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Boo! Scary, Chilly, Fun at Lagoon!=0)

This is what we had a good time doing this weekend....Frightmares at Lagoon!=0) For those of you not familiar with Lagoon and Frightmares, it's an amusement park (Lagoon) that gets all dressed up for Halloween fun at the end of the season! =0) Frightmares is great! We are trying to make it a tradition every year (we went last year too) to take a long weekend and take the kids (yes, Lee too!) and enjoy Lagoon.
Lee, the kids, and I headed up to Cara's house on Friday and spent the weekend with her and her family. We got there after her kids had gone to bed, so we visited with her and Nathan until evening sickness got the better of my sister and she went to bed.=0) After Ainsley attended a birthday party of a friend the next morning we had lunch and rounded up all the kids (Ainsley too) and drove to Farmington to Lagoon. Other than it being pretty chilly (low to mid fifties), we really had a good time! This was Ainsley's first time attending an amusement park and she truly had a total blast!=0) Seth was totally psyched being tall enough (just barely!) to ride all the rides he wanted to go on.=0) We rode the roller coaster, (yes, it's every bit as rickety as it was when I was a kid!) the Carousel, the Screamer, (Ainsley rode it with me and the boys and then again with Adree) the Music Land Express, Adree and Lee rode the Wild Mouse and the Colossus as well. Adree and Ainsley rode the Rock 'o Plane and we all rode the train and the Sky Ride, as well as the Boomerang (bumper cars), and the Turn of the Century (my personal favorite!). =0) Of course we didn't leave the park until after 7 and stopped at Mc D's for dinner and didn't get Ainsley in bed until after 8:30....yes, I am the bad influence Auntie, but it really was fun!=0)
We hung out at Cara's on Sunday morning and got ready to go and left finally so they could go to church.=0) Now if you've been reading my blog you are all too aware that we bought a new house and have spent the last couple of months renovating it, so you know I could not pass up the opportunity to go to IKEA and pick up some treasures!=0) After spending two hours in IKEA and deciding that we definitely need to go back with an empty car and a trailer, we headed back to American Fork and enjoyed a Chinese buffet. (Lee's favorite) and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening traveling south toward home. Of course we realized, once we got close, that we were going to have to go across town and drop off our treasures for the new house at the new house because we do not have any room at our current house. (Did you follow that?) So, once we finally got home for the night it was the kid's bedtime and they were beat....Lee and I too, actually...but that was a really fun weekend trip. Obviously, I forgot my camera...so, you get to use your imagination and picture the smiling faces of the kids and Lee standing in line at various rides! Oh, well....we had a great time. A scary, chilly, Frightmares-ish great time!!=0).....BOO!! =0)

Silence is Golden...

You know the old adage, "Silence is Golden"? The term had no meaning to me as a child. Why would someone be so happy if it were silent? Making noise is so much fun!=0) Not until I reached adult-hood did I realize the power of a noiseless world. Silence helps one to enjoy all the simple things in life. Think about it, if it is quiet enough to hear rustling of the leaves in the trees and the songs of the birds, perhaps people wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the necessity of a little nature in their lives. With a little more silence, perhaps people wouldn't be so quick to build more roads in open spaces and clear trees to build things we really don't need. With a little more silence, perhaps people would be able to hear their own thoughts and take the second that is needed to calm down before their actions lead to violence. I don't need the T.V. on all the time, nor do I need it to fill up the house with useless noise. I enjoy being able to hear my own thoughts, and I enjoy being able to appreciate the life I have been given to live. I enjoy listening to my children play and create, I enjoy being able to hear the ringing of my own ears. Taking the time to reflect and learn from our own mistakes, is the only way to progress and grow as a person. I would much rather be known as a "genuine" person when I'm gone, than a person who only thought of themselves and let their mistakes hold them back in life. I know I am not a great person in the eyes of the world, I don't have a great job, I don't have a lot of money...I haven't accomplished a great deal of things and circumstances still hold me back. My words aren't revered as consequential and my presence isn't well known...I lack in the ability to attract greatness and my personal struggles don't amount to squat when compared to others. I know that I possess empathy and spirit and if you are my friend, you will remain so for life. I help with things and prayers whenever possible and truly don't hate anyone in my life, past or present. I live for my children and conversely, my children are my life. Things are just that, things...they can neither comfort you in sorrow, nor bring you everlasting joy. Family is to be treasured and appreciated above all things...they can't be replaced, things can. I have the presence of mind to appreciate help when given and be grateful for those who give it to me. Silence is Golden, use it to your advantage...seek it out when you are down, reflect and meditate. Recharge yourself on the singing of birds and the rustling of leaves. Leave the T.V. off occasionally and just enjoy the breeze as it carries the sounds of years gone by and the laughter of children past your ears and into the silence...

