December 2016.

We were all excited to turn our calendar to December.  Our '25 Days of Christmas' count down activities are always highly anticipated.  In fact, McCoy and I made a countdown-to-December-1st-chain clear back at the end of August, that hung down our hallway...which was eagerly made shorter and shorter through the Fall months.

Of course, playing in new fallen leaves is always a December highlight...

as is making Gingerbread Houses...can't you tell by Maisy's face?!

Ha!  But, don't let her fool ya, she was just trying her best to be patient waiting her turn for the frosting glue.

We also colored our own wrapping paper...to go with our Made in the USA themed gifts for our

annual Castle Family Christmas Party.

Here are a few of the closeups of the kids' creativity:

The weather got chilly.

Some of us attended The live Nativity and Christmas in the Canyon at Tuacahn with the Castle crew.  Maisy and I hung out at Grandma and Grandpa Olives, as I was still fighting the bug from hockey sticks...which has still not completely made its way out.  On Thanksgiving Day I came down with a fever and chills...which turned into my yearly tight chest trouble...which turned into the tightest most painful chest ever...which made me crawl to the doctor for a round of antibiotics (first time in over 14 years) which helped a little...but not a lot.  Long story short: After 2 visits to regular doctor and 5 visits to alternative doctors...and tons of research and study and remedies and blah blah blah...

I am still trying to figure out what the devil is causing my crazy morning tight chest coughing episodes...and my frequent low grade fevers and chills.  It's been a wild goose chase, but we have learned a lot and well, if you pray for patience....

sigh.

But these guys had a great time.

The pretty little marigolds bow to Jack Frost.

The sidewalk has leaf tattoos all over it.

Myra was asked to sing a solo in the Stake Youth Choir concert.  Grandma Olive helped her practice with the accompaniment.  On the night of the concert Myra did fabulous.  Didn't even seem a bit nervous and hit the high notes like a little song bird.  

More leaf play.  The deserts rendition of snow.

We had our annual Olive Family Caroling Party.

Which was loads of fun, as always.  Except that we dearly missed Spencer and Rene...and Missy and Oliver and Samantha!  

Our Christmas Eve celebration with new {wild} pajamas...

the placing of the star...

our name drawing gift exchange, a Christmas Eve feast, gifts to Jesus and

Bryan reading to us.

On Christmas Day: the annual kids-wake-us-up-at-the-crack, Myra read to us, then with our bells...we rang in Christmas morning.

Their excitement can hardly be contained... :)

And then, just like that, a huge mess...happy faces...and noise.  Myra decided she wants to play the trumpet in the High School band.  She has been practicing on Bryan's old (actually his Dad's old) trumpet...and has gotten pretty good.  She got a shiny new instrument...and now she's really cookin'.

It was a lovely morning.

And I love it when Christmas Day is on a Sunday.  I think it adds the perfect touch to such a wonderful holiday!  Myra didn't quite reach her goal for finishing her Personal Progress by her 14th Birthday.  But, she was close.  So she worked really hard and on Christmas Day our Bishop presented her medallion to her.  What a wonderful Christmas gift!

And then we celebrated with the Castle Family.  So many fun Made in the USA gifts.  Some of the memorable ones were:  Duct Tape, Spam, local honey, Slinky's and Gummy Bears.

And then, because of her parents bad planning, Maisy has a birthday 5 days later.  Bryan and I figure that when it is just the two littles at home (because McCoy's birthday is one week following Maisys) we will take them for a fun trip instead of more presents.  

But for now, she isn't complaining.

And was thrilled about receiving hair for her birthday.

And another doll from her big sister.

Four years old, my baby.  She is pulling so hard on those mama heart-strings.  Unbelievable how the years march by.  I will blink and she will be 14.  Which will make her big sister 24 and I can't even...

Just trying to get my fill of them now.  And tucking away memory after memory for future days.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Maisy Grace!

I don't know what I would ever do without your spunk and zest for life!

