My sweet cowboys

Apple War

We had Thanksgiving this year at my in laws house, even though they were not home.  It was great.  All the Cranes got together and had a fantastic dinner and day.  I only got a picture of the "9 and under" table, not the prettier adult table!  Oh well, the kids had a good dinner, but they didn't appreciate it as much as they should have, but the adults made up for them.

The kids wanted to go back outside and play after dinner, so they did.  I went out on the back deck to find this:

 Judd, Lainee, Ainsley, Paige, Lilly, and Kendal behind a fort of leaves, plastic kids deck chairs, signs, and a rake for good measure, and

 Ashley, Kelsey, Aly, Ayden, and Larry behind a fort of more leaves, more plastic chairs, but with the added protection of a snow shovel and plastic crate.  

They were having an apple fight.

Full sized, picked fresh from the tree, apple fight.

 Their trenches were dug in pretty close, but that is because most of them (excluding the boys) can't hit a thing to save their lives!  I was watching this little cousin apple war with interest.  Nobody was getting hit although lots of full sized, not crab apples, were being launched, so that means they were not hunkered down using their protection.  I was guessing how long it would take for someone to get hit and hurt for them to realize they needed to actually use their amazing forts for cover.  

It didn't take too long.  I mean, look at Larry, he looks like he is pitching for the big leagues!  I watched him hit Paige in the leg, and she gave him a dirty look and just gathered more apples.  Then I went in the house to finish the dishes.  Soon Kendal came in crying.  Of course.  She was not using the protection the fort was trying to provide.  I loved on her a bit and she kept crying.  I asked her where she got hit and she told me her tummy.  I lifted up her shirt and there was a perfect, beautiful, round and raging red welt in the shape of a monster apple dead center on her tummy.  I bet that hurt!  I saw Ashley later and asked her how she got that goose egg on her forehead.  Apple fight.  Emmitt went out for a bit but came back in crying.  He said he got hit in the shoulder.  At least he learned to find safe ground, the rest of them just played and played apple war all afternoon.

  It was a fantastic Thanksgiving. 

My kids make a lot of blanket and couch cushion huts in the winter, but the other day when it was a balmy 28 degrees outside, they decided to make a fun little cozy bed on the front lawn.  (Emmitt is burrowed in the center.)  Crazy kids.  Winter seems to last way too long here in Heber City, but things have been quite nice so far this season.  (knock on wood)

Finished!

 Finally finished!  Kendal was able to take Mrs. I's quilt to school today.  She has been so excited to take it and would get angry with me when she would come home from school and I still hadn't finished it. 

Kendal said they had storytime on their new reading quilt today.  That makes me smile.  She also said that the boys don't like the Princess and Dora squares.  Too bad boys!  I gave them firemen, fish, aliens, dinosaurs, and cowboys!

Halloween Anniversary

October 31st is our home's anniversary.  We moved into our house on Halloween of 2002.  So HAPPY 9th ANNIVERSARY to us! In honor of such a fine day, I dug through some old cds of pictures.  ENJOY!

Kelsey as a little Indian, 2004 - age 2

Kelsey, Matt, and Derek, 2004

Pumpkins 2005


Kelsey and her amazing pumpkin, 2005 - age 3

 Kelsey as a "black kitty" in 2005


 Kelsey the kitty and Kendal the angel, 2005.  Ages 3 and 5 months.  Kendal promptly fell asleep after this photo was taken so there was no trick or treating for her!

 Pumpkins 2006


Kelsey as Rapunzel, age 4 and Kendal as the little Indian (minus the hat, no way was she going to wear the headdress) age 1 - 2006

I love the look on Princess Kelsey's face!

 The two little mummy girls, 2007.  Kelsey age 5 and Kendal age 2.

Kendal had a blast this year and really got into the trick or treating, although she wouldn't say anything at the doors!
 

 Kendal the black cat and her master Kelsey the witch - 2008.

Kelsey the witch age 6 and Kendal the kitty age 3. 

 Matt and I even dressed up in 2008.  Kendal didn't like Matt's mask at all!

 Kendal as Pocahontas, Emmitt as a dragon, and Kelsey as a gypsy -2009.

 Kendal age 4, Emmitt 7 months, and Kelsey age 7.


 The little dragon and his mom.


Kelsey the "black and white girl", Emmitt the mummy, and Kendal the black cat - 2010.

 Kelsey age 8, Emmitt age 1, and Kendal age 5.

 It was so cold last year for trick or treating we had to cover up our costumes to stay warm!

 Pumpkins 2011

My silly spooks this year, 2011.  Kelsey age 9, Emmitt age 2, and Kendal age 6.

Kelsey is Morticia, Emmit is so excited to be Spiderman, and Kendal is a witch.

Happy Halloween!

Anasazi State Park

Last weekend me, my sweet kids, and my parents went to the Anasazi State Park in Boulder.  Kelsey is in 4th grade this year and so that means she is studying Utah History.  It was Fall Break, so we took the chance with the kids out of school for a few days to head south.  Kelsey was excited about going to the park, but I think she was just as excited to be with her grandparents. 

Kelsey and Emmitt inside the museum. 

The kids making rubbings of different pottery patterns.

This sign tells us that a village used to be right there in front of the sign.  Archaeologists have found remains of rock walls buried under the dirt and sagebrush.

Here are original Anasazi dwellings also.  They figure this group of Anasazi's only lived in this location for less than 100 years.  

Sweet Emmitt and his crazy smile for the camera.

Silly Kendal and her crazy smile.

They loved playing in the dwellings that were made recently by the Utah State Parks Division.

Kelsey's Anasazi Indian pose.

I can't keep this boy out of the dirt!

Kelsey is glad she doesn't have to grind corn for dinner!

We had a Subway sandwich picnic at the park and then we headed further south past Calf Creek Falls to play in the Escalante River.

My dad has spent quite a bit of time in this country for work.  He showed us some of the lines he has worked on and what poles he has had to replace numerous times!  Since he gets to play in the outback of The Grand Staircase National Monument, he knows where alot of interesting things are that most people don't know exist.

One of those is an old, Anasazi granary up in this rock face.  It is not quite half way up, and a little to the left.  It is hard to notice, because it is right along the river and there is so much else to see when you walk by this spot.  

Kelsey was adamant about climbing up to it just like the people that built it did, she is that little speck in the bottom right hand corner.  She didn't get too far, but I guarantee if we gave her enough time, she would have!

My dad showed us a few more little granaries, but Emmitt and Kendal only cared about playing in the cool, 

deliciously soft sand.

This spot was right under the bridge of Hwy 12 going over the Escalante River.  It was so cool and fun.  The sand was intoxicating.  I told my mom and dad that if I were a local teenager, I know where I would be every day in the summer to beat the desert heat!  

Emmitt was acting like a wild man in the sand.  It reminded me of the way Kelsey acted when we went to Mazatlan one time in December when she was almost two years old.  She could not get enough of the sand, and actually acted just a little crazy like she couldn't get enough of it.  Well, that is how Emmitt was acting.  My dad asked if he acted like this in our very own sandbox and I said "No way, the sand isn't as soft."  My dad laughed at that comment and said that sand was not either soft or hard, but I must say, that Escalante River sand was nice and soft!  Plus, the atmosphere was so very pretty!

Me and my boy.  Emmitt loved throwing rocks in the little creek, when I could get him away from the sand!

We had a great long weekend.  We spent Thursday and Friday with all the Crane cousins in Salina decorating Halloween cookies and playing hard.  Friday night we went over to my parents and spent all day playing with them on Saturday.  We got home late Saturday night and enjoyed every minute!