Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Wow, get back home and real life gets in the way of blog updates somehow. So, while I'm 'on vacation' again in Texas I'll try to do a little blog catching up! When I arrived home about 4 p.m. from Texas after having an unexpected 'sleep over' at the Denver airport on Monday October 17th no one was home, so I started the long overdue process of coloring my hair. Alex and company got home a few minutes before I was supposed to rinse my hair, so I jumped in the shower before he got in the house because I figured my hair would be fried by the time I made it to the shower otherwise! Almost the whole time I was in the bathroom I heard pounding on the door and giggling and hollering 'NANA, NANA' giggle, giggle, giggle, giggle! It was hilarious! I kept hollering back at him and then he'd holler at me again. He left for a few minutes and then came back with Briana. Just as I'd put my underwear and robe on, the door flew open (I hadn't locked it and smart little Alex can now open the doors). Would have been a bit of an embarrassing moment for all of us if it had been a moment sooner! Anyway, it felt good to have such an enthusiastic welcome home committee!

I've got to say I'm super grateful for a wonderful friend who's always willing to substitute for me in my Seminary class. Thank you Jon Snider!! He subs for me short-term, long-term, spur-of-the-moment, etc. My biggest concern 3 1/2 years ago when I accepted the call to teach early morning Seminary was that I wouldn't be able to find subs when I needed them. I have had a number of wonderful friends that have willing volunteered to fill in for me over the years, but Jon has been the most regular and diligent of the them all. He has been a great blessing to me throughout my Seminary teaching career so that I can take time off to attend my daughters' weddings, grandchild births, baby blessings, birthday parties, etc.

We had a super fun Halloween season. It's so nice to have little people around again for the holidays. Alex dressed up as a fireman (he loves having a fire station right across the street from his house) and Emmett was his cute little fire dog.

For family night we all went to one of the local orchards that has a pumpkin patch and hay rides. Unfortunately we went during the week and they only had the hay rides on the weekends.

Alex thoroughly enjoyed picking out pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, but the highlight of the trip was his opportunity to be 'farmer Alex' and 'drive' the tractor that they had setting out for photo ops. He was a super happy camper as long as we let him sit on that tractor. And boy was he mad when it was time to get off of it. Isn't sweet little Emmett adorable with those big blue eyes and that sweet little expression of his?! And I just have to mention that every time I see him in a picture it reminds me of my Dad. Emmett has his great-grandpa Larkin's ears!

Later Darvin, Briana, Alex and I had some pumpkin carving fun. Pops was in charge of the first 'attack'. After some initial intrepidation at the prospect of sticking his hands in the pumpkin innards, Alex soon decided it was great fun to pull out the slimy, seedy pumpkin brains! I had downloaded Lighting McQueen & Tow Mater templates, so Briana and I got to work. Alex was thoroughly pleased

with the results.