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.

Catch of the Day

 

Comet Hunting

You know we've had varying levels of success with viewing comets in the past. We decided to try our luck again since there was supposed to be a comet around in October. So on Saturday, October 12, we went out in the evening to search for the comet. We went up West Mountain to where we saw the other comet in 2020. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy evening and we got up there later than we wanted to. We saw no comet but there was a gorgeous sunset.

We did, however, see the Y lit up on the mountain in the other direction. Nichole let us know this is the 100th anniversary of "Light the Y." I remember participating in "Light the Y" way back when I was in college.

And the moon looked cool as it often does.

That day was also International Moment of Frustration Scream Day. Often when that holiday comes around, I don't feel like celebrating in the way it's intended. That's a good thing. This year, I did feel it. I had my moment. I went back to my room, had a silent frustrated scream, then put together a shopping list and went shopping.

It was also Breakfast Burrito Day in Denver so we ate breakfast burritos to celebrate.

The next day, October 13, I wore my bow earrings because it was my cousin's birthday.

We had an at home potluck. It had been a while since we had one of those. These were the contributions from oldest to youngest: Stuffing, onion roasted potatoes, mint lemonade (not pictured), apples, and sour strawberry peeps. Jet didn't contribute.

Then we went for a relaxing Sunday drive up West Mountain, this time all the way to the top, to look for the comet again. As we drove, I mentioned that it was International Skeptics Day and Jeremy said, "I don't think the comet's actually a comet. I think it's a projection on the dome of our flat Earth." Heh heh heh. 

It became even cloudier than the day before sadly. We actually did get a glimpse of the comet through binoculars during a little break in the clouds. We weren't able to get pictures, though. We couldn't wait for the comet to come back into view, though, as we got chased off the mountain by lightning and thunder. Not so great on the top of a mountain.

Both nights had beautiful sunsets at least. The observatory was cool to look at.

What a view.

Both nights we drove by a house with some pretty fun decorations. Jet is really into Halloween decorations right now.

Jeremy and I did go out another night with Jet down to the lake and were able to see the comet again way up in the sky... without us being way up in the sky that time. Still no pictures.

Lazy Mom's Day 2024

September 6 was Lazy Mom's Day. I was able to sort of celebrate this. It was also Read a Book Day, which I was also able to sort of celebrate.

Jet and I went for our walk on a popular birding trail but I didn't have my binoculars or camera so I practiced birding by ear. Marsh wrens, Caspian terns, Sandhill cranes, and plenty of others. I love hearing birds. As we were walking we ran into a couple birders visiting from Holland. That was fun to chat about birding places around here with people from out of country. It was still a relaxing walk.

I actually sat down to watch a movie that day.

Snuggles!

Snuggles?

It was also the birthday of someone close to me so I wore my bow earrings while I was running errands.

Timing was right while I was out so I stopped by Jeremy's work to surprise him when he finished. He was pleasantly surprised. 

It was also Read a Book Day. Tee Hee.

That evening, I took a little more time to be lazy and went out to Hill Park to watch the sunset.

So I sort of celebrated Lazy Mom's Day.

So You Want to Know About August, Huh?

Let's see. August. Well, I learned from Sarah M. Eden (one of my favorite authors) a little bit about Lammas Day which was on August 1. It's a celebration of harvest so it's common to bake bread on that day. So that's what I did. I baked wheat bread that day.

August 4 was American Family Day. We played together. For a couple days before that, we played the game my brother made up that we played with my brothers in Oregon.

 

\August 5 was Work Like a Dog Day. Jr. and I did yard work.

Later that evening, I took three of the kids with me to the Provo Library to an interactive movie event: The Princess Bride. They had instructions for us on paper for things to do at certain parts of the movie (yelling, "Stop! Stop!" during the kissing scenes, and rhyming with Fezzik) as well as items to do them with (balloons for swords, pieces of chocolate for the miracle pill, bubble wrap to pop in the Fire Swamp). It wasn't just interactive with the movie but with people around us, too. We had little bottles of water that we traded with a neighbor several times during the iocane powder scene until we finally took a drink. It was a lot of fun.

August 6 was Night Out Day. While I left the kids with root beer and ice cream to celebrate Root Beer Float Day, Jeremy and I took a drive up to Kyhv Peak Overlook to watch the sunset and eat Winco salads (it's our date food). I'd never been up there for sunset before. Jr. Jr. and I went up there for sunrise last year before October General Conference. It was nice to be up there with Jeremy for the sunset.

That day was also Wiggle Your Toes Day. I may or may not have played "This Little Piggy" with Jet but I didn't get any pictures if I did. I know I wiggled my toes, though. 

 

August 8 was Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night. Nobody celebrated at our house. Sigh.

That evening, Jeremy, Nichole, Lucky, and I went to the annual Utah County Birders potluck. We spent time beforehand looking for birds but barely saw any. Oh well. Still pretty scenery near Timpanogos Cave National Monument.