Weekend Wrap

Saturday morning we got up really early (extra early if you are me and had to get a 6 mile run in first), and headed to Logan.  Saturday was Taylor's 18th birthday so we went to celebrate with him.  Also, this weekend was Utah State's Homecoming and Tim's family are all really big fans so  we decided to join the festivities and celebrate all day.

The drive through Sardine Canyon was absolutely beautiful.  I usually encourage Tim to keep driving, but this time it was too beautiful not to stop for a minute to enjoy.  As we drove I asked him how it felt to have an 18 year old son and one that is 5 months old.  I think his answer was somewhere along the lines of "old".  I think the real answer is "lucky".  It was really important to him to spend the day with Taylor to make sure Taylor know how important he is to him.  I think all of the kids are especially lucky to have such a dedicated and loving dad.

We made it just in time for the start of the Homecoming parade.  It was kind of chilly-perfect for fall.  The best part of the parade was watching all of the kids chase candy, I think their bags were fuller than after a night of trick or treating.

Luke loved hanging with Dave,
Especially after he gave him a box of Nerds to play with.
They were the perfect size for him to hold,
And made great noise.

Erika has been practicing hard all week with her cheer group
So it was fun to see them in the parade.

Luke loves his cheerleader sister.

Always happy to be the center of attention.

Luke and I went and hung out at a hotel for part of the afternoon so he could nap and I could read.  Kind of perfect.  Then we got changed, packed up, and headed to the Utah State Homecoming game.  Once again we took two cars because I didn't think Luke would last through the whole game.  I did have to leave for a bit at half time to find somewhere quiet to find him, but other than that he was a serious trooper.

Tim and the birthday boy.

With Shauna and Karl, Tim's sister
Big fans of Utah State and big fans of Luke

It did get a little loud at times.
Sitting by the band was probably not the best location.

Zach was clearly having a great time!

On our way home this morning we stopped and saw the Brigham City temple.  It is not very big, but it was absolutely beautiful.  It felt so peaceful just being in the parking lot.

I realized that I hadn't ever posted any pictures from Erika's birthday, 15 years old.  We were lucky and all got to celebrate with Grandpa and Grandma Whitesides and red velvet cake.  August-September are busy birthday months.

Harvest Moon Festival

Spanish Fork City hosted a Harvest Moon Festival yesterday afternoon and evening.  They had lot of kids activities and musical acts.  My mom had really wanted to go because the headliners were The Piano Guys so we packed up our kids, along with a few extras, and headed over.  The kids had a great time...they did football throws, ring around the scarecrow, caramel apples and a wagon ride.   It was really a great event with plenty to do - all free.  The only negative was that we didn't get there early enough to get balloon animals.  Thank you Spanish Fork!

These luckies got to drive the wagon

I promise the boys were having a good time

Can you spot the photobomber?

Five Months

Most days I wake up early and get Luke up to feed him before leaving for the day.  As I sit there rocking him, I am still amazed that I get the chance to be the mom to this little guy.  He is sweeter and has brought more joy to me and Tim than I ever thought was possible.  He is getting such a personality and loves to laugh, especially if it makes you laugh with him.  The other night I was putting on his pajamas and when he heard the zipper, thought it was so funny and would laugh repeatedly, every time I zipped.  I recorded him and he would laugh just as hard watching himself.  We usually read stories before bed and he pays such good attention, watching the pictures and laughing at the good parts.  He pays attention to everything that is going on around him and especially loves watching other kids.  He's growing so fast that sometimes he only wears an outfit once or twice before it is too small.  Tim got on the scale with him tonight and he is 19 pounds.  We keep trying to get him to spend time on his belly and still absolutely hates "tummy time".  We take turns doing it with him because he gets so mad - I'm worried he will never roll over or crawl.  So, here are the official five months pics, and a few others of some firsts.

Oh how he loves his daddy.

Eats cereal, peaches, bananas and applesauce

First football game

Learning to go metal detecting with dad

Adored by his cousins

Wonder Woman Ride

 Since having Luke I have not been on my bike as much as I would like, and haven't done any type of big ride.  So I was super excited when Jami suggested that we do the Wonder Woman ride.  They had three distances, fully supported, all girls, perfect.  We all decided to do the 70 mile options which was much further than any of the other girls had ever ridden, and definitely further than I have ridden since last summer.  We even talked my mom into doing the 30 mile ride.  The short story is that it was such a great ride and sooo much fun.  There were a few little issues along the way, but nothing that a little laughter and some estrogen couldn't overcome.  Thanks ladies for a great time!

Adrianne, mom, me, Jenna, Jami

Even though my mom didn't start till later,
She came early to see us off and be supportive.

We all maybe had a swig of the pre-race fuel,
Thanks Jenna!

The kids all made signs and Jarin brought them to cheer,
Cutest motivation ever!

Jami might have been a little excited by the lunch stop...
Sandwiches, coke, candy...
Who wouldn't want to do this ride?

We may be all smiles for the picture,
But Jami and I just made it up a killer hill
And were probably still breathing hard.

We may have had one casualty,
Blood running down her leg wasn't an excuse for Jenna to slack,
I think it just made her look tougher.

My mom appeared on the back side of the lake
To support and take another group pic.
My dad was there cheering as well,
Too bad I missed him in the shot.

Three miles from the finish Jenna got a flat tire.
Once she took off her number, we may have discovered
The root of her problems

So glad she made it for a "mother daughter" ride.

Post race cheese.

Go Cougars

One of the best parts about Fall is the start of college football.  I don't really care about watching professional football, but really like college ball.  I was a little surprised when Tim said that he wanted to get tickets for the BYU game on Saturday.  They were playing Weber State which didn't seem like much of a competition...then I realized this was his chance to see his alma mater play with the big boys.  So, Saturday afternoon we packed everyone up and headed to the stadium, driving separate cars because we weren't sure how long Luke would last.  We all actually had a great time and Luke and I stayed till the end.  We found a shady spot that wasn't too noisy, bought some kettle corn, and the day was made.  Oh and the score, it wasn't much of a contest, but Tim's Wildcats did put some points on the board.

Peachy Keen

Thursday night we got an email saying that one of our neighbors had some boxes of peaches she was willing to give away and that they would be great to can.  Tim was excited, he loves peaches, and asked if we should go get some.  I said that would be a great idea, if he had a wife that liked/knew how to can.  He kind of nodded in sad agreement and gave up his dream of peaches.  I thought about it and decided I may not know how to can the peaches, or make jam, but I do have a large freezer and we love frozen fruit for smoothies.  So...30 minutes later and I had a large box of peaches and a need for some free time.  Friday morning I went on a 20 mile run, then came home, cleaned the bathrooms, and decided I better find something worthwhile to do...like peaches.   I looked at several websites and got different recommendations before getting started.

A lot of people recommended blanching the peaches in boiling water and then a cold water bath to make them easy to peel, but these skins came off so easily, I just pealed with a small paring knife.

Once I had a small bowl peeled and cut in small slices, I added about a tablespoon of lemon juice and about 1/4 cup of sugar and let them sit for a few minutes.

 The key was to freeze the peaches individually on trays so that when you want to use them, they aren't all stuck together.

By the time I finished I was itchy and sticky, but feeling pretty accomplished.  We now have 20 bags of peaches ready to go, they should be extra delicious in the middle of the winter.