November 3, 2025
It was a full week with Halloween and plenty of other events to keep everyone busy. Early in the week, Kassie and I went on a fun date with our friends, the Gurr family, to an escape room. There was a lot of laughter, and we all had a great time. While we were out, Hinckley had his first official night of babysitting — he put Desmond to bed and even cleaned the kitchen, earning himself a well-deserved bonus tip.
Hinckley also had his first orchestra concert with the Lehi Jr High Intermediate Orchestra, which Mom and Dad were able to attend. Unfortunately, Desmond threw up during the final song, marking the start of a sick weekend in our house. After the concert, the other two kids had fun trick-or-treating with the orchestra students around the auditorium.
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| Hinckley in the orchestra |
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| Addie plays balloon volleyball with Grandma |
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| Desi naps with Grandad |
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| Playing in the sand with Grandma |
Greyson had a fun Halloween week and was especially excited for his class party, where I got to come in and help. He, Addie, and Desmond all got plenty of candy that night and joined in on the family tradition of “sacrificing to the Great Pumpkin.” Spirits were high, and everyone felt good about their offerings.
Addie enjoyed dressing up and trick-or-treating with friends and was happy to have John and Naomi in town to see the kids walk in the Halloween parade. Desmond, though not feeling his best, was still thrilled by all the costumes and excitement. Kassie unfortunately joined the sick list later in the week, but everyone seems to be on the mend now.
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| Dodgers take on the Blue Jays in game 7 |
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| Sugar cookies |
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| Sugar cookies |
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| The great pumpkin delivers |
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| The Rumi braid |
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| All dressed up |
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| Addie with Nico and Brooke |
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| Baseballer |
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| Brief moment of not crying |
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| Rumi in the parade |
Kassie also led the family in making some epic Halloween sugar cookies — a highlight of the week. For the first time in my life, I watched an entire Major League Baseball game, Hinckley led us in watching the Dodgers’ nail-biting World Series win over Toronto on Halloween night. As the week wrapped up, everyone felt a bit sad to head back to school, and it’s hard to believe we’re already entering the last couple months of the year.
October 26, 2025
The week began with a day off of school as the kids wrapped up fall break. I took the day off work as well and joined the three older kids, some cousins, and Nana and Grandpa for a hike up Battle Creek Falls. Kassie was working that day. Earlier that morning, I donated blood while the kids snacked and watched TV at the donation center — one of their favorite “activities.” The rest of the week went by quickly.
Greyson was thrilled to get the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book from his book order, and we had to manage sharing it since everyone wanted to read it. He had a great basketball game on Saturday and loved having Nana there to see him make some big shots and passes.
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| Battle Creek Falls |
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| Above the falls |
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| Ready for the hike |
Addie has been enjoying reading and continues to meet weekly with her friends for their band practice. They have hopes of becoming a popular band someday, though she’s quick to say that even if they don’t, they’re having fun. I’ve enjoyed hearing her creative lyrics and watching the tunes and choreography come together. On Saturday, she played the game “Bigger or Better” with her friend Tilly and came home with a giant stuffed sloth — which Desmond was thrilled to tackle and snuggle.
Hinckley had a swim meet in Provo on Thursday. Even though he didn’t beat his times, he swam some great races and had Mom and Dad there to cheer him on. On Friday night, he had a blast at Mom and Dad’s house with Logan and Jack, hiking the Y and watching a movie.
Desmond continues to insist on feeding himself now, especially when oatmeal and yogurt are involved. He really goes at it with his spoon and makes quite a scene in the process.
Kassie took a Halloween cookie-decorating class through Utah Valley University’s community education program this week, and her cookies turned out great. We’re all bracing for the Primary Program today and getting excited for the upcoming Halloween holiday.
