Great Weekend #1

We have some great weekends coming up, so I'm going to label this one #1. Friday night for Logan High's homecoming, all the cheerleaders who graduated this spring were invited to come back to the football game and cheer during the second half with the current cheerleaders. So the Bundy's came to watch since Emma had a crimson and gold cheer outfit with no place else to wear it! We traded her for Kylee and Brody for the weekend (what could be fairer that trading first-born for first-born?). As always, we all had so much fun having little miss Em around. She just keeps getting easier and funner the older she gets. My favorite was when I came home from Cam's game Saturday morning and walked into the kitchen where she was eating breakfast, and she said to Jessica "look, it's my friend Lee!"

On Saturday I took Mike and the boys on an awesome 6 1/2 mile hike to Temple Fork Saw Mill 30 minutes up Logan Canyon. I had done that hike Wednesday morning with my friends Janae and Nan and just loved it. It was so gorgeous, and a beautiful day to be outside. It's where the pioneers built a saw mill in the late 1800's to get lumber for the temple and tabernacle. We had a great time enjoying the scenery and each other's company. I love doing things just as a little family.

On Sunday when the Bundy's and Hatch's got back into Logan, we all went back into the Canyon for a dutch oven dinner, a game of Sardines, and fun playing in and around the river. A big thanks to Mike for slaving away in the fire cooking the dutch oven chicken & potatoes (enlarge the family picture and notice his bloodshot eyes.) Nothing beats fall weather in Utah! Stay tuned for more weekend fun!

Our back yard

I love our backyard, especially when our fruit trees are bearing the most delicious fruit! The only thing I wish was different is having a covered patio so we could eat outside more and not be sitting in the sun. I LOVE our swing (just off the patio) and adore laying out on it reading a good book.

This is our johnny/gold apple tree which is LOADED with apples every other year. We learned that if we weed the apples out early in the season, they'll bear every year and the apples will be bigger. Mike tried that this year, and did weed out about 300 apples, but still, there are probably a thousand apples on the tree! No kidding. One year I got ambitious and with Mom and David and my friend Janae's help, made about 70 quarts of applesauce. I still haven't recovered from that hellish day, and think that canned applesauce from the store tastes just as good. . . So I let it be known to family and friends that we have lots of apples to give away!

Our pear tree is loaded with lots of yummy pears every year. Some years I bottle them, other years I make pear/raspberry jam, we always eat a lot, and I give away a lot. Everyone is always happy to receive a bag since most people don't have pear trees in our neighborhood.

This is our garden that Mike works hard (well, sort of) at planting, watering and harvesting. We've already harvested all the beans and onions, that's why it doesn't look that big right now. We are still getting tomatoes and zuchinni. We give lots of those away too. Some years I bottle tomatoes or do salsa, but this year I'm not feeling it.

This is our apricot tree which has already produced tons of delicious apricots- the main portion of which we gave away! I did freeze some for smoothies as I wrote about in an earlier post.

We spend a lot of time together in our back yard jumping on the trampoline, playing beach volleyball, badminton, cooking out, playing catch, croquet, and other activities. It's awesome that none of our neighbors have barking dogs to disturb our fun (and sleep!)

Lists

I've always been a fan of making lists of things to do. I think it all started when I was an immature teen and used to make myself a note to remember to still be mad at my little sister Carol the next day- you know how if you're mad at someone at night, then the next morning when you wake up and it's a new day, you kinda forget about your feelings from the previous day? Well, that used to bug me- that she didn't get the full mean treatment from me- so I made a note for myself. . . I know, I know--- I've grown up a lot since then. Sorry Carol! Anyway, I'm a big fan of writing stuff down. So I thought I'd share my ideas of what I keep track of. I have many different books for keeping all this info in. First and most importantly is my regular happenings of my life journal that I write in every day. I have been writing regularly in a journal since 1976 (that was an earlier post if you recall).

Since 2001, I have been keeping track of all the gifts given and received for birthdays and Christmas and amounts spent. This has been valuable info, because not only is it good to have a written reminder, it's also helpful to remember what you gave as neighbor gifts (for example) from year to year so you don't repeat! In that same journal I also keep a list of gift ideas that the kids and Mike have given me throughout the year. It's great when gift giving time comes, and I have a ready list of ideas.

In a small book, I have a list of my favorite things, and a list of things I don't love. I love that list! It's fun to add to, and reread. You'll be happy to know my list of things I love is longer than the one of things I don't love. I'll give you a few just for fun. I love: taking a bath while reading a good book, I love going for alone walks with one of the kids or Mike. I love my Christmas shopping weekend with Freda, Teresa, Stacie and Jessica. I love exercising every day. I love having a glass of ice-cold water wherever I am. I don't love: spending a lot of money in a restaurant, unnecessarily long and boring meetings, when people say they'll do something and then don't, when sticky price tags don't come off an item, and, when people wear make-up to work out at 6:00 in the morning.

