Grandbabies

Well, I should probably share a few photos of my adorable grandchildren. Joseph sent this one to the family chat today and we all just squealed when we saw it - 

MARY!!!! So so so so so cute! Aww, that little GRIN!!!! Oh she's so cute. And a pic they sent yesterday, awww. 

She's a little person with a little personality! Let's take a look at Alvie ~ awww! He's a little person too! 

He's a big boy - his cheeks are a bit heavier to lift, but he's got a charming grin as well!

Oh they are so cute. So fun. Eliza and Bella are so lucky to be mothers! Babies really are God's gifts to the moms. It's fun being a grandma, but they don't need me. They need the mom, and the mom gets to be the one that spends all day with them. I'm guessing that I'll get to babysit the grandkids now and then over the years, but I don't get them all day. I'll treasure these last years with Katharine where we are best friends and spend all day together! Except when I escape for a bike ride or something. I did escape briefly yesterday. 

Fall colors are falling down and becoming more brown and dead, but it's still pretty and I love it. 

Corey and I also escaped to go climbing last night. It was late, we took ODPK over to Wayne's house while we climbed in Millcreek. We took our nephew Seth with us, who was over there visiting Wayne. 

So that was fun! He did three climbs and a few boulders. I bouldered a little bit when Corey was belaying Seth.

Tonight I went for a walk and did some stretching. The older girls have today and tomorrow off, and Monday, for fall break. I like it when Natalie is home, cause she is so good at playing with Katharine. They both dressed up as ballerinas today. 

I'm impressed that Natalie can still fit in her ballet costume from FOUR years ago! Wow. She was teaching Katharine a few moves. 

Cute. Natalie and Peter are both really good at playing with Katharine. And Natalie is good at playing with Peter too. 

She was using my phone today (without permission) and doing some fun editing stuff with Peter. 

I'm not sure how she knows how to do that, but good job. I'm always impressed with the kids editing skills. I'm glad they have skills. I hope the skills they are acquiring will be of benefit to them and help them get into college and live a good life. A lot of the stuff (reels and memes) seems like a waste and pointless though. Corey took Lily Sophi and Natalie with him this morning to do some service at a church soap factory. It was supposed to be a 4 hour thing, starting at 7am, so they got up to go at 6:30 this morning. I helped them get out the door, telling them it was a 30 min drive so just bring your blankets in the car and you can sleep on the way there. Corey said they were too young to be out on the floor (he didn't know that would be the case) so they just did a few random jobs around the facility...

with great attitudes to boot!

(haha not really on the great attitudes part...)

But they ended up only being there for an hour, and then he took them out to breakfast, and got some genuine smiles from them there. 

I'm glad Corey uses opportunities like this (a soap assignment) to give the kids opportunities to be stretched. It's good for them. And when they look back, and see that it wasn't so bad, hopefully they'll be willing to do it again. Like Daniel and Peter hiking the Y on Tuesday, they both did so good, I was so proud of them, and I think it's cause they were glad that they did it. As time passes, the sucky parts fade and you are just left with the good things and cool parts, like meeting Cosmo, or having donuts. So we'll keep trying to do hard things and finish them off with a good thing. It's good that Corey took them out for breakfast. Ooh, babies are the best example of that. 9 months of pregnancy and some labor to boot, and then you get an angel baby for the rest of eternity! Such a great plan of our Heavenly Father. And no blessings will be withheld from those who desire those blessings yet do not receive them here in mortality through no fault of their own. Such a gracious plan! Good to make sure that we really are not at fault though, where we can help it. I'm going to go have the kids practice some piano and music before we head to bed. 

Hike the Y

Two weeks ago, I planned for us to move FHE to Tuesday this week so that we could hike the Y for homecoming. Tonight we followed through with that plan. Corey ended up not coming, cause he stayed home with Owen, who really really really wanted to go to his last soccer practice tonight, where they were having a scrimmage the whole time. So we left Corey and Owen, got gas at Costco for $3.14 a gallon (would have been less expensive at the new Walmart gas station, where I saw it was $3.04 yesterday. Doh, I should have gotten it there). We picked up Mel on the way down. She lives in an apartment close to the Orem Temple. Then to the Y. We were cutting it close - we were starting up the trail at 6:50 right at sunset. 

