Yep. Lots of leaves out there.

Fall fling...

Thanks to my cousin, Jen, for inviting us to join her family at the American West Heritage Center for some good old-fashioned fun last night. It was fantastic!

Jason, Kory and Grayson test-rode the site of Joyride's first cyclo-cross race around the grounds of the AWHC. Down in the slough, around the corn stalks, through the fields, over fences... I got tired just watching them.

This is how we rode... On the wagon.

This is how Naomi rode... pioneer style! Pull harder, Bennett and Grayson!

Jake liked the kiddie hay maze.

Owen liked jumping off into the pile of hay.

This cracks me up. The corn maze was shaped like this with a pig and a web. Owen makes a very cute Wilbur.

Naomi and Bennett... when did they get so big? They're pretty much looking like teenagers.

Bennett took a little roping class. He did really well, actually. Must be all Jason's rodeo skills.

Owen's luck was not as good. We had to cheat a little to lasso this wild steer.

Flinging gourds with the giant slingshot. On Jake's turn, he forgot to let go, and actually took a little ride himself!

Entering the corn maze, maps in hand. These are the very children who swore they knew where they were going, but got us very, very lost.

Brooke (and Finn) and Jen in standing inside Charlotte, the spider in the maze. I didn't realize that Jen is actually a corn maze master. She navigated us right out of that mess in the nick of time, just before all my kids all entered meltdown mode.

You might guess that the kids were super cold, hungry and tired after this night of fun. We had some hamburgers, hot dogs and hot cocoa next to the fire before we headed home. What a fun night! Thanks, Jen and Kory! We love you guys!

Happy Boy

I know I have said this before, but we really do love the Child Development Lab on USU's Campus. It is the perfect environment for Owen.

We attended "Family Night" there a couple of nights ago. It was fun to meet some of Owen's teachers and hear what they each had to say about our boy.
They certainly know the right things to say to a parent when they say he is so so so so so so smart. :) They're right, of course. But it's obvious to me that they really care and have taken the time to get to know Owen, and that means so much to me.

Owen bounces off to school every day, and loves to tell me about his day at afterwards. Today he told me about colored ice-cubes in the water table, and how he played on the monkey bars and the swings, and how teacher Jasmine played her violin, and Owen got to play some instruments too. It is such a relief and a joy to see that your child feels safe and loved at school. I am really grateful for his sweet teachers.

Sunday Funnies.

As we left the church today, Jake rode along beside me on his little bike singing a favorite primary song called Follow the Prophet.  He repeated this refrain over and over again,  "Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet..."  It was really cute, and I was wondering if he had hear his brothers sing it or perhaps learned it in nursery.  But as we headed up the sidewalk surrounded by lots of other ward-members, his refrain changed.  He began singing in a low, growly voice, "Follow the debil (devil), follow the debil, follow the debil..."  

I laughed so hard and wonder what the passers-by thought.  Noone really said anything.  I think he's had the devil on his mind with his Halloween costume and all.

Also, my parents stopped by for a few minutes this afternoon. What a treat! My mom made the kids Mac & Cheese while I fed Finn.  Mac & Cheese is Owen's favorite.  But he was really surprised to find out that it is actually called KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese.  All this time he thought it was called CRAP Macaroni and Cheese.  Again, I laughed out loud.  Funny that he was okay eating Crap Mac & Cheese all these years.

Trunk-or-Treat (That phrase makes no sense, but okay.)

You know it's going to be a good Halloween when Owen looks this cute as Harry Potter!

We enjoyed yet another great 9th Ward Halloween party tonight. It really was fun, and the kids are in love with their costumes, which makes all the hours of running around, gathering, sewing, and finally dressing them up all worth it. Here are some pics of the festivities.
You'll notice Jason in his traditional rocker garb. This year it was Jake's turn to be a little afraid of him. It's always entertaining to watch the ward members try to figure out if he's really playing the guitar or if it is some kind of tricky shenanigan. They are usually really impressed/amused/amazed to find out it's really him playing with his guitar plugged into a tiny amp in his pocket. It always makes a couple of the older generation nervous. Did I mention he's in the Bishopbric?

The third Lambert baby to wear the dragon costume.

Owen, Anthony Darley and Bennett.

Liv is really excited about the spell Owen is casting!

This has to be one of the all-time greatest pictures of my kids. Post-party partying in the bathtub. Yes, they are eating candy. In the tub.

Grammy!

Here is Grammy Deb with all of her Utah grandkids! She spent 10 days in Highland with the Jules Lambert clan to take care of their 4 kiddies while we went to Boston. We were so happy to drive down and see her last night before she flew out today. We were only there for a few hours, so it wasn't enough time, but it was so great to see her. Deb Lambert has a heart of pure gold, and we are so lucky to have her in our lives.

Wow. These are some cute kids!

