HE DID IT!!

Since May, Chad has been training to run a marathon. He created a running schedule to gradually ease into it and also competed in 5ks, 10k and 1/2 marathon to get ready for it. At the end of September, he completed the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan, UT.

We are so proud of his accomplishment!!

4 year old Boston (aka Darth Vader)

After recouping from our summer travels, we managed to have Boston's friend birthday party. It was only 2 weeks after his birthday, but at least it was still the same month.

We started off doing a Star Wars memory game while the kids arrived and then we introduced them to Jedi Chad. Jedi Chad instructed them on how to complete the Jedi training (obstacle course), combat training (pin the sticker on the fighter ships) and light saber training (hitting balloons with light sabers while wearing a Darth Vader mask).

The kids, especially Boston all had a blast and Chad of course did a fantastic job keeping the kids entertained. The night before, Chad made him a light saber cake, which turned out so good and was gone by the end of the party.

Destruction Prevails

Since my little silent tornado takes up about 80% of my time, it is only worthy that he also get a blog post. He isn't starting school or just had a birthday or anything special, but here's to McCoy - the terror that rips through my house and captures my heart.

With Grandma Hutchings

At the end of July, I ended my 8 year run with IBM. I was working at home for 6 1/2 years of it and was really looking forward to being able to completely devote my time to being a mom and taking care of my house a little better. According to Dr. Laura, as a completely stay at home mom, I would now have more energy to take care of the things that mattered and would be able to feel on top of things a lot more.

Well, Dr. Laura did not have a McCoy. By 9:30AM on one particular morning, he managed to open a box of pasta from our food storage and decorate the office with it, empty every drawer in the kitchen by throwing the items across the floor, empty the dirty laundry from the hamper after dragging it into the middle of the living room, snapping a DVD in half (luckily the extras disc) and well, frankly the list has just begun.

Saying "Cheese" after playing in the garden and then trying to wipe off his hands on his face.

He is so dear to my heart though and I love him and have to laugh at the way he is always so busy. He is so quiet about it and just seems to enjoy the pure event of destruction. He has started occasionally saying words, but never on demand. He says: crackers, cheese, shoes, Jesus and after recently getting burned on the top of his foot with my curling iron, has started saying It's Hot which turns into one word that would be spelled Shot. However, when coming out of a baby voice and not being able to pronounce everything perfectly, when repeated over and over, it sounds like he's cussing.

I do wish that when I do get completely sick and/or have a newborn, which is only a few months away, I am hoping that he tones it down a bit or there will be nowhere to walk, as I am the constant vacuum running behind him. As he grows, may he learn to channel that energy towards great things!

First Grader... and going to be toothless!!

When I started first grade, I had this adorable t-shirt that proudly said "I'm a First Grader!" No, I did not hunt have the time or guts to hunt one down for Kayden. However, he actually is nerdy enough like me and was that excited that he would have LOVED to wear the shirt though!

(He said that it looked like it might rain that day so requested the umbrella,

thus the hook coming out of his backpack.)

After his first day, when asked what he liked best about his new teacher he said, "Her kindness." Cute, cute.

Since this is getting posted late and is also appropriate for 1st graders, Kayden lost his first tooth yesterday, September 3. This happened only a few days after the announcement that he and his 'girl' friend at school are both vampires. (Yes, we quickly went over the no biting rule and well, let's just keep and hands and lips/mouths to ourselves.) Wonder if vampires are supposed to lose their teeth??

Summer has come and gone

From the middle of summer to the end, it was all kind of a blur. A lot of fun times, but we were busy traveling, playing, visiting and dealing with not so brilliant contractors. Here's a quick recap.

OREGON

After my grandfather passed away, we of course made a trip to Oregon for the funeral. It was a nice service and glad we were there.

It's always fun to see family and for the kids to play with their cousins. Chad went back home with my sister and her family after the weekend and the boys and I stayed 3 more days to visit and play and then drove back near the end of the week.

CONTRACTOR ISSUES

After Oregon, we were home for a week and expected our new central air conditioner to be installed as soon as we returned. Well, after countless (literally) delays or cancellations from them, they finally had it "working" a full week after we returned, only to have the pipes frozen the next morning. There were also MANY issues with our 'one man demolition' crew coming in and leaving 3 huge holes in the ceiling, leaking spots in the unit inside and well, I could go on and on.

