Mom's Photo Shoot

Today we had a photo shoot by one of our MOPS moms as a fundraiser for MOPS.  We had a 10 min. sitting for $20 and a free 5x7 and then for an extra $25 I bought the cd of the pics Emily took of us.  Em is a professional photographer and she took them at Wheeler Historical Farm which was absolutely beautiful today with all the leaves changing colors.

I decided to snap a few of the kids and Andy while we were there and all dressed up.  Here are a few:

K likes to see the "ga gas" which is her name for ANY animal.

This is about the best we could get of K today...she was in a foul mood!

My handsome little man.

My main squeeze

I love this shot...the leaves, the mountains and my two favorite guys.

This is my wonderful family.

See how happy K was today...

I love playing the leaves...apparently so does Riley!

K wasn't as thrilled with the leaves on her head...maybe Daddy shouldn't have kept doing that, huh?  And we wonder why she was cranky?

To our surprise, there were some Air Force fighter jets (about 4 total) were cruising over the farm.  They kept doing laps around the area.  Riley and Andy were in awe of them.  Now a trip to Hill Air Force base will have to be in our future...I'll have to keep my eyes open for when they have an air show.

Who Knew Freezer Paper Was Good For More Than Just The Freezer!

Since I have NO idea where my holiday stuff is packed, the kids and I decided to make trick or treat bags this year.  I found canvas bags at Roberts and then picked up some fabric paint and sponge brushes and headed home to start our project.

I found some halloween shapes from some online coloring pages and used them as patterns to create our stencils.  I traced the pictures onto freezer paper, cut them out and then ironed the freezer paper onto the bag (freezer paper also works well on difficult fabric to cut for patterns).  Once the paint is dry, you remove the paper and voila!

This is the picture on K's bag.  I think I might go get a puffy fabric paint pen and outline the pumpkin for her yet...maybe add some cute halloween ribbon to her handles...

Here is Riley working hard on his bag.  He chose bats for one side and a jack-o-lantern for the other.

Riley's trick or treat bag

We also made some Halloween cards to send to family this year.  I "borrowed" this idea from my friend Becky in Jax.  We traced the kids feet and made ghosts with them.  They are so cute and a great way to chart the growth of our kids!

Take a look:

House Update:

They are making progress!  Take a look.

They were smoothing out the concrete in our soon to be basement.  This is the front of the house looking towards the back.

Garage floors were poured.  I was hoping to place a 2009 penny in the concrete in the garage floor, but I did not have one with me at the time.  

Instead, Riley decided to run across the garage floor and leave his footprint for eternity.

Here you can see just how big the basement will be...I can't wait for storage space!!!

What a surprise yesterday...When we arrived, we saw they had started framing!  Can't wait to see the progress they make next week before the snow and cold arrives!

Put On A Happy Face

Riley was missing his Dad and it was evident by his behavior...Quick to have hurt feelings and quick to cry...Dad had been traveling a lot over the past 2 weeks.  So when he got off the bus feeling a little down and very little worked to cheer him up, we decided to go out to lunch.  His request was hot cakes from Mc Donald's.  Unfortunately it was already noon so that wasn't an option.  We decided on I-Hop instead since they serve breakfast all day.

Now who could be sad when you have a lunch that looks this good?

What a Beautiful Day for a Hike...

In the short time we've lived in Utah, the kids and I have done numerous hikes, but sadly they have all been without Daddy.  Well, Saturday may have been one of our last beautiful days for a while so to take advantage of it, we decided to go on a hike.  We are fortunate that in the town where we live, they have countless hiking, mt. biking, and horseback riding trails along the foothills.  We packed up our gear and headed out to the trail head.

We hiked up to the "bench" along the Wasatch Mts. in our town...the "bench" is a straight line going horizontal along the mts. that you can see from the valley...it's where the water use to be many, many, many years ago when the valley was a large body of water.  From there we ended up on the Bonneville Shoreline trail which climbed even higher.  Along the way, we passed other hikers and mt. bikers.  We discovered that the dirt road that leaves from the trailhead goes to another trailhead, so when we got back to the car, we decided to see just how far the dirt road went...boy are we glad that we did.  It took us all the way back to corner canyon...What a gorgeous view from back there.  There was yet another trailhead back there as well.  I can't believe I didn't realize we had such beauty here in our own town...no need to drive anywhere else to hike!  (But we know we will still drive LOTS of places to hike because there are too many too choose from!)

This is a view from the bench to part of our town below

This is looking up from the bench

Once we hiked up to the bench, it was easy sailing, but the climb up from the trailhead was a killer with all the extra weight on my back!  It helped me to work off the Philly cheesesteak I had for lunch at Moochies with Kevin and Cara!

