The Leaf Breakfast!

Every year, the Saturday before conference, the Pinegars get together for Grandma and Grandpa's famous Leaf Breakfast! I LOVE it! We go up the canyon to Hope Campground in the morning and Grandma and Grandpa have everything ready for a fun feast! The colors were incredible this year. Of course I didn't take any pictures (I forgot and my kids are really cute!), but we always have a great time!

Just there a few minutes and Rock has hot chocolate and a dirty face!

Grandma and Grandpa Pin....Grandpa had few little things removed off his face this week!

Cute smile buddy!

Chloe and Savannah!

Truman loading up on little smokies! He loved them!

You're so strong!

Grumpy Josie! She wouldn't give anyone a smile....not even Grandma...really grumpy!

Sisters...love these ladies, we are just missing Kelly!

Tall boys....Michael is over 6 feet and Gray is almost there!

Emily, Emma, Grandma, Chloe and Savannah
Thanks for the great time Grandma, don't you worry, we will keep the tradition going!

14

Well, it's official, he's 14! (And I've been blogging for a year, because my very first post was "We're Parents of a Teenager!")

Seems super thrilled to be having a birthday! Typical! He had buttermilk pancakes with buttermilk syrup...delish!

Chocolate cake....not so good, bummer!

His true self revealed in print...elblowing Chloe out of his "birthday shot!" Nice.

Gray and Tanner celebrated their birthdays by mountain biking at Sundance!

It is hilarious to me that they wore the same shorts....true friends (nerds)!

So when Dad got back in town we were going to celebrate again with another chocolate cake and a full bbq rib dinner with Grandparents and Mariana. Unfortunately Mom got sick in the night and ended up throwing up all day. Lucky for them the cake was already made...and it was better than the last one!

Gray, we love you and we are so excited for you being 14! One more year and you can get your learners! Thanks for being such an awesome help in our family! We love you stinky!

Top of Utah Marathon

It has always been looming over me...the ever present goal that I have always wanted to accomplish and haven't....a marathon! Well, yesterday I did it. I want to cry just thinking about it! I'm not going to lie, it was definitely the hardest thing I have ever had to do! Not the most painful, but the hardest. I have never had to dig so deep to keep going, but I did and I finished in 4:09! I feel a great amount of joy being able to finish, and I don't think I'll ever do another, but I did it and I am grateful!

More important than my feelings of personal satisfaction, are my feelings for these girls! We trained together, we cried together, we encouraged each other, we process problems together, we laugh together and we love each other. You couldn't get better friends!

Gretchen, Kathy, Leigh Anne and me the night before the race in our hard earned TOU shirts!

Morning of the race, all ready to do it, but way nervous all the same!

At about mile 19 I was having a hard time, my anxiety had found its way to my chest and I was starting to hyperventilate. I had to watch Kathy and Gretchen run on while I stopped to walk and catch my breath. I walked about 10 yards and tried to wrap my brain around one foot in front of another. I was grateful they left me, so that I could do what I needed to do to finish. I was in pain, I was having anxiety of not finishing and I was way tired. I dug down deep, the deepest I have ever had to dig, found it and slowly finished! I focused so intently that I don't even remember miles 25 and 26 even though they took forever. This was mile 24 and I was grateful to see Hans and the guys. Anything to help me keep going!

Coming down the finish..Hans, Abe and James were yelling and I didn't even hear them...now that is focus, or insanity, because things were starting to go blurry!

I did it, it says 4:10, but my true chip time was 4:09!

Bound together forever, so nice to share our love and happiness! WE did it!

Our hard earned medals, I've never kept one before, but this one will be a treasure!

OUR GUYS! Couldn't have done it with out their love and support! They are so understanding and encouraging! You are our rocks!

Buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk syrup and peaches...quite possibly the best flavor combination on the planet!

And if you really want to indulge, as if this wasn't enough, whipped cream would be divine, we were just out! Go get some peaches at Allreds before they're all gone! Happy Fall!

Buttermilk Pancakes
2 C flour
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
Mix, then add:
2 eggs
2 C buttermilk (very old – 1 month past due date, still ok if you use fresh!)

Buttermilk Syrup ( serves 4-6..we usually double it!)
1/2 C butter
1/2 C buttermilk
1 C sugar
1T karo syrup
Mix in large(syrup expands when baking soda is added) saucepan and boil for 3-5 min.
Turn off heat and add:
1T vanilla
1/2 t baking soda
Stir until foam decreases and serve on pancakes.
**The flavor of the baking soda bothers me, so I put in ¼ t.

Teenager sleep habits!

Friday night was a deacons "camp out" at the Sundance cabin....really roughing it! Of course the leaders went to bed and the boys were up until 4am or so. Gray came home by 9, mowed the lawn, did his Saturday jobs and looked like this for 4-5 hours....

Even slept through the BYU game, Josie jumping on him and the couch, and some pretty loud sanding, since Hans and I are refinishing our hard wood floors in the entry! How would it be! My baby is all grown up and sleeping more than he did when he was a baby!

Labor Day Drive

Today was a perfect day! The temp was low 80's. It was sunny, with a slight breeze. I slept in until 9. I got up and went running. I came back and ate breakfast in the driveway while talking to Hans who was working on the motorcycles. We contemplated what to do today...neither of us had grand plans...but I craved a Diet Coke and a drive and suggested that. Hans had the perfect route...Provo canyon to Hobblecreek canyon via dirt roads! The oldest kids didn't want to come, so we were happy to take the Jeep with the top down. A quick stop and the gas station for treats and we were off. It was wonderful! Beautiful! Refreshing! Adventurous! Hans and I both agreed we need to do this more often. Tru, Rock and Josie were troopers. It was a little long, but they were nice. We finished the ride with lunch at The Trolley in Springville and they all said that it was worth it! The only thing that was a little more than I could handle was Josie's knotted hair after that long of a ride...
oh my!

So Josie had Dance this week. It wasn't until Thursday, but somehow I got it in my mind that it was happening Tuesday. So all day Monday we kept talking about dance class tomorrow. Tuesday morning when I talked to a friend and realized the mistake I was scared to tell Josie! So I approached it like this....."Josie, Mommy made a big mistake, and I think you might be really mad at me.....dance class isn't today, it's on Thursday, I'm so sorry!" Her reply was..."It's ok Mom, I not crying!" Oh heavens, she is so cute! So on Thursday, she went to dance and was giddy with excitement! Bouncing around and just so happy to be there! Later when I put her to bed, she insisted that she was scared of the dark (she's not and never has been), so I told her I would leave the door open for a few minutes while I did laundry. A few minutes later I heard her yelling for me and I said "what" in the tone that says, "you should be sleeping!" And this was her sweet sentiment......
"Mom, dance class was awesome!"
I love this happy girl!

Crazy Hair Day

This is my DAD!

This is my SON!

Crazy similar huh?