Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! This year was the first Halloween that Rachel really "GOT IT". It took a lot of explaining over and over, but once she put on her costume and went trick or treating she lit up and I could see the wheels turning in her head, "OOOOOHHHH so THIS is Halloween! I can DIG THIS!!" We started out the festivities on Monday with a PUMPKIN family home evening. We had pumpkin-shaped pizza for dinner...

pumpkin pie for dessert...

and carved pumpkins for our activity. (Can you guess which Y...I mean ONE is Paul's?)

Then on Wednesday we went to the library/county building for trick-or-treating. That's when Rach really figured out this whole Halloween thing.

Finally-tonight we had our ward Halloween party. Paul dressed up in his Dodgers garb - and I was about to call that a costume-cop-out until we showed up at the ward and ALL the men were dressed up in jerseys. I was going to have him stand next to Bro. Barton who was dressed in Red Sox garb to take a picture and call it "World Series Wannabe's" but they wouldn't let me...still a touchy subject I guess.

After dinner and carnival games we went out to "trunk or treat". Whoever invented the idea of "trunk-or-treating" needs to run for president. It took 10 minutes to walk around the parking lot, fill the princess bucket to OVER FLOWING and call it good.

No more walking around in the dark cold night for an hour or more. No more going from house to house and telling the kids "don't go to that house because we're not sure about it". No more trying to corral the kids together and keep them from running in the streets dodging cars. It was GREAT!! There are a lot of "the-way-things-used-to-be-isms" that I really miss - Elementary school costume parades, Halloween class parties, etc. etc. With all the safety issues they don't do those anymore here. Kids can't wear their costumes at all to school! That's makes me sad. But I don't miss trick-or-treating. TRUNK-or-treating is the way to go!

My "Gypsy" costume is actually a CHITENGE from Malawi. A sweet sister in my branch there would wear this dress almost every Sunday to church. I would always tell her how beautiful she looked and how gorgeous her dress was. On my last Sunday in church there, before I went home, she came to church with this dress wrapped up and gave it to me as a goodbye present. It was wonderful. I cried and tried to give it back but she insisted I take it to remember her and to remember Africa. I wear it ever year and think of her.

Windy and I were pregnant with these two at the same time so we found it serendipitous that they were Tigger and Pooh for Halloween!

Have you ever seen the movie "Ever After" with Drew Barrymore? Well Rachel and I watched it the other day. She loved it. I would point out the characters and explain the story line as it happened and how it mirrored the Disney Cinderella movie. She loved the part where Drew Barrymore comes to the masquerade ball dressed like an angel. When she got her angel costume on tonight I said, "Oh Rachel you are such a BEAUTIFUL ANGEL!" She said, "NO Mom, I'm Cinderella DRESSED as an angel!" Oh yeah, sorry, I should have known! Duh Mom!

Ben got hold of Rachel's blue raspberry ring-pop when she wasn't looking. WHAT A MESS!

We hope you all have a Great Halloween (and a good dental plan---SHEESH!)

Shore Excursion #1 - Thanksgiving Point

Time to play catch up. Back in September my parents went on a cruise to Alaska. During their trip there were periods of "cruising" where the trip was on the ship and they were traveling and seeing things like icebergs and whales. Then there were periods called "shore excursions" where they would dock and go on land for a day activity. Those parts of the trip included botanical gardens, lift rides to the tops of the mountains, and lumberjack shows. When my parents got back they told us, "there is so much beauty there in Alaska, but there is just as much beauty HERE in Utah! Instead of planning big trips out of town lets plan small 'shore excursions' in town so we can see everything there is to see here in our own back yard." What a great idea. SO here is a recap of our first SHORE EXCURSION - - Thanksgiving Point Pumpkin Fest.

We started the evening off with a trip to the "Princess Pumpkin Playland". It wasn't Disneyland but it may as well have been as we watched Rachel's face light up. Priceless.

Ben didn't care much about the princesses. He was pretty chill the whole night.

Rachel, on the other hand, had the chance to try on EVERY Disney character princess dress there. The Cinderella dress was too big so she went for the Aurora and Snow White dresses. She played in the princess castle and went for a pretend spin in the magic princess carriage. IT WAS A WONDERFUL DREAM COME TRUE.