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| Halloween cookies |
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| At the Provo Meet |
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| Finished at the Provo Meet |
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| Watching a movie at Nana and Grandpa's |
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| Happy bike boy |
October 19, 2025
This week was a little shorter because of fall break, but it was packed with fun and adventure. As a family, we spent fall break visiting Lucy and her family in Idaho and packed in a wide range of activities — a visit to the BYU–Idaho planetarium to learn about black holes, a stop at Bear World (which has quite the eclectic mix of attractions), biking at both the Rexburg Bike Park and the local skate park, and plenty of time enjoying the crisp air and stunning fall colors. It was wonderful to see the kids connecting through different games and experiences. We made it home Sunday afternoon, tired but happy, and grateful for such a full and memorable week.
Greyson has gone full throttle into biking. We now have about four or five friends at our house each day, all “hitting big jumps” and “getting big air.” The jumps are currently made from spare lumber in the garage, and it’s clear I’ll need to build something safer soon before their creativity leads to injuries. Even after our trip, Greyson could hardly wait to get back on his bike, and we went down to the lake trail together to enjoy the beautiful fall colors.
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| Swimming in corn |
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| Greyson biking at the dirt bike park |
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| Brothers at Bear World |
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| Ready to spin at Bear World |
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| Looking at Bears |
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| Hitting the Skate Park |
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| Hanging with Henry |
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| Planetarium |
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| Taking control of the spoon |
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| Corn fun |
Hinckley, Kendall, and I had a great time cheering on BYU during their win over the University of Utah at the BYU–Idaho campus watch party. It was a unique and fun venue! Addie watched "Ever After" with Kassie and Lu at home and enjoyed that very much.
Desmond had plenty to take in this week. He loved the pumpkin patch, where he “swam” in the corn kernels, and he seemed endlessly curious and happy throughout the trip.
October 13, 2025
This week started off with Addie’s final cross-country meet in Provo. She loved having Nana and Grandpa there to cheer her on, and I had a great time listening to music with her on the drive down and back. Later in the week, we went to Books and Buddies together, which was a fun chance to sit and read side by side. Addie also sold and delivered some of the flowers from our garden along with our little mini ghost pumpkins—she was proud of her work.
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| Farmer Greyson |
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| Cornbelly's with Mom |
Hinckley had his first swim meet of the season up in Park City and earned a coveted “B” time in all six of his races—something he reluctantly admitted he was excited about. :) He’s off to a strong start for the season.
Desmond continues to love walking random directions through the neighborhood and is constantly making a break for it to cross the street when we’re outside. He gets especially animated when he sees Halloween decorations, pointing and chattering nonstop.
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| Dinner break at the PC meet with Blake Barson |
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| Desmond examines the flowers and bees |
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| Desmond and the ghost |
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| Pumpkins with the Barsons and Matthews |
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| Bike boy |
We ended the week meeting up with friends to carve pumpkins and eat homemade donuts. Around the house, I wrapped up a few small projects, including completely clearing out the front island, removing everything but the tree, and covering it with mulch and netting for the winter. I’m planning to plant some ground cover there next spring. I also finished adding new Trex decking material to our garage stairs and feel a little joy every time I go up and down them. The cooler weather and changing colors are making it feel like true fall now.
October 5, 2025
We had a good conference weekend and enjoyed watching from our newer room, which is now already a year old. It was a great setup for conference. The kids had Monday off school for a teacher prep day, which made for a nice long weekend. I also had some fun catching up with friends and doing a few other activities throughout the week.
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| Desi in a bag |
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| Conference candy |
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| Watching conference |
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| Skatepark Greyson |
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| Desi makes a stand |
Greyson continues to love riding his bike and is now starting to show interest in skateboarding, too. Addie went to a really fun birthday party on Friday, where they made cakes and decorated aprons. She had a great time with her friends.
Desmond is less and less interested in riding in the stroller when we go on walks. He wants to copy Greyson in everything—putting on a helmet, standing on a little skateboard, or climbing on his tricycle. It’s been fun to watch him try to keep up with his big brother.
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| Bike baby |
We’re all enjoying the beautiful fall colors as the leaves change and the weather cools down. Hard to believe we’re already into a new month.
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