Thanksgiving Trip to Florida

For a recent report of our Thanksgiving visit to Florida, see my sister Emily's blog (November 2013 - December 2013...she created a number of posts).
http://ernstfamilyfun.blogspot.com/

Fall Outings

Fall in Tennesee is AMAZING!  I think it is what it is supposed to be and it lasts for 3 months and not just a few weeks.  We've had some great outings.  Actually, "we" in this case really means David and the kids.  I am absent from most of the outings due to fatigue!  Here are some of their fun trips.  I get enjoyment out of looking at the photos, hopefully you will, too!

 David took the kids to the races in Bristol.  This really is quite a "cultural" adventure!

 Down by the track.

 A trip to the ATV shop.  I think they went to get a replacement key for our 3-wheeler and ended up staying a while.

 Labor Day at Natural Tunnel State Park in Virginia.  They met other friends and took the Elders up with them.  Great times.

 Beauty Spot--William really liked this view as he expressed his joy and delight at the sight as he got out of the van and "took the Lord's name in vain".  Um, yeah, we are working on that one.  I guess he has been watching too much TV with me!!  Sorry, bud.

 Great friend--Joel with sweet baby Daxton.

 William loved hiking.

 

Mosers hanging out and enjoying the evening.

We've got such great friends and live in such a beautiful area.  I am so grateful for all that we enjoy here.



KK 6

 Katherine's Birthday party with some of her friends.

Yummy cupcakes--purple frosting with pink sprinkles.

 

Katherine is 6!  She is a character.  What a fun little person and lots of spunk to go with it.  She really wanted to have a big party and invite lots of people.  This just really isn't my thing, but she was pretty excited and after putting it off for a while, I finally gave in.  We made invitions for her to take to school and to give to friends on the bus.  We also e-mailed and called a few of her friends from church.  Well, luck was on my side when she forgot to pass out the inviations at school--they just sat in her backpack for a few days!!  So it ended up just being a small group and a perfect little party.  She got a darling crochted hat from a friend--which she LOVES and is ticked that they aren't allowed to wear hats at school.  She also got a craft set that has kept her, Peter, and Grace busy for hours.  Also, some stuffed animals to add to her collection and some used library books from Mom (not too excited about these!).  She is a really fun little girl.  We love having you in our family, Katherine!

PERFECT!

Here is Peter at his baptism.  What a great person.  He was excited and happy to finally be able to be baptized. He adds a lot of energy and enthusiam to anything that we do.  He is very good at keeping his things organized and is a whiz at school.  It is also really fun to watch him make touchdowns and grab flags at his flag football games.  We are happy and blessed to have him in our family.

Bed Rest

I have put myself on bed rest!  These last few weeks have been so exhausting and painful.  I just lay around all day and watch movies, or sit at the computer--basically, William, Clark, and I have become major COUCH POTATOES.

We've certainly racked up the Netflix hours.  Here are some of my opinions on different shows.

Veggie Tales--really enjoy the witty plots and clever, fun songs.  FIVE stars!

Calliou--HALF a STAR.  I can hardly stand to watch this one.  The sappy voices and story lines are just too much for me.  AND the music is annoying.

Authur--I've always liked Arthur--the books, artwork, and videos are great.  FOUR stars!

Little Bear--this is OK.  Cute animals.  THREE  stars.

My Little Pony--for some reason William really likes these.  Kind of annoying, but OK since they keep him quiet while I blog!  THREE stars.

Monk--this is a great TV series about an OCD detective that works for the police department in San Fran.  Some great characters.  Unfortunately, we can't seem to find this anymore.  It just seemed is disappear from Netflix--does anyone know why?  This is also the series where William has picked up swearing--so maybe that's why it has mysteriously vanished. I think we need to invest in something that blocks language!  FOUR STARS.

America--The Story of Us--this is on the History Channel and has been incredible.  It starts with the the early settlers of Jamestown and the Pilgrims and moves through the Revolutionary, Civil and World Wars.  It is amazing to see how transportation has really changed our lives.  I have really enjoyed watching these.  FIVE STARS--I am almost through with this series and wish that there were more!

Call the Midwife--nurses in England in the 40's?? that deliver babies--mostly in sad conditions.  This was TOO much for me in my current state.  I could only watch one of these and that was enough.

What are some of your recommendations for movies, TV shows, and also books.  I want to get several books down-loaded on David's kindle to take to the hospital--What are some of your suggestions?

I take this couch potato stuff seriously and would LOVE recommendations.  We also have BYUtv--have you watched any good forums or devotionals?  I mean they are all "good" but any that really stand out?
Thanks for helping me out!

Run Like the Wind

Eastman Road Race - 3K

 Michael, Eliza, Parker, David, and Grace (not pictured) ready to run the Eastman Road Race

Eliza in the blue shirt...she beat all of us

 

Almost there! David cheers Michael on.
 

