Old-fashioned October

Truth be told, I just googled "O word adjectives" and "old-fashioned" is the best from the list.  I figure it works since I do feel old-fashioned in the sense that time has finally slowed down this month.  As I look back over this past Summer's experiences, it's a wonder that I didn't have a nervous breakdown. I feel like over the Summer I was riding this wave of commotion, with selling our house, building the other, living in tight quarters, and dealing with Joshua (I said he was a different kid this summer and I mean that). Now all that has ended.  Our home sold, we're in the house, and Josh has finally come back to us and is the great kid I remember him being.  The wave has crashed on the shore, but that's not the end of it.  It is slowly pulled back into the ocean as the never-ending tide continues to turn.  And that's where I am left, being pulled back into the ocean.  My physical state is not the best right now.  Hair is falling out in handfulls, skin is breaking out, sour stomach, and my body is in knots.  No joke, I spelled the word ocean as "otion" when I first typed it earlier.  I guess after going going going for so long my body is finally able to breathe a little, and is now suffering the reprucussion of a busy, stress filled season.  Ca Va, all is well. They say building a house is one of the most stressful things on a marriage, and I still adore the boy so we are golden!

You are probably sick of me writing about how wondrous Midway is, so I'll spare you this month.

It is the month of spooks and haunts, so let's talk about my Thredgold blood, shall we?  You know you're a Thredgold when you:
A-have a dimple in your chin (or butt chin as we call it)
B-have the same pearly white smile (Rampton Orthodontics)
C-have feet as wide as they are long
and D-have crazed, freaky dreams almost every night

It has proven true that my blood runs through my children's veins as this past month has been full of visits from them throughout the night.  Bad dreams ranging from Zombies and Aliens getting into our house (Ella) to a "stop breathing gun" that shoots at you and causes you to, of course, stop breathing (Dax) to Josh frantically trying to tell Dax that cigarettes are bad for his health, but Dax disregarding that advice while puffing away (Josh). 

My fingers are crossed that it is only a side effect from a month full of thrills and chills. I do feel a little at fault with all the decor I have hung.   Perhaps removing the cackling witches, bats and spiders from our lights and walls will help matters out.

Pumpkin carving fun!

Ooh, gross!

So slimey!

I don't mind...

She's smiling because she refused to put her hand in the pumpkin.  Cam was in charge of that one.

Making some "Monster Pizzas" for dinner

 

Joshua

Picking out a costume was easy for this boy.  As soon as Cam showed him some clips on you tube, and Josh heard all the jokes, he was intent on being Chuck Norris for Halloween.  "Chuck Norris has a grizzly bear carpet in his room. The bear isn't dead it is just afriad to move." or "Some magicans can walk on water, Chuck Norris can swim through land." Appealing, right?  So with a wife beater, a cowboy hat, and some facial and chest hair, he was ready to get some candy.

Football season ended this month as well.  Josh finished out his last game of the season with a giant sack of the quarterback.  The Provo team they were playing were ENORMOUS.  About 75% samoan giants.  So for Josh to get through the line, and then knock the QB off his feet, it was one of those "once in a lifetime" moments.

Daxton

After viewing the you tube clips with Cam, and seeing this man rip out Chuck Norris' chest hair and blow it in his face, Dax was convinced he had to be Bruce Lee. 

 

Daxton's first grade picture.  Like father like son, right?

 

Ella

Ella wanted to be a princess, until we watched Avengers as a family, then it was "Black Widow" from that day forward.  So, I hit the dollar store.  Some felt, a dollar gun, and some black gloves, and there she was!

 

Had to add this one.  Ella is taking the hammer for a walk.

And this one, her school picture.  Complete with milk mustache and shirt on backwards.  Good job mom!

 

 

Amelie

My sweet little girl adores her older sister; quite enamored with her, really.  At first it drove Ella up the wall.  Amelie will do exactly as Ella does, say exactly what Ella says, and eat whatever Ella is having.  So this Halloween I was delighted when, upon asking Amelie what she wanted to be for Halloween, she answered, without fail, "Ella."

Now Ella seems to be delighting in the fact that she has a constant playmate who does all her bidding.  In fact, Ella even took Amelie for a walk in the stroller yesterday to a picnic lunch.  Ella packed the snacks, a blanket, and filled up their water bottles and walked Amelie down the street to picnic at the roundabout.  She said it was a great lunch and they even rolled down the hill together.

My little helper in the kitchen.

