Since the season's seem to be speeding by at a pace that is oddly abnormal, I took a sunday off and loaded up the boys. Jared and I headed up to the closest canyon to see the leaves before they had dropped to the ground.

 Although it was mostly cloudy, the colors were still brillant enough to get some decent shots.

Because of my angst of capturing EVERYTHING, the boys quickly attached to the urge and asked for daddy's cell phone and my camera to capture some things of their own. I love to see what they see.

Seems to be his choice of mug to pull lately.

Eli was so ecstatic to show me this discovery.

I love the little splashes of color amongst the evergreens.

Stopped at a look out. So, he did.

The sun was able to pierce through the clouds and lit up the quiet secluded area that we found some peaceful refuge in.

I HAD to take advantage.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Quaking Aspens. Their bright yellow leaves are like gold coins glistening in the sun. And they remind me of my late grandparents.

And this is my favorite!

Happy Fall Everyone!

Can't think of a title,so it's not going to have one.

Raspberry peach jam=yummy! And there's LOTS of it. I did make regular raspberry jam, but this is what I did with the left overs. I guess I didn't get a picture of the regular, but's it's pretty too. And yummy. I also made just plain peach jam as well. 

 If I'm not making cakes, I'm making something else. These cookies were a "test run" for a demonstration I was doing on 'flooding cookies'. Since the season is fall, I opted for fall cookies.

 They turned out cute enough, but for the actual class, I tinted the colors darker. Fall to me just doesn't equal pastels.

It wasn't the greatest turn out in numbers, but that just meant more cookies for those of us that did come. And kids at home waiting for a small sweet morsel.
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Ashton's football has monopolized a lot of my time as well (more like going to all the practices to socialize with all the other awesome football moms), but I don't really have pictures to show him off (Trust me, he's a stud for sure in all those pads). His team has done pretty good. It started out in the beginning of the season loosing every game. But then when they actually won, they kept winning. They even played an undeafeted team and beat them in overtime. That was the MOST AMAZING game ever. Other than the opposing team loosing horribly. I've never seen an atlethic coach make such a scene. It really was ridiculous.

They have played well enough to advance into the playoffs, so we (and I speak for all parents, players, and fans) are pretty excited. They have a few weeks of no games before they start the playoffs but are still practicing. As a parent, to watch your child progress in anything, more specifically football, and become really good at it. It's a pretty incredible thing to witness. Pride seems to be appropriate. (The humble kind).
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Speaking of cake. (Well I DID mention it earlier). It's been pretty consistant with how many I've been doing. An average of 4 or more a month. And more interest is getting out there. I'm excited about that. I still feel that I've got LOTS to learn before anyone refers to me as a "professional". I get uncomfortable when someone says that. It's flattering, but mentally, i'm not there yet. I asked this question to my sister, but I'm curious what others would respond, "what makes you a professional?"
The floor is all yours. (if anyone's still out there.)

Dylan's 4!

With Dylan, it seems the time has passed even quicker than all the others. Perhaps it's because he's the 'baby'. But...WOW...time is speeding up!

 He decided that he wanted a Spider Man party so I started two weeks before to plan some games. I picked two. I didn't want to complicate things. I DO have a limit.

They played 'Pin the spider on the web'. They loved it! And did pretty well.

 The second game was pretending to be Spider Man and shoot the bad guys with 'webs' (silly string). That was a HUGE hit (once they figured out how to press the button down to squirt the string with their little fingers.) They just wished that I had an endless supply of silly string for their disposal.

I served a light lunch of PB&J/Ham sandwiches with veggies and juice.

 Eli. The little stink.

 Not so little anymore. Running with the boys now!

The cake was pretty simple. But not really. I've come to love making cupcakes and made them for the party. The cake was for the family later on in the evening when all were home.

Eli's kindergarten

Eli has been SO excited to start kindergarten. Although now that he's been going for awhile now, he now tells me that he doesn't want to go to school anymore.

 Bummer, I was hoping we'd at least make it a month....

He's got a LONG road of school ahead of him.

Chicken's gone wild.

I have a new obsession.

*Note to MERCY...I hope this doesn't trigger any bad memories. Considering your past with poultry!But I'm hoping I've softened it enough to prevent that. ;o)

Is it human nature to jump from one obsession to the next? Perhaps I should rephrase that. It's human nature to have more than one 'INTEREST', right? Good, I thought so. In addition to my cakes, children, and everyday chaos, I so miraculously blend into my daily routine, pristenly. I've decided to add in chickens for flavor. (Ok, not really!)  I should say, my HUSBAND sprinkled chickens into my daily life.

This spring, he came home and said, "We're getting chickens." It wasn't..."what do you think about getting chickens?" Or "do you want to get some chickens?" or even, "I would like the kids to learn responsibility by raising their own chicken so I need you to bless this new adventure that I'm jumping into because we all know that YOU will be the one who ultimately does all the work to raise them at the end of the day".

