Joseph's Baptism

Joseph was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints today by his dad.

He had lots of family come and support him.

All of his grandparents were there, including Great Grandma Atkin. Uncle Jon and Aunt Jenny, Uncle Kevin and Aunt Alisa came. His cousins Violet, Jaxson, and Asher were there, and his cousins Matthew and Davis came from Washington with Grandma and Grandpa Lay.

He also had a few friends there. These are his two good buddies, and they are both named Max.

I am so happy Joseph made this decision to be baptized. I know that the gospel will be a great blessing in his life, and as he comes to know and use the Holey Ghost, the Lord will be able to bless him in so many ways.

We Love You Joe!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Bolander's house. Grandma always sets a beautiful table, and I am sad I did not get a picture of it. Valerie was very happy when she found a pink place setting waiting for her at the table.



The boys were very interested in Grandma's tree and what was underneath it. I caught them pinching a few packages after dinner.


To entertain the kids between activities Grandma had Christmas houses for them to build. The boys had a lot of fun with this.


After dinner it was time for the program. Aunt Tracy and Uncle Gavin were spending Christmas at their home in DC, but thanks to modern technology they joined us for the program.



Emily has been working really hard learning how to play the trumpet in band at school, so for our family's part in the program Emily and Ryan played their trumpets together, and the other kids sang along.

For only playing since September I think Emily played really well.
We always end the program by reading the Christmas story from the scriptures.

Shortly after the program finished the doorbell rang. Once again the Mysterious Stranger had left gifts.



Once everyone was dressed in their new pajamas we got in our cars to look at lights and head home to wait for Santa.

Grand Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Not only is the food delicious, but we also get to spend the day together with people we love, and focus on the things we are grateful for.

This year we headed back to the Grand America for our meal,

and once again we were not disappointed.

We got a little messy,

had a little fun with our food,

And had a great day together.

The biggest event this Thanksgiving was something that seems simple to most, but to us it has been a long road to, and a huge mile stone for our family. This Thanksgiving was the first time in 2+ years, that we have been able to all fit in our car and drive somewhere together. We pulled up to the Grand America in our new (used) mini van. Because the wait has been so long, this event brought so many feelings of gratitude. I know that the Lord has blessed us.

This Thanksgiving my heart is full of gratitude for all of our many blessings. I am grateful to have family who love and support us, and I am grateful for my children who are such a blessing in our lives. I am grateful for all that we have been blessed with, food to eat, and a home to live in, and the Gospel in our lives.

I hope that this Thanksgiving you also have much to be grateful for.

Pumpkin Carving

Sunday, we only had one more thing to do to be ready for Halloween. We needed to carve our pumpkins. So after dinner we got to work. Once we get the guts cleaned out, Emily and the boys can pretty much do the rest on their own. Valerie thinks she can too, but she was willing to let me help.
Grandma and Grandpa Bolander stopped by, and Joe recruited them to help him get his just right.

In the end I think we got some great looking Jack-o-lanterns

Emily made sure that the seeds were saved for roasting.

With the Jack-o-lanterns on the porch we are now ready for some Halloween fun.

Utah State Fair

Last weekend we headed to the State fair.

It is so fun to see all of the exhibits. Some of them make me wonder what exactly the categories are. Emily and Joe liked this dragon made out of metal pieces. A lot of them looked like they came off of bikes.

Valerie loved this picture of the pink chicken. Because it is pink that means it is hers. Even now as I type this she is telling me "Oh that's my chicken!"

Another favorite part of the fair is the really yummy, heart attack waiting to happen, treats .

The boys enjoyed fried cheese on a stick.

Grandma and Emily shared a plate of fried potatoes.

And we all had ourselves a scone......mine was stuffed with cream cheese, and it was very tasty.

After seeing all the crafts, animals, and other things on display, the kids ended the night with a couple of rides.

It was no surprise that Valerie loved the rides too.

While the kids were waiting in line for one of their rides Grandpa took Valerie on the Merry-go-round over, and over, and over again.

She loved having him for a ride buddy.

The final ride of the night was the big yellow slide. Emily, Joe, and Josh were not quite sure if they would like it, but Grandma asked them to give it a try.

They loved it so much, they declared it "The Best Ride Ever," and wanted to go for a second time.

Valerie talked Grandpa into taking her on it too.

I think the kids would have gone on it over and over again if we would have let them, but it was time to head home.

Valerie was not happy to leave. She wanted to keep sliding on the slide.

As always it was a great time at the fair.

Labor Day

This summer, our bike riding adventures were few and far between. The spring and early summer were cold and wet, and with the high river waters, our favorite bike trail was under water in many places. By the time the water receded, the weather was too hot for the kids.

Ryan and I went on a few rides together, including a 24 mile ride on the Legacy parkway, but the kids opted to stay home.

Now that it is Labor Day the family bike ride was a must do activity. So we loaded our bikes and headed to the trail.

The Family bike ride is not complete without Grandma,

And Grandpa. They add to the fun of the trail.

Valerie still does pretty well in the cart, but she really liked getting out and running around the park.

Ryan and Emily are the top riders of the group, and usually take off at some point and ride a little further than the rest of us. This is usually no big deal, except this year, the trail was still flooded at the stopping point for the rest of us, and I did not like watching my daughter sprint across 12300 south with her bike, because they could not go under the bridge.

She thought it was great though.

It was fun spending Labor Day together doing something we all enjoy.