Cameron

History repeats itself as Cameron still hates Halloween.  I realize that hate is a strong word, but it suits this situation perfectly. He hates it.  He tries to talk me out of throwing my family Halloween party every year, on multiple occasions.   But he did dress up this year, his idea too.  He threw on a sweatshirt, sunglasses, and taped on a mustache.  Little effort, yes, but a big feat for this Halloween hater.

The Unibomber

I took this one candid, he just got back from work and looked so handsome.

Cindy

This year I chose to be a bag of jelly beans.  I'm not going to lie, I look pretty delicious.

My family showed up for the event looking great.  We missed Dad who was in China, and Little Cam who was in Idaho.

Kendall was Bob Ross and Kelli was a happy little tree

The Eggertz Clan

The Incredibles!

Shera was Katniss Everdeen, Jeff was Peeta, Jack was Iron man and Kenny a dragon with an elephant neck pillow.

Lisa was a runner, and Mom a sexy black cat.  She even painted her nails black!  Oww Oww!

 

Here are some pictures from our fun evening!

Singing some Halloween songs with the kiddos.

 

This month we also rode the on the Heber Creeper's "Spooky Train Ride"

Me and the kids taking our seats

Daxton Striking a pose

Amelie and Topher as the train blows it's whistle for departure

Kelli and Dax ready to roll

Our train car, from the 1920s.  Awesome!

Here we all are, the Thredgold's, and Eggertz'

Peek-a-boo!

 

 

 

Sensational September

Sensational is a funny word, isn't it? Sense-ational? Meaning something is so spectacular that it appeals to all senses? I would imagine great emotions are involved when something is "sensational." I guess that word pretty much describes September in a nut shell.  So many wonderful experiences as we rode the roller coaster of emotion.  Let's see, how 'bout I describe the month according to my senses:

Smell-The leaves have begun to turn and the crisp cool scent of autumn is in the air. Perhaps it's the cooler temperatures that bring the scent, or maybe the dryness of the air.  Whatever the reason,  I love the change of season, and our first Autumn in Midway has proven most wonderful.  I never noticed the pattern of leaf-color change before.  It seems to go in waves.  First the Maple's begin their slow turn from gala-green to intense burnt-orange and lusty-reds.  Next the Quakies begin their transformation to golden-rod yellow, and soon the whole mountain is ablaze with Autumn's crowning glory.  It's quite a sight really.  Oops, I said sight.  This was supposed to be scent.  Let's move on.

Sight-Living in the mountains affords many benefits.  Clean air, and beauty at every glance.  However, as unfortunate as it may be, it also provides plenty of road kill.  I decided to count the dead for a one week period to illustrate my point.  The outcome? Twelve.  Among the dead: 9 raccoon, one deer, a cat, and a badger.  May they rest in peace.

Sound-That's just it, there is no sound.  When you lie down at night, it is silent. I sit here typing in the early morning hours and all I can hear is the ticking of our clock and the rattle of the keys as I type.  Pretty great.  Step outside and sit quietly and you will hear the moo of the cows, the chirping of the birds, and the occasional hee-haw cry of those incessant donkeys.

Taste-Since moving into the house, I have once more claimed room and space enough to cook.  And that's just what I've done.  I'm not going to toot my own horn, but having counterspace has provided me the opportunity to once again bake pies and cut cookies in ease.  The gas stove has afforded many a delicious dinner, and the double oven has cooked everything from chicken casseroles to breadsticks.  I've finally made the point to plan out meals for everyday of the week and it has revolutionized my life.  Grocery shopping is easy because I know exactly what I need to purchase for each dish, and when 4:30 hits, dinner is already planned.  The worry of "what's for dinner tonight?" has dissapated.  Toot toot.

Touch-As I think of touch my mind races over past month experiences.  They range from hugging my children to unpacking box after box after box.  Okay fine, and I also think of grabbing Cam's butt.  All things wonderful, but this whole moving thing is for the birds.  So much work! We finally  moved into the house on Sep. 29th, and once we unpacked and organized enough "livable" items, my body kind of shut down and said "you need a nap or you're going to die."  So I took it easy for a few days, laid in bed and read to the girls, watched some Larkrise to Candleford, and re-couped. 

Here are some pictures for our little hike at Cascade Springs.  It's a great little 1 1/2 mile loop on paved trail, beautiful!

I want this one framed. I'll call ilt "Kids Climbing."

Made it to the top!

Awwww, look.  They're in love!

The natural spring water is completely crytal clear. You can see the fish swimming and moss growing.  It's breathtaking.

That is some good lookin posterity.

Enjoying a picnic lunch after the hike.

