Turtle Update (Because you're dying to know...)

Good news for Penny, the traveling turtle!  She's lined up to help earn 5 more reptile merit badges.  Congratulations to Penny...we won't have to worry about her until May...but hoping the list continues to grow.  It's our personal mission to make sure Penny doesn't have to come back home...help every boy in the Great Salt Lake Council earn their reptile merit badge.  

Hallo-week!

Costume prep, carving pumpkins, school parties, neighborhood parties, school presentations...Sometimes it seems like Hallo-week instead of Halloween!

Gypsie Joie ready for ballet.  They got to go dressed up this week.  She also had a school party the next day.

The Board of Directors for Banchee Boo Camp...Jeran's groups presentation at school

Board of Directors surrounding Banchee Boo Camp Mascott, King Boo.

Close up of King Boo enjoying a lollipop.

Then pumpkin carving.

And more carving...

Nate hard at work

(Hair sprayed black for the school dance later that night.)

Super creative!  Good job, Joie.

Megan and her Cyclops jack-o-lantern both on the phone.

Nate went to the school Halloween dance Friday night.  

Funny, funny side story:  Jeran went the same night with a friend to a haunted house.  Megan chickened out and didn't go.  It turns out she would have been the only girl anyway.  Jeran's friend's mom took them for frozen yogurt instead.  She said she sat away from them, reading her book.  Jeran and company were in line behind 3 girls.  She noticed them checking out the girls and whispering about them.  The boys were trying to decide on pick-up lines.  Being novice 12 year olds, they went with one Jeran had seen on an iPod app.  "If you were a booger, I'd pick you first," Jeran blurted out the pick-up line (loudly enough that the friend's mom and everyone else in Frogurt heard).  When the friend's mom told me later that night, she was laughing so hard she could hardly talk.  As soon as we drove away from the friend's house, Megan said, "I'm deleting that app from your iPod!"  Good thing she's looking out for him.

Ready for trick-or-treating?  

Gypsie Joie; Boy Scout Megan...who really does scout for boys; Confused BY-Ute fan Jeran; Ghoul Nate...who sat outside and scared youngsters...and a cat. 

Tim has always had fun with clown costumes.  He used to drive home from work wearing a clown nose to see how many people would look at him while he was driving.

Tim ready to go out trick-or-treating with Joie and her friend, Emily.  They wanted to make sure Tim didn't "hang out" with them.  He told them not to worry, that he'd just follow them from a distance and keep an eye on them. Immediately Joie said, "Dad!  That's stalking!"  Joie and her friend can now say they were stalked all evening by a middle-aged guy in a clown costume.

They're all busy now counting candy...

Too much chocolate will make you sick!  Give your chocolate to Mom and Dad!

Pet Rotation: The Latest in Creative Pet Care

If pets were children, we wouldn't be allowed to adopt.  Let's just say we've gotten kind of creative with pet care.

I'm not sure if any of you remember Dollar and Penny (a.k.a. 50 Cents), our pet turtles.  Following the saga of acquiring and homing the turtles, our attempt at reptile care was fairly uneventful.

...Except for the weekly monthly episodes of changing the water and cleaning the tank, and cleaning the filter several times a week...and feeding, and unclogging the filter, and changing bulbs, and turning on and off lights...  And all the above were much larger tasks than it would seem because of the amount of work it took to convince the boys pet owners that they needed to care for the their  pet reptile.

No it wasn't a big deal at all.  In fact, it was going so well, we decided we could share the joy.

We were in luck.  A neighbor friend wanted the turtle.  Then the friend's mom had the wonderful idea that all the boys in the scout troop should earn their reptile merit badge, something which required the turtle to stay at each boy's house for 30 days.  


It was a proud moment at the most recent Court of Honor when the list of reptile merit badges was read off.  We knew we had contributed in some small way to the success of Troop 915.

It's been over six months since I last saw Penny, and I'd almost forgotten about her.  Then today a mother of one of the boys asked me, "Did the turtle originate at your house?"  


I was tempted to say, "No," but I didn't.  I was quick to add, "But it's ok if it just keeps traveling."