Mel read online that the lighting was going to be at 7:30, so we should still be good for time if we hustled. I looked at my strava and saw that last year, my hike activity took 42 minutes, but I couldn't tell where it started or ended on the map from last year, but I figured that was for the climb and decent, and so we should be good if we kept it under 40. They didn't allow any parking at the trailhead parking lot this year, boo... but they said we could drop off, so I drove the van up, got out with all the kids, then Mel went back to park and then walk back up with Christian, who was also parking at the bottom. And lucky her, we found out later that they did just let her park there at the top, which was nice, cause there were like 30 perfectly open parking stalls. I think they just didn't like having so many people in the road when the shuttles were trying to leave. But I'm glad they let us park. Anyway, so I started up the trail with the kids. Actually they started up without me, cause I was too slow getting Katharine out of the car. I caught up and yelled for them to wait for a picture.

Then Abi and I took turns carrying Katharine, who had fallen asleep in the car and (you can prob tell by that photo above...) didn't feel like hiking. Abi carried her for the the first long stretch, then I carried her up until turn 10. Having her on my shoulders was easier than having her on my back. Daniel and Peter both did AMAZING. Daniel was in front leading the way. I tried to keep up with him. The girls stayed back with Peter who was steady but was slower cause he had the shortest legs of the group. Abi was kind of an in between, checking on me Katharine and Daniel and LSNP behind us. We had K walk at the final walk to the bottom of the Y, with Abi and I both holding her hands and pulling her along, which she did not like. We heard shouting around 7:15 when we were at like turns 6&7 and found out, once the Y was in view, that they lit it up without us! Darn! Well, note to self for next year: leave earlier (we didn't leave home until 5:27). Maybe 5:30 works if we don't stop for gas or to pick up anyone. We should have left earlier, but we were in negotiations with Owen. It's ok, but next year: get ready at 4:30, leave at 5. Then we can pick up anyone, take our time up the trail, and not miss the lighting. Mel and Christian caught up to us at the very top. We sat at the bottom of the Y and enjoyed the view. 

Christian saved the day with a bag of gummy bears that Katharine held onto and another package or two of treats.

Ethan and Bella didn't join us this year, but we went by their house to say hi and stayed for an hour. The kids played a quick game of Smash bros and we loved on Alvie. He gave us all smiles and Mel got him to do some good laughs as she tickled his neck and ribs.

I like hiking the Y. It's a steep hike, but it's kid possible, it's short, it's only one time each year, and it makes a very good family tradition. Tonight makes a three year streak that I will keep going. I already have it on my calendar for next year. I'm glad we did it. And here are the years past that I've recorded here. I remember doing it one year with my friend Susan and all our kids, but I can't find that here so I don't know what year it was. Might have been when we were at BYU together (2005 or 2006?) or it might have been like 2007 -09 after we were back and their family was still at BYU. I'll update here if I can find a pic of that and learn what year it was. 

So we just had a quick scripture session and watched some BYU videos as part of that, including this lighting of the Y video from 2023 where Katharine makes her cinematic debut.

2012, 2013, 2019, covid, 2021 not on my radar, 2022 didn't go (Natalie had a party), 2023, 2024, 

Other things we did today: I went and gathered more concord grapes. I got like 6 big bowls full and spent a few hours washing and plucking those to freeze. 

(I should prob learn how to can food). And Katharine's friend Scarlet was here to play after we got back from picking grapes, so they played nicely as I prepped grapes. 

I'm grateful for all these grapes. I told the kids I won't be buying grapes at Costco until these are gone, which they don't love, but beggars can't be choosers. There were still a lot of grapes left on the vine at the Dummers. I'll go get more if I get these all put away before the week is over.

