Halloween

Raking Leaf day

Vernal trip with Hannah and Daddy

Derek's first time operating the Skid Steer

Visit with Smith family

Visit to Seattle to see Smith Grandparents, Janna, and Stuart's family

This is a picture of Hannah drinking some hot coco in the Seattle airport. I treat the kids to hot coco when we miss a flight and we have to stay at the airport longer than we would have liked. the kids are so great when we aren't able to make a flight (no room). I just love being able to be together as a family and not having anything else pressing on our time together.

Hannah loves to take pictures. She is quite talented and has a great eye for capturing objects, people and animals at great angles. I wish that all of us could do that for others and their spirits. What a world we would have if we would do that for each other.

Hannah enjoying her "missed the flight" coco

This is a picture of the kids and I supporting Stuart's boys, Tate and Micha in their football games. We brought Stephanie with us. I'm so glad that we were able to bring Stephanie with us so that we did not miss out on family time together. It is hard for me not to wish that things could be different and Janna could go with us too. But life is what it is and I am grateful for what we have, that I am able to come and visit as much as we can, I think this was our 5th time since May.

Derek and Hannah sure do love sharing time with their family. This is some crazy fun needed time clowing around on Uncle Stuart and Aunt Kim's trampoline.

Hannah and Derek love all of their cousins but their little cousins are so sweet, they sure are so much fun to hold and cuddle. There is nothing like a hug from a little kid.

This is the start of a tree house that Uncle Stuart is building for his boys. It was fun to get up with him and reminice about our childhood. Derek and Hannah came up and shared in the great memories andworking together.

The boys outside of Aunt Janna's house.

At the local high school football game. The coach lives in their neighborhood, Uncle Steve works at the high school, several of the football players are in their ward. The kids weren't really excited to go until we got there but as soon as we got their they actually had a blast.

Just outside the football game with the gang.

We went to visit my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Gene with my Mom and Dad. It was great to see my cousin, David, he was kind of like my younger brother when I was growing up. We had so much fun growing up together.

This is Derek and Grandma and Derek doing one of his favorite things. They are making brownies together.

Celebrate the month of October

The kids and I are bringing in the month of October and celebrating Halloween together this weekend by having one of our many "movie nights" that we love together. We are watching "Disney's House of Villians". We have our usual popcorn and sodas and are loving Disney's way of scaring us getting us ready for Halloween. It sure hasn't been fall weather though. Today has been up past 80 degrees and has been consistenly warm. Tuesday is supposed to finally go down in temperature. We are definately ready. We really want to get our pumpkins and carve them but we don't want the warm weather to spoil our Jack-O-Lanterns. Tonight Hannah and Derek and I are going to get out the Haunted House village I bought quite a few years ago and get some Halloween spirit going through the house. :) I've been simmering some autum potpori also. It's fun when the seasons change.

Earlier the kids and I watched/listened to Conference together. They sure are amazing kids. I would have never wanted to watch/listen to Conference but my kids do. They love to listen and talk with me about it. They say they love the feeling they get. They are also both great at wanting to listen to me read the scriptures. We do that almost every night. There really aren't many nights we don't. And these kids study the scriptures with me, they ask questions and make comments. They are really learning a lot and helping me with keeping the spirit in our house, I sure do appreciate them.

I have been wanting to have a Barrus family get together for a long time now. There are quite a few cousins/aunt/uncles in the the Salt Lake/Provo area. I really have been trying to impress upon my kids the importance of families. I have done a good job in taking them to see their Smith and Ely family (in very large part because of my wonderful job that makes it possible to go out more than 6 times a year every year) but I have not done a good job in helping them know their Barrus family, and enjoying them. So. . . I finally called a cousin of mine, Kristy Copier, who has a very large building that her husband owns for business. We have set a date in early November (the 6th) and I have sent a message of the details to all the cousins via email/face book. Hopefully a lot will be able to come for the get together. I am determined to have many more. I am also hoping to arrange the same type of get together with David's family/cousins/aunts/uncles out here. The only problem will be the location. I'll have to see if we can find somewhere, maybe a church house, like the gym to meet in. I have always felt so isolated out here without my immediate family but I do have extended familly that are quite wonderful and fun. I would really like my kids to get to know them and enjoy them also. I really want to set up this pattern so they will continue this when they get older.