Pumpkin Patch at Mother Nature's Farm

For Family Night last night we ventured out to the Pumpkin Patch. It was so fun to ride the hay ride, decorate pumpkins, get slushies, feed the animals, jump in the bounce house, and take a million pics! I just LOVE the Fall (for AZ this means the start of a 9 month of playdate with the outside...finally!!)

Apparently Blake didn't get the memo about smiling...
Feeding the animals!
The hay ride with the fam...
Funny faces!
Picking out pumpkins to decorate!
Daddy and his girl!
The hay maze at sunset...
Decorating pumpkins...

Austin's piano recital

Once upon a time I had a little boy named Austin... then he grew up (despite his mother's wishes!!)
Austin is so sweet. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments. He is so self motivated and wakes up early before school to practice every day. He just had his Fall recital and had no problem getting up in front of a room full of strangers and playing his memorized piano piece. Way to go bud! We love you!
(Proud supporters of their nephew) Emily and Todd came. So did Grandma Stephenson, but she made a break before we could snap a photo!

On the Road Again...

For Fall break we took the kids on a fun little camping trip. Even though we were in the middle of the move, we left our boxes and chores behind and loaded up the RV. We headed up north towards Pine and traveled the AZ highways in style :) It was so much fun!! The kids loved having the RV (so did we)! We got to enjoy the fun of camping all with the luxury of flushing toilets and showers! At night we had dance parties, watched movies outside, played a million games of Blokus and Yahtzee, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, sang silly songs and told spooky stories. It was so much fun to just spend time with my amazing family.
Addi was such a trooper and loved getting as dirty as the boys! The hiking was a bit of a challenge cause we usually ended up carrying one or more of the kids up the mountain. Talk about a leg work out :)

Here's the cute camping boys...
and Addi...
I shouldn't but oh well... Go toros?
I love this random picture!!
Blakey enjoying the simple things of nature.
Austin's awesome photography skills!
The natural beauty of camping hair.
Don't forget your stick guns...
"Look Mom, there's a bug!"


Chase's dance to scare off the spooky monsters.
The Natural Bridge made of Travertine. There were beautiful waterfalls we climbed through to make it through (quite the challenge with little Addi). Honestly one of the most beautiful things I have seen in a long time. Makes me grateful for the natural beauty on this amazing earth.


Looking out from the waterfalls and bridge.

For Ashleigh

For those who didn't get to see my SIL funeral video on FB I thought I would post a few pictures my SIL Emily took of Ashleigh's funeral. The video always leaves me walking away to find a tissue and with a desire to go hug my kids and be a little better so if you go and watch it, grab a box of tissues.

Here's a rundown of our trip to Utah for Ashleigh's funeral:

Dave and I flew into Utah Sunday morning and spent the day with his family. We loved having the entire family there for the first time in 2 years! We got ready for the viewing Sunday night. We felt sad to leave our little ones at home, but knew 4 extra hands would be helpful to Jeff and his 4 sweet kids during the viewing and funeral. The viewing was sweet, it was hard to see Ashleigh instead of saying lifeless I think a better explanation would be so "spiritless". She looked frail, but beautiful. Monday we enjoyed a beautiful tribute to Ashleigh's life at her funeral. There is no doubt in my mind as I watched the power and comfort of the Holy Ghost work within all the families effected by Ashleigh's death that the Lord is aware of each of us and has a plan for us all. I know without a doubt Ashleigh finished her mission on earth righteously and accomplished all she needed to before she was called home. I am grateful for the knowledge of eternal families, and was impressed to see the sweet testimonies of Jeff and Ashleigh's children who have this testimony at such small ages. Sarah, 6, was consoling her cousin Ella and I heard her say "It's okay. That's my mom's body, but her spirit is with Heavenly Father. She doesn't hurt any more." That type of comfort she felt about her mom's death came from a testimony that wasn't built in a day, but over 6 years of her life. Sometimes as parents we don't see the fruits of our labors as we teach our children the gospel. But it was clear in this case, the effort Ashleigh and Jeff took to teach their children the gospel provided comfort at a very difficult time to Sarah (and Ella)!

The kids decorating their mommy's casket.



The beautiful cemetery. Sarah holding a flower from her mommy's casket.
Audrey's flower from her mommy's casket.
Jeff's family.
The twins, Alex and Lucas, helping carry their mommy's casket.