Get Lost!!!

Well another Fall tradition is the corn maze we all love it. it has become something that as soon as it starts to cool off my kids start asking about when we are going. We caught an amazing fall day last Saturday and it was beautiful the perfect day to go traipsing through a corn feild and then for a wagon ride to the pumpkin patch. Grandma Atwood had the whold thing planned out for a super Fall Grandma Party (parties that Jeffs Mom plans for all the grandkids) and we all had a great time. Ths kids ove to get together with all the cousins. There were a few missing Kami and Maroni, Gaige (he mountain biking with friends in Moab), Allen and Darshelle. But we still had a super time and everyone came home with the perfect pumpkin.

looking out from our house

We love out town and it is so beautiful in the fall.

I know its fall but...

I know it is fall but I am not quite ready for summer to be gone, I am a huge baby when it is cold...
SO here are a few photos from my hard this summer to cheer warm all of our hearts!

Sugar Cookies-Pizza-Carmel Apples

Yesterday Caradie, Carter, Riker, Baeli, Amy, Ashlin, Keenen, Gaige and Myself made Sugar Cookies, Carmel Apples and Homemade Pizza. We started getting together around this time a few years ago to do all these festvities and so when the kids started asking when we were going to do it this year we had to do it. It just inadvertnatly became a Fall Holiday Tradition I guess. They alway have fun decorating thier cookies with all the fun stuff we find. And someone always leave sick to thier stomachs because they ate too much cookie dough(Amy that is you). One of the favorite things though is for them to each make thier own pizza even Riker knew exactly what he wanted on his pizza. It was so fun and with it being such a nice day they also enjoyed playing outside.

DONI IS A SPAZ SO AM I...

WELL I GUESS I AM JUST As SPAZZY AS DONI AND I NEEDED TO KNOW WHO I WAS ALSO, I DID READ ALL THE TWILIGHT SERIES BOOKS IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS (THE FIRST THREE I READ IN THREE DAYS) SO THIS WAS FUN TO CHECKOUT AND I AM EXCITED FOR THE MOVIE, SO, SORRY FOR CALLING YOU A SPAZ DONI
AND I AM ALSO AN ALICE!!!

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Some of our other hikes

HERE ARE A FEW PHOTOS FROM SOME OF OUR OTHER HIKES THIS SUMMER. I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED TO HIKE AND NOW THAT THE KIDS ARE BIG ENOUGH TO NOW GET SO TIRED WHEN WE WALK FOR EVER IT IS A SUPER FUN FAMILY TIME AND ALL THE KIDS LOVE IT TOO. THERE REALLY ARE A TON OF GREAT PLACE TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS RIGHT HERE SO CLOSE IN OUR CUTE LITTLE TOWN

Mount Timpanogas

Our hike to Timpanogas Cave this summer was super fun it was a hot day but we all enjoyed every step. The drive up to the cave was so pretty with trees almost touching from one side of the road to the other in some parts forming tree tunnels and the beautiful streams flowing along the road there were so many picturesk spots. The hike to the cave is a mile and a half straight up. Jeff and I had went about 15 years ago when Gaige was only 4 or 5 months old and he stayed at the bottom with my Aunt Pam. They give you a few time restraints and you have an hour and a half to get to the top for your tour, but with Jeff Atwood around there is no need to take an hour!!! We made it to the top in 29 minutes! It was hard, but even Ashlin made it in that time. I was so proud of her she wanted to stop and rest a few time (so did I) but she kept on truckin'. The view from up there is amazing and breathtaking (that is after we caught our breath from the hike), and we all loved it. It amazes me that someone was up there just hiking or hunting when the caves were found but I am glad they were, because it is now open for everyone to enjoy. And just as we thought we were going to die of heat exhaustion we were able to join the tour 2 spots before ours and cool off in the cave, it was so nice in there. It was also simply beautiful. It is just amazing to me the things you can be witness to in so many places here in Utah. The beauty that is so abundant that we take such huge advantage of.

This was just one of many amazing and beautiful hiking trips we took this summer.