At the trailhead, there were some rocks for the kids to climb on...it should NOT surprise you that my daring daughter climbed to the top of this by herself.  (It was a good 3+ feet high)

Riley climbed to the top of this one with a little help from dear old Dad...He was pretty nervous at first, but once he learned how to navigate the rock wall, we couldn't get him down!

This is the view from Corner Canyon at about 4:30pm.  Isn't it beautiful?  Hard to capture the colors while looking west (and from my iphone), but you get the point.  Looking this way (east) from the west, you don't realize how far back this canyon goes.  There are so many trails to explore from this point that I can't wait for our next nice weekend!  Hopefully we'll have a few more before next spring!

Yes, Provo Canyon Is Haunted!

Last week was a rough one in the Chunko home.  My grandfather's funeral was Wednesday and I was unable to be there for it.  Andy left Monday through Thursday for Wyoming - his home away from home these days.  And then Andy left again yesterday for Fort Worth, TX for a short line meeting with UP and won't be home again until Wednesday.  I wanted to make the most of the short time Andy was home so...

After a long day at work on Friday, we met Andy in Orem (just north of Provo where his office is located) for dinner and then a ride on the Heber Valley Rail Road.  They have a haunted canyon ride for halloween that runs along the Provo river through Provo Canyon.  What a GORGEOUS place for a train ride - we'll have to do that next fall during the day when we can see all the beautiful fall foliage!  On the train ride, they told us numerous stories of how the canyon is haunted and then those stories played out (with actors, spot lights and lots of props) along the train tracks and river.  On the return trip, those haunting characters boarded the train and scared the unsuspecting passengers.  It wasn't too frightening, but just enough to make Riley think about if it was real or not.

Waiting to board the Haunted Canyon Ride

Riley's wondering just how "haunted" this train ride will be...

Yes, Riley is getting our money's worth on his halloween costume!

Momma's Little Helpers

Today I made some apple crisp and decided to let Riley help me measure out all the ingredients.  He's a great helper in the kitchen...well guess who decided to be a jelly belly and want to help as well?

Finally got the stool to herself and is chewing on my tsp.

Wondering how she's going to get down...

In case you were curious, she did discover how to get down all by herself and has found herself a new climbing toy!  I also need to learn how to adjust my baked goods to the elevation out here...The apple crisp was tasty, but not as good as when I make it at sea level...

Week Two of Construction

We've got basement walls!  Woo hoo!  Before you know it, there will be more walls, a roof and windows...Can't wait!  Riley LOVES to go over there and play in the dirt.  He's curious of the process of home building...might there be another builder in the family some day?

The End of An Era...

For those of you who don't know, my Pappy (Carl Stauffer) passed away late Saturday night.  He was not doing well for awhile now, and was living at Willow Valley under nurse and hospice care.  My mom got a call Saturday morning (in North Carolina) that he said he was ready to go and that his breathing was shallow and lungs were congested.  Mom and Dad packed their bags and drove the 8 hrs. to Lancaster, PA to get there before he passed away.

Mom and Dad suggested that I stay put with the kids because of the flu bug going around.  We got a chance to see Pap in August when I was in PA before moving out west.  It was nice because my brother had come into town as well.  We all got to spend some time together as a family and had a chance to say our goodbyes.

My Pappy loved to tell jokes.  Every time I would talk to him, he'd have at least one or two ready for me.  I think our favorite is the one about the monkey cutting off his tail in the lawn mower...then the monkey says "It won't be long now!'  When he'd be over at my house in PA to visit, he would always let you know he was going to leave by telling you he was "going to head up the road."

He loved to go out to eat and would often treat Riley and me to lunch in the summers at Willow Valley or Country Table.  He would enjoy watching Riley play at his house.  He use to get out some of his really old cars and trucks that he played with as a child.  Riley was talking about Pappy's lifesaver truck just last night.

My grandfather was also a HUGE Phillies fan.  How fitting is it that the Phil are in the NLCS against the Dodgers right now?  Every time I see or hear something about the Phils, I automatically think how much he'd love to see his team make it to the World Series once again.

I remember how he use to have a velcro ball dart board that he'd keep in his hall closet so my brother and I could play when we stayed at his house.  He also took Matt and I on numerous fishing trips.  I remember he was the first one to ever teach me how to fish.  We went to a hatchery so I'd have a decent chance of catching something.  We also use to pretend we knew how to play the piano by pounding on the keys of the old piano in the basement...thank goodness it was kept downstairs, because we made an awful lot of noise! (notice I didn't say "music")

Riley prayed for Pappy Stauffer faithfully up until I told him that he passed away and was up in Heaven with Jesus.  After that, the prayers for Pappy ceased...as if he understood that when you get to Heaven, you no longer need anyone praying for you and that someone else down here on earth can use your prayers...