,



This is a sampling of photos taken recently by the amazing Julie Kirby of Simply You Photography. You should check out her website HERE. She got some wonderful shots of the boys downtown one afternoon. I can't show you all of them, because I'm pretty sure they'll end up being our Christmas cards. Don't want to ruin the surprise! Thank you, Julie. I really love these photos. In fact, on my list of things to do tonight is: put the 8x10 enlargements in the frame I bought today and hang it up! I'm so excited!

Beep beep.

Owen told us all today that Sid the Science Kid says, "when we exercise, our hearts get beeping a lot."

He then did a little dance and put his hand on his heart to check for rapid beeping. He was delighted to discover that Sid the Science Kid was RIGHT!

I heart Boston.

May I recommend taking a trip to the East Coast with a baby someday? Here in Utah, baby sightings are a sweet but common occurence. In Boston, however, this baby drew more attention than I could ever tell you without you thinking I'm exaggerating or even outright lying. People ate him up everywhere we went. It doesn't hurt that he is such a charming fellow, smiling at everyone on the train, subway, plane, museums, restaurants, etc. He was a star traveler! This was a wonderful chance to spend some time with just our baby Finn for a few days while the other boys were being spoiled by Grandma here at home.
In my next post perhaps I will show photos of all the places in my house that my Mom cleaned. Our fridge absolutely sparkles. All the laundry was pressed and starched! There was homemade zucchini bread in the breadbox. Don't you wish your mama was Kath-er-ine? We are truly the luckiest family on earth. Thanks, mamacita.

Shout out from Boston!

Hello, friends!  We're here in a super-cool little condo in a brownstone area here in the heart of the city of Celtics and Red Sox.  I LOVE this town, or the tiny part of it that I have seen since we arrived.  Heather, and all others who told me how cool this town is are right!  It is.  Jason, Finn, and I walked around for a couple of hours tonight, checking out the Friday night scene, looking into fancy restaurant windows, funky shops, and enjoying the gorgeous neighborhoods with tree-lined streets.  Some of these neighborhoods are so Sesame Street.  (I mean that in a very good way.)  It is so strikingly beautiful, and so different than what I am used to, it's practically a foreign country!  I like it.

Anyhow.  I wanted to check in on my blog to see if I had offended any of my friends with my last post.  My friends (as John MCain would say), I want you to know that I appreciate all your participation in my virtual roundtable discussion.  Thank you.  

While driving me to the airport in the wee hours of the morning, my mom offered me some insight into her feelings on the discussion of politics.  She was telling me about some women at work who are extremely passionate about their political convictions, and explained that she avoids talking about the topic at all costs.  She reminded me that religion and politics are topics best left alone in many cases because of their highly personal nature.  I agree with her.  But I also think it's okay to have conversations, and share where we are all coming from.  Like Leslie, and all of us, I am sure, I try to be open-minded and listen to the thoughts of all.  There is always something to learn.

Honestly, I thought about things in a new light after reading your comments, Andrea.  In fact, before I even opened Pandora's box about the campaign in my last blog, I was reflecting on our conversation about George W.  all those years ago.  We were able to agree to disagree and still go on to be seriously good pals.  Imagine!  And really, I am feeling a softening in my heart for John McCain's on-air grimacing.  I think you are onto something when you say that it just may be his unease in the spotlight, and not necessarily his disrespect for Senator Obama.  I hope so. I could give him the benefit of the doubt, eh? 

So thank you for your thoughts.  I am just happy to see everyone feeling a little passionate about something.  That means you care about the issues facing our great nation, right?  And let me ask you this:  Did you watch the SNL clip after you posted your comments?   Because it makes everything better.

For now I think I am retiring from political commentary, even though I thought I wanted to say more. That doesn't mean that I won't feature the writings of others on this blog; in fact, I am really looking forward to having my own Dad as a guest feature writer one of these days. But I wasn't cut out for the stirring of the pot role in life.  I am more of a "can't we all just get along?" kinda gal. 

 I do still say, though....  Go, Obama.  Let's see what happens.

Ooooh, heaven is a place on earth!

Jason left yesterday morning for Boston.  Finn and I will be joining him on Friday, and my angel mother will be watching the bigger boys.  So it's the usual pre-trip chaos 'round here, and since Jason is gone, I've been just a leetle high strung.  I have been very "vocal" with my children, even in a couple of public places, which I can usually avoid.  However, when your eldest son pushes a shopping cart down a sidewalk, and that cart jumps the curb and misses smashing into a new Honda Pilot by a mere 2 inches, some shouting can perhaps be justified.  

Anyhoo, also, tonight at Karate I sat down by one of the other Moms, who is so beautiful and so nice.  She is always very coordinated in her attire, and uses a gentle voice with her children.  As we visited, I crossed my legs and looked down to see that I was wearing little, old, saggy Nike ankle socks with my green clogs.  Super sweet.  The best part:  I didn't uncross my legs or try to hide them.  I was too tired to care. 

