This past week, it has been fun to have mom and dad up from Texas, even though its been a short visit. Mom flew in 2 Saturday's ago on her birthday. The kids and I went to the airport to pick her up. They helped me make a sign for her and they were really proud of it when she saw it. On Sunday, we have surprise birthday party for her at Grandma Coopers. Every one came and it was so much fun to actually surprise her. It was hard to pull off, but we did it!
On Saturday the 29th, my oldest niece, Chelsey, got married to her boy, Justin Stuart. They got married in the America West Heritage Center. Her colors were turquoise and brown and everything was decorated so nicely. They got married in a barn and they had quite a few guests come to the wedding and reception.
Chelsey and Justin seemed to be very happy. I hope that they can make this marriage work and work towards the temple. The actual wedding ceremony only lasted less than five minutes. The bishop that married them, kept it short and sweet. I felt like he should have given them some advice, but to each its own.
After the wedding, they had a small break to get tables set up and ready for the lunch. They had Coppermill cater the luncheon and the food was great. They served fresh fruit, green salad, BBQ chicken, roast, dutch oven potatoes, rolls, and raspberry cobbler with ice cream on top. As we were wrapping up lunch, they opened the floor for those who wanted to say something to Chelsey and Justin. The parents and siblings spoke first and then some of Justin's friends. Then, my 86 year old Grandpa Cooper got up and it went completely silent. He proceeded to tell us how much Chelsey meant to him. He told us that he gave Chelsey a priesthood blessing and that she was told that if her and Justin would keep the Lord's commandments, then there marriage would be successful. After grandpa finished speaking, there were not very many dry eyes in the room. He is such a great example to me. I was so proud of that man for getting up there and sharing his testimony with everyone. I guarantee Chelsey and Justin will never forget the words that he spoke that day!
After the luncheon, they moved the tables back and got things ready for the reception. The reception went from 4-6. At her reception, they served ice cream sundaes, cupcakes, gourmet chocolates, turkey croissants, and lots of candy.
During the day's activities, all the cousins had a great time playing at the Heritage Center. Thanks to Aunt Steph, the kids all had wristbands to go and do all the Fall and Halloween Activities. Cooper, Ty, and Jaxson had a fun time trying to walk the "plank". They kept falling in the hay.
There was also a huge slide there and Addey and Cooper had a blast going up and down that slide. I think they were over there for almost 2 hours. Cooper was exhausted by the time the night was over. They also got to ride the ponies and go for a fun train ride. This was Clayton's favorite thing!
They also have a section that is full of farm animals. The kids would pick grass and feed the little pygmy goats. They also found some old corn cobs and spent lots of time feeding the chickens. Its such a fun place for families and they have a variety of activities. Thanks Steph for being so thoughtful!
All in all, it was a nice day. The weather warmed up and the clouds went away. It was great to see many family members and friends that I haven't seen in years. I know that Chelsey is happy, so that is a good thing. I enjoyed spending time with my parents and grandparents. And I loved spending time with Bryce and the boys while they enjoyed the "Fall" weather and activities!
This past week, it has been fun to have mom and dad up from Texas, even though its been a short visit. Mom flew in 2 Saturday's ago on her birthday. The kids and I went to the airport to pick her up. They helped me make a sign for her and they were really proud of it when she saw it. On Sunday, we have surprise birthday party for her at Grandma Coopers. Every one came and it was so much fun to actually surprise her. It was hard to pull off, but we did it!
This was Clayton's first year to actually make them himself. He enjoyed putting on the peanuts and chocolate chips. He even had to stick his tongue out a few times so that he could really focus (got that trait from his mom)
Cooper and Hunter had a great time designing their owls. Cooper liked to overload his cookies with chocolate chips! After they finished, grandma baked them, put them on a plate, and sent the boys home with their very own cookies! Thanks Grandma Douglas for making this a fun tradition every year!
Later that night, we went over to our friends house, Renee and Gary, and had Chinese takeout. The food was great. We had a wonderful time visiting with them and the boys had a good time playing with each other. When we got back to the hotel, we all crashed for the night!
On Friday, we took the kids to Thanksgiving Point that is located in Lehi. They always have so many different activities there for families. This was our first time going there. We went to the Cornbelly Cornmaze and Pumpkin Festival. It costs us $11 a person and there were over 40 Halloween and Fall activities for the kids to do. 
Cooper enjoyed jumping on the bouncing horses. After that we headed over to the little cow cart rides. Cooper really wanted Clayton to ride with him, but Clayton was scared. He ended up riding with Bryce. I was surprised that Bryce's long legs could fit in one of those, but it did and they looked really cute together!
We also enjoyed the duck races (water pumps) , a spider web the kids could climb on, the talking chickens, the color mazes and the wooden tractors, trucks, and trailers with slides. We were able to watch the pig races. The kids enjoyed the little pigs running round and round and the crystal suckers mom got them! Bryce and I were irritated because we got into our seats 15 minutes early, and when the show got ready to start, lots of parents let their kids come and stand right in front of us. Oh well, life goes on!
After the pig races, we got to do Clayton's favorite thing...go on the hayrides. He just loves tractors, so he was so happy to ride on the trailer. The kids got to sit in a older fire truck and pretend to drive. After that, the kids played in the "bounce" section. Cooper spent alot of time here. He thought all the bounce houses were fun. Clayton headed off to do some smaller slides with Bryce.