With blessings unmeasured, my cup runneth over.

All in a Months Time.

Happy September...ending!

Life keeps on ticking' and every week I think I will make time to sit here and update Our Family Wagon...and then another week starts (and ends) and finally here I am, documenting September in its entirety in one full swoop.  Unfortunately, when I do it this way some of the details fall through the cracks of my memory...but I am going to attempt to bring this little spot up to speed.  

As I upload all the photos from my camera, there is proof that I have been mighty neglectful of documenting our lives lately.  To say it another way... this post will be word heavy.   Surely the Fall season will bring me the much needed inspiration to get back into the swing...but I thought the heat of the summer would do the same, so I am making no promises.  Just trying to keep my feet underneath me...one day at a time.

Okay, September...here goes somethin':

The kids, too anxious to wait for them to fully ripen, have been downing the pomegranates.  I love when its pomegranate season because there is ALWAYS an easy and guilt-free answer to the relentless "what can I eat, mom?" 

This picture was taken early in the month...and by now the poms are all turning ruby red and delicious.

And then there's the pears.  We had a super harvest this season...in fact, the girls gathered and brought all the pears in just this morning.  My mom makes the tastiest pear leather that we all love...and so that is what we plan to do with these gems.

Such a perfect pair of pears. ;)

As I suspected we would, Bryan and I caved and planted some fall veggies.  

Yet, a very modest fall garden it is.  We only planted green beans, broccoli, carrots, spinach and kale...and just a small row of each.  Those along with our pepper patch and one volunteer squash plant...are the entire extent of our garden this fall.  And, truth be told,  I am very pleased with that.

Here is Maisy helping on planting day...Labor day weekend.

And here are the bean plants today.  Growing ever so nicely in the cooling temperatures.

Maisy's fuzzy lined boots in the above photos have been her footwear of choice for the past two months.  I know, it makes me sweat thinking about it, too.  But...if I have learned anything from being a mother for the past nearly 14 years it is to pick my battles, wisely.  And that is one battle that I just don't feel the urge to pick.  

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, Maisy and McCoy were outside playing while I helped Myra and Myles finish up their school work.  All of a sudden, Maisy started screaming and McCoy came bolting in the door saying that Maisy had been stung by a scorpion.  Maisy came running in crying that a scorpion was in her boot and scratching her.  I yanked the boot off, in record speed, but saw nothing.  Maisy clutched her ankle and I took a deeper look into the boot and sure enough...a tiny scorpion.  I yelled for Myles to put the scorpion in a jar (in case we had to rush to the doctor and show proof)...and for Myra to grab me some echinacea tincture and black ointment, while I put Maisy's ankle under cold water.  I have heard horror stories about scorpion stings and I was trying to keep my head and not freak out.  I got Maisy all fixed up and she seemed to be just fine.  I got ahold of Bryan and he called the Quick Care and asked what I should watch for and what they would do if needful.  So I watched Maisy...as she watched Beauty and the Beast...and nothing.  Thank Heavens...Not. A. Dang. Thing.   

Two good things have come about because of that little scorpion incident.

1) Maisy doesn't bug to wear her winter boots in the heat anymore.

and

2) I can rest a little easier knowing the scorpions (which have been bad this year) in my 'hood are not going to put my baby into anaphylactic shock.

September has brought some gloriously lovely days.  Some ugly hot summer ones, too...but on this day there was a cool breeze, the smell of rain, sprinkles and a huge rainbow shooting from the steeple of our backyard chapel.

What can make a September afternoon better than laughter and rainbows?

In other non-pictured news:

Myles went on his first real Boy Scout campout.  Deep in a dark cave in the Moapa desert.  Bryan was going to stay the night with the group...but was on-call with work and couldn't get cell phone reception in the recesses of the cave, so he came home.  Myles braved the dark and the bats and the sleeplessness and the snoring and the homesickness...and came home a little more grown-up.  He claims he won't do that again without his dad.  Yet, as the days pass he is remembering more of the good as the bad and ugly are becoming less scary in his mind.  Such is life.

