Happy Anniversary, Bradley. I love you!

Create

The Pinzgauer, the Pit, and the Volvo

On Sunday, between sessions, we went to John and Michelle's gravel pit/quarry. Although we had visited the Gillelands' at least three times before this, there just never had been time to explore the pit. I was so excited to go look at it (the basic geology is ground moraine with reddish loess on top and greyish shale beneath), the kids were excited to go climb the piles, and Bradley was excited to go drive some heavy equipment.

We were all excited to ride in John's Pinzgauer. The Pinzgauer is an old 6-wheel drive army vehicle. For children who never ride around in anything but a van with booster seats and seat belts, it was a Very Exciting Adventure.

Hebs was sick with a fever on Sunday, so Grandma stayed with him and Mimi at the house.

The Pinzgauer:

Doesn't Bradley look awesome there? He didn't know I was taking his picture at the time...

After a fun drive down the mesa where the house is, across the freeway, and up a hill, we arrived at the pit:


They dropped me off at the active face (where they are currently excavating) with Elise (my niece), and we explored the cobbles and talked about the rocks. Then we walked over to the piles to discover my eldest two children in very...precarious...positions:

Em got clear up there, enjoyed the view for a while, and then discovered that she was too scared to get back down. Given my mild fear of heights, I wasn't the best to try to help her. Thank heavens for Daddy! He climbed right up and rescued her. She stayed on smaller piles for the rest of the time.

Zee had no such trouble. He and Michelle's youngest kids had a BALL. A dusty, gravelly, dirty ball. (You should have seen the back pockets of Zee's jeans when we got back to Michelle's house. FULL of gravel.)

Unsurprisingly, Gee had a harder time getting up the piles. He was mostly content to sit on the ground next to them and play with my rock hammer, but at one point Bradley helped him up a small pile and he had a great time getting back down.

Grandpa Ross and Bradley had a great time driving the...Volvo? I usually associate Volvos with little sedan-type cars, but apparently they make heavy equipment as well:

Go Grandpa!

I like this guy a lot. In case you were wondering.

Each of them scooped up a big pile of dirt and dumped it in another spot. Not exactly earth-shattering, but earth-moving at least. (Ha, ha! I kill myself!)

I was offered the chance to do the same, but politely declined. I think I would have been too nervous I was going to break something, and with my little kids running around I would have definitely been too distracted.

But I did make it up there for a photo op. What do you think, me and heavy equipment? I didn't think so.

General Conference, Colorado Style

It turns out that General Conference, Colorado Style, isn't that different than General Conference, anywhere style. When you have small, noisy children, watching General Conference is an exercise in futility. Thank heavens for video podcasts and transcripts of all the talks--without having to wait for the November Ensign! We do live in remarkable times.

That being said, I was able to hear some of the talks. I especially loved Elder Oaks' talk (Two Lines of Communication), and Elder Ballard's talk about addiction (O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One). (And can we talk about how much I love Elder Ballard's title? One of my favorite scripture verses!) I'm making my way through the podcasts of the sessions, and I really love Elder Holland's talk (Because of Your Faith). I'm excited to listen to the Priesthood Session, too. Bradley really loved it.

Some watching-conference pictures:

Grandma and Grandpa Ross came down to Michelle's house for conference, too. It was wonderful to have them there at the same time as us!

Bradley, George (Grandpa), Uncle John, Gabe (green tie), and Seth (yellow tie), home from the Priesthood Session

Daddy and Mimi, chilling on the couch watching the Saturday afternoon session. Shortly after this picture was taken, Mimi had a massive blowout that effectively ended my conference-watching for the day.

Elise (granddaughter #2) and Mimi (granddaughter #5)

So, not watching Conference. But playing "Angry Birds" in tandem (Seth and Gee) is still pretty fun.

Cheeks of Love

We interrupt this vacation retrospective to announce that Mimi, at a robust 8 weeks old, is adorable. And big (22.5 inches, 11 lbs 13 oz). With delicious fat cheeks that honestly beg to be squeezed.

She smiles at everyone--especially her siblings, and even more especially when they place their faces within millimeters of hers. (I'm talking about you, Hebs. Try not to sneeze, okay?) She coos and gurgles and "talks" up a storm. She sleeps pretty well (sometimes even five-hour stretches, but that's rare). Like my older two children, she isn't a cuddler--she is much happier facing outward so she can see everything that is going on.

We are very much enjoying our precious baby girl. With cheeks like those, who could think otherwise?

The Pond

Just down the hill from John and Michelle's house is a sweet little pond:

The Gillelands' dog, Daisy. Poor Daisy. Hebs loved the heck out of her this weekend.

With a sweet little paddleboat:

Daddy and Zee on the paddleboat.

The water was cold, but that didn't stop Zee and Em from wanting to swim:

Wading was about all that happened, though. Did I mention the water was cold?

Daddy spent a lot of time in that paddleboat, with various kids (and occasionally Momma):

Hello, handsome!

A very great time was had by all!

I love this one's cheesy smiles.

The Veranda

One of the best parts of this vacation was the slow pace. Often vacations are anything but relaxing, especially for the parents of small children. But the purpose of this vacation was just to hang out with Bradley's sister Michelle, her husband John, and their five children. (Add my five, and there were ten children altogether in that house this last weekend. Fortunately, it's a big house, so it never felt too crazy, except occasionally at mealtimes.) We had nothing scheduled, only vague plans to walk by the river, visit Mesa Verde, or go to their gravel pit. As a result, I came back from this vacation feeling less stressed than before. What a miracle!

One of my favorite parts about Michelle's house (along with the trees, the pond, the strawberry patch, the loft...okay, I love Michelle's house) is the veranda. (Or is it a balcony? I don't know the difference.) I spent a lot of time out there, cuddling or feeding my baby, watching my kids play on the lawn below, or listening to conference. The weather was unseasonably warm, meaning it got up to 75 degrees in the daytime. Perfect!

The veranda is on the middle floor of the house, so it overlooks the backyard. There are comfortable chairs, a dining table and chairs, and--this is Hebs' favorite part--a bridge that crosses over to a built-up picnic area. Zee and Em loved climbing up the huge rocks from the backyard to the picnic area.

Of course, half the fun are the views: Watching my nephews' elaborate game of trampoline basketball, spying on Bradley and the kids on the pond, or just soaking in the view of the La Plata mountain range, watching the storms roll in.


Definitely a place for a little R&R.

Autumn Vacation

We just got back from a five-day autumn vacation to Durango, Colorado, where Bradley's sister Michelle lives. We had such an amazingly good time--one of my favorite vacations ever. It was so fun and relaxing. The kids had so many firsts and awesome adventures--plenty of blog fodder there.

But, for today, a sneak peek:


...we had a four-wheeling, gravel-climbing, paddle-boating, cold-water-wading, ancient-ruin-viewing, General-Conference-watching, rock-throwing, front-loader-driving good time!

Zee's Solution

We were driving through a heavily wooded canyon at dusk yesterday, and Bradley commented that we needed to be on the lookout for deer, because we don't want to hit them with our van. Zee* piped up right away with a clever solution:

"We need to paint our car to look like a lion. Then the deer will be scared and they will all run away."

I hate to brag, but the boy's a genius. And he thinks outside of the box, too. I'm hoping he'll be my meal ticket in 20 years...

*I need to remember that he listens to everything we say, even when we don't think he is paying attention. Except when I am asking him to do something for me. Then he doesn't hear a word I say.