No family blog would be complete without the yearly shots from the pumpkin patch and our adorable trick-or-treaters.
Kyler and Shaylie had a ball in the haybail maze, along with their friends from preschool.


Brennan didn't love the maze as much. He couldn't keep up with the bigger kids and soon I heard him calling, "Mom! I lost!"

All of us on the hayride. We had a terrific time. It was really windy, as you can see, so no cracks about the crazy hair!

Bubba's perfect pumpkin.

As I was paying for the pumpkins at the end of the day, I looked down and noticed Brennan sampling one of the Indian corn cobs from the pretty decorations. I don't think it was as yummy as he'd hoped.

Brennan as "SpiderCan." (That's what he called himself. He talks really well, but for some reason he got mixed up when I sang him the song...you know - Spiderman, Spiderman, Does whatever a spider can!")



Shaylie, working the Hula,Hula..



My adorable werewolf, Kyler. He was quite offended when someone said he was a cool lion. "Didn't he notice my teeth?" he asked.



Makenna, too sweet to be a mean witch.



Jayden as Legolas. I finally gave in and let Carter show him the Lord of the Rings movies this year, and Jayden is hooked, just like his dad. From this angle you can't see his cool quiver and arrows. Notice the pointy ears, too. Thanks, Oscar, for letting Jayden borrow your stuff.



And finally, Carter and I went to a Halloween party as Miss America and Runner Up. I didn't get a great picture, but it was pretty funny. See the mascarra dripping down Carter's face?

The Great Sugar Caper

The pictures say it all...

Election Day!

Here is your friendly reminder that today is Election Day! I figured all you Google Reader people might at least get this in time to go vote. Polls are open until 8pm.
In our town we are voting on a new mayor, two city council seats, and an important bond issue for a new jail. In these small, in-between elections every vote really counts! I hope we will all exercise this precious right.

Happy Voting!

Still Alive

I am so far behind in blogging the events of our lives. But I had a minute this evening and I thought just for fun I'd post a random bunch of fun pictures of our crew just to show that we are still alive. I'll get caught up eventually. It's on my list. But meanwhile, these are the faces that make my world go round...













Darth Jayden

Goin' On a Bear Hunt!

I'm not s-s-s-scared!

Carter was excited to draw a bear tag in a cool area this year. He had offers to go out with several guys he knows who run bear dogs as a hobby. He invited me to go along (or did I ask if I could come?) Anyway, what a neat experience! This is how it works...When we reach the hunting area, they bring their dogs up to ride on the top of the truck. They are belted in nice and safe. Then they drive slowly down the road until the dogs catch bear scent and start barking. They release one dog to take off and see if it's a good trail. If it's not, the dog comes back, but if it takes off howling, they release the pack. They all crash through the forest following the bear - sometimes for miles, until the bear finally climbs a tree. The dogs keep it treed by making the loudest racket you've ever heard. We follow the GPS radar things in their collars (and the noise). When we arrived we took lots of pictures and watched the bear a while. It wasn't huge, but it was beautiful, and it's sure something you don't get to see everyday. It was fun watching the dogs work, too. You could tell they just lived for this. They were amazing! Carter went out the next week again and took the Teachers Quorum for an activity, and Jayden got to tag along on that trip. Carter had no intentions of actually shooting a bear (unless they treed a monster, I suppose) but we had some neat adventures just watching them.

4th of July

Before I change the patriotic background I suppose I ought to blog our holiday. Now, I'm sure that my little travel log of our 4th of July weekend can't possibly be terribly interesting to most of the world, especially a month after the fact. But for the sake of our own memories I'm blogging it.

Carter had July 3rd off work (Yipee!) so we decided to check out Eagle Island State Park. We'd never been there before, but we'd heard it was a nice place to play and swim. We loved it! There was a big playset, a waterslide although we didn't go on it, lots of grass and trees, and a nice beachy area along the river. It is not the Caribbean, but if you lay in the sand and close your eyes you can pretend.


These are the kinds of moments I hope they remember...








So, with sun and sand - and lots of junkfood, we had one terrific day!

On Saturday, the 4th of July we decided we'd head over to Melba for the festivities. This was a first for us, and I think we will make it our new tradition. Carter joked when I said I wanted to go to the parade in Melba that we'd see nothing but horses, tractors, and FFA floats. Well, we saw lots of horses, tractors, and FFA floats, and it was great. I guess I'm a small-town girl at heart, but I think this is what America is all about.





On this float rode veterans of WWII and Korea. Oh, the stories they could tell...

Now, it wasn't ALL farmers. There were also classic cars and pretty girls. At the end of the parade Jayden nudged me and pointed out Miss Idaho, who had just joined her family after riding in the parade. I tried to get him to ask her for a picture, but there was NO Way. Makenna and Shaylie really wanted a picture with a real, live beauty queen and she sweetly obliged. Sorry, I don't remember her name. Maybe Jayden does.



