Kate, Kate, Kate

Kate's classmates were learning how to compose poetry last week. They voted to write a poem together using Kate as their subject. She was tickled pink! Here's the finished product:

Kate,
Kate,
Kate,
Happy Kate,
Sad Kate,
Little, smily, cute Kate,
Short, thin, quick Kate,
Those are just a few.

Smart Kate,
Funny Kate,
Mad, glad, rad Kate,
Enthusiastic, energetic, excited Kate,
Nice Kate, too.

Cool Kate,
Awesome Kate,
Don't forget Great Kate.
Last of all, best of all
I like friendly Kate!

I whole-heartedly agree with all of the above and greatly appreciate her classmates for writing such sweet sentiments about her.

A Surprise Visit!

We had a wonderful surprise today. My Grandma and Grandpa Rose came for a short visit. They were bringing a few head of cattle to the sale over here in Rupert, and were able to stop in for about an hour. We had such a wonderful visit! They are so dear, and such wonderful examples. Everything about their life revolves around their love for each other and their love for their family. Grandpa was even reciting the names of all the great-grandchildren on his way to Rupert today, just so he can call them all by name at Thanksgiving. I don't know how they manage to make each and every member of their posterity (including in-laws) feel cherished and special, but they do. They are truly amazing people and I'm so blessed to call them my grandparents.

On a side note: The minute Jack heard they were coming he made sure he put on his cowboy boots and cowboy hat. He wanted to give Grandpa a proper welcome! He was in awe of the truck and trailer, too!!!

Straw Maze Fun

We spent a fun night as a family at the local straw maze. It's pretty elaborate and the kids had a fabulous time! I LOVE Autumn!!

A BIG thank you to Kara Peterson for her sweet, thoughtful gesture of taking the kids' pictures while we were visiting Cindy and DJ and family. She is a miracle worker! We were all a capital M - Mess that day... but she managed to capture the kids' "adorable-ness" anyway. Thanks, Kara! You're the best...

Our New Neighbors

We have new neighbors! They come from Colorado (and before that, Wyoming. ** put your hand over your heart, DJ **). They have 5 kids. 2 girls, ages 10 and 8 and 3 boys, ages 1, 4, and 6. Needless to say, Kate and Jack are in pure heaven with so many fun playmates just next door. They're a great family and we're so happy they're our neighbors.

Saturday, after spending the morning doing a Stake Road Clean-up Project, we came home to do a cleaning project at the Wilson house! Kate's friends were kind enough to volunteer to help her, so with the help of some "Annie" music (think, "we love you Miss Hannigan!") and a bunch of rags and towels tied to their feet, Kate, Sadie, Sole, and Melissa helped clean and dust our house from top to bottom! As a reward we made and decorated Halloween cookies and then put up Halloween decorations. What a fun and exhausting day!

Sorry Ladies, He's Taken

It's official... I truly have the greatest husband EVER. Yesterday I was teaching voice and heard a knock at the door. These were on the other side! I'm incredibly blessed to have such a man in my life.

Addendum to the Sewing Post

My Aunt Christie's comment on my skirt post reminded me that I had intended to do an entire post on the fun, fun visit I had from Christie, Nancy (another aunt), and my amazing Grandma Rose the first day of school. I can't believe I forgot to post about it!

As I mentioned in that earlier post, The Gathering Place is an incredible little gem of a quilt shop situated on the historic Rupert Square just a few block from my house. It's one of the best quilt shops in the west. You can't believe how much incredible fabric and how many projects and patterns there are to choose from. Addictive .... very, very addictive -- and dangerous!

Christie has been to The Gathering Place before, but not for a while. So she and Nancy had been saying for a long time that they needed to make a trip to Rupert to check it out! Happily, they found a day that worked for them both, and they brought Grandma Rose along for the ride. These three women have so many thousands of hours behind a sewing machine, it's staggering. So it was such a pleasure and an inspiration to wander the store with them and listen to their comments on and experiences with different types of fabrics. They have made everything from clothes, to quilts, to dolls and everything in between. They know fabric!!!! Grandma and I had so much fun wandering the store looking at all the projects and ideas all over the store. She even helped me find the perfect fabric for Kate's brown and orange skirt.

Wisely, the store has a toy room, so Jack was thoroughly entertained and even disappointed to leave after a couple of hours!

After shopping, we had a delicious lunch at Henry's (also on the square). Thanks for lunch, Chris! Jack had the best time being showered with attention! He loved spending time with the aunts and Great-Grandma. It was really, truly a perfect day -- I hope it happens again very soon (hint-hint)!