Bryan's dad suffered a stroke this month.  It was super scary and he still has a lot of hard days ahead...but we are all so grateful that it wasn't worse.  The medical staff claim he will be walking out of his therapy by the middle of next month.  We have all been cheering him on as he relearns how to use his left side...and we all have a newfound gratitude for the huge blessing it is just to be able to lift our arms.  We have prayed and prayed for Grandpa Castle and we love watching the blessings that are coming, the miracles that are happening and the determination that he has to work his hardest to get better.

Bryan has been working extra hard in our front yard these past weeks.  He re-seeded the grass and, with just a tiny bit of help from the rest of us, continued the huge job of cleaning up and clearing out our front circle area as we inch our way closer to our plans out there.

Homeschool is in full gear and we are learning some wonderful things together.  I won't lie...there are always those days that the kids whine and complain and I think 'why the heck don't I just push their little bodies onto that cheese wagon and enjoy life a little'.  But, overall, having them home with me has been a tremendous blessing and the clock is quickly counting down until my eldest will fly this little homeschool coop...and that makes me super sad and exquisitely happy all in the same sentence.  

Bryan and I celebrated our 17th anniversary this past weekend.  17 years.  We had some fun family time together, playing tennis, sleeping at a hotel, swimming, attending the blessing of my baby niece, visiting with Grandpa and Grandma Castle at the hospital, visiting with some of my family, and then Bryan and I got to stay a night away at The Inn on the Cliff, just the two of us.  Man, I am so glad I married him!  

Myra and I, along with a few of my girl cousins, went to Tuacahn last night and watched Peter Pan. It was fun to spend time with each other and eat frozen lemonade and laugh together.  

And...just yesterday I became a Great Aunt.  My oldest niece had a beautiful baby girl!  My sister is now a Grandma.  How the heck is this happening?  So many people in this world are younger than me now...and that number keeps growing and growing.  But, I have to say that I am loving this stage of my life.  My kids are all getting so independent, and although that is a little heart breaking, it is amazingly wonderful.   I guess its a good thing that Maisy still yodels for me to wipe her butt...or I might get to thinking I was out of a job.  My roles are changing.  And I have a funny feeling that I am just going to keep loving it more and more as the years keep piling up.  

Undoubtedly, Fall puts the rosy in my glasses!

Wishing you a happy Fall as I breathe in this lovely (under 100*) weather and thank my lucky stars to be living here today!

Novembering.

In the garden Myra and I pulled out all of the pole beans.  Our poor pole beans, didn't do much this season.  I don't know if it was the warm weather that lasted so long or the new variety of beans we used.  But, since they were suffering and we wanted to use their bed to plant peas in...we yanked 'em.

Bryan and Myles have been working hard on Myles' Webelos Badge.  Making fires and cooking over them has been an enjoyable requirement for all of us eaters.  Myles has been learning to make some mean fried eggs over the fire. 

Myra's friend Faith invited her to go to a party with all of the local emergency personnel and their families.  They had a super time riding in the fire truck and taking a tour of the 'flight for life' helicopter. (our neighbor took and sent us the picture).

On the morning of Veteran's Day, Myra woke with a sore throat.  She had plans to ride with our neighbors in the fire-truck in the parade...but decided she'd better stay home and get feeling better.  Especially since she had a garlic aura floating around her from the garlic/honey/cayenne throat remedy.  So we dropped Myles off to march with the Scouts and found a place to sit on main street with our two littles.  I love our little Veteran's Day Parade.  And it is so fun to see my kids participate and make memories.

Myles also had a Scout hike this week.  Bryan and McCoy accompanied him and his den.  They packed lunches and hiked to Wheelie Flats and back.  Myles was asked to be the First Aid Leader for the hike and packed his First Aid Kit.  He ended up putting a couple of bandages on cut fingers.  A prouder First Aid Leader, I have never known.  I think that last picture of Bryan with the boys is so funny, because Myles is standing in a hole.  Myles is up to Bryan's chin in height...and so tickled that he may very well be taller than both of us before he hits puberty.  

