The Coming of Autumn

Fall is finally here! The leaves really starting to change colors now. I always forget how much I enjoy Autumn until I am in a place that actually has all four seasons. Mount Timpanogos has some snow on its peak now. I really want to hike the mountain before it gets too cold, but I don't think that thats a hike I could take Sammy on. Its at least a 6 hour hike, maybe more.

We did get to hike The Timp caves a few weeks ago though. It was National Public Lands day so there were no fees. the hike was a bit strenuous, but we made it to the top and the view was fantastic. The caves were gorgeous. It gave me some ideas for some short stories. John was sick last week and Sam is getting over being sick now. I am fighting off getting sick too so we haven't been hiking the past few weekends. I'd still love to do Rock Canyon and the Y before it gets too much colder. We are also planning a trip down to Vegas over Thanksgiving break. John has never gone and his Great Grandfather did a lot of the neon lights on the old strip. They say John gets his artistic ability from him so I think it'll be great for John to go down and see it all. And you can't beat a deep fried twinkie or oreo now and then. On the way back up, we're planning a short camping trip at one of the National Parks. I am UBER excited.

School is in full swing for John. He is doing well in all of his classes and is especially enjoying his 2D animation class. He is also in the process of applying for an ORCA Research Grant to be able to research and create a modern cartoon-style short animated film. I really hope that he gets it because I believe his proposal is very solid and strong and his short film idea is great! I am still working away at my creative writing class and loving it. I also got back into BYU so I will start taking classes on campus next semester. John and I have already sat down and mapped out our schedules for next semester and one of will always be with Samantha so we won't have to have anyone else watch her.

Samantha is eight months old now. Her top two teeth have come through so now she look a little like Spongebob! She is still doing her inch worm crawl and she loves playing with her daddy. I still cannot believe how quickly she is growing. Right now we're reading Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. We get through a few poems a day. I am looking forward to when Weird Al's new picture book comes out, When I Grow Up. I think picture books are great! This story, by The New York Times really burned me up. I think it is so sad kids are being taught that picture books are "baby books". Some of my favorite books from childhood were picture books. I have fond memories of my mom reading to my sister and me before bed time. Pictures books are what started my love for reading. I just hate how much pressure kids are under to perform perform perform. How are kids supposed to learn to love learning? At least I'll be able as a parent to choose to read picture books with my kids.

Settling into the Groove

Well, We've been here well over a month now. Strange how it feels shorter and longer at the same time. Last weekend we hiked up to Stewart Falls with Bekka. It was the first time we got to try out our Sherpani Rumba Superlight backpack carrier. I have to say it was fantastic. The pack does a great job of transferring the weight to your hips and legs. This is great for me because I get backaches/headaches easily if there's a lot of weight on by shoulders. Samantha LOVED it. She even fell asleep at the end! The falls were beautiful, but very cold. I learned that it is important to pack an extra layer of clothes, especially for the baby. Fortunately we had a warm blanket for her. The leaves were beginning to change, making the valley begin to light up. We were exhausted by the end of it all. I am hoping to hike up Rock Canyon this weekend, but we shall see.

John started school a few weeks ago. He is adjusting well and loving his classes. After his art classes his favorite class is Geology! He's been getting in lots of drawing and I am getting to see some of his real life art. He's fantastic! How did I end up with such a wonderful, amazingly talented guy?

I am taking a BYU creative writing course online right now. It is so great. I remember now why I love to write so much. Next semester I hope to starting going back full time. I am really excited for that. The goal is to graduate December 2012. Its so crazy. I graduated high school in 2004 and started college. That'll be eight years ago once I have my degree. Its kind of disheartening. But then I have to remind myself that I went on a mission to Brazil for a year and a half. And I took a year and a half off to start a family. So it'll just be like me getting my degree in 5 years. Ha ha. I guess I just need to continue pushing along.

Wymount is great. We love where we are located. The church here is great too. I really like the people at church. And there are quite a few kids around Sammy's age so she'll have friends as she gets older. Sammy loves going outside and playing in the grass. Real grass! None of that icky stuff that grows in Florida. I really want her to like the outdoors and not be a TV veggie. We try to go out as often as possible. Although she does like Super Why. I think she has a baby crush on the main cartoon character. :)