Tagg from Doni

I have been tagged by Doni
Eight TV Shows I Love to Watch
1: Lipstick Jungle
2: Scrubs
3: Mad TV re-runs
4: SNL re-runs
5: Dancing w/ the Stars
6: Days
7: Extreme Make Over Home Edition
8: That 70's show

8 Things That Happenend Yesterday(in no order)
1: Went to Work
2: Took Ashlin to Dance
3: Laundry
5: cooked dinner
6: helped Ashlin with homework
7: painted my toenails
8: Made me s delicious cup of peperming tea


8 Favorite Places to Eat
(Not in any particular order)
1: Texas Road House
2: Ann Stewarts
3: Rumbi Island Grill
4: Whimpies
5: Olive Garden
6: Home
7: Palisade Brewery
8: Chilies

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
1: Vacations
2: new Prowler
3: Spring (yup already)
4: No yard work for a fw months
5: lunch today
6: Keenen's b-day Halloween!
7: a bike ride today
8: being in less debt

8 Things on My Wish List
1: world peace
2: no more stock market crash
3: tummy tuck
4: A Maid/Cook
5: Jeff a new Harley
6: snow only in the mountains
7: boat
8: To laugh... at everything... i love to laugh

8 People I Tag
1: Megan
2: Ash
3: Abby
4: Jamie
5: Kandice
6: Sherrilee
7: Ann
8: Annette

Thoughts on my Teenagers

Well as this days starts I feel the need to express about my teenagers...This may take a few minutes... Now as I parented through my younger years I was soft and sweet to my little darlings and I played and disciplined and giggled and well you get the picture. Now the I have 2 teenagers and one tweenager all that has went out the window because after the kind words and no response 5-10 times what comes next?, the yell and then the "well Mom you don't have to yell" See what I mean ?!? Everything I thought I knew about being a good parent went out the window...And then there is Gaige who tells me what he is doing (not ask) and informs me the he is going with his friend and his friends grandparents to Park City Mountain Bikeing for the entire UEA weekend...well you know I celebrated but then again I realized he didn't ask he just told...
Now I am not sure if you are familiar with the song "Hands in the Aire" Gaige hates it so that means that I like it right (just to make him mad) well then there is another song that Gaige likes that says "throw your hands in the er" He proceeds to tell he the other day that it is impossible for us to see eye to eye when I put my hands in the AIRE and he puts his in the ER...My life is a comedy sketch show... And I am afraid that this is just the beginning...

Thoughts for the day...when my kids were little

My thought for the day are as follows. As I finished my 8th load of laundry with a mere 3 more to go...and as I finally get to set down for the first time in weeks to fold the socks I long for the simpler days of my little kids... when my kids were little I knew who thier friends were, I knew where they were, Iknew where thier match to the sock was, I knew thier toys were safe and that if they got hurt I was only a room or two away to make them feel better. I knew that if I couldn't make them feel better a cookie would. I knew that a bath and some clorox wipes cleaned up most messes they made. I knew that they wanted me when they were sad and that a time out was devistating. I knew that in the night all I had to worry about was who was going to pee the bed and which one would sleep through then night and when one of them came into my room at 11:00 it was not because they were just getting home it was because they need thier mommy or daddy. All those days that I dreamed about when it would get easier,"it will be so much easier when they are bigger", it was an illusion those were the easy days. Now it is driving, girls, boys, dates, friends whose parent I don't know, all the joys of teen agers, puberty, and the list goes on. But as I folded the last of the 67(litterally, with 17 mis matched ones) pairs of socks that were there I fell in love again with being a mother and being in the moment, It is always easier to see the clouds and rain but I chose today to dance in the rain and relish every drop...so my house is not clean, so dinner won't be a hit (I made soup...no one around here likes soup) so ALL the laundry didn't get finished. I have the most awesome life, friends, family, kids and I like it even in its imperfectness...

alright megan...

So alright Megan I will update but I can't imagine that any one is waiting on edge for a post from me...but I guess it is ok to talk to my self or is it???

Anyway after a long summer it is good to kindof have a bit of a slow down, I love the fall. It is my favorite time of the year, I love fall clothes, scarves, beanies, sweaters, jeans and jackets I love the colors I love the fall holidays.
But looking back over the summer I thought at the time that it was a boreding summer and that we did nothing but actually it was quite busy... there was, hiking, biking swimming, camping picnics, parks, and all of the other summer things. So it was full we just didn't have any big trips which was ok, cuz I am not sure that we would have been able to fit anything else.
Keenen did take a trip to Boise for a week which he loved, all of the kids love to go to Uncle Rulon and Aunt Auloras house where they are treated like royalty. Alaura took them to every museum in Boise, the Discovery Center, the make your own pottery place, she taught him to sew and quilt his own blanket, picket fresh raspberries every day, and let them have the run of the house. He loved it.
Ashlin kept going to dance all summer long and loved it, they were able to walk in the parades and loved it even in the heat of the Fourth of July.
Jeff and I stayed busy too we did a couple of extra little fence jobs so that we could get a new Hot Tub which we are thoroughly enjoying almost every day.
Gaige had his share of fun too but worked alot so that he would be able to buy his (new) 1995 lime green Jeep Wrangler which he loves and can hardly stand that he can't drive legally alone until March!!! But he did take drivers ed and has even passed his driving test already... now we just wait...
Anyway that is it for now I hope that Megan is happy now...