Speaking of height, Myra has been having a pretty good growth spurt lately.  In fact, just this year she has grown over 4 inches and gained 19 pounds.  Pretty good, indeed.  She is now 4 ft 11 inches and weighs almost 90 lbs and wears size 5-6 in shoes.  She hopes her growing trend continues.  She keeps teasing Myles that she is going to get taller than him...for at least a couple of days.  Which would be crazy and is possible...but not likely.  

McCoy and Maisy keep growing, too.  They both have upcoming birthdays (right after Christmas) and will be turning 6 and 3.  The years keep flying by...and I am trying my best to enjoy it all.  There is so much to be grateful for.  Counting my blessings helps me to find much joy in life.

The past while, Bryan has been encouraging (insisting) me to take a day away at least once a month.  He says this day for me is essential and nothing should supersede it.  He says it makes a world of difference in my attitude and cheerfulness.  Which, is no secret to me...I am a much happier mama when I take time to reload and rejuvenate.  And afterwards, my kids are happy to see me, too.  You know what they say:  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Where I go and what I do is up to me.  The rules are:  I can't take any children...and I must enjoy myself.  Those rules are easy since he stays home with the kids...and I am finding immense joy in my time alone.  Last week while I was away, he and the kids picked one of our pomegranate trees and shelled pomegranates all day long...a couple of movies helped with the monotony of it.  Then Bryan juiced the pomegranate seeds and made the most delicious pomegranate juice, ever.  It is super sweet, yet tart...just like a pomegranate and it doesn't have that bitter bite of aftertaste that you usually get when squeezing pomegranates.  But good grief!  talk about labor intensive.   It was a fun treat to come home to after my day-off.   My sweet husband is definitely at the top of my gratitude list.  So lucky he is mine.

Other fun high-lights of the week: 

* Bryan and I tried out our local Mexican restaurant for a date night...and then we went to the grocery store for a treat and Bryan locked the keys in the car.  After a few hours (waiting for cop to come, cop not being able to open, me hitching a ride home with some neighbors just as they finally got the car open) we were back home safe and sound.  

* Bryan burned a big pile of dead plants in our 'desert landscape' front yard.  We are planning to re-do that area and are getting rid of all of the desert plants.  The fire was huge and I was nervously spraying water everywhere.  

* A while back I got a new calling to serve on the Stake Girl's Camp Committee.  It has been so much fun getting to know the ladies that I serve with and making plans for Camp.  This week we had a meeting with our newly called Laurel Leaders and we all laughed so hard.  Girls Camp 2016 is going to be a blast!

* The kids and I spent an afternoon visiting with my mom and sisters and nieces.  It is always fun to be with them.  I love the discussions we have about life and the gospel and our families.  And I love when we laugh together and watch old home videos that nearly make me pee my pants.  And I love when my kids and their cousins try to make sequels to the movies my siblings and I made growing up. 

* We discovered this music video and have watched/listened to it a lot this past week.  So inspiring!

* My sisters, mom and I planned our Thanksgiving menu...and I am getting SO excited for Tammie's pecan pie.  Come on Thanksgiving!!

*I nearly finished all of our Christmas/Christmas Birthday shopping this week...thanks to my day away and Amazon.  Bless that Amazon.com!

* The kids and I have been listening to Christmas music while Bryan is at work.  Only one week longer and we can listen even when he gets home. :)

* I have still been freezing cold...all of the time.  Last night I piled 3 quilts and a blanket on top of me...before I finally felt warm enough to sleep.  Weird.

*Left-over Pumpkin Curry Soup with extra garlic, piping hot off the stove helped warm me up this afternoon.  Also a nice sit in the sunshine...as it is currently a lovely 72 degrees outside.  November wins again!!

Hope you and yours are happy and warm and enjoying Fall 2015, immensely!