Took this picture on the drive back down the canyon.  I wish I could find some poetic words to describe the incredible beauty of seeing this in person, but all I could muster was "holy crap!"  Reflection on my intelligence? Perhaps.  But I still think it does it justice.  George, want to paint this one for me?

Joshua
Football is in full swing.  Games have started up and Josh is loving it.  He's covered in bruises, and his pre-game anxiety often leads to sleepless nights, but once he's out on the field it all but disappears.  I admit, I love to see him slapping the pads and helmets of the other boys as they make good plays.  I love to see him get through the line and try with all his might to sack the quarterback or disrupt the play.  It's awesome!

Josh and his teammates were able to line up to make  the "tube" for the Wasatch High School Football team at their homecoming game.

 

Josh also was my little side-kick this month as we drove from state to state as Cameron's "support crew" for LOTOJA.  Turns out he's a pretty good kid when his siblings aren't around for him to incesasantly tease.  We had a great time, singing songs, checking out the scenery, enjoying conversation, and cheering on his dad.

Before the race

Looks like he's trying not to wet his pants, but I think he was dancing to the music

The hills are alive!!

I know, I know, I look like his younger sister..........get that ALL the time........:(

Daxton

Guess who turned 7 this month?! 

With all the prep for the move the next day, we wanted to make sure Dax had a great birthday on the 28th.  We got as much packing done as we could, then celebrated his special day by going out to eat at any restaurant of his choice.  Limitless possiblilities and guess what he picked?!  McDonalds.

 After a dinner to remember we headed over to a private home-audio theatre (one of cam's buddies) and watched "Avengers."  The sound was so amazing you litterally could feel the Hulk smashing through the walls.  It was awesome, and Dax was all smiles.

Ella

Ella has started ballet.  It goes without saying that she LOVES it.  This girl is all things arts and crafts/ twirl and whirl.  So strap on a pink leotard and some slippers and she's at home.

Dancing at the house while I cleaned

Painting on some scrap wood while working on the house

Ella's hair blends well amongst the autumn leaves

Ella finally persuaded me to make her favorite dinner, chicken pot pie.

Look what Ella found! The hungry little caterpillar.

 

Amelie

Hiking at Cascade Springs

This girl LOVES her dad, or "daggy" as she calls him

Helping mom grout

My little snow bunny, all bundled up ready for our morning walk

Washing the dishes wearing nothing but underwear and one of Ella's church shoes.

We've done it folks.  She's 100% potty trained.  Princess panties and all.  Break out the mormon wine, it's time to celebrate!

Since the kids are now in school, Amelie and I have become quite the best of pals.  I've started up my little music class once more which affords Amelie and I an hour to sit and sing songs together, with neighbors and friends.  She's my Petite side-kick.  Ella returns from 1/2 day kindergarten before lunch and as a threesome we eat lunch and enjoy the afternoon together.  Girl power!

Cameron

Cam once again competed in the LOTOJA race this year.  Over 200 miles on bike from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  He was hauling this year and seemed in great spirits, until the last refueling station.  When he arrived he had a mere 40 miles to go, but he looked like death on wheels.  His body had had enough and Cam had to call it quits (or be hospitalized).  He was pretty upset.  He never quits at anything, but when your body shuts down there's not much you can do about it. He couldn't eat or drink anything, pretty dehydrated. I still think he's amazing and never get tired of seeing him in those biking bibs.  Oww oww!

At the starting line in Logan. 

Getting ready with his good buddy Justin.  Ready set go!

Heading up one of the mountain passes.  I got tired just driving it.....

I took this photo to illustrate in some small part what it entails to be the support crew.  See that shiny line that curves to your left? Those are all cars, bumper to bumper in some parts as you drive to the next station, hoping you haven't missed your rider!

Cindy

We are home now.  I really feel it.  Our first few nights seemed as though we were visitors in someone elses home, strange feeling.  Strange too because I had spent so much time here throughout the building process, so to live in it seems somehow odd.  But it's been good.   It's been so nice to have the kids run and play again, to jump and laugh and have room to turn on some music and dance.  Been nice to have my own bed again.  Dishwasher is a dream and having more than one toilet has been much appreciated as we now all have time to sit and take care of business without a knock at the door and accompanying "I have to pee or I'm going to wet my pants!"

All moved in, hooray!

Want to come play in the dirt? Words of wisdom:  dirt turns to mud when it gets wet.....

I would love visitors.  I want our home to be one that all feel welcome to sit, relax, and enjoy the beautiful Midway air (if you enjoy the sweet smell of cow manure.)  I want our home to be a place of sanctuary and peace, a place where the Spirit is ever present.

Please come and visit!