Mission Plaques

So we are in a new ward. We said goodbye to the Granite Ridge and hello to the Granite Ward last month. And good news: the Granite Ward does mission plaques for their missionaries! The Granite Ridge ward stopped doing those sometime during or after covid, so Melodie, Ethan and Hyrum never got one. The new Relief Society presidency came by for a visit last week or two weeks ago, I can't remember, but I mentioned how I have a missionary out and he gets home in January, and they said they'd like to make him a plaque. I guess one of the ladies, Bethany, who visited me has been ordering those. I was excited... I said I had other missionaries who never got one and she said she could do them too - sweet! I double checked with the kids and yeah, they said Joseph was the only one that had one. Joseph used one of these photos as the pic on it. Yesterday she texted me to send her Wesley's information and the other missionary, and then I spammed her for the next few hours! I sent her many texts last night and continued through this morning and this evening. My kids kept changing their minds about which photos to use. I sent Wesley's stuff with a photo, and then today when we talked to him about which scripture to use, he vetoed the photo I chose. Our text conversation went as follows:

Wes "What picture are they gonna use tho...?"

Me "This one?" (pic 4)

Wes "Yeah no, we can't have that. This picture I very much dislike. It displeases me" and he sent me this. 

This is a good photo, but I wanted to come to young Wesley's defense, cause I really liked that young man. 

Me "It's just your cute greenie self"

Wes "Yes, I was an ugly greenie though. I wanna like how I look, and I wanna look as seasoned as possible." 

They are all so hard on themselves, but I get it... it's easy to look back on your younger self and cringe, and from what I've seen, to be cringeworthy is one of the greatest offenses among young people today. Mel was ok to use her original greenie photo, reasoning that that's what she would have used if she had gotten a plaque back in 2020. 

I sent Ethan's photo for his plaque and he was against that too. 

He asked why he had to use a greenie photo. "I don't know, it's just what people do..." to which Ethan replied with a Fiddler on the Roof pic ~

He rejected the traditional photo though and went for a mission one, cause he wasn't going to want to look at it or ever have it on his wall if it was the greenie pic. It took him forever to decide, but tonight finally settled on this one.

Hyrum had four that he liked, and we voted and chose this one.

I couldn't find photos we took of Hyrum before the mission. I know we did, they might have never made it off the SD card? But that pic above was his facebook profile photo for most of his mission, so I thought that was good. When we talked to Wes, he mentioned how he was "finally" getting a mission plaque, and Ethan jumped on him: "What do you mean YOU are finally getting one?!?!? You haven't even waited! If it HAD been here this whole time, you wouldn't even have knows. The rest of us - we have been home for over 3 years and we still don't have our plaques. That is waiting! We've waited for over 5 years!!! You don't know the trial of waiting like we do!" They rib each other quite a bit, which is funny to listen to, but I do hope they make enough positive deposits in each other's hearts to balance out all the joking. When Ethan was talking about his mission photo, if he should zoom in more so it was just him or if he should leave the palm tree in, Wesley told him to not zoom in, that made it worse. Wes said he wasn't trying to roast him, he was just giving honest feedback, which is what Ethan had aslked for. Then Wes also mentioned how he fainted this past week:

We were eating dinner with some super cool members in the ward, and just talking about Brother Ritchies work (he's an eye surgeon), and we asked him what the craziest thing he's seen has been. And he was like I got some pictures, why don't I just show you. They were pretty gross, but still, I normally would've been fine. But we happened to be fasting for a friend that day, so I saw a bunch of bloody eye surgeries on an empty stomach. Suddenly, I just started to feel really weird, and the next thing I knew they were lifting me off the floor saying "are you ok?!" I had fainted, lol. It was the first time ever, but it was goofy. They said I just started to zone out and then I just fell to the left side out of my chair. They ran over and caught me though so I didn't hit my head on anything. Then they carried me over to the couch and I sat there for like 20 min. It was a fun experience.

Ethan teased that he should use this photo which probably shows accurately how hard he's been working as a missionary, just laying around being a slacker! But we know he's been working hard. We are chipping away at the countdown chain. We are almost half way through October! Then just two more months until he's home! Yay. Hyrum's been making plans for Wes to join him up at BYU Idaho and has done all the stuff for his FAFSA application and put a down payment on an apartment to be with him. They all know more about it than I do, but I appreciate Hyrum's taking initiative on that. I'm glad that the kids all have each other to help them out, cause I've still got little ones at home! Katharine and I had the car today, so we went "shopping" and got some stuff at the DI, Kid to Kid, and Walmart for her (A few toys and Elsa things). I know I'm going to have to face Peter's disapproval when he gets home from school. All the kids shake their heads at me that I am always buying her stuff, and it's not fair. I should probably show them some old blog posts of how I used to do this for them for no good reason either. 