 We all loaded up in the car and that weekend and headed to the farm store (albeit skeptical on my part!) And we all got to pick out a chicken of our very own. Even me. Cause yes, they ARE pretty stinkin cute when they're peeping and fluffy and soft and sleeping and pooping right in the palm of our hand. I picked a black and white one and named 'her' Sparkles. Sparkles died a week after we got them. Poor thing. Held her while she passed. I never got another one. Didn't want the attachment severed, again.

 As they grew in the wooden box with a heat lamp, small box to perch atop of, and a lid spilling over with mash, my children grew to find other interesting things to occupy their Oh-so-busy lives. As predicted previously, I was the one making sure they had food and water. Although, when it came time to clean the box....I knew where to go to salvage the 'help'. In front of the computer, on a bicycle, and attached to the x-box. Otherwise, all those items would somehow come up missing. It was effective. And that is all.

 When names were picked, I didn't want any influence from others, with what was decided. They all came up with one on their own. Except Rose *Jaden's chicken, he couldn't pick a name and stick with it. It was different everytime I talked to him. To avoid any identity crisis for the poor foul, I suggested Rose, he ok'd it and I've kept it that way ever since. Even when he wanted to change it yet again. Months later.

 Halo 1, Prusha, Ring Ring, 1337 (aka chief. I call her 13 for short), Adonia (nickname, Addy), and Rose

 This right here. Is Halo 1. She's at the top of the 'peaking order'. And yes, there really is one. BUGS the crap out of me, because they can be SO MEAN to each other, but I've read that they have to have a peaking order for 'all to be well in their world'. When that order is disrupted, by maybe a chicken dying, they're a little lost until a new "order" is put in place. Halo keeps all the other hens in line for me, because to be honest, I'M the top hen in this coop (or as Dylan says, "chicken poop".)

 When I go out to call the "girls", she's the first one to come, all the while squaking at the others to follow suit. It's really quite entertaining. I've come up with my own "call" and they sure come running. "HELLLLOOOOOOOO LADIES! laDEES! (gotta use the voice fluctuation, or it won't work.) "COME HERE GIRLS!" "LOOKATCHYOU"! They love it, and I'm sure my neighbors do to. When you notice a hidden camera video from a bush on wwwneighborsturnedwilddotcom (don't look that up. I don't know if that is really a site. If you do and you see nekkedness, violence, or foreign language, I take no responsibility for that! You've been warned) That may or may not be me. And I'm fine with that.

 They have turned into the most surprisingly facinating animals I've ever learned about. *Thank you google and youtube. I am now a Pro!* They have a beautiful coop that keeps them safe from other creatures, and warm from the incliment weather. I let them roam my yard 'free range'. But they always come in on their own to roost every night.

 This was the first time I brought them outside, on the grass, to explore.

 They were pretty hesitant. They wanted to just stay hidden underneath me. (The momma hen)

 I had to encourage them to go explore.

 Cute little awkward looking, stinks!

 Addy is my favorite. Always has been. She looked like my chick when they were little and has been so personable from the beginning. If it weren't for her being so friendly, I doubt I would've become as attached as I have. When I was bored, I'd come out and just sit with them and watch them. And they got used to my presence. It's now routine to spend time with the girls. Every day. Snacking on orange or red popsicles and cheerios. They LOVE it!
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Funny story. Rose, hadn't layed an egg (that I knew of) yet and I just assumed that she wasn't ever going to. Poor thing. But I was going to love her regardless. Last week I found a secret nest of Prusha's in the front yard. I had fenced up the backyard to prevent them from getting out. But every morning I'd let them out and she took a beeline straight to the fence and try and try and try to get through. I finally just let her go and she went to the bushes, underneath, there were 3 eggs in this nest. I gathered them up and accepted the fact that that is where she chose to lay. Fine. No big deal, she ALWAYS returned to the backyard after she was done.

 Well, Rose disapeared last saturday and we searched and searched for her. NOTHING. No feathers. No foul play. No forced entry to nab a juicy sunday dinner. And she didn't return to roost that night. I was a little worried. Sunday comes and in the middle of the day Dylan comes running in to say that Rose came back. I ran outside and there she was in the back, pecking at the grass like nothing happened. I penned her up with the other because I was worried they would be snatched as well. I was doing some chicken reading that morning and had a theory about her. Maybe she had a nest somewhere else like Prusha. After chickens have collected (they'll even steal eggs from other hens if they're close enough) around 10-12 eggs (when humans aren't sabotaging their efforts), they become brooding hens. They stop laying and sit on there eggs waiting for them to hatch.

 I left her in the cage to get all nice and panic-y and then let her out. My theory was that she would head straight to her 'eggs'. WELL....I was right! She did have a hidden nest and MORE THAN enough eggs to throw her into brooding mode.

 I had to confiscate them and she was NOT happy about it. She sqauked and growled at me, and got all puffed up. But never pecked or bit me.

 She hasn't layed one since, I have to get her out of the "Brooding" for her to lay again, but it was fun to find 19 eggs!

That's 2 1/2 weeks worth of eggs. To test which ones were safe to keep, you're suppose to put them in water. If they sink, they're good. If not, they'd float. We got 3 out of the 19.

*Stay tuned for more chicken news. Because there will be! Promise.