Since 2004 I have kept an exercise journal of what I do everyday for a workout. It's fulfilling to see how consistent I am, and how I vary in what I do. I also make a mark for each day if I didn't eat past 7:00, and if I refrained from sweets that day. Those marks (or lack thereof) are not so fun to see at times. . . I'm a weak person sometimes okay?

Since 1996 I have kept a journal of funny things the kids have said. About once a year we get it out and read it around the dinner table. It makes for some great entertainment. We call it "the funny book." Here are a few favorites: Kylee, age 7: giving a FHE lesson on temples: "a temple is a scattered place where I'll be salad to my family for all enteree." Jessica, age 6: she was trying to think of the word 'yesterday' but couldn't, so she pointed to the side, and said "you know that day back there?" Jake, age 5: "I just love looking at the sun. It makes me feel about love. And so do girl songs." (another one from Jake because he has so many) age 5: In his prayers one night: "I like the good people I know, and I love the good people I don't know and I sort of like the bad people, but I don't like Satan." OK- one more from Jake: In church one day, Jake asked Mike why we take bread and water. Mike said it's to remind us of Jesus. Jake said: "It doesn't remind me of Jesus- it reminds me of food- like cookies!" Cam, age 4: I took Cam for an evening bike ride and it was a little chilly, but he wouldn't wear a jacket. On the way home, he was freezing, and said: "this is the coldest day I've ever met!" (one more from Cam): age 7: One day out of the blue Cam said to Mike: "I sure am glad I'm not a weed." As you can see, these quotes are priceless. I encourage everyone to start today writing down the funny things your kids/grandkids say, because they are a treasure.

I have a book filled with my favorite quotes or sayings. It's inspiring to read and refer to- and have available for talks or lessons. A few of my favorites: "The course of our lives is not determined by great, awesome decisions. Our direction is set by the little day-to-day choices that chart the track on which we run." Gordon B. Hinckley "Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeadedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle

I have kept track in the back of my regular journal for years, a list of books I've read, the author, and the number of pages in the book. It's fun to see from year to year how much I read. Several years I've read around 15,000 pages. I enjoy rereading certain books, so it's nice to see how long ago I read it in the first place and determine how bad my memory is and how much I can or can't remember from it. Many times I claim to have never read a certain book, but looking back at the list proves that I actually did! It's also nice to have so I can recommend books I've especially enjoyed to other people. (I put a star on the books I really loved) So if you're ever looking for a good book to read- I'm your girl!

I hope some of these ideas have been helpful to you. If any of you have ideas to share for more lists I can start, please let me know!

We love Football

My love for football started when I was in college and Dad would be watching a game and want me to watch with him. I never wanted to because I thought football was boring. I much preferred to watch baseball. Once he explained the rules to me, and I gave it a try, I was hooked. I loved attending games at Ricks and BYU. My three years at BYU was when Steve Young played. I loved attending the games with my friends. When Mike and I got married, it didn't take long to convert him to being a BYU football fan even though he was raised to be a Utah State Aggie. His love of football started when he was 8 and he started playing tackle football. In fact, it was because of his playing football that his mom and step-dad Tom met each other. You could say at age 8 he was a matchmaker! He played football all the way through his senior year, mostly as receiver. He played on an adult flag football team for several years after we were married. We have raised some football loving boys- the girls. . . not so much. So every fall, we all get very excited because we know our weeks will be full of football.

It starts on Thursday evening now with Jakes freshman game. So far his team is 2-0. He plays safety. It's great to go watch him play, and he's loving being on a high school team. (He's #2)
Saturdays are Cam's game day with him playing quarterback this year, a little receiver, and cornerback or safety. There's nothing funner than watching your kids play and have fun doing something they love, and practice hard at. Practices for both boys are 4-5 nights a week for 2 hours- starting three weeks before their first game and going through their last game. (Cam is #2 as well)

Friday nights are Logan High football for the boys and Mike. I went to all the games the years the girls were cheering, but now I look forward to an evening to myself! Mike has done the stats for the team for the past 10 years, and loves being down on the field right by all the action. It's just not the same for him watching from the stands. It's an added bonus that he gets himself and a guest in free to every game, including basketball.

Saturdays also mean college football- most importantly BYU. We always watch them play- usually that evening from a recording (and hope that we somehow don't hear the score before then, or that our recording doesn't end too soon. Sadly, both of those tragedies have happened. AHH) Mike still tries to be loyal to the Aggies by listening to some of their games on the radio. In this picture, we're posing in Cam's room in front of his great wall of mostly linebacker Cameron Jensen pictures. (notice Mike's USU hat--- he can't convert 100% to BYU)


The boys favorite NFL teams are the Patriots and the Rams, so occasionally they'll catch a Sunday game, but all three boys love watching Monday night football. We somehow suffer through the most boring days of the week, Tuesday and Wednesday, then it starts all over on Thursday! Go Grizz, Coogs, Aggies, Pats, and Rams!