Holidays and family celebrations are going to be different, but that's how life goes, you bring new members into your family and loved ones leave.  NOTHING is ever the same.  I am grateful that at least one of my grandparents got to meet and love on my kids...Now mom and dad are the older generation (sorry guys!) and they will need to start telling the stories of walking 5 miles to school uphill, in the snow, with no shoes to make this younger generation appreciate how good they have it.

We love and miss you Pappy.  You will always have a place in our hearts.

She's Talking!

We've been a little curious if our darling daughter was ever going to say anything other than "da da da da!"  Yesterday she while driving in the car, she pointed out the front window and said "whas dat?"  So cute, but makes you wonder if it was used in context or just coincidence.  Well, today she and I were playing with her Fisher Price farm and she'd pick up an animal and look at me and say "whas dat?"

Yay!  We might get her talk yet!  She's been signing with us so she can express herself.  She signs for milk, eat, more (which is her favorite) and please.  She's a stubborn little thing.  I've already had to practice some tough love with her.  In the tub, when it's time to put the toys away, she refuses to put hers away.  So I get Riley out and dry him off while she stands there (and freezes because we let the water out) and screams until she finally gives in and puts her toy away.  She knows exactly what I'm asking her to do, but thinks that her cute little smile will get her out of EVERYTHING and now that it's not, she's having a fit!  She'll yell "owww!" which is her version of "no!"

Andy and I are fearful that she's going to be a drama queen and throw the type of tantrums I've dreaded.  She doesn't like being told what to do nor does she want anyone to help her do much of anything.  Will she throw herself on the ground flailing her arms and legs while screaming?  Only time will tell.  I'm already praying for those years to go by smoothly!

The Haunted Dinosaur Park

We headed north to Ogden to the Dinosaur Park tonight.  They had it decorated for halloween with lights, noises, pumpkins, etc.  Riley was decked out in his costume, but K was bundled up in her snow suit in the wagon with a blanket.  We walked through the park and Riley trick or treated at different stations they had set up along the way.  Local businesses also handed out lots of goodies such as free kids meals to Applebee's, free passes to the Gateway Children's Museum in SLC, free milk, cider, loaf of bread, you name it!

Riley and K had so much fun.  We were worried that Kendall would be a mess since she didn't nap well, but once we got there, the fresh air and entertainment did her good.  There was a costume contest near the end of the night.  Riley entered it and ended up as a finalist.  We were disappointed he didn't win...the winners were all toddlers!  Oh well, he's OUR winner and that's all that matters!

I think the Dinosaur Park will make the list for next fall as well.  We're hoping they decorate for Christmas because we had so much fun.  Riley is excited to go back during the day sometime when he can explore and really get a better look at all the dinosaurs in the park.  We also passed Hill AF Base on the way there...They have a museum which might have to be a part of that next trip...It's no wonder my kids love living here!  It's a kid's dream come true!

One of the dinosaurs there to greet us!

Argh Matey!

My little burrito baby

Mommy being kept safe by her pirate boy while riding on a dinosaur...

Best friends

What a Great Day!

Well, we originally thought about going to Syracuse or Antelope Island today to do some exploring, but a morning phone call from Cara changed that.  She called to tell us about the Farmer's Market in downtown Salt Lake this morning.  She and her sister Heather were working at the MS tent selling knitted scarves and hats with the proceeds going to MS research.  So we got ready and head out this morning and LOVED it!  They had stands of produce - lots of apples, peaches, etc. as well as your other typical market type items.  They also had coffee, baked goods, and LOTS of hand crafted items.

I found myself in love with some new headbands so of course I had to splurge!  But I was good and made sure that the ones I got would also look good on K whenever she decides to grow some hair.  (Poor girl is working the mullet!  At least she looks good in a mullet!)  I snapped a few shots of them...took them on my iphone so the quality isn't the greatest, but I'm so excited about them!

These are reversible and fit over top of a plastic headband (which was included but didn't feel the need to photograph).  You can quess who's going to be sewing up some of these in her free time!  Got to pick up some cute fat quarters at that fabric shop I found at Gardner Village on Thursday!

I picked up three like this - poor photo, I know, but I really liked the idea.  It has small velcro circles the underside so it doesn't slip out - not a problem for my head of hair, but nice for K's.  You then take one piece of ribbon and pull it through the loop on the other side and then tie a bow with both pieces.  Cute idea!

I also snapped a few photos of some other projects I may attempt for Christmas presents for the munchkins in the family.  I love pretending that I'm looking at my phone while secretively snapping a picture of someone else's item that I intend to copy!  I'm not creative, but I am clever!

