We were thankful

This year we again went over to Utah over the Thanksgiving break. It was very similar to our trip last year, which just shows how much we enjoyed it. Minus that blizzard, freakishly cold weather, and car issues, thankfully. The weather this year was perfectly lovely. We stopped at Nephi's grandparents on the way over and they met Benjamin.

We then got to spend a day with our friends from San Diego, the Whipples. We made delicious food, chatted, and took a little hike up Slate Canyon. We really loved seeing them again.

Thanksgiving day we spent with ellen and Samuel and a few of ellen's friends. Only after the meal did ellen reveal that she doesn't like turkey and had no desire to bother cooking one, so bought one pre-cooked just for us. The boys worked on seating arrangements and cards, and Caleb placed himself strategically in front of the turkey.

It was delicious.

After the meal we vegged out in front of a Miyazaki movie for awhile. Taking up most of the living room is ellen's amazing I Spy quilt she is working on, with things to find not only in the fabrics, but also in the quilting itself.

She outdid herself with pies. And Samuel contributed a wonderful apple pie.

That night we headed up to Martha's where we spent a day. Joseph loved seeing Keturah and Alaina and Marah.

Caleb and Isaac had a great time with Charles and Sarah.

Friday night we went to Temple Square along with most of the rest of the Wasatch Front. It was pleasantly not as freezing as last year, and we didn't lose any of our children in the crowds.

Saturday we went to the Conference Center and took a little tour.

Afterwards we went bowling with our friends the Dunfords, and that night we spent with my old college roommate Melissa and her family. It was a party all the time we were over there - so many good friends and fun kids for our kids to play with. We felt blessed.

Oakland

In early November, my parents and I (with Benjamin) flew out to Oakland to visit my sister Laura for a weekend. It was such a great few days! I was amazed by how much I loved Oakland. What a great city! It feels so livable and authentic. I felt a little bit like the country mouse going to visit the city mouse, though. The scale of commerce in one half city block is about equivalent to our entire little town; I just felt awed. It was refreshing to see all kinds of people all mixed and mingled. And so much good ethnic and vegetarian food! Hoppin' farmers markets! Nordstrom Rack! Diverse people at church (including facial hair on a member of the bishophric! Scandalous!), and a beautiful temple with a great view! There is the slight drawback of a dead body being found in the street one house down from where my sister lives the morning before we arrived... so we stayed somewhere else and found her somewhere new to live that's not in the ghetto. And the traffic bites. So yeah, cities.

Mostly we just wanted to spend time together. Benjamin got lots of love.

My mom, sister, and I did some shopping.

We spent an afternoon wandering around Golden Gate State Park and the Japanese Tea Garden.

That night we went to a really amazing restaurant in San Francisco that is so hip it doesn't even have a sign with it's name. Really. We ate the best fried brussel sprouts you could imagine, and I know that might not be a very high bar, but they were amazing. We also ate at a fabulous Cambodian place and got some good Indian food other days. So tasty. I love understanding more about my sister's life - seeing where she lives and works and meeting her friends.

Halloween

This year: two skeletons and Harry Potter.

And an elephant.

And the jack-o-lanterns. Check out mister Isaac Picasso Thompson! He was very particular about the postmodern shaping and placement of his jack-0-lantern's features. I like!

After days of festivities - school party, church party, friend party - we had our friends the Dohertys over for dinner and went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

The weather was perfect, the neighbors friendly, the Reeses delicious, the photography disappointing.

Benjamin at nine months

Colorado National Monument

The boys had a day off of school in October, and Nephi didn't have classes to teach that day, so we headed over to Grand Junction. In the morning we met up with Nephi's parents at the beautiful Colorado National Monument. We did a short hike and had some cake to celebrate Lawrence's birthday.

The boys earned their Junior Ranges badges, and that afternoon we went to the wonderful Math and Science Center. Definitely two highlights of Grand Junction.

A fine autumn day on Independence Pass and at Maroon Bells

We live in a very beautiful area. One day this fall Nephi and I took Isaac and Benjamin on a drive over Independence Pass, where I had never been. We stopped at Maroon Bells, one of the most photographed places in the country, especially in autumn. We hit the fall color almost exactly right. It was astonishingly beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall

After summer came... fall. Caleb and Isaac played soccer. Joseph did Cub Scouts. In September my aunt, uncle, and cousin came to visit from the east coast. They have a lovely tradition going of taking a week or two during the fall and coming out west to visit some national parks. This year the came to Colorado. After spending a few days at Rocky Mountain National Park, they headed west to our neck of the woods. We were lucky to get to spend a day with them hiking around Maroon Bells near Aspen. That night they treated us to some fantastic Nepalese food. It was great to see them!

There were the usual projects around the house.

Some Very Tall Lego Towers.

Some cuddling while we watched General Conference in October.

Some raking and jumping around in leaves.

I helped out at school. I tried to get a mill levy to pass so our school district wouldn't need to make really drastic cuts for next year, possibly (likely) including closing our elementary school. It would have cost property owners about $3-$10 per month. But times are tough, and it didn't pass. I can get all worked up about it, but we'll see how things shake out. Maybe it won't be as drastic as I fear.