Halloween

Halloween gets more and more simple as the years go on. Only Seth dresses up, and he usually picks his costume months in advance. This year he wanted to the be the wolf from a Puss in Boots movie. So we bought some fuzzy hands, a tail, and a mask. Dad decided to get fancy this year and ordered a Halloween suit. He looked fabulous. Mom even bought a witch's hat so she could be a little festive at the Halloween party. Mark and Dax wore jerseys to school, but we didn't even get a picture. 

Mom helped at Seth's Halloween party after the Halloween parade. She only has a few parties left. 

Dad looked amazing in his suit! David Pumpkins!

Mom and Dad were dressed up bright and early.

Seth in the Halloween parade. He did wave at me!

Playing games at the Halloween party!

Seth still thinks I'm pretty okay at school.

Dax threw together a Batman costume for trick-or-treating with his friends. He was the kindest brother to let Seth go with them. They had a fun time together. Seth came home and Dax went over to a friend's house to hang out and watch a movie. Mark was gone the whole night at a friend's house playing games, eating, and watching movies, too. Dad and Mom stayed home to open the door.

Dax is a tough Batman.

They came home with a bunch of candy.

We did carve pumpkins the night before Halloween, but even that was simple. Mark and Seth just drew on their pumpkins. Dad and Dax both carved one while Mom watched and helped scrape a little bit. Halloween isn't our favorite holiday, but it was a fun day!

Dax and Dad had a lot of fun carving together.

Mark spent about 1 minute on his pumpkin.

Seth spent even less.

These pumpkin turned out super fun though!

Mom's Birthday

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom had an amazing birthday! Dad gave her the best present ever! He cleaned the bathroom for her. It was amazing!

Mom's birthday fell on Sunday and Stake Conference. So Dad took her out to dinner the night before. They went to Via 313 since it's their favorite pizza place right now.

Mom and Dad love this pizza.

The boys all took really good care of Mom. They made her meals. They gave her amazing presents. And Mom had a nice relaxing birthday with her family, which is just what she wanted. Especially since she is so old now!

Mom got a fun new game. 

Dax got her a new paper cutter (not that knife).

Mom sat on her sunglasses a few weeks ago, so she was grateful for some new ones.

Chocolate cake makes everything good!

Mark bought Mom flowers!!

Fishlake Day 3

An owl woke Mom, Dax, and Seth at 5:15. The hooting was so loud that they thought he was right on the porch rail! When they went out to investigate, they found him just down the road on a light pole, but by the time they ran back for the camera, he was gone. Mark and Dad slept right through the episode, and were not very happy that they weren't involved. 

We were a little tired after our early wake up call. 

Mom loved the view out of the cabin!

A few hours later, Dax and Mark headed down to the lake for some fishing. Mark caught a few small ones from the bank, but the big one still eluded Dax on his kayak. When the boys walked back about 9 o'clock, we got loaded up and hit the road, but we weren't headed home. 

We watched Dax from the cabin.

Mom had heard about a hike in Capital Reef, and it wasn't so far away that we couldn't make the drive. We made it there in under an hour. Our first stop was for pie. They had five flavors: cherry, apple, strawberry rhubarb, mixed berry, and cherry. We decided to try all of them. Every pie was a little better than the last, and cherry came out as the favorite.

We have learned that Mom needs a picture before we can endulge.

Seth liked the caramel apple pie.

We took a few pictures in the leaves in the park. The boys threw the football around a little bit. Then we stopped by the Visitor Center. The hike started right behind the building and led to a small waterfall. We had to cross the creek multiple times, but it was only ankle deep. Mostly, we could stay dry. The boys enjoyed helping Mom find the easiest place and then encouraging her to leap from rock to rock. Mom was very brave, and we hardly got wet at all. Best of all, the waterfall was beautiful, and we had fun working together and being together. 

Because of the pie, we had a late lunch in Nephi. Then we arrived home by 4 o'clock. The boys were really great at helping us unload, and we had it cleaned up and taken care of before dinnertime. It was a perfect Fall Break!

Capitol Reef was beautiful in the Fall. 

Mom loved it!

The park was so picturesque.

The boys had fun playing football. 

The creek was awesome in the fall. 

We loved the red rocks and yellow together.

