Pumpkin Patch

We went with the Law Partner's Children's Hour to Pumpkinland. Katie didn't want to the the corn maze this time (too excited for the inflatable toys) but we had a grand time. Surprisingly, Katie wanted to take pictures in all the cutouts this time. They also had some animals like roosters, chickens, goats, peacocks and rabbits. Some of the rabbits were even allowed to run loose. Kinda crazy considering there were kids everywhere! The rabbits were probably scared to death of being stepped on! Amanda loved the animals. Katie loved the action!

Camilla, Emalyn, Katie, Lily, Amanda in front of ELMO!

The shortcut through the cornmaze.

Spencer, Amanda and Katie in the pumpkin house, right before the train came roaring through right behind them. All the kids startled and began to run away until they realized it was a train on the other side of the fence. Then it became: WOW, a train!! Pretty funny.

Katie absolutely loved jumping in the inflatables. With a lot of coaxing, Mandy finally enjoyed the kiddee slide, but still can't handle the jump house. Fearless Katie. Terrified Amanda!

Jocelyn, Katie, Sammy, Amanda and Cecily. So much fun!

Today I went to the Temple

I can say that I regularly go to the temple, but sometimes I really wish I could go more often. Perhaps it's not having a good night's sleep in, well, maybe years. Perhaps it's the aches that start to become constant in the last trimester of carrying a baby inside. Perhaps it's stress, fatigue, loneliness, worries, impatience. Who knows. But, it seems to culminate at times into something more than just "little things." Last night I came home from a week of being Mommy shuttle in the rain, (when I wish I was taking a last baby-cation in St. George enjoying some great theater) taking care of everyone else's needs and wants, cooking food that always smells yucky to me, trying to "keep up" with life.......and crashed. I spent most of the evening in my bed escaping in an Austen type book. Thanks to my sweet husband who completely didn't understand but tried, who finished dinner, bathed the kids and tried to keep them quiet for me. It was nice and all, but I don't think I really felt better until about half way through the temple session. Nothing of note really happened, except I think I finally was immersed in the spirit enough to feel buoyed up. I felt like I had so much more help than before, so much more courage than before, so much more power than before. It's amazing how little time it takes for us to feel weary or beaten down in this world. I am just grateful that my Heavenly Father poured out His spirit on me today to remind me that it's not all about the world or preschool or cruddy weather or stress or vacations. It's about a Father in Heaven who is very concerned about me and my family. He loves me and wants me to succeed. As a mother. As a wife. As his daughter. I write this because I hope to remember this feeling and make the courage l a s t until next time. I know I can't be in the temple everyday, and really I should be more self reliant and not need to be, but thanks be to my Father in Heaven for a spouse that takes me there often, a kind neighbor who puts my mind at ease about the care of my children, and a Father in Heaven who reached down today to lift me up.


"Stress in life comes from making things more important than they really are. Failure comes from making things less important than they are." ~ Tony Robbins