I have a right to spoil my children with toys, and I've done it for all of you, you were just 3 and 4 years old when it happened though (much like the trips to Disneyland), so you don't remember!

Primary Program

Our ward Primary Program was today. I was impressed with the leaders, cause last month our previous ward (Granite Ridge) combined with the Granite Ward, and so they were working with having two different Primary groups come together last minute. But the leaders did great with it all. There was a practice this past Friday after school and so seemed like everything was in order. When it was time for the primary children to go up, Owen, Daniel and Peter all hurried to the stand on their own, and I walked Katharine up. I thought the nursery kids were supposed to join in, cause they usually do, even though it's usually just been to sing one song or something. Katharine went to program practice on Friday with her brothers so before the program started, I asked Daniel where Katharine had sat then, so I could know which side she needed to go up to. He said she was on the left. I walked her up there and then I turned to come back to our seat. As the kids started to sing their first song, I realized one of these things doesn't look like the others...

Katharine (that little person standing on the left there) was that thing. I noticed that hmm... there are no other nursery kids. I questioned myself - was she not supposed to go up? Doh! She went on Friday to the practice though... so maybe it was ok? I mean I knew that Katharine didn't have a speaking part, cause I had been texting the leaders about ODP's parts and they never said anything about K, so, ugh... I think I messed up! Should I go up to get her and bring her back down? I didn't know how to discreetly do that, so we just kept watching and I was praying for K to be ok and that I hadn't imposed upon the leaders too inconveniently. She sat there perfectly quiet and still.  

She followed the lead of others and stood up to sing when everyone was singing. She even mouthed the words to each song quite convincingly. Wow, does she know the songs? Ok so that part seems fine... I did worry about her following the kids up to the microphone though. The children sitting next to her on the front row were the last in the program to speak. When the program was almost done, and that row went up to speak, K continued to sit. Phew! But then I saw her talking to the leader next to her (Becca) and Katharine was pointing up to the microphone. Uh oh... Becca talked with her and then Becca went over to Elasha who was helping kids at the mic. Then Katharine went up! What is she going to say?!?! I was laughing and kinda dying at the whole situation. Corey had been watching me this whole time as was up on what I was freaking out about. He was smiling too. Then the final little speaker approached the microphone. Corey hurried and got out his phone and recorded it. We couldn't see her, but Katharine got up and said "I love Jesus and I like to follow him." and that was it! Closing song with the entire congregation singing, then the benediction. I hurried up to the stand right after to get Katharine and apologize to Becca. "Katharine!  You did SO GOOD!!" I told Becca I was so sorry, I didn't know the nursery wasn't part of the program. Becca was very gracious. She said that Katharine asked her "When do I go up?" Becca said "Do you want to go up?" Katharine said yes, and then asked "What do I say?" "How about that you love Jesus?" And so that's what she did. I was so proud of Katharine for sitting so well, and for just rollin' with it, even when her mom messes up and leaves her to fend for herself during the primary program! Katharine, you did perfect and you stole the show for me. I hardly watched the boys at all cause I was zoned in on K, but I did listen when they said their parts. Owen read a scripture, and Daniel and Peter said how they feel when they feel the spirit. I asked Daniel about when we were on the family fall hike and how he felt there. That helped him come up with "When I feel the spirit, I feel calm and peaceful" and Peter said "When I feel the spirit, I feel a lot of happiness." So it was a memorable primary program mostly cause of all the drama I was feeling with K being up there. 