After we strolled around the Farmer's Market, we played on the playground with the kiddos for awhile and then decided to go out for lunch.  Kevin called to remind us that Moochies is nearby - Philly styled cheese steaks, but Andy was in the mood for bbq.  So we headed to Pat's BBQ which was featured on Diners, Drive In's and Dives on the Food Network.  I have to say that the pulled pork and ribs were good, but the sauce was so-so and NO SWEET TEA!  I'm sorry, after living in the south for the past two years, I can't eat bbq without sweet tea!  Pat's didn't even come close to Mojo's sauce...Didn't even have the same smell as Mojo's.  When you are driving down Beach Blvd, you can start to smell the pit as you cross over the ditch...I'd often enter Angies already salivating because we'd park in the Mojo's parking lot across the street.

After we stuffed ourselves silly, we drove down to our building lot to check on the progress of the house...Boy is it a BIG hole!  I tried to take a picture of it, and wasn't able to fit the whole thing in it!  Here is Riley and Andy exploring what will soon be our basement.

Andy and Riley are standing against what will be our back wall.  Our backyard will be small, but we are willing to sacrifice for this big, beautiful house.  There will be room for the kids to play, it won't be very deep, but is very wide.

Here they are walking under where our foyer will be...I am facing the side load garage.  The 3rd garage would be facing the street to my right.  It is called a courtyard driveway.  We're hoping they put the forms in on Monday and then start pouring the concrete...

If you are interested, you can check out the Ivory model home of the same plan.  This model is not in our neighborhood, but about a 15 min. drive away.  I should note, we are not finishing the basement in this home...we don't need the extra square footage, but if we were able to stay here long term and we did eventually finish it, this place would ROCK!  Andy has taken the kids to see the model and Riley's favorite part is that the stairway goes to the foyer and/or the kitchen as well as upstairs!  And here I thought he'd be excited to have a playroom again!  We will be using the first floor office/den space as a playroom for the kids.

Tonight our plan is to head north to Ogden.  There is a dinosaur park there and they do a haunted theme for Halloween.  Our original plan was to ride the Haunted Canyon Ride on the Heber Valley R.R., but they were booked for tonight, so we're going to try that next weekend.  Riley can't wait to see the dinosaurs and do some trick or treating!  Hope the kids enjoy it and don't freeze!  We're taking the wagon and a blanket or to to bundle them up with!

Cornbelly's - Take 2

Today was a short day for Riley (like every Friday here in Utah) so with the extra time, we decided to use our pass to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point.  What a great way to wear the kids out!  We had beautiful sunshine - to the point where I was hot even in short sleeves!  We pretty much had the place to ourselves, which was wonderful!  K and R had a blast jumping on the big "pillows" together.  They are like big uncovered moonwalks.  We also tried the cow train and the grain train...We stayed out of the BIG corn maze because Momma's afraid of getting lost in the corn fields w/ two kids by herself!  We stick to the kiddie (short version) corn maze.  K loves the straw bale mazes as well as the pumpkin mazes.

Hoping to do more "Utah" exploring this weekend.  Maybe a trip to Syracuse (Ut, not NY) and Antelope Island.  AI is on the Great Salt Lake and supposed to have lots of trails for hiking and biking.  There is a Black Island Farms Harvest Festival in Syracuse that looks fun...similar to Cornbellies.

We love all the fall activities out here.  Now that the sun is shining again, we're enjoying ourselves.  The mornings are still a little on the cold side, but by lunchtime, it's gorgeous!  Nights are chilly - wish we had a fire pit...once we move, that will be one of the first purchases we make!  Nothing like homemade smores and mt. pies in your own backyard!

Noticing a trend here?  This is her newest favorite thing to do...pick up rocks and then carry them around or hand them to you!

Check out the Michael Jordan tongue!

Both kids enjoyed the Rubber Duckie Races!

My favorite kids in the pumpkin maze.

Wild Animals are Released at the Hogle Zoo!

Today was Riley's first school field trip.  All of the kindergarteners (am & pm classes) loaded up on the buses and headed out to the zoo.  Surprisingly the bus ride was fairly tame with the little ones.  For some of them it was their first time on a bus and I think they were in awe of it.  I had 4 kids to be responsible for on the bus, but once we got there, I had 3 kids between me and another mom!  That's the way to chaperone a field trip!  I am fortunate that Andy could take the day off to watch Kendall so I could go with Riley.  I never get to volunteer in his classroom because I have no one to watch her, so this was a real treat for both of us!  Now I can put names and faces together and watch him interact with his peers.  It's amazing how much he's changed since our last move.  He's so much more outgoing than ever before.  He will go and play with anyone and isn't afraid to go talk to someone he doesn't know.  Thank goodness or this move could have been miserable for everyone!

Here are some monkeys enjoying their cousins at the gorilla exhibit!

Riley and his shipmates, I mean classmates...