We left the Princess Playland kicking and screaming but soon settled down as we played with the duck race tubes. You put rubber ducks in these tunnel runs and then pump the water as fast as you can to push your duck to the other end. Stew kicked my trash every time.


Then we went to the "David Archuleta" corn maze which was "supposedly" shaped like David Archuleta's face. Okay the ONLY way you can know that is if you are in a plane above the maze because there was no indication inside that we were in his nose or ear or anything like that. They DID however blast his music on the loud speaker projecting over the maze so that was fun. And Ben found some corn to throw - what more could you ask for? Thanks a lot Uncle B.

After the maze we went on a hayride and saw the most beautiful sunset as we rode through the pumpkin patch. I have the sunset and Ben being scared by giant spiders that jumped out of the cornfield on video but the file is too big to download onto blogger. If anyone knows how to compress files to a downloadable sized let me know.

After the hay ride we checked out the pumpkin tree - a large Christmas tree shaped structure covered with carved pumpkins. It was so cool to see all the different characters carved into the pumpkins. Some of my favs were President Hinckley, Tinkerbell, and Cinderella.

After the pumpkins we watched a pig race that was pretty dumb so I didn't take any pictures. We ended the evening with dinner at Wingers and Rachel talking our ears off. Thanks Ammy and Papa for such a fun shore excursion! Here's to many more!

Papa Watts

Today is my dad's birthday. He is 50-something but still plays like he's 20-something (which makes my mom nervous!) My college roommates started calling him Papa Watts and it stuck. That is what the grandkids call him now. When I was in high school my dad was Mr. Mom. At that time in our family's life my mom went back to work full time while my dad was the stay-at-home parent. It was the best thing that could have happened to our family at that time. He was so involved in my life-knowing all the details about boys I liked, friends, school-work, etc. I remember him waking me up for 5:30 am swim practice, taking me and all my friends in "the beast" (the van I rolled right before my mission) to parties and dances and football games. My dad would even stay for some of the football games - it gave him a sense of nostalgia as he watched me as a sophomore cheerleader at the football games because HE was a cheerleader in high school - and I am so proud to tell that to everyone. This little video is a perfect example of my dad.


On Saturdays Papa Watts would bust out the griddle and make pancakes while dancing in the kitchen. Some of his favorite tunes to rock out to were "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers, and then of course anything by Michael Jackson. He taught us how to dance - he knew he had all the moves. This video is a tribute to him.


My dad taught me about the fundamentals of life - The Beatles, JFK, and how to change a flat tire. He made sure we always had everything we needed, and that we were always where we were supposed to be, when we were supposed to be there. He set the example for me by always being where he was supposed to be when He was supposed to be there. I never saw him miss an opportunity to serve someone in the ward, often throwing on a white shirt and tie to go give someone in the ward a blessing at 10:00 at night. He was always THERE. Always when I needed him. Whether it was encouraging me to run for office and getting me to the school to put up posters, or picking me and a friend up from a scary gas station in Brigham City after we hit a deer driving down Sardine Canyon, I could ALWAYS depend on my dad.

And I could ALWAYS depend on his faith.

He knew I was going to go on a mission before I did, but he stood back and let me come to that conclusion myself and then reinforced my decision with his own faith. He knew I was going to marry Paul before I did, but he stood back to let me make that decision too. After he met Paul for the FIRST TIME I crawled in my parent's bed and said, "well on a scale of 1-10 what do you think" my dad yelled, "10! 10! 10! If you don't marry him you might as well go down to Las Vegas and pick up any Joe on the street and marry him because you are NEVER going to find anyone as good as this guy!" He was right! My dad was the patriarch of our home and I could always trust his "gut feeling" and he taught me how to trust mine.

So Dad, this is a late post-dated post - but I want you to know I love you. Happy Birthday!
Love Nan

DO NOT CALL!!!

