Fall had Fallen Upon Us

Although the weather is incredibly hot, Ryan and I felt like baking fall food -- pumpkin muffins.

 Nick and Maisie finished off their Cross Country season with 3rd and 2nd place medals respectively.  They sure ran and ran and ran this year.  They really were impressive.

 They deserve those medals/ribbons.

 Austin and I were gone exactly 36 hours.  We traveled to Dallas and back for some financial planning meetings.  We managed to eek in a lovely dinner and

 Sprinkles cupcakes that we ate in the airport.  We were busy and hardly relaxed, but we were happy together.  Grandma B. made sure everything ran smoothly at home.

 Saturday morning General Conference kindly greeted us.

 Maisie helped prepare the food.

 Lots of listeners.

Our prophet, President Nelson, announced that we will have only two hours of church meetings at the start of the new year.  The hour we are not at church is to be spend in home-centered-church-supported curriculum.  I am excited to be both a teacher and learner in this new program.

Super Fast

A million things needed to get done.  Here are a few:

Austin took down all the Homecoming decor.  I still have no photos of the magical evening in our backyard.

 Maisie used skeleton hands to eat her dessert.  That's funny.

 OK.  Austin made me these two credenzas.  I found the images on pinterest, and he created them.  The pumpkins look really cute on them.

 Maisie helped Maddie and me finish her climate project --it's even prettier in person.

Ryan and I are still resting every afternoon.

Eddie received the monthly award.  After his name was called, he walked to the front of the assembly, and the kids started chanting, "Eddie!  Eddie! Eddie!  Eddie!"  It was so cute.  I have never heard that happen before, and I've been to a lot of assemblies.

We were the spectators.

Then!  I drove to the airport and flew to Utah. Friday night we sat on the bathroom floor and gave manis and pedis.

Then!  We attended the new modern version of "Little Women" that was in theaters.  We sat in those comfy recliners and drank in the modernized-tale.  I recently finished reading the book, and I felt like the movie was "meh."  But, sitting beside all those valiant women filled my soul.

The midnight movie picture.

Saturday morning was the real reason I flew to Utah.  Emily received her endowments in preparation for her mission to Kenewick, Washington.

All ELEVEN of mother's children were in the temple together.  I did not see Daddy there, but at one point I knew he just had to be.  The covenants we make in the temple allow me to be bound to my family eternally.  We are hardly without faults, but we sure try to be quick to love.

Real-life "Little Women."

After the lovely temple session, we sat on the front porch for three hours and chatted away.  Ah.

John and Millie happened to be flying on a little trip together, so we waited for our flights -- that was lovely.

While I was away for those 36 hours, Austin went to the school three times on Friday.  Nice Nick also received the monthly awards.  He deserved it.

Meg and Andy raced and both medalled in the Nike Twilight event.  They are super fast.

I arrived home at 11 pm. and the house was clean and still.  Everyone was sleeping, Austin had worked so hard making sure both our roles were fulfilled while I was away.  He is a devoted father and husband.  I love him the most.

No Middle Children?

Monday morning while I exercised Molly covered Ryan.

 We also began our fall pumpkin fest.

 Later in the week we harvested some garden peppers.

 Ryan found a "bum" pepper.

 This was record breaking: We stopped to watch a movie together.

 Some fall decor.

 Maddie needed dyed macaroni for a school project. 

 Mostly this week was Homecoming preparations.  We held the dinner at our house, and I had all the parents come to eat in the house while the kids ate out by the pool.  The entire evening was so lovely.  Meg and her date were so cute.

 Colton's date was stuck in Phoenix traffic, so Meg posed instead.

 Of course I didn't get one picture of our house.....we spent three days making it all happen.  One of the parents took fancy pictures, so I'll come back and post these when I receive them.

Here is a miracle:  Molly's wart is gone!  Austin's laser technique worked, and here is her healed hand only one week later!

Hardly any pictures about these things:

• Molly says, "Alexa, play 'Itsy-Bitsy Spider.'"  And, "I want to exercise."
• Ryan, is so powerful that he runs into me and plows me over.
• Eddie met his May reading goals for first grade.
• Maddie's piano is awesome every week. She's loving her dance class.
• Nick continues to read a novel a week.  He is diligent.
• Maisie is learning to still be nice to mean girls at school -- a real life lesson.
• Andy ran 19:35 5k in his race yesterday -- a personal record.
• Meg ran 20:22 5K in her race yesterday -- a personal record -- she placed 16th in 250 girls.
• Austin and I ran two times last week to prepare for our upcoming Ragnar.  We really needed to train a bit more.........

More of Everything

Monday we enjoyed a lovely FHE lesson about "Our Precious Gifts from God".  It ended with headstands.

 Meg was a little far from the wall.

 Tuesday morning baths were only complete with a bucket of toys individually thrown in by our streaker.

 This week I attended SIX parent-teacher conferences.  Each of my darlings are learning, growing, and thriving.  I live for these two weeks of the year, because all my efforts are rewarded with the nice comments of our teachers.  This Maisie scored a 100% on her standardized English test!  What?  Her teacher had never before seen 100%.  She told me, "That test is hard.  There is an essay portion included.  They make the test hard on purpose."  We are so proud of her.

 I really try to make meals that are healthy, satisfying and good.  Sometimes I win.  Sometimes I lose.  I won this night.

 Saturday morning was another XC meet in Flag.  This little potty trainer was so happy to piddle in her potty on the way.  Please bless one day she poops in this said potty.

 The best and only seat of the race.

 Andy finished in the top fifth of his JV race -- he improved his score by three minutes from two weeks ago.

 Meg finished fifth in her varsity race.  She improved her score by two minutes.  We ate hamburgers afterwards.

 This is Molly's foul wart.  I took her to the pediatrician, but the cold burning didn't work.  I decided to make an appointment with the dermatologist -- it's in six weeks.

 That wart is growing everyday.  So, I convinced Austin to numb it, laser it off and then I felt like we could wait the six weeks.  Here is the after.

 Sunday afternoon Grandpa came over (Grandma is sick).  We simply sat and chatted.  It was perfect.

Another valuable lesson I learned this week:

The perfect lie:  me + more = Christlike
I can never equal Christ.  But: me + Christ = more.

With Him I can do all things, and this is where I am happy.