Some of the conference sessions we watched in the living room. The kids loved dragging all their bedding out to make it more comfortable.
When we weren't watching conference, Mark was putting up electric fence all along the back perimeter of the house. We had been having major problems with high school kids skipping school and coming through the park fence onto our property to get into the neighbors bushes. One day while I was feeding the horses I noticed something going on back there and walked over to find a huge group of kids were going in to the neighbor's bushes (which had been our kid's fort), and they had smashed down our locked gate to the park. I realized too late that I should have hidden myself and called the police before they saw me. Well, they saw me and grabbed their stuff and ran. I felt like my best option at that point was to chase them and call the police at the same time. Even though I was wearing my barn boots, I chased those kids almost a mile through the neighborhoods while calling the cops. Sadly those stinkers went around a corner and I'm sure jumped a fence into someone's backyard and I lost them.
Luckily though I had this picture of some of them running from me, and the Vice Principal at the school recognized them from the picture. We still haven't seen any payment for our broken gate, but I know they are in trouble at school and with the police. The next morning right before Mark went to fix the gate (I had chained it in place for the night) some other kids had pushed through it and let the ponies into the park. I got the ponies back and Mark fixed the gate and then we built a panel fence so they could not get into the neighbors bushes from our side. The next day the wires were cut to those panels and they were pulled down. We went to Cottonwood to talk to the officer again and he started basically sitting at the park to catch all those school skippers. Mark and I were so frustrated with these annoying high school kids and we wanted to stop this altogether, so Mark strung electric fence wire along the whole back perimeter so if anyone jumped the fence from the park or tried to come from the neighbor's side they could not avoid a really good shock! All has been quiet back there since. I'm thankful for electric fencing and Mark for putting it up.
At school Timmy did a self portrait. I got a kick out of it! Here he is holding it and trying to make the same face he created.
One Sunday evening I noticed this sticky note on Timmy's shelf. He must have really listened to his wonderful primary teachers. The note is still there, but sometimes I am not sure if he reads it.
One beautiful Saturday we went to the Ranch for a little shooting practice. The boys had fun using the BB gun and Mark and my dad had fun with the shotguns.
That same afternoon we hurried home to get ready for the boys' book one cello recital.
They were all set and ready to perform the following program and then their teacher forgot about the recital and did not show up. I don't blame him because he probably has over 40 students, but we had to make some changes.
Luckily my awesome amazing mom offered to play the piano with them and I also accompanied them on the cello. I am sad their teacher did not make it, but the boys did an amazing job and we are so grateful for all the family and friends that came. It was a lot of songs for those boys to remember! They played better than I did!
The next day Mark had to do some foot surgery on one of our chickens. She had bumblefoot, which is an infection on the foot that needed to be removed/cleaned/taken care of. After surgery she watched TV with Mark for awhile on the couch while he gave her some little treats. She recovered after a few days thanks to Mark's vet skills.
My birthday came in October! I woke up to the boys quietly giggling while pasting up homemade birthday cards for me. The best birthday morning ever!
My birthday landed on a short day for the kids at school and their birthday present to me was to help me train the ponies that afternoon! I have fun getting Jojo all clean and spruced up. She is one pretty pony!
Then for dinner we had my cake choice of pumpkin pie.
Mark has a history of getting me some pretty amazing birthday gifts. From a road bike to a deep freezer, I have loved them all! This year was especially nice. He knew I was in desperate need of new cello strings. He took lots and lots of time reading about my cello and cello strings and what would be the best and then he spent the big bucks on a beautiful set of Larsen strings. Not only did he research and order them, but he put them on my cello for me. It's not surprising, but maybe a little embarrassing for me that he is better at putting strings on the cellos than I am.
Oh the beauty of those new strings! It's hard to even describe the difference. My other strings were good, but they were very old. These strings are so smooth and easy and ringing. I can now play music that I haven't been able to play well for years.
Music like the Bach Cello Suites and a few concertos I learned back in the day. I have been having so much fun!
My parents took us out to dinner for my birthday the next night. That weekend was youth conference, which Mark needed to attend and they had the culminating testimony meeting and treat at our house.