I need to vent about something for a minute. I rarely use the word HATE because it's such a strong word, but I hate, I Hate, I HATE TELEPHONE SOLICITORS!!! Can I get and Amen - AMEN!! THEY are the reason Paul and I waited SO LONG to get a land line when we moved here. We finally succumbed to our fellow Vernalites and their constant pestering about how hard it was to get a hold of us and got a land line and all it has brought since then is TORMENTION! I finally registered 5 minutes ago on the National Do Not Call registry - how long does it take for that to take effect by the way? I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. ANYWAY - I put the kids down for a late nap today so that I could take a nap before I go to work tonight - that's right. I'm a nurse and I work 12 hour graveyard shifts every Friday and so a nap on these days is a very important thing. The kids had been asleep for a short while and I had just started to drift off myself when BBBBRRRRRIIIIINNNGGG!! The house was so quiet that the phone sounded even louder and I scrambled around trying to find it. By the time I found it the answering machine had already picked up which is ALSO LOUD. By now BOTH children are awake and crying - I'm about ready to join them. THERE GOES MY NAP! THIS BETTER BE IMPORTANT - and who was it? ANGELA FROM SOME STUPID "WE KNOW YOU HAVE ENORMOUS CREDIT CARD DEBT AND WE'RE HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!" COMPANY. Excuse me madam. First of all I DON'T HAVE CREDIT CARD DEBT. Secondly IF I DID I WOULDN'T COME TO YOU FOR HELP. Third - If you REALLY want people's business buck up and face them like a man - or woman. I don't want to listen to people's recorded voices PRETENDING to be really interested in me. Have you heard these people!?! Here are a few of my fav's:

"Hi I'm Dave with blah blah blah - let me get right to the point..." as if he doesn't want me to interrupt him - then when I try to interrupt him I realize he's an uninterruptable recording. AAAHHH!

or this:

"Hi there! This is Mike! I am calling with some GREAT NEWS! We are setting up FREE SATELLITE SYSTEMS IN YOUR AREA..." Yo Mike, unless your GREAT NEWS is that your wife just had her 10th child - don't call me.

and my personal favorite:

"Do NOT hang up the phone! This is an urgent message to let you know that the warranty on your car is ABOUT TO EXPIRE..." According to these people it's been "about to expire" for the last YEAR. NEWSFLASH YOU GUYS - We don't have a warranty and if we did it probably would have expired after the TWO HUGE ACCIDENTS we had in it years ago. That car doesn't have ANY of it's original parts. SO BACK OFF!

Anyone else need to vent on the subject?

October Showers Bring Wedding Flowers!

Last Thursday Alicia (Paul's sister), Kristin (Paul's bro. Kent's wife), Mary (Paul's mom), and I had a shower for Julianne (Paul's sister) who is getting married in November. I feel so silly that I didn't get more pictures of the event or the couple - BUT - we were having such a great time that I forgot I was on camera duty. I will get more pics of the girls before the wedding and I have pirated some pictures of the happy couple from Matt's (Juli's fiance) sister because they are awesome. And we like awesome pictures. Too many names and too much confusion - back to the night.

THE COUPLE




We are so excited for these two. Matt and Juli are perfect for each other. Their personalities compliment each other so well. It's been amazing to see the growth two people can experience as they join their lives together and look towards eternity. Jules we love you so much and are so happy for you. Welcome to the family Matt! Here's to many more Gardner Game Nights, summer BBQ's, Sunday dinners, and wonderful family memories.

THE FOOD

What a spread! Chicken salad croissants, fruit and veggies, cheese and crackers, and baby cheesecakes with raspberries and cream on top. Martha Stewart eat your heart out! The best part was dancing and singing to James Taylor in the kitchen with the sisters as we prepared the food. That memory is locked away in my heart forever!

THE QUILT

Mary really outdid herself. She stayed up the night before the shower till the wee hours of the morning piecing this quilt together and getting it ready to tie. And what a GREAT THING it turned out to be. Everyone who came jumped in and tied a button with a little love onto the quilt. It's amazing how doing something with your hands while talking can break the ice. We laughed and had wonderful conversations and felt productive all at the same time. The quilt is growing more and more beautiful each day. Thanks Mary - this one is filled with love - just like everything else you do!

THE NEXT DAY

The day after the shower we all headed down to the University Mall in Orem to look for clothes for the wedding. Rachel was less-than-excited to be there and so Leece took Ben off my hands so I only had one child to deal with. She packed Ben up in Kristin's baby sling (thanks Kris you're a lifesaver - supermom to the rescue) and hauled Ben all over the mall. He snuggled right in and enjoyed the ride. I was exhausted and in rare form and ready to go home and these two ladies saved the day. Thanks sisters. What would I do without you!?! Not to mention Grandpa showing up at the last minute to lend a shoulder or two for kids to ride on. We love you GG.

