Road Trip

Morgan, Zane and I made a quick trip to Utah and back last weekend. We had hoped to stay for church in Idaho but just couldn't make it work.

Our favorite rest stop... we have to check on Abe.

My favorite kids!

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The reason we went:

Dress A

Dress B

Dress C

Which dress will it be? She looked amazing in every dress she tried on! It was hard to pick a favorite.

It was a loooong trip but I am so glad we went. (And glad my car brought us back safely.) The kids did good - only had to threaten to make them walk home twice.

Morgan was good at keeping me on track and on schedule by asking "How much longer? Where are we going next? Are we there yet?"

And Zane was a big help, pointing out all the important signs along the way. Signs that warn about "deer jumping on the road" and signs that warn when "people are walking on the road" and most important were all those signs that warn about "people with arrows on the road". He kept us safe.
(Took me a while to figure out the arrow signs but I will never look at a merge sign the same again.)

It's always nice to go some where but soooo nice to come home. (We miss you already Brit!)

The Great Pumpkin Walk

While in Logan, Brit and Levi took us to the Great Pumpkin Walk. There were tons of people and it was a cold dark night but we loved it!

Why are we here?

Driving home from Utah last night, my heart was full of emotion. We had a wonderful time with Brit and it was hard to leave. The sky was black, the car was making weird noises, and Morgan couldn't stop crying.

My mind was full of questions: "Why did we leave Idaho? Why did we move so far away? Why NEBRASKA?!" I was murmuring.

Then, we were blessed to have a couple speak to us at church today. They recently returned from serving as mission presidents in England. As they shared experiences and testified that God knows us personally, I was overcome with emotion. It felt as if the speaker looked directly at me when he said, "You are here for a purpose. The Lord transferred you to Sidney, Nebraska because this is where he needs you."

So, the question becomes... "What does the Lord need me to do here?" I know I can still be a good mother and we will always be a family even though miles may separate us. I also know we will be blessed when we do what the Lord asks us to do.

Great things are happening in Nebraska! I am grateful the Lord trusts us enough to be a part of the miracles here.

{Merry-Go-Round}

This girl is insane! I had to stop the camera 'cause it was making me dizzy.

Playing at the {Park}

We have really enjoyed the parks here. The kids love the "fish" park the best. (It has a huge pond with ducks and fish.) This park is close to Morgan's school and has lots of grass and MERRY-GO-ROUNDS!

My Conference Project

I always need a project to do while watching conference... it's my ADD. I love using a menu to make grocery shopping and mealtimes more pleasant. I have been using a little paper calendar to write out menus for each week. But, sometimes I forget and so I just started saving and re-using them. Then I saw a great menu idea that a friend had posted on her kitchen wall.
Did I mention it was a GREAT idea?

Using scrapbook paper and my computer, I created a two-week menu planner. I printed 42 main dish cards that can be moved around to create the menus. (Extra cards are kept in a ziploc bag.) I also printed a list of possible side dishes and desserts (to keep me from serving green beans and pudding pie every night.) I was impressed that I came up with that many things to cook. One of my cards simply says, "New Recipe" for those times when I just want to try something different.

I thought it turned out pretty cute! Morgan loved it because now she can easily read what is planned for dinner. Scott still calls everyday to ask, "What's for dinner?"

Our New Favorite Holiday!

Oktoberfest is our new favorite holiday! This is a huge celebration here. While we did not participate in all of the festivities, we did enjoy the craft show and PARADE. They talked about the parade all week at school so there was no getting out of it. (I would have preferred to spend the 2 hours watching conference.)

We came home with a huge bucket of candy! No need for trick-or-treat this year.

I was thrilled to see the scouts lead off the parade.
(I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the scouting organization and the amazing leaders
who work with these boys.)

Fire trucks are always a thrill but they are too LOUD. Zane had a heard time chasing candy with his fingers in his ears.

This one is for Grandma and Grandpa. It's a group of cloggers from Colorado.

It wouldn't be Oktoberfest with out the pipes!

We found a car for Brit. (She likes orange.)

And a truck for Dad. Zane thought Tucker would like to ride in the back.

I had no idea... wiener dog races are such a big thing.

Anxious to go check out the nearby pumpkin patch.
(Maybe Brit would like this truck.)

Morgan's friend was in the dance group.

Maybe Brit would like this car. (She likes green too.)

Morgan's friend was driving the little John Deere.

It's where we are!

This car is for Dad.

And this one is for Grandpa.

There were no horses in the parade...

but there were lots of MOTORCYCLES!

The kids liked this group. On the far side is a train made out of wagons. Too cute!

My favorite part...

the marching BANDS! Not sure why.

The weather was crisp and cool but the sunshine warm. Perfect for a PARADE!