The boys got really into learning how to yo-yo and were delighted when Mark busted out his special yo-yo tricks for them. This guy has more talents then anyone I know. Brian and Timmy are so lucky.
Mark sold the horse trailer in the background here. He wants something different and we knew we would have my parent's for the winter when Ahab came.
Fall Break from school came about and Mark had to be in California for work the whole week. So the boys and I came up with our own vacation plans. We went to Wheeler Farm for the pumpkin patch and hay maze.
Then we went to the Ranch for a night and two days of fun! The kids found some interesting treasures on their ride with Grandpa. Can you tell what they found?
They played a bunch of battleship games.
And caught dragonflies.
One time I was sitting on the deck talking to my mom and Mandy while Ellie played in the hot tub, and I look over to see the boys hauling huge logs across the lawn to another fort they were building. I wish I could get them to work like this at home!
They were very excited to show me their new fort!
I went on a beautiful horse ride with Mandy.
And I soaked up the beauty that is the Ranch. It is always soothing to the soul to spend time there, especially when the weather is so gorgeous.
Brian played with Ellie in the sandbox and they all had fun on the trampoline.
Timmy found a love for the guitar. He spent a lot of time messing around with it playing it.
Matthew came up to play and they wanted to go for a hike. Because it was the first day of hunting season Grandma outfitted each boy with an orange bandanna with the hope they would be seen by any hunters.
We talked to some hunters up high on the hill and then we saw a herd of deer hanging out way down by the hunter's truck. We thought it was pretty funny that the hunters were way up on the hill and the deer were next to their truck. There were no bucks in the group, but I think Timmy got closer to any deer that day then the hunters did. See if you can see all the deer camouflaged in the sagebrush.
A good drink at the spring after a hike and a deer chase is a must at the Ranch.
Here is just some music practice at home in pajamas. Any kind of practice is good I guess!
My mom got me a fireplace space heater for my birthday to put in the office/mudroom. I love it! I'm using this very moment.
Timmy pulled out his own top tooth! Mark tied floss around it and then tied it to the bedroom door. Timmy closed the door and pulled it right out!
Some days we like to spend time hanging out with the chickens. I've probably said it before, but I call it watching chicken TV. It's always some good entertainment.
Brian loves carving sticks with his pocket knife.
Early morning Lego building is common around here.
Crazy hair day at school!
Mark taught the boys how to mow the lawn. We can't wait for the day when they can really do it all by themselves!
Hair cuts and pumpkin carving were in order for the Saturday before Halloween. Both occurred on the porch.
This year the kids were actually able to carve their pumpkins without me doing it for them. Now that is an awesome milestone in my book! All their fingers were still attached at the end too!
This was my view from the window that afternoon. Nothing is better than playing with Daddy.
Halloween came, and again I was a bit happy to have it over. Timmy was Yoda this year and Brian was a ninja.
I was in charge of Brian's Halloween party at school and I helped run a station at Timmy's. Tim's was in the morning and I helped the kids make these spider hats. Timmy was happy to have me there.
Brian's class made spiders and bats out of paper plates and paper.
The boys got their school pictures back in October. Of course Timmy went to school with perfectly done hair and then it ended up looking like this in his picture. I like it. It is Timmy in every way.
Brian is as cute as ever even at the stage where his teeth are too big for his mouth. He started at the orthodontist in October and currently has fixed expanders on the top and the bottom. I know what is to come for him, because I have experienced it all! Sorry Brian you got your mom's mouth and jaw.
Other things happened in October, but if I don't have a picture of it I sometimes forget what happened. As I look back at my calendar I remember that it was a crazy month for Mark at work. He was gone three weeks out of the month to California or Seattle. He was also up many nights working with his clients from Switzerland. His trips to Amazon headquarters in Seattle are always pretty grueling, but on his trip to California he did get to see Luke and Sunny and ate some pretty good food!
Goodbye lovely October! I'm glad I finally got your post done because November is already needing to be written. Here is to hoping that happens sooner than later!