Peter ready to race.
 

William hitting the "runner's wall"!

Northeast State Honors 5K Glow (night) Run

 

Eliza painting Parker with glow paint

 

 Just back from the night-time "glow run"!

Mud, Sweat, & Cheers 5K Obstacle course
http://www.kingsportphotos.com/Sports/Running/2013-Mud-Sweat-Cheers-Adults
This 5K consisted of running through tires, jumping over barriers, climbing over a rope bridge, jumping over large, round hay bales, climbing a huge hill, and climbing through the mud pit. It was a blast!

David going through the mud at the end - he dove into the mud pit.

 

Right after the 5K - before we cleaned off

With friends from work. David's shirt was white.

 

Cleaning up under the fire hose

 

After cleaning up
 

 Mud, Sweat, and Cheers Run--David, Parker, Michael
Michael got 1st place (out of 1) in his age group in the 1 mile run.
They LOVED this one.

 

 

We've had some fun this fall running around.  Notice that I am absent from all photos.  I did go to the Eastman Run--because they were serving a pre-race pasta dinner!!  David has really gotten the older kids into running with him.  They have had lots of great times and a few sore muscles. 



Eastern Idaho State Fair

There is nothing quite like a day at the fair.  I grew up doing 4-H with our horses and also entered a few cooking and sewing projects.  I loved working at the Prime Steer--our ward booth that sold great burgers and pies.  The highlight had to have been walking around with my siblings and saving our money for the coveted "Grab Bags".  They were $1 and mostly just junk--but it was cool junk and we opened each bag with great anticipation. We would also wander through the buildings and get all of the FREE stuff.  I have wonderful memories of going to the fair.  This year my Dad has a few old tractors that he has had restored that were on display, so we had to go and check them out!  The fair wasn't "officially" open--we were a day early.  It was fun to see a few animals, wander around, and Debbie (my sister) treated us to some nice cold water to combat the heat of the day.  We also stopped at Artic Circle on the way home and checked out some property.  It was fun to spend the day with Debbie, Pieper, Naomi and Dad.

Thank Hugh!

We have the BEST bus driver.  His name is Hugh and he has saved the day more than once.  He often waits for me when I carry a tired, crying child to the bus.  He will even "wait at the corner" if we have missed the bus the first time. Katherine has REALLY struggled with getting up and going to school.  She is doing better now, but barely made it through Kindergarten. Hugh even gives us tickets to the circus!

I will always remember the day last spring when Hugh made my day.  I was not feeling well, being pregnant and had just barely been able to get out of bed and get the kids off to school.  One morning, I managed to get them out the door before the bus was waiting and honking.  Just as I was sitting down, I heard to bus pull up and then someone was back.  I figured that someone forgot their lunch, homework, or maybe KK had lost it.  I did not know if I would be able to handle whatever "crisis" it happened to be. Anyway, to my surprise and delight--it was Grace at the door with a box of Krispy Kream donuts.  Hugh had sent them in.  I gave Grace and hug and told her to thank Hugh.  Then I started bawling and ate three donuts.  It was a great morning.  It feels so good to have such kind people in our life anthat take care of my children and ME, too!

The kids have been back to school for a MONTH now--they started on August 5th.  It is crazy how fast the time has gone.  Here are a few back-to-school pics.  They are all settled in and doing well.

 Peter (3rd grade) and Katherine (1st grade) getting on Hugh's bus.  Headed to Miller Perry.

 Grace (6th grade) and Michael (8th grade) go the Colonial Heights Middle School.  It is close to our house.  David drops them off in the morning and they walk home.  Parker is at Sullivan South High School as a sophmore.  Eliza is a senior.  She missed the first two days of school, because she was at SVU for Zion's Camp--she loved it!

Peter and Katherine ALL smiles--at least for the first day!!

New Cousins

What a great weekend of fun.  I flew home for Blaine and Audrey's wedding.  They are a beautiful couple and so happy together.  I am delighted for both of them.  When I was telling the kids that I would be gone for a while, Peter was excited to learn that Blaine was marrying "that lady" and even more excited that he would get some "new cousins"! 

Heavy, Heavy Hangover

OK, the kids have started their second week of school and I finally feel like things are settling down somewhat.  I am pretty tired, but figured I could handle sitting at the computer and typing a bit of what we have been up to.

I wanted to start with the birthdays from 2013!

 I got spoiled big time--with love, attention, and lots of great presents--I love having birthdays--turning 42 isn't so bad when I get $42!!  We did our traditional heavy, heavy hangover with gifts wrapped in Wal-Mart bags.

 Michael with his donuts--I'm sure he got some fun presents, but all I got was photos of the treats!  He is such a kind, gentle person.  He is so good playing with the little kids.  He's a wonderful teenager--most of the time!  He is now 13.