Van Midlife Crisis

Today Owen had his trumpet lesson. Corey worked from home today, Abi stayed home sick, so both cars were here. As we were heading to the garage to go, I was about to tell him to open Dad's side, but then I saw he already had and he was opening Corey's car. I asked Owen "Why did you open dad's side?" Owen replied "You don't like the van, cause it shakes." WOW! He is so observant! Yes Owen is that is correct! That is why I wanted to take Corey's car. We didn't have the van at the Hibbert Reunion cause it was getting serviced and having the engine mounts changed/fixed, which they said might be causing the shaking/shuddering. But instead we paid $2500 bucks for it to be worse than before. Now not only does it still have the shaking, but after we picked it back up, when we were driving up to Park City for the Wride reunion, I distinctly recall parking the car there in the hotel parking and hearing this loud horrible sounds. It is loud and sounds like something is loose or flapping around inside the engine when it's in drive or reverse. It goes away when  it's put into "park". It's soooo annoying. I hate driving it now. I have to blast the music so I don't hear it or it makes me go insane. I guess it still seems to be driving fine, cause Abi takes it to school and to her flute lesson and Lyceum, etc. When Corey took it in for it's inspection and registration, he was going to have them look at what might be causing the noise, but they were too busy so we haven't had it looked at but I hate it. Abi loves the van though. She said she and all her friends love it cause it's big and roomy inside for all of them to fit in. She agrees though that it has issues. She actually said "The van is having a midlife crisis..." haha. She said that more than once she's be in class at school and the office will call her down or come and get her because the car is honking. So that's a new issue that hasn't happened here at home or with me anytime, but Abi said it's happened several times at school. And there's the flapping and the shaking, plus all the old issues - the back side door motor that's been broken since Oct 2021. Also that same door got hit by a buck in April 2024. For over a year atleast, there's been some short circuit that says that the front door is open, when it is obvious that it is not. So when we drive it shows a red warning that the front driver door is open, and when we turn off the car, it still thinks it's open, so it won't lock with the key fob, so now I'm in the habit to reach in and lock it manually. That's caused a problem now and then cause I will lock it when I don't have the key in my pocket (like in June last year). Yeah, I'm ready to let the van become the kid's car and wait until we get a new one. Until then I'll taking Corey's car as frequently as possible when I'm driving solo, or I'll be a passenger in his car and let Abi take the van, or if I have to take the van, I'll be blasting music. 

Hyrum is here, yay. One of his Thurs classes was cancelled, and the other is non mandatory, and he doesn't have classes on Friday, so he left Rexburg last night around 6 and walked in as we were gathered in the side room for scriptures. It's so fun to have him home! He's been trying to make friends with Katharine all day, but she's a little unpredictable. She's usually a very friendly little sibling, all smiles. Today Abi was playing some music over the Bose (Enchanted) and Hyrum turned the volume down, and then Abi teased saying "Katharine! Hyrum turned it off!" and then K was all mad at him. It's taken him the rest of the evening but it looks like he's finally gained back her trust. They are here on the floor next to me playing some princess game with the Fisher Price Princess Little People (him, Katharine, and Natalie)... it's funny, Sophi and I are watching and laughing. I love watching the kids play with each other, and grateful that I don't have to do it (I'm no good at making up a good story line, Hyrum is a pro). What else is going on here. Today I worked with Katharine in her little preschool book, similar to one I got for Peter (his "cat" book). It's cute to do it with her, and easier than playing princesses, cause I don't have to come up with any original story lines or dialogue. Katharine's book has a dog on the front cover, so it's a puppy book.

We're a little past the lego phase at the moment, although Katharine did make this fancy box yesterday and today.

Doing a few minor adjustments... 

We were on the phone with Joseph this morning and catching up on life and parenthood. As he was walking and talking on his way to get his bike before riding over to class, he said "What? Aw man..." He had left his bike locked up near the LDS institute building when he hoped it would be safe, but... nope. Someone stole the tires off of his bike!!! Come on, what the heck people?!? 

Joseph's take away from the morning's event: "It's a cruel world out there." And then later he made me laugh when he shared a screen shot of Neurological Disorders that he learned about today in class, and  he wondered "Maybe the person who did it had Kleptomania" 

I especially laughed at the first definition: "Recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal objects that are not needed for personal use or for their monetary value." ha! Well, this experience will most likely cement this definition in Joseph's brain. It is mean for people to steal. Joseph's motorcycle was stolen back in 2021 down at BYU. Mean. Corey's bike from our garage, mean! Don't steal. 

White & Red Pine

I just got back from a hike up Little Cottonwood Canyon and sigh, it was so beautiful. 

