The Move to Colorado Part 1

We finally got notice that we will be closing on our  house in Johnstown on November 27th...the day before Thanksgiving.  Considering they originally told us October 29th and then continued to reassure us that they could probably finish pretty close to that date, I was a bit shocked and very dismayed when we got the final date.  Thank goodness we're getting closer...

We decided to make our move to Colorado more official than our move to Star Valley ever was by emptying out our storage unit in North Salt Lake and moving it all to Colorado.  The kids had early out on the 17th and school off on the 18th, so we headed to North Salt Lake on Thursday afternoon.  We were so excited to see and stay with our good friends, the Whetstones, on Thursday night.  The minute we got there the kids jumped right into playing with each other.  It took a bit to get them settled down for bed a short time later (particularly Joely), but they finally did get to sleep.  I left to pick Dave up at the airport and then the two of us went on a little date to get some dinner at Kneaders.  Thanks to Sara for babysitting and suggesting we go out!

Friday morning we had yummy oatmeal pancakes with buttermilk syrup (one of Sara's AMAZING recipes that we love) and then Sara watched the kids while Dave and I headed over to Home Depot to pick up our Penske moving truck.  It took a long time to get it all figured out, but we were finally off to the storage unit.  I helped Dave move the couch, freezer, and fridge and then we got down to the piles and piles of boxes.  He kept going while I went back to Whetstones to get kids lunch and hang out for awhile.  By the time I got back a couple hours later, Dave had pretty much finished loading the whole storage unit by himself!  He's our SUPERMAN!!  We finished up, headed to the bank for some changes, and then the kids and I hit a couple of necessary stores while Dave drove the truck down to Orem.


The truck is loaded and ready to go!



 

We met Dave in Orem at the Robinson's later that evening and had a nice dinner together.  Grandma Jex, Aunt Eliza, and Grandpa and Grandma Robinson were all at an MREU dinner and meeting, so the kids got to see them briefly before we put them to bed.  Aunt Eliza stayed and helped me work on Emma's owl costume so it would be ready for the Foxboro 6th Ward Halloween party the next night.

 

Dave got up super early the next morning and began his long, slow drive in the truck to Johnstown.  Thankfully, he eventually made it and was able to get everything to fit in our new, smaller storage unit with the help of Ryan and all the McClures.  Thanks, guys!

 

When I woke up Saturday morning, I heard giggling coming from the family room.  I walked out to find Carson sitting on Grandma Jex's lap, watching Winnie the Pooh with her on her little DVD player.  A short time later, Emma and Joely joined him on Grandma's lap and they were all giggling away at Tigger's silly antics.

 

Loving time with Grandma!

 

We had a great morning with Grandma Jex and the Robinsons, and then we were off to run our errands.  We spent over an hour at Costco (I had to get a flu shot, but the kids got lucky because they couldn't get theirs without a prescription) and then headed to Lehi to visit Great-Grandma McClure for awhile.  We drove up to Centerville and hit The Children's Place and Target very quickly before heading back to the Whetstones for dinner.  We ate fast and got everyone's costumes finished up before heading over to the church for the party.

 

Henry the Lego Ninjago and Emma the Owl



Lucy as Ariel (The Little Mermaid) and Joely as a cat.  She's got a bowtie and a tail, you just can't see them.



Carson as Darth Vader and Anna as a puppy dog.



Best buds.

I had to get one of all the Whetstones.  Cinderella and Mega Mind couldn't be forgotten!  They look great!



Cute little kitty

We had a fantastic time at the ward party.  The highlight of the night was the rubber band gun shooting game.  The kids tried to knock over little army guys and animals.  Carson and Anna played it over and over and over.  The kids ended up with WAY more candy than I'd expected, and we hadn't brought bags to put it in, so they just wolfed it down.  Add to that a cupcake from the cake walk and a donut and apple juice, and the kids were WIRED!  Getting them to bed was a feat.  Joely especially had a hard time and woke up in the night with a tummy ache.  Good thing she was okay!

