Harvest Season

This year our family discovered a really neat place called the U-Pick Red Barn. A couple of local boys began a small scale farm by growing crops of corn, pumpkins, squash, watermelons. They named the place The U Pick Red Barn because they allow customers to come any time of day or night to pick the produce that they want and then use the honor system to pay for what they've taken! Pretty brave, but it seems to be working out pretty well for them. I'm always so impressed at how many decent people there really are left in this world!

We decided we would go check it out the Saturday before Halloween. Along with getting to pick out some really nice Halloween pumpkins, there were other fun activities available for children (and adults) to participate in. Abby was able to ride on a cute little train, find her way through a maze, and enjoy lots of fun displays of Jack-O-Lanterns and HUGE pumpkins! We enjoyed the unusually warm weather, laughing with Aunt Sam and Uncle Brady in tow, and spending time in the crisp Autumn air!

Hope you enjoy some of the fun with us!

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Say "What?" - Part 2

Couple more funny things Abby has said recently:

Last week, for no explicable reason, our turntable plate broke into several pieces while I was cooking in the microwave. I had done some research online to buy a new one, but decided to check out the local Sears before having to wait for one to be shipped. As Abby and I walked around the appliance section, she asked, "Mommy, what are we doing in this store?" I replied, "We're looking for a glass plate."

"Kind of like my Mormon book, right?" she asked. Truthfully, I was only half listening, but I caught something about Mormon, so I inquired back, "What about Mormon, honey?"

"You know, like those guys with the glass plates."

Apparently, she DID hear more than just the part about Nephi killing Laban!!


As a pre-curser to this next comment, I need to mention that we recently purchased a Tinkerbell movie for Abby. We realized she has watched it too many times already when she started quoting one of Tinkerbell's lines. The scenario goes like this:

Abby's daddy was getting after herfor misbehaving, but couldn't stay mad when her response was simply,

"Don't you judge me!" (Tink says this in the movie to a couple of trolls who tell her she isn't very nice.)

Anyone else get the distinct impression that Nathan and I are in for quite a ride with this kid??!!

SAY WHAT?!

A couple of Monday nights ago, Aunt Sam and Uncle Brady joined us for a Family Home Evening (that basically consisted of them babysitting for us while Nate and I played volleyball). We managed to squeeze in a "lesson," of sorts, between dinner and v-ball by reading a chapter from Abby's B.O.M. Reader (really condensed version of the Book of Mormon with pictures). We happened to be reading the story of when Nephi and his brothers were sent back to Jerusalem to retrieve the Brass plates. I don't know about you, but I don't think it would be very easy to explain to a 3 yr. old the justifying of Laban being killed, therefore, I tried to hurry past that section and not draw a lot of attention to it. At the end of each "chapter" we read with Abby, we like to discuss what the most obvious lesson could have been. On this particular night, I mentioned that we could learn from Nephi's experiences that even when we think something might be really difficult to do, if we follow Heavenly Father's commandments and seek for His help, we can accomplish it. Imagine my shock and dismay when a very somber, serious, but sweet and innocent-looking three year old responded in this manner:

"Yea.... and then we have to kill."

I'm pretty sure Aunt Sam almost peed herself from laughing so hard.

I think we may skip the whole "wars and rumors of wars" section in her scripture studies for now.

Missing Grandma

She talks about you all the time and wants to know where you are.....

Abby Gail made this for her Grandma Gail:

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