With each hiker I passed, I wanted to wave my arms to motion around us in every direction and scream "ISN'T THIS AMAZING?!?! DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE A PICTURE OF YOU IN ALL THIS GLORY?!?!? "

But instead I just thought that in my head as I smiled a big smile and said "Enjoy your hike!!" and they'd smile and say "You too!"

Can I just live up here?

One autumn outing a day doesn't satisfy, but I'll take what I can get. I think I'd like to follow the Savior's example here and try 40 days of solitude in the wilderness. THAT would be amazing. I'm willing to fast  as well if that will help make it happen. 

That would make it easier I bet if I don't have to worry about food. I'll just find a nice mountain spring to live next to. I'd be nervous at night about moose and cougars, so I might need something I can lock myself inside of. (I don't think I could ever ride my bike through dense grizzly bear country like Ty Hopkins did!)

I took a panoramic photo and sent a polo to the Hibbert's 

I had hoped to go with Corey or the kids, but Abi and Lily had homecoming, and Corey, Sophi and Natalie didn't want to go. Owen and Daniel had friends over, but it worked out cause Corey was willing to stay home with kids so I could leave. I probably could have made Peter and Katharine come, but I wouldn't have been able to get to where I wanted to on the trail if they were with me. The part that I needed to get to is where it turns south and at about 2500 ft elevation, and that is where you  have a view of the mouth of the canyon.

White Pine and Red Pine is a great trail. White Pine ends at Gloria Falls, but if you keep going west, you can get on Red Pine, which leads to Pfeifferhorn, which I've almost done once in 2009, but that is another one on my "still need to do" list. 

ANYWAY... I had a little over an hour tonight. I started just before 6pm and sun was going to be setting at 7:12. So I hurried along and made it to the spot with 10 min to spare, I was giving myself 30 min to get back to the car before dark. So it all worked out perfectly, and most of the autumn traffic in the canyon had cleared by the time I was back on the road. I hope I can get out with Mel and Christian next year, or that Wes will go with me after he's back from his mission.

Other things today: Corey and I went climbing at 8:30 am. Abi took Owen to his game cause Corey and I weren't back in time. Abi headed back home, I took Corey home and then I went to the rest of Owen's game. Corey took Peter to his game then took Sophi out for her belated b-day outing with him. Owen wanted some chips for his playdate. Abi was going to leave with the car at 2:30, but then said she actually didn't need to go until 3:30, so O and I hurried to the store for chips. Abi left her stuff in the car, so I made sure to lock it manually so nothing would get stolen. Upon returning to the car, I wasn't able to open it. Turns out I did not have a van key! I had Corey's key. The car started because Abi had left her van key in the van. My key was at home. I called Abi and she rode a bike down to Smiths to rescue us. That left her a little sweaty before homecoming dance and our ice cream a little soft, but all good. Just a 10 min fix to our problem. 

Then Abi left to go to homecoming with her friends, Jenna Tara and friends. Lily went with Micah. Corey took her to his house and she was a bit frazzled over her dress and all the steps of what you're supposed to do (boutonniere - Abi helped her order that). We felt a little bit like loser parents for not helping her a little more for her first date. But it's not in the budget, so... 

I gathered milkweed pods when I cleared out the milkweed. I was going to harvest the seeds, but I think I waited too long. They are too dry so the fuzz expands and flies everywhere with the seeds as soon as I try to open them. I got a little bit of seeds and some fluff for the kids to play with, but with most of the pods I'm just letting nature do it's thing this year. I still have a bucket of seeds from last year. Not sure where I should sow them. Our yard has more than it's share so I prob don't need to sow them here. 

Kids have been playing cutely. Natalie always the amazing big sister to Katharine. 

And Peter's working on the Arendelle forest. 

Time for bed. Church is at 11 tomorrow, so that is nice, we're enjoying that part of the ward change. Makes Sunday mornings a little more restful. Tonight K fell asleep at scriptures. I put her on our floor but then she'll probably come into our bed during the night. She's done that every night this past week (and coughed on me all night). I'm glad she's feeling better, but I'll prob keep her home tomorrow. Or we'll go to sacrament meeting but I'll take her home after that. She shouldn't go to nursery with how she's been. It was sad to see her sick this week but I'm glad she's almost better.