BUNNY

There is a VERY important member of our family named Bunny.
None of us can quite remember how and when bunny came to the family. But we all remember the YEARS Camille has LOVED Bunny.

When she was little, she said her 3 favorite things in the world were:

1. Sucking her thumb (Luckily that stage has passed)

2. Her daddy (Luckily for her daddy that stage is still alive and well)

3. Bunny

Bunny has been EVERYWHERE with us. Bunny has cruised the Caribbean, gone to Disneyland more than most children and has been on every family vacation, except one. That time we forgot Bunny and Camille cried and cried and cried.

One time at Disneyland, the girls got into a tug-of-war with Bunny's ear. I was upstairs in my brother's hotel room and heard a scream like I had NEVER heard. I thought one of the girls was seriously injured. Nope they were just fine. But Bunny suffered a broken ear. Camille had Bunny in one hand and Abby had Bunny's ear in the other.

Bunny has been lost, only to be found in the pantry behind the cereal. I think that had "big brother" written all over it.

Bunny has been to the dentist, doctor and hospital.

Bunny has been a loyal and true friend through the years.

Bunny has been loved SO much that Bunny, who used to be white is now permanently gray.

Bunny has been in HUNDREDS of family photos.

Bunny has travelled everywhere Camille has gone in 8 years.

So imagine the horror last night when she came downstairs with "AN EMERGENCY!" Bunny's ear broke off AGAIN. This time it was not due to a tug-of-war. I think it was due to old age.

Luckily, Camille realized that Bunny needed surgery and would be healed soon. Few tears were shed and fears were calmed.

FALL UPDATE

Busy last couple of weeks!

Strep throat has hit our house hard. I think I had it, gave it to Camille and it has been passed around like The Old Maid in a card game. Hopefully it is gone!

We are getting a new Japanese student later this month. We are all really excited about our student coming for a week at the end of October.

BYU stinks this year. It is fun to watch Daren during the games--arms folded, face is red, sudden yelling outbursts. I can't help but laugh!

I am loving watching all of our fall shows--SURVIVOR, AMAZING RACE, THE BIGGEST LOSER, THE OFFICE and Camille's new favorite-DANCING WITH THE STARS. Thank goodness for TIVO!

My high school reunion is coming up in a couple of weeks. Can't believe it has been 20 years!

Last but not least...

LOVED watching General Conference last weekend! We were able to attend the Saturday morning session when they announced the Lisbon Portugal temple. It was a sweet experience watching Daren be SO excited that a temple was going to be built in Lisbon where he served as a missionary MANY, MANY years ago. I think deep down he has always wanted to go visit Portugal but it hasn't been on my list of top places to visit. Ever since he told me the entire country smells like a mixture of coffee and urine, it hasn't quite made the cut for me. Then when they announced this new temple in Lisbon, I thought it would be so fun to go there with him someday. But, first we are dying to go to Japan to see our wonderful Japanese friends.

Oh, all these trips!

FALL

Fall in Utah is in full swing. Football, school, leaves changing and...

PEACHES!!
There's nothing better than FRESH UTAH PEACHES!! In fact, since Sunday we have had: Peach crepes, peach crisp, fresh peaches, canned peaches, peaches and cream, frozen peaches and peach smoothies. The only thing missing is peach pie, which a certain sister-in-law needs to show me how to make her famous pies one of these days!

Thanks to my awesome friend, I bottled 2 more cases of peaches. I love being able to enjoy peaches all year long!

10 FEET

There are 10 feet that live in my house.

Each of us have a pair.

2 of the feet or 1/5 are broken.

2 right ones to be exact.

We are getting to be really good friends with the Podiatrist.

The latest break was by this cute little girl playing soccer.

She has to have this shoe on for a few weeks.

And this little shoe is SO CUTE!! I love how little it is!

PIANO DIVA

I love to play the piano. I am so glad that I know how to play. I love that Daren knows how to play it. I hope I have enough strength in me to get the kids to know how to play it. Because 2 out of the 3 are killing me.

Tanner has taken lessons for years but the girls started piano lessons last week. At their lesson this week (by the way, one girl had to be FORCED into practicing and the other woke up early on her own to practice without being asked) I had to bite my tongue trying to not laugh at one of them.

Teacher: You need to curve your fingers and wrists a little bit.

Girl: Like how? Cause it really hurts when I do that.

Teacher: Well stand up and pretend like you are dead. Hold out your hands. Do you see how your hands naturally curve down? Well try that on the piano.

Girl: It hurts! Where are the arm rests for the piano cause I can't hold them up!

Me: Dying of embarassment in the corner-thinking to myself CURVE YOUR HANDS!! Do you know how expensive this teacher is? You are wasting time!

Teacher: Aren't you a dancer? Shouldn't you be able to hold your hands in this position?

Girl: Yeah but I just really need an arm rest. Does your piano have one?

Who does she think she is?

A Piano Diva????

NEW HEIGHTS

For nearly 2 DECADES, I have looked at the 'Y' on the mountain and wondered what the view was like from up there. I wondered what the 'Y' was made of and how they made it.

Well today, I can cross that item off my Bucket List and wonder no more. Daren and I took the girls (and 2 neighbor kids) with us to hike the 'Y.' It was more fun that I thought it would be. It is over 6,400 ft. above sea level so I was breathing pretty hard but we all did it!

It was the perfect day...65 degrees and nothing but blue skies!

This is an old picture and there isn't any snow...not yet

View from the Trailhead

Made it to the top of the 'Y'

Totally freaked out cause I am afraid of heights.

Thought I was gonna pee my pants cause I was so nervous!

View from the top

View of the stadium

Next goal...Timp Caves

THE START OF FALL...

ALWAYS begins the same way.

The weather gets cool

The leaves start to change colors

AND

BYU FOOTBALL starts!

Today was the first home game. For 3 years now, we have always started the season with this group of friends:

Dallas '09

We were all in the same ward in Las Vegas and became fast friends due to each husband's LOVE of Cougar Blue. We have SO much fun with this group! We laugh SO hard each time we are together that my stomach and side hurts.

We usually go to an away game together. However, this year due to different circumstances it didn't happen. Instead the 3 of us that live in Utah and Northern Nevada went to the game (sans Pam) and the 2 Las Vegas couples watched the game in Vegas and went out to dinner. Yet the entire night we all kept texting each other!

(Sorry Jeff and Pam...I forgot to take a picture at the restaurant. I was too busy chasing L. Tom Perry with Abby.)

Amy's lucky shirt. BYU has NEVER lost when she wears it.

Another sign of the start of fall is my husband getting the flag ready to fly. It is fun to drive down my street on a Saturday in the fall and see the mostly blue flags and those silly red Ute flags!

It has become a joke with our group of friends that each game we go to, I always see someone famous. Even though when we went to Seattle, I thought I was taking a picture with the Washington coach but it wasn't him. Oops!

So we were all surprised to see Ty Detmer at the restaurant. And it was the REAL Ty Detmer!

This was Abby's first BYU game. She has been wanting to come for almost a year now.

She was VERY cute. We had to go to the bookstore before the game to get her a BYU shirt.

BEST PART....we won the first game.