After the parade we enjoyed strolling around craft booths and games for the kids. We ran into several friends and even our cousins, the Breshears! The kids got to ride a tractor/train together.
That evening we had a BBQ with Grandma and Grandpa Robinson and we made homemade ice cream. Yum! We played with a few little fireworks and then we drove back to Melba to see the real show. The day reminded me how blessed we are to be members of our beloved family and this great nation.

Makenna's Baptism Day

What a wonderful day, made even more special by all the family who shared it.

Makenna's cousin Kylie from Arizona just turned eight also. They travelled to Idaho and we were able to arrange to have them baptized together. What a fun memory for both girls! And as it turned out, they were the only children in our stake being baptized in June. It turned into our own family baptism after all. They were blessed to have in attendance Kylie's Abbott grandparents, Andrews grandparents, Robinson grandparents, and Grandpa Mawson, as well as loads of aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings. We had a BBQ afterward so we could all visit and play. We really are blessed with the best family in the world.

Makenna, you put lots of thought into preparing for baptism. You have a good understanding of the gospel and a desire to follow our Savior's footsteps. I know He is proud of you, and I am so proud of you, too. Love ya, Missy!

Father's Day '09

"Brethren, noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine attributes of our Father in Heaven. A father should be many things. He should magnify his priesthood and be an example of righteousness. In companionship with his wife, he should be the source of stability and strength for the whole family. He should be the protector and the provider and the champion of the members of his family. Much of his love for his children should flow from his example of love, concern, and fidelity for their mother. By his uncompromising example he should instill character into his children." President James E. Faust

I searched and searched to find a quote that seemed to sum up our dad. This one came closest, although it still doesn't say it all. No man on earth is perfect, but Carter does his best to be all these things and more. I congratulate myself regularly for choosing such a wonderful daddy for my children. Our children are blessed with a dad who gets goofy and plays with them, who makes work fun but who still teaches them to work, who encourages them to be their best selves, who sets an example of steadiness, patience, and diligence. No children ever worshiped their father more - they all come running when they hear his truck nearing home in the evening.



Carter chasing the children with a dead mouse. No childhood would be complete without memories like this.


Jayden lives for his special hunting time with Dad. He would trudge through every frozen marsh in Idaho just to be with him.



Such a sweet moment.


Did I mention we used to have seven children? (J.K.) I didn't say he has perfect judgment... like letting them play on the roof, or taking them bear hunting. But the kids sure think he's cool. And, actually, no one has died yet.




Carter, you are our favorite daddy in the whole, wide world. We love you! Happy Father's Day!







_________________________________________________

I just want to tack on a little note because I didn't want to make a new post for this quick comment. I'm sorry if the blog has been a bit dull lately since I have been busy and haven't kept it very current. We have so many things I need to catch up on...Makenna turned eight and was baptized! Brennan also had a birthday, and I have been in the habit of making a little slide show dedicated to each child at their birthday. They look forward to it now so I need to get on it. Also lots of hunting, sports, and family happenings. But I am also working on some changes I want to make to the blog. In addition to keeping a record of our events and highlights, I've been feeling like I want to create something more. Something that is more of an expression of me, my thoughts, and my family. Anyway, bear with me as I try to catch up and move along.

FLAT MAKENNA

Makenna's second grade class did a Flat Stanley project this spring. Makenna made a cute little drawing of herself and she was excited to send it to her Uncle Michael and Aunt Camille. They are living in Dubai, in United Arab Emerates. Michael is an engineer, and he and Camille are having incredible adventures over there. They went above and beyond the call of duty and took some amazing pictures for Makenna's project. She was so excited about it I made the pictures into a neat little book for her, but I thought it would be fun to share a few of them here on the blog.



Dubai has built these man-made islands out into the Persian Gulf shaped like palm trees and loaded them with luxury hotels, businesses, and housing. This is the Atlantis Hotel on the Jumeria Palm.



A mosque in Satwa.



This is a real live ski slope, complete with ski lift and real snow, inside a shopping mall. How cool is that!!



This is the Dubai Marina, taken from Michael and Camille's building. How's that for a home neighborbood.



This is Burj Dubai - the world's tallest building! You can hardly see the top through the haze.


This part of the Dubai Mall is called the gold souk, chalk full of jewelry.


The Dubai Marina and Promenade, with the yacht club in the background.


And next we have grazing camels. Not something you see everyday...





Flat Makenna made friends with their gorgeous Kitty.
And finally, here is Flat Makenna catching her flight home.


Thank you again, Camille and Michael, for the awesome pictures. And let me know if I botched up any info on these shots.