 

The next morning we went to our old ward, which was perfect timing because it's going to split next week.  It felt so natural to be there, even though so many new people have moved in.  I miss our Foxboro friends!  We had lunch with the Whetstones and then loaded up and headed home.  Thank you, Whetstones, for letting us invade your home and take over your weekend!  You're the best!  We got home about 5:30, and Carson and Joely both felt sick.  I think it was just the crazy busy weekend, lack of sleep, and overdoses of sugar, because both of them were fine before too long.  Now we've got half our stuff in Colorado...we've just got to get the rest of it and the rest of us there!

The Magic of Star Valley

There have been so many moments in the last few months when I almost can't believe how beautiful it is here in Star Valley.  Through spring and summer and now to autumn it's just amazingly beautiful.  I wish I was a trained photographer so I could actually capture some of the magic around us, but my amateur skills will have to do.  I wish I could bottle up the beauty and take it with me wherever we live!

This gorgeous sunrise happened about a month ago when I was walking back from the bus stop.  It was incredible!



This was the same day at the same time, when I turned away from the sunset. It looked like fire.

One of my favorite places in Freedom is the view up towards the cemetery.  It is beautiful there all year long.



Joely and I drove up to the cemetery just to try and capture the mix of green and gold nearby. 



I figured, while we were there, we could document Great-great Grandpa and Grandma Robinson's graves. It is such a nice cemetery.

These gas pumps are icons of Freedom...had to capture them for the Star Valley wall I want to put in our new house.



Another Freedom landmark.



I love this old barn that's across the street from us.

This is on the way to Thayne.  I loved how the sunlight was shining right on the patches of gold.

The Bad Thing About Autumn...

We have LOVED having Grandpa and Grandma Robinson here in Star Valley this summer.  Carson got to go up and help Grandpa on the ranch a lot, and the kids and I usually took dinner up and spent an evening with them about once a week.  Grandpa would drop by the townhouse to say hello, and we even ran into him at the grocery store a time or two.  Church was great because we'd all sit together.  It was wonderful to be so close and to have so much fun with them over the summer.  

And then...autumn arrived.  The weather began to turn much cooler and the leaves were changing.  We knew it was time for Grandpa and Grandma to head back to Orem, but boy were we sad to see them go!  The kids and I headed up to the ranch for one last dinner together and to say goodbye.

Grandma had to hold Emma's hair down because it was CRAZY!

It's just not the same without Grandpa and Grandma at the ranch... But boy, did we have a great summer together!

Emma the Excellent

I got a phone call from Emma's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Brylinski, a few weeks ago.  I was kind of surprised to hear from her, because Emma was loving school and I figured she was doing really well.  Turns out, she's doing REALLY well!  Mrs. Brylinski called to let me know that they had finished all their reading testing in kindergarten and Emma is so far ahead of every other kindergartner they've had to put her in her very own Reading Mastery group!  I knew Emma was a good reader, but I was surprised by the news to say the least.  

So now, every morning Emma walks herself to the office and has 30 minutes of one-on-one time with Mrs. Wolfley, her Reading Mastery teacher.  I chat with Mrs. Wolfley often on Tuesday mornings after I've volunteered in Carson's class, and she goes on and on about how quick and smart Emma is.  This is definitely one of the advantages of living in Wyoming...there is enough funding to help not only the struggling students, but also those who are excelling.  I'm thrilled at Emma's progress in reading.  I worked with her a lot over the last two years, but I think she pretty much taught herself how to read by her own determination and playing games on starfall.com.  She's an amazing little lady!

Cute Emma when she got home from her field trip to the hospital in Afton for the Teddy Bear Clinic.

