A New Tradition

This picture was taken last Halloween. Impressive costumes, no? No. But good enough to get free burritos from Chipotle. That's right. All it takes is a blanket "tortilla" and a little foil hat on your head (or on the face if you're Mitchell and Grant) and the nice people at Chipotle Mexican Grill will give you a free burrito! We did this for the first time last year because they had just opened a couple of Chipotle restaurants in the area, but my Colorado family members have been doing this for years. Our real Halloween tradition for many years had been this:
Split pea "witches' soup" in pumpkin bread bowls. But last Halloween we (Brian, Mirien, Alyssa, and Evan) flew home from NYC, arriving mid-afternoon with no time to prepare our usual pre-trick-or-treat feast, so Chipotle was an easy answer. This year I am still adjusting to life with a new baby post C-section and would rather not cook. Despite protests from some of our children ("I don't want to go to Chipotle--we have to have split pea soup!"--can you believe that?), it looks like we'll be donning our tin foil yet again. Besides, it's not even soup weather today! We've got sun and temperatures should reach 70. Happy Halloween, everyone, and Mitchell: we miss you--Chipotle won't be the same without you!

Pumpkin Pi

This is Evan's masterpiece this year. Looks like he's trying to get extra credit in geometry!

I Love Being Four!

Corinne keeps repeating the above phrase as she dances around the house, ever since her long-anticipated birthday on Monday. She awoke early that morning but insisted she wasn't four yet--not until it was light. She watched out the window for the sun to appear and then couldn't contain her excitement anymore. "It's my birthday and I'm four!" She's convinced that she's taller and her hair is longer and that she's now so much older than all her 3 yr. old friends and almost caught up to her friends who are already 5. I love this age and I love Corinne. It's hard to believe that just 4 years ago she was as small as Hayley is now. Above is a picture of Corinne on the day she was born. From that moment we saw glimpses of her unique personality. She definitely keeps things lively around here.

Announcing...

Hayley Noelle Church

October 11th, 2008, 6:09 pm
6 pounds, 19 inches

She came as a surprise to all of us. Notice Evan's blue hair in the picture below--he was going to go to the BYU football game before little Hayley decided to come unscheduled.

Grant didn't stop grinning from the moment he heard the news.

It's rare that Hayley opens her eyes--what a bright new world!

After being in the crowded hospital room for about an hour, Corinne was starting to get restless. She said, "Let's go home now. Being here makes me feel mad." Maybe being a big sister will mellow her out a bit.

(PS, this was posted by Alyssa.)

Baby Name Help

Hey everyone, this is Alyssa. Just so you know.

Once upon a time, there was a wonderful family. They had five marvelous children and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of a sixth. Everything was ready for this darling little one; she had everything a baby could possibly want. Except a name.

Yes, that's right. Tragic though it may seem, with less than two weeks to her arrival, this poor child was being called "the new baby" with no inkling of what else to name her. She couldn't very well go her whole life being called "Baby Girl Church," now could she?

Whenever the baby's family discussed name ideas, they ended with wringing their hands in despair. They were at an absolute dead end. If at all possible, they wanted her to have a different initial than all the other children. They also didn't want to give her a hideous old-lady name or a bizarre, never-heard-of, made-up crazy name. But this was proving rather hard. No one agreed on anything.

That's why this poor family needs your help to think of names for their little one, lest she go nameless for the rest of her life. Please help by placing your vote in the poll. It shall end the night before the Baby's arrival on October 17th.

What's not to like about fall?

This is my favorite time of the year! This is a picture of the leaves in Little Cottonwood Canyon. And finally the weather is cooperating. Not that we minded having 85 degree weather up until yesterday, but I'm loving the 50's today. I spent the day curled up inside the house watching the rain outside and General Conference inside with soup simmering on the stove. (With my family covered in blankets because my hot, pregnant self just had to crack open the window and enjoy cool breezes for the first time in months.) What a great weekend! Here's why:

I love General Conference! What a privilege to hear from the Lord's servants. We try to make it meaningful and fun for the kids and they look forward to our Conference traditions. I didn't realize how much until I tried to scrap one of them today. "Mom, we have to go to Arctic Circle for shakes in between sessions! It's a tradition!" How did that one ever get started??
The boys' soccer games couldn't have been planned better. Grant's team (with Dad as coach) played at 8am. Unfortunately they lost, but to our cousin Brayden Portrey's team. Go Brayden! They were home in plenty of time to watch the first session of Conference. Evan's game was right after the first session and he played the entire game (which ended in a tie) in the rain and came home soaked. What good sports!

My brothers are all here today, along with Rachael (Milan's wife) and Erin (Mitchell's girlfriend). It's been ages since we've had all of them here together. What a party!
And another bonus--I don't have to go to church on Sunday and answer the barrage of questions about my condition. "How are you feeling? When are you due? How many more days? It looks like the baby has dropped! Have you chosen a name yet? Your ankles look swollen! How are you holding up?" And the one from Corinne last Sunday: "Mom, how come you always wear that skirt?" I only have to face one more Sunday pregnant! Now that's something to celebrate.

The Second First Day of School

I had to post these pictures from the first day of school for Grant and Jillian, even though that milestone was back in July. Yesterday was another first day for them--they went back on-track after being home for 3 weeks. And just as on their real first day, Grant was excited to head back to his 5th grade class and Jillian was not quite so enthusiastic to return to 2nd grade. She really does like school, she's just NOT a morning person. I remember that Alyssa was the same way at her age. And Evan will just love this goofy picture of himself--the elementary kids' first day of school was also his first day of scout camp so he stepped into the frame for a picture before he left.