We had so much fun crossing back and forth across the river. 

This hike quickly became a favorite.

There were lots of fun places to explore.

This was the waterfall at the end.

We can't wait to go back!

Seth just plunged into the water after awhile.

There was a kiva to explore. So I sent Seth inside.

He took a selfie inside.

Mom was so happy on this hike!

Even the street was beautiful!

Fish Lake Day 2

Dax and Dad hit the road early because Dax was sure that the fish would be biting. We went just a mile or two up the road where we had easy shore access. It was still pitch black when Dax made his first catch, and he had to sit with his phone light turned on to see if he got a bite. Dad sat in the car and wrote in his journal while the other lucky three family members snoozed in their warm cabin beds. Dax caught one pretty yellow perch at about sun up, but that was it.

Dax is crazy!!

But I love this morning picture of him fishing!

Dax's fish he caught! He had to take this since Dad had gone to warm the car up.

Back at the cabin, breakfast was going, and Mom had pancakes hot and ready. We ate quickly and headed down to the shore for some fishing and kayaking. Mark stayed on the shore, tempting the perch and small trout with his fly. Dax went out on his kayak to deep water, hoping to a lure a larger trout out of the depths. Seth just paddled around on his kayak paying only a little attention to the goldfish crackers in his pocket. Mom and Dad enjoyed a little reading on the shore.

Off he goes to fish!

Seth was out there for the paddling.

Seth paddled over to chat.

Dax hung out on his kayak for quite some time. No fish.

Mark was catching plenty of tiny fish from the shore.

Dad was reading.

Mom walked over the check on the salmon.

They were still swimming!

More fish for Mark at Fish Lake.

Seth tried a little fishing after he got off the kayak.

Then he explored with Mom.

Then everyone went to check on the salmon.

We had lunch back at the cabin and then piled into the van. We drove the road north into the Gooseberry area, which was really pretty. There are still a few yellow leaves, some very bright and golden, though most of the orange and reds have lapsed to brown. 

On the way back, we stopped at Salina Reservoir. This is a tiny little spot, and we made our way along the shoreline through the deadfalls to take a look at a beaver hutch. Unfortunately, no one was home, but we had a nice walk through the volcanic rock and silver-gray trees that littered the ground.

Mom kept saying she wants to do this drive in the summer when its green.

Walking over to the little Salina Reservoir.

It was small, but we had fun exploring.

Mark walked all the way over.

So Dad had to follow. 

Seth, too! And he found some snow. 

We took a second detour out to a small lake called Gates Lake. This was another tiny lake with sheared-off aspen stumps dotting its surface. We only stayed a minute, but on the way back, we spotted three ruffed grouse. They weren’t very scared of us, and we got several good pictures as we watched them for about 15 minutes. Eventually, they got bored of us, or we got bored of them, and we went our separate ways. 

Gates Lake was a hidden lake.

The two females

The male

He decided to fly over to the females.

Back at the cabin, the boys wanted more fishing. This time, they all took turns from the bank. Mom went with them, and it was her job to carry the poles back to Dad when there was a problem. She ended up making 5 trips, because the boys kept bursting their bubbles. They went through a total of 6 bobbers in about 2 hours, with Dad repairing them after they cracked, split on the rocks, or took a flying leap into the lake, never to be seen again.

Mark and Mom spotted a muskrat in the rocks while they were fishing.

Seth tired of fishing so he took silly pictures!

Eventually, it was dinner time (and we were down to just 2 fishing bubbles). Mom made tacos, and we went for a ride. This time, we made the loop around Fish Lake, which goes down into Loa. We were hoping for some ice cream or another treat, but that town barely had a gas station, so we drove back home. Along the way, we saw quite a few deer, but luckily, none as closely as the night before.

We played a few games in the cabin and read scriptures before bed. Then we drove out with the boys to see the stars. They are really amazing with the dark skies, and we could easily pick out a few of Jupiter’s moons with the binoculars. There was also a gorgeous cluster in Heracles heel. All too soon, it was time to head back to bed.

Mom hops out of the car at any signs of Fall. 

The sunset was nice and the deer stayed out of the road!

Lots of laughs and tears playing games together.

Dax took this lovely picture of the sunset.