Falltime Activities

I didn't appreciate the fall at the beginning...I just like summer so much, but the more and more it's here, the more I like it.

Between conference sessions on Saturday, we went to the apple orchards on campus. You go and get as many apples as you want, and then weigh them in a little booth for 50 cents a pound. We got 47 lbs--it was so much fun! When we got home, after the second Saturday session, I canned some applesauce, and the next day made an apple pie while some friends were over (the Youngs)--it was great! When we went down to Utah, we canned the apples so that anytime we want to make something with apples we just have to open a jar and they'll be right there! (we just canned them in water so we could make stuff sweet and not-sweet)






Later that week, Stephanie Young came over again. We made sugar cookies and decorated them with Halloween stuff! I had been really really wanting the 101 cookie cutters from Walmart for $10, so Jordan said I could finally buy them for that occasion. It is a great set of cookie cutters--I'm so happy to have them. Anyway, there were a lot of Halloween cutters so we used those. The only one that was left by the time I got the camera out was my haunted house--they were so good, and so fun! My friend, Emily and her son Jensen, came over too, and all three boys just played with the pumpkins on our kitchen floor--they had a blast.





We got some Halloween clothes from Jordan's mom, and they are adorable! Porter is so cute, and stuff like this doesn't hurt! Thanks, Tawna!

let's be honest...

we're having this for dinner, but let's be honest...this is what i wish we were having for dinner

Carrot Hamburger Soup

This soup is to DIE for---you have to make it and eat it and looooooooove it. It's great for a rainy fall day like ours!

1 # hamburger
1 med. onion chopped
1 can cream of celery soup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 c water
2 c tomato or V8 juice (I use a 12 oz can), for fun try the spicy V8
1 c grated carrots (may use more)
1/4 tsp black pepper, more is good also
Brown hamburger and onion, add everything else, simmer 40 min. Excellent the next day.

Sometimes I add chopped celery and fresh garlic.

Hunting and Utah

Every fall, Jordan has the best week of his life when he takes the whole week off work and goes out hunting (whether he gets anything or not...which this year he didn't get any big game, but did get a couple grouse and a few ducks) into the arctic chill with Uncle Trav, Trav's best friend Chris, usually one or more of Trav's kids (this year it was Blake), and sometimes Uncle Tom (who this year did come, and brought his 4 yr-old daughter Audrey). I don't know if Aunt Theresa is usually there, but she was this year! She was there for a couple days before she left for London on Tuesday and it was great to see her. I've been absolutely comfortable letting the events that go on during the week be a mystery to me, until this year when Jordan decided he wanted us to come--so we did! Oh yeah, Trav also brings his dog Ruger for duck hunting who this year had a little buddy follow him around everywhere he went (Porter). Porter loooooved Ruger. He would follow Ruger around, try to eat his food, try to climb on him, pet him, kiss(/suck on) his nose, and somehow Ruger doesn't like these things. He was never mean to Porter, but he would just get up and walk away when Porter would get near.


One of the first things you need to do before you hunt is "sight your gun in," which means you have to make sure your scope is focused on the same place your gun is shooting. We were worried Porter would be scared of the loud noise of the gun shooting even with the ear plugs, but he jumped once, and didn't jump any of the rest of the times--he's a natural!




Theresa and Audrey went outside to sled in the snow, and so we went out to let Porter have an adventure. Porter went down with Audrey a couple times which went well, but the last time, they overturned and Porter got some battle wounds--just a couple scratches on his face from the ice, and I'm glad he had an adventure.




They also had a snowball fight (which Theresa started), and while Porter and I didn't get hit, the others certainly did--looks like fun!









Porter and I then drove down to Provo during the rest of the week while Jordan was hunting to spend some time with my family and some friends. We did a lot of canning (and eating apple pie), and went around with my friend Tabitha to some places we grew up playing. We took Porter to the park up our street and this pharmacy where we used to lie to our parents, pool our money, and get someone to ride our bike down to get penny candy. It was so fun. We also took a picture together at the place I got bit by a horse, but the picture's kinda blurry. All in all, it was great to see my sister Rach, Heidi, Tabitha, Jordan's Dad who was in town for a few days, and spend a lot of time with my grandparents and aunt. I talked to my grandma about family history and watched NCIS with my grandpa--it was a really nice trip.

Ranch Work Trip

The weekend after we went to Yellowstone (see previous post), Jordan's work buddies and their families (well, Tim's friend Merin isn't family, but she sure is a cool girl!) It was fun to have all the people there, and this is the first weekend that Jordan didn't work the whole time! We went on fourwheeler rides and went horseback riding! We hadn't ever put Porter on a horse before, and he didn't really think it was a big deal, but at least he didn't cry. There isn't a whole lot to actually talk about, but there are a good amount of pictures I'll post. Oh right, and Jordan gave Porter soda for the first time--this is how he feels about it. OH MY GOSH, I totally forgot the coolest thing about the weekend! I made Porter a pair of pajama bottoms! I thought I had packed him some, but I guess I forgot because there weren't any in his bag so I used some of Grandma Madlyn's fabric and made him a pair--Jordan calls them his "Elton John" pants. I'm so excited about being able to provide for my kid if he doesn't have clothes! I made him a pair of shoes too, and I'll post those another time. It was a great weekend!

More Yellowstone Pictures

Yellowstone

I'd never been to Yellowstone, so we had to make sure to go before we moved at Christmas (we don't know where we're moving, we just have to move). It was such a blast. We saw so much wildlife--it was crazy! We saw buffalo, elk, and a bald eagle (yay America!). There were so many gorgeous colors in the water...who would have known there would be oranges and greens in hot springs! I guess it's because of the sulfur in the water, but it is so rad... We saw Old Faithful, but to be honest, it wasn't really a big deal. There's a geyser in Soda that I kinda felt was cooler, but maybe it's because I didn't have any expectations. Anyway, it was fun to know I've been to Old Faithful in the first place. The lodge was really pretty too--really really really pretty woodwork, and not really that complicated, just different. There was also a place called "Kepler Cascades" but I made Jordan take a picture of me in front of it making an "s" with my hands in the place of the p. We also went to the continental divide, which was just a sign by a pond, but it was cool to know you've been there. All in all it was a great trip! We might go back sometime the end of this month and camp--it was so cool!