She laughed, then told me about how eager the previous family was to pass the turtle on to her.  Apparently the creative pet care gene is spreading.

Anyone know of another young scout eager to earn a reptile merit badge?  In about 30 days, Penny will be ready to move again.

Our Unknown Future

Since we adopted Megan, Tim and I have talked off and on about adopting again.  It seemed like it was never the right time.  Once or twice it almost worked out, but then not.

Then Joie came into our family, and at times we'd continue to say, "Someday...when things settle down."  Other times we'd say, "No, this is it.  Our plate is full."

Through the summer the subject came up again.  Then again, and again.  Then I kept having dreams I was pregnant.  (Without a lot of boring details, let's just say that would be impossible.)  Then dreams that someone was giving me another child.

We talked some more.  Yes.  Definitely.  We'll do it.  No.  Not now.  Maybe now?  Domestic adoption.  No, international adoption.  No, definitely domestic...  So many children right here in the US need families.

Then one day I got an email from an international adoption agency I've had contact with previously.  It was their newsletter email.  I clicked on the "waiting child" option.  A map of the world came up.  Africa...Southeast Asia...Latin America...Korea...US.  US?  For an international adoption agency?  I clicked on the map of the US.  One lone photo popped up on the screen.

Girl from India...  Nine years old...  In need of a second home...  Needs a family that understands grief, loss, and trauma.  I don't remember what else I read.  I emailed the agency and got a quick response.  We can't tell you anything until you have a home study and complete an application.


Tim and I talked, and I made a few phone calls to find out about completing a home study, but we wanted more information before proceeding.

Then another email.  This time from someone at the agency who was interested in helping us get more information so we could make a decision.

Long story short we're completing a home study, which could be finished in a few weeks.  When it's finished we can adopt.

Like all adoptions, it isn't over until it's over.  So many things could go wrong in the process.

If it doesn't work out, we start looking again.

If it works out we could have child #5 in our home by Thanksgiving...or Christmas...or not.  Like adoptions, timelines for adoption are also uncertain.

Our future is unknown, but we're excited about the possibilities.

And if not, we move on.  We've been here enough times to know we can hope but must also prepare for disappointment.

Here's to hope.  And to entering the unknown.

Fall Break

Esther and Phil (my sister and her husband) were here from Colorado with the cousins, and we couldn't wait to get to Juniper to spend part of their fall break with them!  We only had a few days together but of course we packed a week's worth of fun into those days.

Cookout to celebrate Ross's #3 birthday.

(Ross is my nephew...Ben & Melissa's youngest.)

Entertainment by Phil around the campfire.

(I love Nate's smile.)

The exhausted birthday boy feel asleep.

...before he could open presents and blow out candles.

The next day we hiked the War Eagle Peak Trail 

(Black Pine Mountain).

Near the end.

Smiles are looking a little forced...but they're still smiling!

Taking a break.

This tree had fallen over the trail!  

What a view!  

Amazing that we can see the Great Salt Lake (far background) from Idaho.

Nothing like a view from the top.

(Angie, Chris & Jose's oldest)

Becky & Sydney...love that toothless grin!

Me with the girls...Jeran wasn't posing.

What would a blog post be without a camera story?  While we were still on the mountain, my batteries died.  I missed getting the rest of our evening on camera.  Bummer, because it was FUN! 

When we were younger, my mom used to make spudnuts with us on Halloween and we would deliver them to neighbors.  Megan recently learned to make spudnuts, and we were just keeping the tradition alive.  

After dinner and spudnuts we had a (VERY!) late night drive.

Back home.

The reason?

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration...Tim's work) did something they haven't done for a long time.  Today "they" invited families for a barbecue and tour of the facility.  In the almost10 years that Tim has worked there, we've never been allowed past the front gate. 

Ready for another camera story?

Upon arriving at the front gate we were told to leave 

all cell phones and cameras in the car...

Because what happens at the FAA is

Bummer...But we can tell you that Tim's work does exist!

We still have one day of Fall Break left.  Any ideas for Monday?