We took pictures of everything that went wrong and sent to the company. While I was away on our next trip, they came in with a 6 man team to fix everything that 1 guy managed to screw up himself and well, we did have air, but it was really completed until after Girls' Camp, 3 weeks later!!

ARIZONA

We were home for a week and then the boys and I loaded in the car again for the annual Grandma and Grandpa Hutchings camp. This year it was in Arizona. Kayden and Boston spent the week with their Hutchings' cousins and grandparents. The theme this year was Nifty Nature and they had a blast fishing, collecting bugs and frogs, getting scared out of their tent by a relentless skunk, going on a safari to Out of Africa and just playing to their hearts content. Grandma has all the cute pictures from this event, but it was fun had by all.

McCoy and I stayed with Chad's sister for the week. I was very low on energy and felt 'morning' sick every afternoon. I did manager to get some projects done that I had taken and McCoy of course managed to rummage through their house in its entirety.

GIRLS' CAMP

We arrived back home from Arizona on Friday night and then I got ready to leave on Monday for Girls' Camp, as I am a leader over the young women in our ward. My mom was kind enough to drive from Oregon and volunteer her time and ENERGY to spend the week with my kids. She also brought along her mom as well.

Girls' Camp was fun and very good to get to know the girls and leaders more and had some wonderful experiences there. Home I hear was busy, but it sounds like it was a lot of fun. Boston's birthday happened while I was gone, but they celebrated by going to a Bee's baseball game and he was in heaven. We also had a family party when I got back and then a friend party a couple of weeks later.

After camp and saying goodbye to my mom and grandma, we had a week to recuperate from our busy travels before school started, but we did manage to squeeze a trip to the water park, Cherry Hill for one day (forgot the camera).

Good bye summer. We will be missing the adventures when the snow comes and then stays and stays and stays!!

He whom finishes last...

We've never claimed that our boys were the most coordinated people on the face of the planet, and on a trip to the local roller skating rink, our worst fears were confirmed...they will never grow up to be the professional competitive foot scooter racers we had hoped they would become.

Passing of My Beloved Grandfather

Last night the world said goodbye to a great man. He had not won any major awards or been in any major office, but he was great in the sight of many - especially his family.

George William Snow, my grandfather, passed away after suffering through years of his body losing functionality. His passing was peaceful and he led a full life. Death is never easy, but everyone seemed to have the chance to say goodbye, phone or in person. I thought in honor of his passing that I'd write up a few of my memories of him.

He was a hard worker. He bought a business when he moved his young family to Oregon and really made it his own and grew it.

Not only did he work in his business, but he had the best garden and spent nearly every evening caring for it and his yard. He enjoyed it.

He loved family and was devoted to them. My mom always talks of how they went water skiing every weekend in the summer as an entire family and he continued to do that even with grandkids. There were always family events and family outings.

He strived to go to each of his kids and grandkids events and be one of the loudest to cheer. He was one of my biggest fans. He and/or my grandma would travel to nearly all my away games with my parents for any sport and he even came to follow me for 18 holes during state championship for golf.

He made me feel special and I know he did to many others. He had nicknames for most of us and each time we saw him would encircle us with his long arms and have a warm smile.

When I worked at the cleaners during the slow summer afternoons, he'd stop by for a while just to chat and listen and tell me stories or growing up or war time. He'd do the same while I was painting his house one summer. He would just sit and chit and chat and of course tell me if I made a mistake, but in his teasing tone.

While in little league, he would take me out to the baseball fields by his home and spend hours hitting me grounders and fly balls. Or he would take me to the pitching wall and just stand in the background while I practiced, offering advice as needed.

He was a dear friend. Someone that I knew loved me no matter what happened. He will always hold a special place in my heart, not for necessarily extraordinary things, but for the little things that he continuously did to show his love. Besides, like they say in the movie "UP", it's the boring things we seem to enjoy the most.

I will be excited to see him when my time comes and know that he'll encircle me once again, calling me 'Bethy' with that soft smile.

Thanks for the memories, for spending time with me and each family member, for being an example of how to work hard and for truly loving and experiencing!