Then I forgot that our home teachers were coming by for a visit at 8:00.  What were we doing at 8:00?  Well, I was cutting Owen and Jake's hair, and Bennett was in the tub.  All 3 boys were naked.  So when I heard the doorbell over the sound of the clippers, followed by vigorous knocking of the brass knocker, I knew President Thompson was on my front porch, along with the eloquent Brother de la Houssaye.  AGH!  What to do?!  So I actually did answer the door, and a short lesson was given to me about President Uchtdorf's words telling us that we can plan for many things in life, but not for everything.  Some things just take us by surprise.  That's as far as we got into the lesson because the boys upstairs were screaming and crying and splashing water everywhere, and I think I even heard some "body humor."  It was such perfect background noise for the words being spoken; we all shared a chuckle.  

So things are nuts.  But here's something I overheard as the boys were discussing the location of heaven in the back seat during our drive home from Charlie's Ice Cream after Karate.

Bennett:  "Do you think Jesus lives up in the clouds?  So he can watch over us?"

Owen:  "Where is heaven anyway?"

Jake:  "Yeah.  Where is Kevin?" (I'm not sure if he was really thinking heaven, or some person named Kevin.)

Bennett:  "Maybe it's up in space."

Jake:  "Jesus is with Kevin?  Up in the sky?"  (Who is this Kevin?)

Bennett:  "Everyone in heaven can see us."

Owen:  "Maybe heaven is right here!"

As soon as Owen said it, everyone agreed enthusiastically.  Yes indeed, heaven is right here.  So maybe I should go clean up a little.  :)

Ouch.

Owen had his first earache Monday night.  It was terrible.  Because Owen is a child who really feels no pain, I knew it must be bad.  He was screaming and writhing in pain, poor little guy.  I cried a little too.  I had run out to Old Navy while Jason was putting kids in bed (what an awesome man!).  He called me to find out if we had any ear drops and/or painkiller, and I could hear Owen freaking out in the background.  Apparently, Owen had even asked Jason if he could have the lid of a pen to stick in his ear because it was itchy.  YIKES!  By the time I got home Owen was asleep, but he awoke a few times more.  Then, just as suddenly as it started, it was gone, and Owen was fine.  Weird.  Phew.  Hooray!

This has been a month of firsts for Owen, as he pointed out to us. He threw up for the first time, had his first soccer game, and his first earache.  Let's hope for some more pleasant firsts in the near future, eh?

My life in Wordle.

Little lesson.

I can feel a change in my blogging coming on.  I'm not sure what has triggered it or how long it will last, but I want to write more often, not waiting for some significant event or amazing photos before I post.  My intent for this blog was originally to keep Grandparents and family in the loop on our comings and goings, but since none of them really read it...  :)  No pressure, Grandparents, but it's true.  So I think I will try to record more often the day -to-day little things with the intent of maybe having books printed as a sort of family journal.  You know, for me to remember more than for everyone else to see.

Anyway, loyal readers, not that this blog was ever super exciting, but it might be even less exciting now with just my ramblings filling the space...  So stay tuned.  Or not.  :)

Yesterday in the car Bennett tweaked Jacob's nose really hard (for whatever reason...  I have no idea why) and Jacob started to cry.  Hard.  I held onto Bennett's hands and tried to cheer Jake up by saying, "Okay, Jakie, get him!  Pinch his nose so he can see if he likes it!  Hurry!  Get him!"  Jacob's response really surprised me.  It also humbled me!  He said, through many many tears, "NO!  He's my brother!"  

I hope Bennett and I always remember that lesson.

Happiness, Your Heritage

I am thinking of adding a sidebar with quotes from this weekend's General Conference.  I loved the talks so much, and some of them were seriously meant just for me.  :)  But until the transcripts of the Conference are put online  (on Thursday, if you were wondering...), I wanted to share this link with you.  Did you get to attend Women's Conference?  I know I have already spoken to some of my friends about the talk by President Uchtdorf given there, and wanted to share it with one and all.  I absolutely loved it. He explained how creating and being compassionate are our gifts as women. It was such a unique topic, and presented so passionately... I think about it all the time; it really has made a difference in my day to day thinking.  So read it!  Or better yet... watch it! I love to read talks, but I really felt that the delivery of this one was outstanding.  It was so moving.  I would love to hear what you thought of this talk too.

On the topic of Women's Conference:  My sisters Cami and Jaime, my Mom and I all went to the broadcast together, and then out to dinner afterwards.  It was SO much fun.  I don't know if we have ever done anything like that, sadly, but it has to be a new tradition from now on!  I haven't had such a great time in ages.  We were alternating between hysterical laughter, and teary-eyed emotionalism at Chili's as we caught up on each other's lives, reminisced, etc.  We had to get ourselves under control when our waiter would come by so he wouldn't be too concerned.  But really, it was the best time.  I love you, girls.  Love, love, love you!  Kate, you need to be there next time!