Thanks for the great weekend and the great memories Gardners!

Grammie and Grandpa Great's House

Today I drove with the kids to Salt Lake for a visit. We left later than planned (story of my life) and had things pretty planned out for a fun evening with my family. But sometimes Heavenly Father gives you opportunities - unplanned opportunities - to experience His gifts and tender mercies. Since I didn't have Paul in the car with me I decided to listen to a book on tape about Africa to keep me awake and interested. What started out as a drive to Salt Lake, turned into an amazing trip to a place I once called home - Africa. The voices and accents and descriptions of the sights and sounds and smells of Africa were so spot on I couldn't help but be transported to a time of my life that now seems like a dream. What once were the dry, sage covered plains of eastern Utah turned into the long stretches of bush land in Zimbabwe. The sweet voices of my children fell asleep and were replaced by the sweet voices of the African people. I drove past Strawberry Reservoir and the fall leaves were SPECTACULAR! Bright yellows and reds set the hills on fire as I ascended into the Uintas. The vivid colors reminded me of one of my favorite parts of Bulawayo - one of the things I miss the most. The Jacaranda Trees. Jacaranda trees put on the most stunning purple blooms around September and October. It's as if Mother Nature ran out of green paint, and decided to use purple instead. And as these blooms fall to the ground they create pools of color around the base of the trees. There is nothing in the world so beautiful.

As we drove through Park City and continued to admire the trees in all their fall splendor I was taken back to another time in my life. A time that will always be a place of comfort and joy that I can visit in my heart. My grandparents (Grammie and Grandpa Bennett) lived in Emigration Canyon until just a couple of years ago. I have such fond memories of sleepovers, summer barbecues, and fishing in the stream behind their house with cheese tied to string on a stick. I remember winters of sledding, and hot chocolate with marshmallows, and homemade popcorn in the big green bowl. I remember building fires in the fireplace and blowing them with an accordion-like fire blower. I remember playing cards with Grammie and reading comics with Grandpa and building cities with old block and marbles on their wood floor. I remember the purple room we always slept in (PURPLE SHAG CARPET the color of the Jacaranda tree!) painting hand prints in the upstairs bathroom in fluorescent paint then brushing our teeth with the black light on to watch our art light up the walls. I remember sleeping in the softest beds with the softest blankets and pillows and listening to the creek in the back yard sing me to sleep. I have so many memories in that home and suddenly I remembered it was for sale. There was no one living in it and so I took a detour off the exit in the mouth of Parley's canyon (even though I was already running late - sorry Mom) and went to the old house. The drive to the house reminded me of all the drives up for Sunday dinner and family gathering. Passing the golf course and the zoo, then turning down the lane that you miss if you blink - it's hidden so only special people can find it. I held my breath as I pulled into the driveway. It was the same. It had been painted and new stone siding replaced the old cinder block, but the feeling was the same. I jumped out of the car and ran to the back yard. There it was. The patio and deck. The creek. The red and yellow and orange leaves carpeting the ground. I took a deep breath. It smelled the same - like cedar and fall and home and love. I grabbed the kids and the camera and introduced them for the first and last time to Grammie and Grandpa's house.

They probably won't remember this experience. But I will. They don't have these memories written in their hearts - but I do. And part of me longed for these days and the way I always felt safe and important and loved by my grandparents. And I still do. That's when I remembered it's not about places, it's about people, and as long as I have these people - my family - in my life I will always have these feelings and memories. As I felt myself mourning that my kids would never experience what I had growing up, I realized that the circle of life will always continue. This chapter of my life has come to a close but my kids will experience the same feelings of safety and importance and love as they open this same chapter in their OWN lives. Their chapters may look more like this:

but they will still feel the same, because they are all chapters - pieces of life - that a loving Father in Heaven would have for ALL his children.

We arrived at my parent's house (Ammy and Papa) and finished the night with my family writing a wonderful memory in the early chapters of my babies lives. So here's to good books, long drives, and memories and family and love.

Here's to life.