Fall Break 2025

When Jeremy is on trips (quite a few this year), he misses a lot (including us and we miss him, too). One thing we've made sure to do as a family, though, is when Jeremy is traveling, he calls in the morning and night for family prayer over the phone. Sometimes he joins in for family scripture study as well. It's important to keep that gospel foundation strong for our family even when we're separated.

 

Since Jeremy was gone so long on this last trip to South Carolina, he also missed Fall Break.

 

Slumber Party!

When our older children were little we had a tradition of having a slumber party the night before Fall Break or Spring Break. We'd watch movies or play video games then all sleep out in the living room together. Over time, we had less people sleep in the living room after our "party" and eventually the tradition kind of fizzled out.

After many years we brought it back this Fall Break with watching a movie and playing MarioKart while eating muffins. Only a few opted to sleep out in the living room but we did have good bonding time while we were up.

October 15 was National Mushroom Day so I wore my pajamas that have mushrooms on them and Jr. Jr. commented: That's why Jet didn't want me to have mush room on the couch. 

P.S. For dinner earlier we made shawarma for Shawarma Day.

 

The next day, we had leftovers for dinner for World Food Day on October 16.

We got some snuggles in before Nichole and I went to a Relief Society activity to paint pumpkins. 

Normally I'm hands on involved in the activities (remember the sourdough?) but this time I was content to just sit and socialize. I also was able to praise Nichole's pumpkin painting. 

 

I got Kiki's Delivery Service vibes from it and not necessarily the movie. Isn't it so cute?

 

Fall Break Fun!

I hiked up Big Springs area with the kiddos. We'd been wanting to for a while and finally got the chance. We even had sun that day. 

A couple times, Jet and I took pictures of each other. This is how they turned out. 

Jr. Jr. pointed out to me how in Jet's picture the first time, Jr. Jr. was standing by me. In the other picture that I took, Jr. Jr. was standing by Jet. Ha Ha. Clever noticing. 

When we got home we had pasta to celebrate... National Pasta Day.

The mountains were gorgeous at sunset.

I love nature and I love living here and I especially love my children. 

 

The two oldest and I had some bonding time watching a movie one evening. While we watched, Jet watched Kiki's Delivery Service in a different room. I think he heard our conversation about Nichole's pumpkin.

 

Jet requested going to the library during Fall Break so on October 20, he and I went together. He was so well behaved. He followed directions. He stayed with me. We did a children's activity in the children's wing with pumpkin emotions. He got to play in the children's area and when it was time to move on to gather books on my list, he didn't put up a stink about it. He was quiet in the quiet areas, even when we had to get a book from the quietest area in the library. He was very good at whispering. We watched construction on the new courtyard/greenhouse area. He helped me check out our books and did a good job. I am so proud of him.

He did not yell, "Tractor!" in the middle of the library. Once we got out to the van, he was able to. "Tractor! Burninating the countryside..." For those that get the reference, he yells, "Trogdor!" but thinks it's "Tractor!" If you listen to Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, it does kind of sound like "Tractor."

Since October 20 was International Sloth Day, Jet requested a book about koalas. Why not?

I love bonding time with my children. And I love how this Fall Break went.

My Children, the Hams

The day (well, evening really) the kids and I went hiking Big Springs was Silly Sayings Day, October 13.

Now you see us.

 

Now you don't.

 

You do realize already that all my children are hams, right? Jet learned that early on. Doing things to make us get a kick out of them. He was doing that before he was even a year old. Yep, he fits in nicely with this family. 

Anyway, the kids must have an influence on me somehow. While we were out hiking, at one point Jr. picked up Jet quickly and his shoe went flying off. I saw it and immediately said, "Oh no. His foot..." Now I'm not sure if I completely finished that sentence out loud but everyone interpreted it the same way so for the rest of the trip, we were jokingly saying, "Oh no. His foot fell off." They also thought it was funny when I pointed out that it was Silly Sayings Day.

More silliness:

This picture. Lucky "fell" on the ground and Jr. went skipping down the trail. I caught this picture at just the right point because even though he was skipping, it totally looks like he was about to stomp on his brother. He didn't.

 

Another saying I said several times during our hiking trip: "Short people rule." Jet, by virtue of being a toddler, is short. I, by virtue of genetics, am short. Jr. is not. So when Jet insisted on holding Jr.'s hand while hiking, Jr. had to bend his knees a lot. 

Then while going under some branches, Jr. practically had to limbo his way under. Heh Heh. Others did not have to go so low.

 

As soon as we reached the meadow, the boys immediately started playing Hide and Seek. At one point, Jr. Jr. was looking on the complete opposite side as Jr. and Lucky were hiding. Nichole and I both knew this so while Jr. Jr. couldn't find his brothers, Nichole called out, "Marco," to which we heard in unison the called response, "Polo," from Jr. and Lucky so Jr. Jr. knew he was looking in the wrong area. It took him enough time to find them once he was on the right side but that was so great that it worked so well. Nicely done, Nichole. 

Now this one isn't silly but Lucky spotted a ladybug and was able to get a picture of it. Way to go, Lucky.

Beautiful Fall Colors

One day Jet and I went for a drive up Provo Canyon. We drove up Squaw Peak Road and looked at the beautiful Fall colors.

And we stopped by Bridal Veil Falls.

 

Another day Nichole and I went for a drive up Provo Canyon. We hiked up to Upper Falls and looked at the beautiful Fall colors.

And we stopped by Bridal Veil Falls.

Another day the kids and I went for a drive up Provo Canyon. We hiked up Big Springs area and looked at the beautiful Fall colors. 

And I stopped by Bridal Veil Falls... earlier that day.

General Conference

Nichole: I can't wait for General Conference.

Lucky: Me, too. Nachos... and learning stuff.

 

Jr. Jr. and I finally got our hiking trip in. Before the first session of General Conference, he and I headed up to Big Springs to hike. It was beautiful weather. There were turkeys, of course.

And the Fall colors? Mmm, I went to my happy place again.

 

We reached our goal destination then hurried back down and made it to the van before the first session of General Conference started. Yay. 

Talk about the benefits of technology. Jr. Jr. and I listened to Conference on the radio during our drive home, then I listened to it on the internet on my phone while I was getting something to bring inside, then everyone was watching it on TV when I got inside. Woohoo. Love it.

We of course had our traditional General Conference Nachos both days.

For the Saturday evening general session, we made brownies which everybody got to eat at the same time since we all got to watch the session together. Woohoo. Yay for a general session on Saturday evening. They were thinking of just stopping having the Saturday evening session completely but I'm glad they changed it to having a general session.

By the way, we did start the brownies from the middle of the pan as is our tradition.

Sunday afternoon after the last session we thought we'd head up to Big Springs as a family, maybe take some family pictures. Apparently everyone else had the same idea. So much traffic. So many parked cars. We drove up South Fork Road, didn't even turn into the parking lot at Big Springs Park, but turned around and joined the long line of cars going down the road back to Provo Canyon, where we turned right instead of left so that when we turned around later, it was easier to be on the road already to join the long line of cars just past Bridal Veil Falls heading out of the canyon. Wow. I'm so glad Jr. Jr. and I were able to get out Saturday morning.

So no family pictures. But we found Waldo.

And Nichole found him another day at the library.