 Eliza turned 17 and scored some great gifts from family near and far.  She's fun to buy for and is pretty easy to please.  She loves her pink pocket knife and uses it regularly.  She is very capable and fun to be with.

 William turned 4--he had a fun day with his friend Tyler and then a good party with his family.  He is a entertaining little guy. 

 David met me and the little boys to celebrate Clark's 2nd birthday at O'Charleys.  It was a fun lunch.  Clark is a talker and has quite the vocabulary--even some bad words!  He loves to stay up late, but still takes good naps.  He is so precious.  We sure love him.

 We celebrated David's birthday while we were at Myrtle Beach over Memorial Day weekend.   Here are Eliza and David taking off on the para-sail.  They said it was a blast.  David takes such great care of all of us.  The kids are all in bed and he just ran to the grocery store for me.  Thanks!!

 Peter celebrated turning 8 on June 13th.  The photos we got we all interesting, so enjoy a good laugh.  Peter loves the baseball equipment that he got and plays a few times a week with Grace, Parker or Michael.  He has a lot of natural ability and TONS of energy. 

Grace had her 11th birthday on June 24th and celebrated in Kingsport with a big party with her friends.  For some reason, I have NO photos of the only "real" party we had where invitations were sent and activities were planned and carried out.  They swam in the pool, played games, water balloons, and also made chapstick from beeswax, oils, and scents.  They all had a blast.  She is a REAL sweetheart.  She did get to celebrate her birthday in Goblin Valley with her cousin Stephanie, so at least we have that picture!

 

 

 

More still to come.

Katherine in September.

New Baby in October.

Parker in November.

 

Lang Zal Ze Leven!

Tour de Temple

We are so lucky to live "close" to so many temples.  OK, I know that close is a relative term, but we have had some great trips this year.  Our temple, Columbia SC is just under four hours.  Here are some of our memories.
     SLC Temple--the night after they took the lights down--the place was a ghost town.  I have never been there with so few people.  We stopped on our way home to TN.  I took the older kids to do baptisms and David took the littles to look around.  Most memorable event was Parker ripping his Sunday pants to shreds after the temple.  His already too small pants had lost a button, he was sick and pretty miserable.  He said that his choices were to stay in the van in the freezing cold, walk around Temple Square in the freezing cold or go to the temple.  I guess he wanted to be warm.  We also ate at the cafeteria--always a treat.
     Kansas City Temple-- also on the way home.  Quiet day and a nice experience.  David did baptisms with the kids.  I also went in and looked around and did some initiatories.  The temple is beautiful--is has the same lay-out and general feel as the Brigham City Temple.
     Orlando, Florida--David traveled their for work.  He said the grounds and location were amazing.
     St. Louis, Missouri--Another travel trip for David--Eastman just bought a company that is just minutes from the temple--he been their a few times for work.
     Columbia, SC--Eliza, Parker, and Michael--youth temple trip.  They drove down with their friends and all reported that it is much more fun to go with their friends than us!!
     Nashville, TN--David had some church training, so me and the littles joined him.  We stayed at our favorite La Quinta, swam, temple, and Ed Venture Museum.  The memorable part of that was me taking the little ones to the museum and getting asked if I was single, along with a friendly fellow's business card--awkward!  We would still have yet another encounter--on the way out I was dragging KK  from the gift shop (major fit wanting something), William was running through the parking lot headed for a busy street, Grace was carrying Clark and Peter was trying to catch up to William--the friendly fellow cut William off before he headed to the street--and of course that sent William into hysterics. He helped me corral them all to the van.  After this heroic effort he invited us to the library!?  Oh, and somewhere in all of this mess, Clark threw up and his extra clothes got left at the hotel--never to be seen again.  David's training with Elder Oaks was very up-lifting and spiritual. :)
     Columbia, SC--Good Friday Stake Temple Day.  David had work off, so we went to stay with great friend April.  Great bed and breakfast.  Easter egg hunt with empty eggs--fun without too much crying.  A yummy picnic, thanks to April and beautiful spring weather.

Looking forward to some more temple trips across the world.
What are some of your favorite temple memories?  Where have you traveled?  Where will you go--are you visiting any new temples?
    








Grandpa Cannon

Over the holidays we played some fun games. At Richard and Lorie's house we played "Imaginiff". The question was "Imagine if... you were at a fancy resturant, who would be mostly likely (from those playing the game) to take a bite of food from everyone's plate?" I think we ALL voted for my Dad. After we got home, I was looking through our pictures and I found these gems that document what we have all experienced!

"Hummm..Katherine seems to have a pretty good grip on her ice cream..."

"Maybe I can get a taste from Peter..."

"If i can just go in nice and easy..."

Going in the the kill!

Katherine celebrates, but little does she know that she is next!

Thanks for the great lunch, Grandpa!  We love you!