November Stuff

It is fitting, since I got to start October with a girl's trip, that Chip got to start November with a boy's trip, to San Diego.  Chris, Stephan, and Jay drove southwest until they hit the shore.  Michael J, his lovely wife, and a few other friends of friends joined them there for surfing, camping, and lots of fish taco eating.  I wasn't there, but it sounded like a good time, and is also, something that will happen again. :)

 Below is the only decent photo we have of our first annual "It Takes a Village" progressive party.  Eight or nine families were involved.  Four homes hosted a part of the meal, and the others supported in either food or drink contributions.  We walked a few miles around the neighborhood, making our way from appetizers at Renae's (including a scavenger hunt!), soup at the Kirby's after a jaunt down the Moose Moss, pulled pork at our house, and then dessert at Chuck and Rebecca's.  It was a great celebration of community and something we are very grateful for. 

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Wheeler Farm farmer's market.  We caught the last one!  Just in time to stock up on our grassfed beef for the winter, some final squash, and get in a pony ride

It was a glorious day!

And then it snowed and got cold.  

We love to hide and be obscured. :)

Duross'- both Summit and Wilson clans, and Kirby's made it to a performance in downtown SLC.  This was Ruby and Owen's first time seeing anything on the stage indoors.  They LOVED it.  It was called Ring Around the Rose at the Rose Wagner Theater.  It is a monthly event.  We got to see dancing, but sometimes it is acting, magic, live music, etc.  And, all geared for kids.  Lunch out in the big city afterwards was a nice compliment to our cultured morning. 

The kids loved playing on the bike racks.  Graham and Ruby were particularly cooperative with the photographer.

October in Reveiw

After all that blogging about the NW trip, I needed a break.  Life, on the other hand, did not get or want a break.  So, here are some of the things that went down.  The first weekend in October, I slept away from the kids for the first time...in almost three years!  It was amazingly easy to do, probably because other than my own family, I could not have asked for better company.  We did a girl's trip to Victor, ID and enjoyed no demands, eating when and what we wanted, uninterrupted morning coffee, hikes, runs, and yoga with the most amazing view (led by Renae and looking out the windows of the DuRoss' house over the Teton Valley).  We will do something like this again.  It was awesome.  Thanks for letting us use the house mom and dad DuRoss! And, thanks to Erika, Jess, Renae, Rebecca, and Pam for joining! 

Hike to the Wind Cave.  I have tried to get to this thing twice before.  Third time is a charm.  It did not disappoint.  :)

Love you all- lots!

Just a random cute one.

The new deck!  It went in right before our trip and did not get used a whole lot before the snow flew, but we are SO grateful it is in and ready to roll for next Spring.  It was worth every penny- so beautiful and a game changer for our "back yard".

Haircuts for both kids.  First time taking a bunch off for Ruby- so cute and hoped it would help with all the tangles and insanity that her hair is.  That hasn't really panned out, but it is adorable anyway.  I am not biased or anything.

Chip loves running.  And, he is quite good at it.  After a successful marathon, he thought, "what is an extra 10ish miles?", and signed up for the Antelope Island 50K.  He came in 14th overall, met his goal for time, and made it look like a walk in the park.  I couldn't believe it.

Ruby, Owen, and I decided to get up before the crack of dawn and join him on this adventure.  We saw the full moon say hello to the rising sun as dad got his number and ready for the starting gun.

We adventured around in the sagebrush and at the visitor's center,

and hung out on the sandy beaches while observing buffalo pass us by.

Congratulations, dad on another awesome race!

Halloween started with pumpkin carving.  

After MUCH deliberation, Ruby decided to be a butterfly (she made her own wings with a little help from mom, and painting assistance from Owen), and Owen decided to be a fireman...again.  We jazzed up this repeat costume with a homemade fire hose with ribbon "water" coming out of it.  That was mostly Owen's idea actually, and came out pretty cool.

Mom was a vet, and dad was a surfer.  We trick or treated on Main Street in Park City and then again in the dark in our neighborhood.  Good times.  The day after Halloween, they completely forgot about ALL the candy we got (thank goodness) and were already planning their costumes for next year.  Ha!