Pumpkin Carving

I had hoped our pumpkins would come from our own garden this year. Sadly, they did not grow much larger than an inch or two. So these beauties came from Safeway. Better luck next year.

Collin wanted to draw a scary face on his pumpkin. I helped him carve it out when he was finished. As he posed for a picture, I asked him to make a face that looks like his pumpkin. Luke followed suit to make for a cute photo.

This was just a precursor to our annual pumpkin party with extended family. We usually get together for a family night to carve pumpkins and enjoy pumpkin pie. This year I planned a special family home evening lesson that made use of some fun family history photos I had recently scanned from Granny's old scrapbooks.

I made an ancestor graveyard using cereal-box tombstones that included the names of fourteen ancestors that had passed on, as well as their birth and death dates. I then handed out a blank pedigree to each family. Families worked together to see who could complete the pedigree the fastest. Of course, to win the race, the pedigree also had to be accurate.

Afterword, we enjoyed looking at old family photos. I had printed out photos of each of the ancestors and we matched them to the tombstone. It helped us put a face to the name. We sang "Family History-I Am Doing It". The song explains to little ones that someday we will have the chance to meet all of these people (our great-grandparents). Our family will be together forever.

We ended with prayer, the anticipated pumpkin-lighting ceremony, and the upside-down pumpkin pie. I look forward to that treat all year. Yum!

Doughnuts & Elephant Poop

We spent several fun days with Merritt's four siblings in Provo. It was great to see the little cousins having such fun together. The most memorable day began with Riley in the kitchen making the most delicious homemade doughnuts. And he didn't just make doughnuts; he made five different glazes to choose from! We had maple, almond, blueberry, raspberry and chocolate. I have been craving them every day since.

Interestingly, while the adults were enjoying doughnuts indoors the mischievous cousins were outdoors discovering (of all things) the compost pile. They ingeniously determined that the mysterious stench must surely be elephant poop. Then someone apparently had the idea of throwing the elephant poop. Brilliant. A poop-tossing fight ensued. By the time they were caught, every child was covered in slime and reeked of the most revolting smell you can imagine.

We instantly began spraying them down with the garden hose. That removed the "poop" but not the smell. The entire clan of cousins then had to be thrown in the tub and scrubbed from head to toe with soap. It was definitely one of those moments when if it hadn't of been so darn hilarious you would have wanted to slap them all silly for the trouble they had caused.

Of course, being the kind parents that we are, we decided to reward their behavior by taking them all to the Kangaroo Zoo. The Kangaroo Zoo is like kid heaven. It's a huge warehouse full of jumpolines and inflatable slides. I don't think Collin and Luke have ever had so much fun! What a memorable day!

The Mitchell Multiplication Plan is already producing more fun than we could have imagined. With eight cousins under age four and three more on the way, there are sure to be many more fun memories to come! Thanks for showing us a wonderful time. We love you all!

Kangaroo Zoo

Amy's Wedding

Congratulations Amy and Mitch! We we were so excited and happy we could spend this day at the temple with you. You both looked very happy and the ceremony was beautiful.

Amy, you looked gorgeous! And I loved all of your unique choices for the wedding day decor. They really gave the wedding a special feel that made it all your own. Have a wonderful honeymoon! A Mexican Riviera Cruise sounds like a great way to start your new life together. We love you! All the best!

Arches National Park

When we found out Amy was engaged and we'd be returning to Utah in the fall, we decided this year's family vacation should be a camping trip at Arches National Park. It would be the perfect time of year to enjoy the beauty of the desert. I love this park, and knew my boys would love it too. What boy wouldn't love rocks to climb, endless sand and roasted marshmallows (or in Luke's case...sandy marshmallows)?

We camped in Devil's Garden and spent two and a half days exploring the park by car and foot. At the beginning of the trip, we told the kids we were going on a scavenger hunt to look for arches. Whether we were driving or hiking Collin was totally engaged in the hunt. Pretty soon Luke got the hang of it, too, and shouted "Archie, archie!" every time he saw an arch.

You know it's a memorable trip when your son comes home and draws you a picture of his family around a campfire and a tent. (So cute.) And what's more, I have a new stamp in my National Parks Passport. (Yipee!) So we figured out a way, yet again, for our family to have a vacation this year (or at least a weekend get-away), despite our limited budget. And thanks to my boys, a weekend get-away did feel like an amazing family vacation. Everything about the park was new and exciting and fun with my boys and my husband by my side.

Monticello Visit

Merritt's siblings and parents surprised us by joining us last minute at Arches for a day and a night. It was great to spend some time with them. How lucky they are to live so close to such a beautiful place! After packing up camp Saturday morning, we headed further south to Monticello to see their new home and new hometown.

Merritt's parents took us out to lunch. Then after a much needed shower, we watched general conference together and enjoyed some ice-cream. Somehow my husband managed to stay awake in the dark for the five-hour drive back to SLC that night. Ode to candy, caffeine and sunflower seeds!