You have to take a look at how awesome the tile in the kitchen turned out! We LOVE it! =0)
Taking a peek into the guest bedroom, done except the carpet being laid back down...
Looking at the floor in the Master Bedroom it looks great!=0)
Looking at the actual color of the walls in the hall =0)
Looking at the red wall in Lee's office...
The new floors are great! Can you guess the material?=0)
Adree is so very excited that they got her room all painted!
Very, VERY excited! =0)


Well, well...we seem to be just about done, finally! I am sooo looking forward to getting to move into our new digs (as Lee calls them!) and clear out our cramped current quarters! There is just one more room left to floor, the counters in the master bath need to be tiled, and rehanging of doors and painting/ replacing trim throughout and that should be it for the interior of the house! Yay! This project has done nothing for my patience, but I am sooo glad we're almost done! Now if we can only get moved...anyone want to help? It'll be fun! Ha, Ha!=0)

First choir concert =0)

Waiting for the concert to begin =0)
Adree and the choir moving to the music
Adree hitching a ride from Lee after the show=0)

On Tuesday was Adree's first concert with the fourth and fifth grade choir at their school! The kids seem to be really enjoying it and we found out that their school is one of only 52 in the state with such a comprehensive music program. Also, we were informed that after this year, the state may not have the money in the budget to keep the program going...which is a shame. The kids have the opportunity to learn and instrument (bongos, violin, recorder, xylophone) and/or participate in the school choir. Adree said that this year almost the entire fourth grade class joined this year, (roughly 60 students) which is amazing! What a shame that more emphasis isn't put on music education these days. I learned two instruments growing up and have always felt that put me at an advantage in a lot of areas.
The kids entertained the parents with several songs in both English and Spanish (they attend a dual immersion school), as well as, dancing, a bongo drum routine, and three violin numbers. Adree is learning to play the violin with the rest of her class at school this year as well. Drake didn't participate very well last year, although he sat in the audience singing all the musical numbers with the choir. I asked him why he didn't join the choir this year and he just shrugged...hmm...=0) Adree just loves it! =0)

Enjoying the season =0)

Now you can tell my kids are used to living in a much warmer climate!
Lee as a tree hugger=0)
Me as a tree hugger=0)
Adree didn't know why it was funny to hug the tree...=0)
Lee refused to get out of the car up at Navajo Lake...brrr!=0)
The rest are pictures I took of the colors and the aspens...=0)


You know just sometimes you have to take a break and go and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us...I love Fall and just couldn't bear the thought of missing out on all the colors that appear in places that actually have seasons! Now in our neck of the woods, the leaves finally just give up and turn brown sometime in November and fall of the trees. I guess I enjoy the colors and the aspens from all those years growing up and spending time on Cedar Mountain, or the ranch, or up on the Kaibab.=0) We decided to take the afternoon yesterday and take a ride to Cedar Mountain up to Navajo Lake, not for any rhyme or purpose, just to enjoy the season and get out of the rat race for a few hours!=0) The kids got up and dressed themselves in shorts while I was at work and I'm not sure how I convinced them to grab hoodies at least! When we got out of the car the temperature was a brisk 37 degrees! Needless to say Lee forgot his coat entirely and refused to get out of the car! Poor Puppy, he needed a potty break and walked around shivering while he sniffed...What beauty we have the privilege to enjoy here on this realm...=0) How crazy is it that 2009 is almost over and we are closing up fast on the holidays?! Hope you and yours are doing well and best wishes from the crazies here Among the Lambsfold!=0)