The Ultimate Fall Experience!!

October 6, 2009
Hee Haws Pumpkin Patch

Last night we went to Hee Haws Pumpkin Patch. We needed to get our pumpkins to decorate our porch, so I decided to make a fun night of it. We usually just get some pumpkins at Smith's. Getting them at Hee Haws was much more fun!! We were there for about 2 hours, because they had so much to do. Unfortunately we were not there at a good time for taking pictures, they do not turn out so well at night.

The Hay Ride

I was hoping the wagon was pulled by horses, but it was pulled by a tractor. Daxton was being a party pooper, and did not want to go on the Hay Ride. We made him go, and he acted like he was hating every minute of it. Don't worry, he survived the ride :) Everyone else had a great time.

Notice Daxton being a teenager and acting so put out to be with his family

The Animals

The kids really enjoyed the animals. Especially the enormous pig. It was huge!! They had a little petting area that Jada and Dawson went into. Dawson would not move inside for fear he would step in pooh.

Slides/ Hay Jump :)

The boys loved the slides, but Jada and Dawson not so much. All of the kids loved the Hay jump, even though they were doing what they do best while on it...punching and kick each other. Leave it to our kids, the fighting never ends :\

Brayden

Daxton (Don't look now, but I think he is enjoying himself)!

Dax, Dawson & Jada

Jada & Dax

Brayden

Dax

The Corn Maze

This was my favorite part of the night! I love mazes. We were in the maze for about 30 -40 minutes. It was funny to listen to each of the kids try to direct us. They all thought they new exactly which way we should go. That was until they lead us to a dead end. I think Brayden was getting a bit worried that we would never make it out :). Dawson kept picking up corn stalks and whipping everyone with them. It actually really hurt!

Our beautiful kids!!

Dawson & Dax

Dawson with his weapon of choice for the night... a cornstalk :)

Jada feeling the wrath of Dawson cornstalk :\
She was not to happy about it, and I think a few mean words were spoken to Dawson

Jada & I

Dave & I (My husband is so hot, luv ya Dave) :)

Jada & Dave

Dawson & I
Notice Dax & Brayden are not in any pictures with Dave and I. They were not
pleased with how many pictures we were taking in the maze.

Pedal Carts

They had these fun pedal carts that you could ride. All of the kids loved these, especially Daxton. It was hard to get them off. Dawson actually did really well pedaling!

Dawson

Brayden & Dave

Dax & Jada

Some Random, But Very Cute Pictures
Had to have a picture with a tractor to complete the farm experience!

They had fun cornstalk tunnels to crawl through

There was a pit full of corn kernels that Dawson loved playing in

There were these cute horse swings

Pumpkin Picking

Finally it was on to pumpkin picking. It was to dark, so we decided to pick from the pumpkins they had already picked. We still enjoyed this picking far more than the picking at Smith's. Brayden always has to have the biggest, so notice his pumpkin size compared to the others!

Daxtons pumpkin

Jada's pick

Here is the large one Brayden chose. He could barely get it out of the wagon!

Dawson kept changing his mind, but finally settled on this beauty!

The end of a very full, very fun night!

We had such a great night together. The only thing that could have made it better...if it had been a bit warmer. I guess that is all part of the fall experience!! I love my family!

Our Amazing Musician!!

October 1, 2009

Our very talented performer!

It is official we have a very talented musician in the family. Daxton and my niece Emily have been taking guitar lessons for almost a year now, and they are doing very well. He had his first gig (ha...ha...), or his first performance. First we started off the night celebrating Dax by going to dinner at Panda Express. Our kids love that restaurant. I guess just because I am picky, doesn't mean our kids have to be. Then we were off to Daxtons performance. His teacher is awesome and had Dax and my niece Emily perform at an open Blues Night in Spanish Fork. It is at the Boothe Brothers Music Theater. The first Thursday of each month they open it up to the public to play. They have a house band that plays for the first 45 min., then anyone who wants can take a turn.

Dax concentrating hard on his performance :)

I could tell that Dax was very nervous, but I have never seen him so excited. He could not wait. It was so fun to watch him. His teacher played with him, and they got someone for the audience to come and play the bass and drums for them. It sounded awesome. I could not believe that Dax had the courage to get up there. I don't think I would have, especially at his age. I was sad that I could not get very good pictures.


Daxton said that he messed up a little bit, but I could not tell. I guess that is one good thing about blues music, you can pretty much just do anything you want and it still sounds great!! Daxton was even more excited that he got to do all of this with one of his very favorite cousins Emily. We love Emily. She did an awesome job on her performance as well.

This is a picture of Emily on stage even though you can barely see her :(

Two happy cousins, feeling good about their performances!!
It went so well they both agreed they want to go back and play together :)

I just have to say how great their teacher Ethan is!! He really does a great job with these kids, and is an excellent teacher. Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to help these two have such a great performance :) It was an awesome night!!

Dax, Ethan (the best guitar teacher ever), and Emily :)

Here is video footage of Daxtons performance. I could not get the camera to work till the very end :) Needless to say it is a very short clip. Hope you enjoy!!

I just want dax to know how proud we are of him. He really is getting very good at guitar. It is well worth the money spent to see him excel in guitar. We love you so much buddy!! Keep up the good work!

Way To Go Jessica!!!

August 28, 2009

I am so proud of my niece Jessica. She is the oldest grandchild in my family, and was just recently awarded the XO Award. This is a humanitarian award presented by KSL. They hold this award ceremony every year. Jessica has been nominated for the past couple of years, but could not be selected as she has been out of the country each time. She was honored for all her humanitarian aid she has been providing over in India.

My family with Jessica

Here is a description of the XO Award, and how they describe Jessica and her service in India. I pulled this off of the XO Awards website:

Kirton & McConkie XO Awards

Celebrating extraordinary acts of kindness

The XO Awards were created to recognize everyday people who touch us with their caring and kindness. We want to thank those people who often go unrecognized as they serve those around them. They go about their lives helping others just because that’s who they are. They enrich our lives and inspire us to go that extra mile as well.

Jessica, a college student, spent two years in India volunteering in leprosy colonies. She paid for the trips at her own expense by saving every penny to cover the costs. She has also volunteered at a local literacy center, battered women's shelter, served meals to the homeless, and participated in various charity fundraisers. In her many acts of service, she has come to believe that every single person has value.

All of us who were there to support Jessica

Jessica is such a selfless, giving person. She has done so much in India, and is always serving others. She is such a great example to my kids!! We were able to attend the awards ceremony with her at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake. It was such a wonderful night. We had so much fun. First they had live music, and served lots of yummy food. They also had a clown who made things out of balloons, cotton candy, and popcorn for the kids. They were in heaven. Then they presented the awards. They gave away six awards, and it was amazing to hear all the different stories from each winner. It is amazing to me all the incredible acts of service that are always going on around us that we never know about. It makes me want to be a better person.

Here is a picture of the 6 award winners!
Truly amazing stories (check it out if you have time www.xoawards.com)
My niece Jessica is on the front right.

Future XO Award winner!!

Anyway, I just want Jessica to know how much I love her!! I am so grateful to be her Aunt, and I am very proud of her hard work. She was very deserving of this award. Good Job Jess!!