The last thing we did, was to let the boys jump on the huge "pillows". These were filled with air and the size of a house. It was fun to watch Cooper have a great time on the pillows. Clayton, on the other hand, just wanted to throw sand on them! Why does he always have to act like his Uncle Shayne?!!!
We definitely could have spent another few hours there, but we were getting hungry and Clayton was starting to get tired. The weather was perfect and even a little on the warm side, especially for October, but it was great! It's something we will have to do again next year.
The next activity were the slides. Normally, they would be lots of fun, but on this morning, they had dew and frost on them, so the kids were getting wet and dirty from the hay. Clayton thought it was fun, but he had a hard time climbing up the ropes to get to the slide. We decided to head over to the corn box. Clayton enjoyed playing in the kernels but they stuck all over his clothes and shoes. He kept trying to take his shoes off!
He played on the tires for a few minutes and then we headed over to the hayrides. He was so excited when we got there and he could see the tractors. This was definately his favorite part of the day. We sat in the front of the hay wagon and the driver gave him a little white boo pumpkin. 
The tractor took us out pass the cornstalks and over to the carrots and cabbage patches. The driver let the kids taste both vegetables. Then we headed to the pumpkin patch where the kids got to pick their very own "pie' pumpkin. I guess the littler pumpkins are best for making pies. Clayton sang to himself the whole way back to the farm. He was so happy to be on a wagon ride!
We dropped the kids off to Mom and Dad on Friday evening. Clayton knew something was up and did not want me to leave the room. He was really mad when we left. Mom said he stopped crying as soon as we pulled out of the drive. It is nice to be able to leave the boys with family that they are comfortable with. The boys love their grandma and Papa Douglas'. They had a great time!
When we got up to the cabin Friday night, it was already dark, so we couldn't see the beautiful scenery. Chris was working on a puzzle when we arrived, so I sat down and started helping on it. I love doing puzzles, but haven't been able to do one in a few years since Clayton was born. I'm pretty sure he would love to "help" me with a puzzle! We finally finished it two hours later. We crashed at about midnight after we watched TV for a while.
On Saturday morning, Bryce made everyone 3 egg omelettes. This is his specialty and something that he loves to cook. He does a great job and they all loved their breakfast and the fact that someone else cooked it for them. 
After breakfast, we made lunches and got ready to go on a four wheeling ride. It was a little chilly that day with highs in the uppper 60's, so we had to make sure we were dressed warm. Bryce, Jacqui, and I were on wheelers while everyone else took Rhino's.
There was quite a bit of standing water up there and Jared had a blast driving through the puddles. It was pretty breezy, but it was such a beautiful day. This is my favorite time of year. The trees had all changed colors and they were a mixure of golden yellows, burnt oranges, and fiery reds. The trails were covered in leaves and it was so pretty.
We stopped up at Temple Peak and took a group picture. There was snow dusted mountains in the backgrounds and the mountains were painted with many colors. After temple peak, we headed down to the next trail.
This trail took us to a natural spring. It is located near some small ponds and beaver dams. It was gorgeous down there and this is where we decided to stop and eat lunch for the day. By this point, it was starting to warm up a bit. Jacqui is 7 months pregnant and so the ride was starting to wear on her belly. I ended up switching her four wheelers because mine rides alot smoother.
After we washed up at the spring, we took off for Old Ephraims grave. Many of our group had never been there, so they were surprised at how big the bear was in real life. It was a really nice ride for the most part. It was alot of fun and so nice to be out on the four wheelers again. I am hoping we can go at least one more time before the snow falls!
When we got back to the cabin, we were hungry, so everyone brought out the food. We had fruit salsa (YUM), jalepeno popper dip, pumpkin bars, cheese and meat tray, fruit tray, pumpkin pie, chocolate, candy, and homemade salsa. Then we ate dinner, which was tender, juicy steaks, cottage cheese salad and green salad. The food was so good and I totally ate way more than I should have, but it was so wonderful. 
After dinner, Chris and Michelle had to head home, but the rest of us sat down to a fun game of "Five Crowns". Jacqui was so sore from the ride that she had to lay down for the rest of the night. At some point during the night, she had a rib pop out of place, but she ended up being able to get it back in. After cards, we watched tv and then hit the sack. It was such a nice and relaxing "gettaway". 
On Sunday, we woke up, ate cereal, washed our bedding, completed the "leaving the cabin" list and headed back to Smithfield where the boys were very excited to see us. Its always nice to have a break, but it sure is nice to come back to the kids!
Yesterday, I met Jocelynn in Logan so she could snap some pictures of my boys. I like doing it this way rather than buying "school pictures". The weather was perfect, and the boys were pretty good themselves. I always struggle with patience on "picture days".
Clayton found some sticks to play with and he really enjoyed putting them in his mouth. At one point, I had to throw a bunch of sticks in the air to get him to smile. Sometimes I would have to pretend there was a bug on Jocelynn's head and try to smack it.
The area we took the pictures at, was really pretty and the boys just wanted to explore instead of take pictures. Clayton kept trying to run off. I found a rock for Cooper to sit on for one of the pictures. It worked well because Clayton wanted a rock also. He sat next to his brother and put his hand on his knee....so cute!Everytime we would try to take a group picture, Clayton would be a stink. So, I decided I better just get a picture with Cooper and try Clayton on another day!
