The Spooker

It's the simple things - Benjamin's favorite toys are at least.  I was cleaning up today and thought I'd throw away a cardboard tube that's been laying around, when Benjamin goes, "Oh!  It's the SPOOKER!"  I asked him did he mean the tube I was holding?  "Yes!  It spooks the bad guys, monsters, and scary things."  Oh - well in that case, I better keep it around.  Sounds like a handy thing to have.  I guess I did see him and Clara chasing around something invisible with it last night.  I'm so glad I have creative kids that make their own fun.  Except for this kind:

While I was posting this, I went to see what creative thing he was up to now and this was the answer.  Really Benjamin?  I thought you were supposed to have grown out of this by now.

Back by popular demand

Who knew!  I have a small (ok, tiny) fan club (thanks Grandma, Jen, and Kat) who missed my exciting blog postings and wanted more!  Since I use these posts for journaling anyway I've been wanting to update you...

I woke up to snow last week which must've set some record.  While waiting on the front porch for Clara's bus to arrive, I took some pictures of the white cold stuff covering our fall foilage.  Even our roses were still in bloom under that snow.

I guess summer's over.  It's always hard for me to accept.  Summer is my favorite and this year's was so fun. 

This last June was Annica's first year at girls' camp (through our church) and my first since I was young.  I was a camp leader so I lucked out and got to spend the whole week in Moab with Annica and 55 other awesome teenage girls!

The day we got home from girls camp, I packed all night and then headed out the next morning for Oregon.  All the Powells gathered at Cannon Beach for a reunion/farewell for Matthew and Verenice (off to med school). 

Lots of digging, and playing in the water...

One of my favorite days was going to the Seafood Market for the best fish n chips ever and then over to the city park for a family game of baseball. 

Cute cousins

Flying kites at the beach

Hiking and exploring tide pools...

As soon as we got home from Oregon, we had a Shippen reunion...

Family pictures in Ben & Joan's backyard (they wouldn't be complete without some weird prank by Scott and Dave - they walked by while we were setting up, dressed up like this, at least it made us smile for the pictures).

I love it when Benjamin gives me this smile...

One of the nights during the reunion, we celebrated Ben & Joan's 50th anniversary.  It was SO MUCH FUN.  One of the best nights.  We surprised them with a limo ride to Sundance resort where we'd rented a building with a large room where we ate dinner and had a slide show of pictures through the years.  Suzanne had written a song for them (she's so talented) that she and some professional musicians performed.  Afterward, we went outside and danced to a live band (Ben & Joan are great dancers).  It was a perfect night!



Joan's overwhelmed when they arrive at Sundance and see us waiting for her.



Yum.

Dancing (Scott and his mom above, Ben and I below).

We're all trying to figure out how to dance watching Ben & Joan.

Dave and Melissa...cute.

The 4th of July - a beautiful night.  I'll never get tired of this view...

We all love fireworks...except Benjamin.  This is his face during the fireworks. Too loud he says, which is surprising since he loves tractors and loud machines so much.

We celebrated Scott's birthday,

and Clara's birthday.

Summer wouldn't be complete without a trip to Lake Powell.  This year was probably one of our favorite trips yet.  Maybe because Clara and Benjamin stayed home with a babysitter?

These guys made a showing again and amused a lot of people I'm sure.

School started at the end of August.  Here's Annica leaving for her first day.  Annica was nervous about starting 7th grade in Jr. High but now loves it.

Clara can't wait for her bus to come and to start school.  She's never nervous.

And then there's sweet Grace.  Daddy spends a moment with her before we walk her over to school for her first day.  Lucky her, she is in class with her good friend and cousin, Sophia.

Benjamin cried a little that it was just him all day now, but he went and got Teddy Bear and hugged him.  We went and bought a pass to Thanksgiving Point and now we go to the Dinosaur Museum and Farm during the quiet days.  I've been teaching him my own school and he has his letters and numbers down and is working on sounds.  He loves to learn.

 Annica and Grace decided to earn money for new DS's (what's wrong with their old ones?) so

they made cookies and sold them and me, the sceptical mom thought they'd sell one or two.  They sold out, came back home, made more and sold out again.  They're well on their way to earning that DS I guess.

Family night up American Fork Canyon...

This was my least favorite adventure of October.  It's a tarantula in the basement.  The picture doesn't quite capture the terror of the beast.  Sam tried lunging at it so we had to hold him back.  My mom was in town and wanted to check in to a hotel I'm sure until Scott admitted he'd brought it from work.  We made him take it back the next day where he let it go again. 

This WAS my favorite adventure of October - St. George and Zion National Park.  Spectacular in fall colors.  I took way too many pictures.  We hiked and played, and swam and visited church sites, like the St. George Temple.

Benjamin at the pumkin patch having the time of his life trying out different tractors...

Annica had her first violin concert.  "Mary had a Little Lamb" never sounded so good!

And finally...Halloween!  My little dragon, two cute witches, and a dark fairy.

I dressed up (a witch to match Annica and Clara).  Besides trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, we went to Ben & Joan's with our cousins and then on to Aunt Renee and Aunt Diane who always have treat bags for the kids.  I love living so close to family!

That's all until next time...which is hopefully sooner than last time.