Bill and Karlette had some fun date nights in September. One morning on Q-92 we won 4 tickets to the Demolition Derby, so we took Dani and David when they came to visit on September 6th. This was a first for Bill and I, and I’ll admit I liked it better than I expected. It can be rather entertaining to watch cars smash into one another when no one is getting hurt or being ticketed. Danielle has been a big fan for the past two years, so she was thrilled to be able to go with us. That same morning, in addition to the Demolition Derby tickets, we won a $25 gift card to a new Indian restaurant (Tandoori Oven) and 2 tickets to the barbershop quartet musical “Forever Plaid.” We enjoyed this date on September 25th, and found the food to be quite excellent—a nice change from traditional American food. Earlier this summer we won two ½-day passes to the Celebration Centre amusement park in Nibley, so on September 13th we enjoyed trying out the exhilarating “Sonic Boom,” Screaming Swing,” and “Sky Sling.” We also had a blast racing each other on go-carts (something we liked to do on dates before we were married) and playing a round of miniature golf. After our first ride we discovered that the park is changing ownership (Renegade Sports) and closing its doors after that night, so we were glad we didn’t delay our date.
Aggie Family Day on the USU quad was a hit, as always. The little kids loved playing carnival games at all the booths, making “slime,” riding the hay ride, and eating free Aggie Ice Cream. We also attended the Millville school carnival where Annika and Alec enjoyed the activities and treats, Shaelee helped run booths with her friends, and Bill and I enjoyed a night of not having to cook dinner (Domino’s pizza-yeah!).
August 31st we got a new orange kitten with white paws and blue eyes. We've named him Mustang (since he’s MC’s colors). He gets lots of attention, and tries to sneak in the house when no one is looking.
One day Shaelee, Annika, and Alec got created and decided to build a house out the PVC pipes and old sheets. They slept in it for two nights
We raised 7 Monarch caterpillars these past couple of weeks. Bill built a Plexiglas house for them, which was really cool because we could watch them up close. Bill started this when he was young and has carried on the tradition with our kids. It’s something they look forward every fall.Danielle is enjoying married life and her second year at Snow in Ephraim. Her major is vocal education. David is looking at nursing school possibilities for next year, so they’re not quite sure where they’ll be a year from now. They love their married student ward and cute three bedroom apartment. We look forward to having them visit next week over fall break.
Jamie has been working two jobs since July. She works weekends at Stadium 8 Theater and then she works at Discovery Research (doing business phone surveys) Mondays through Wednesdays from 3:30 until about 8:00. Jamie doesn’t have much time for play, but she still manages to watch her fair share of movies and DVDs. She is taking a painting class at MC this fall, and her teacher says she is quite creative. She continues to be passionate about playing the piano and composing music.
Jaden is the busiest person in our family right now. MC Marching Band consumes most of his time and energy in the summer and fall, but he LOVES it. He is participating in seven band competitions during a five-week period, which ends with a regional competition at UNLV in Vegas on October 24th. He has many good friends over the past few months, and finds the long hours of practice and competition tiring but rewarding. Bill and I helped host a visiting band at the Bridgerland Band Invitational on the September 27th. It was interesting to see so many different bands perform, but we found Mountain Crest to be the most talented, of course. 
Shaelee loves the new independence that middle school brings. She seems to be growing up much too fast. We were worried that she wouldn’t be able to get up and out of the house by 6:55 each morning, but she hasn’t missed the bus once, and she even insists on fixing her own breakfast. Shaelee has a huge group of friends her age in our ward, so she’s always coming up with social activities for the group. On her day off from school for parent-teacher conference, she and her friends went miniature golfing in the afternoon and to a corn maze late that night, with a Daddy-daughter date at the church in between. Shaelee loves her cooking/sewing class this term and we all benefit from her having to log ten hours of cooking this trimester. She’s getting to be a good cook, and seems to enjoy making sweet treats for her family.
Annika got to milk a cow for the first time while on a field trip to the American West Heritage Center this month. She likes to ride her bike to school every day and she loves her teacher, Mrs. Rich (known as the candy queen). Annika began taking piano lessons (with Shaelee) from a new piano teacher in Providence named Lisa Johnson. She enjoys playing and still loves to sing every chance she gets. Annika loved taking part in her first pirate-themed “Daddy Daughter” date at the church. She is very affectionate and often tells Bill and me that we are the “best mommy and daddy in the world.” She misses Cosy terribly now that she has moved to Washington, but she likes to write letters to her and call her on the phone.
Alec was very excited to start preschool this year. Even though he is not too excited about his daily “homework,” he enjoys finding action figures, guns, shields, and other toys to take for show-and-tell each time. Alec loves following his daddy around the house and yard, and he especially enjoys helping him irrigate. Having a four-year-old is such fun (until I try to take him shopping), and I know Danielle misses him terribly. One of Alec’s few vices is that he hates to go to bed at night and is usually the last one to bed, if he can help it. He just can’t stand to miss out on any of the action. 
Annika and Alec enthusiastically helped me put up the Halloween decorations yesterday and they can’t wait to pull out the costume boxes. We hope you’re all enjoying the fall as much as we are!
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