Flag Football

Carson was excited that we would still be living in Wyoming for the whole flag football season.  We were super lucky and got Jen Jenkins as our coach.  Her son Dezmond and Carson are good buddies and Jen is an amazing lady and coach.  Jen was able to find a sponsor for the team, so the boys were each given a shirt to keep with their name on the back.  It made it seem so official!  The season (which was only 4 games long) started out with an awesome win for the Hulks.  They scored fast and often.  Game 2 wasn't so great for us as we played against the Brog's team, who are our good friends.  Game 3 was awesome.  Carson had an amazing touchdown that made me so proud!  He looks like a college player as he races from one end of the field to the other, checking over his shoulder to see how close the defenders are.  Game 4 was MISERABLE!!  It was pouring rain and freezing cold, but the game was held anyway.  The girls and I huddled under umbrellas (actually the girls put their big umbrella up like a fort, but it meant they couldn't see any of the game while staying somewhat dry).  I'm glad they ended the season at the beginning of October, because the weather here just isn't conducive to outdoor sports any further into the autumn.  All in all, Carson LOVED flag football and showed lots of talent for it.  He's our little athlete!

 

Getting ready for Game 1

Dez and Carson

Huddle up, Hulks!

 

 

Uncle Bill's Houseful of Relatives

The weekend after our quick trip to Colorado for Stake Conference, Dave and Grandpa McClure came to visit!  Grandpa's Aunt Shirley had passed away, and her memorial service was being held in Blackfoot.  We decided at the very last minute to go with Grandpa to Firth to meet our extended family and see Aunt Janice, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Annette who had driven up for the service.   I was quite woozy and in pain during the drive because of the neck/head pain I'd been experiencing for weeks after a running injury (or something), so we stopped at a Wendy's to grab some lunch.  Once I had a break from the car and some Sprite in my system, I was feeling much better!

 

We arrived at Uncle Bill's just before everyone was leaving for the memorial service.  We decided to stay behind at Uncle Bill's and let the kids play in the yard (and watch the food that was cooking for the luncheon), knowing that our kids wouldn't appreciate having to hold still even longer.  I think Uncle Bill's backyard is one of the kids' favorite places.  They were totally content to swing, play in the dollhouse, and pose for pictures while we waited for everyone to come back.  Dave and I enjoyed a couple of hours to just be together and talk while we played with the kids.  It was nice, to say the least.

 

This trip everyone was excited about the great climbing tree.

They thought that little tiny vine Emma is holding on to might be similar to Tarzan's!  I'm glad they didn't try it out!

Joely had the biggest laughs and smiles going on while she was swinging in the baby swing.  It was hilarious.

The flowers were tall and beautiful, just like Emma.

Carson's turn in the tree.

Some of the flowers were taller than Joely!

Dave says he looks like he has gorilla arms, but I think it's just nice to get a picture of us together.

Once the aunts and uncles came home from the service, I convinced them to head outside for sibling pictures.  They look so nice!

Aunt Janice was about to become a grandma. . . she'll be AMAZING! My kids sure love her.

Uncle Bill, Uncle Mike, Aunt Janice, Dad



What amazing people they all are.  So glad they're my relatives!  And look. . .my dad is definitely the tallest of the bunch! :)

Look-alike Winkers

Cousins -- My aunt and uncles with Jacque and Stephen (who are Aunt Shirley's kids) and Rick (who is Uncle Max's son, I think)

Listening to Uncle Bill's stories from family history -- everyone thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling.

A picture of my Great-Grandpa Larsen and his beloved dog.  Both were mad because the photographer kicked the dog while trying to get them posed.

Love them.

Playing in the front yard while saying goodbye to all the extended family.  Look at those grass stains. . .he's had an active and fun day!

This girl's got me wrapped around her little finger. . .at least when she smiles like that!

We had a great time.  I especially loved hearing the stories of my Larsen great-grandparents.  It was totally worth the drive to be there with everyone and meet some of my more distant relatives.  Thanks to Uncle Bill for letting us crash the party and to Grandpa McClure for encouraging us to go.  And thanks to Dave for being willing to spend his one day at home being away from home and in the middle of a family reunion.