Fall Ball & Brayle

Brayle is on the Fall softball team playing girls from all over Salt Lake, Davis and Tooele counties. Every competition she is one step closer to learning the ins and outs of the game. The catchy chants shouted when their group is up to bat, is often started by Brayle. The pitchers throw a pretty wicked fast ball.

Last week when one of the players got hit in the nose, she gladly substituted in center field and caught a long fly ball to get two players out. Yeah! Keep doing the best you can because every time your team is a winner.

First Day of School

Everyone has now had their first day of school - even Jacob in preschool. Yea - only Emma and I at home 2 days a week ;)
Noah in 2nd grade has Mrs. Carlton.
Kade in all day, every day Kindergarten has Miss Elizalde and Miss Ochoa (assistant).
Jacob in presachool has Miss Cheryl.
What a dream! Is it bad to be counted down when Jacob will be in school?

Noah's Testimony

Noah has bore his testimony twice now in sacrament. He gets so excited about the idea as soon as I tell him it is coming. He is also very nervous about speaking in front of all those people so he has to write it down and then just read it from the pulpit.
This is his notes from this months testimony (with his spellings): I want to bary miy testimony. I know everybody should be kind and good. Jesus loves everybody (all written by me with his words.) and wen we er 8 we git batised. I wont to do that. In the name, amen.
All of the boys had suit jackets on and looked so handsome. I am also posting photos of all three. They were little pills about the photos!
I was also called to be in the RS pres! UGH! Scary!

Cinnamon Rolls

I just found a new cinnamon roll recipe that I just had to try. I know - you are shocked that I bake/cook. Sometimes I am too! Here it is:

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
1 box yellow cake mix
5 cups bread flour (I used whole wheat flour)
4t yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
Mix all together and knead until soft (& sticky.) Cover and let rise until double. Punch down and roll into rectangle. Cover with butter and sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, sugar, raisins - whatever you like. Roll and slice every 1 1/2 inches. Place on greased pan and let raise again. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown. Very cakey and yummy with cream cheese frosting.

Time Together at Timpanogos Cave

The majority vote for our summer family outing was to climb the 1.5 mile trail to Timpanogos Cave. Many had never been to the cave or hadn't been there for almost 20 years.

Of course we're all smiles at the first tunnel barely 1000 feet into the hike. We have the fastest (Noah) and slowest (Allan) hikers pictured at the top. The cave itself cooled us down from the 90+ hot air outside. The quiet unique beauty of the natural formations with our tour guide, Mark, kept us interested to the very end. Alicia's wedding ring sparkled like a mirrored dancing ball when the lights were turned out and it was spotlighted This will definitely be hiked again in five years or so.

Pizza, fishing at Tibble Creek, Mom's homemade cinnamon rolls, slip'n sliding, and a barbeque at Jor & Sari's ended the fun day together. Start planning what you want to do next year. Breann's vote is Bear Lake. How about you?

The Shepherds and Their Sheep

We snapped a few pictures of the Crosman family minutes before their sheep, Salt and Pepper headed into the auction block of 4-H history books at noon Saturday, August 7th.

After two months of being surrogate parents to a couple of lambs along with their 4-H group, the kids learned alot. Brayle and Hunter were kept busy feeding, chasing, checking on, caring for, protecting from danger and more. With judging time hours away, the two charges were bathed and their coats sheared to a plush carpet finish.

Weighing in at 107 and 111 pounds, both animals proved their owners worth down to the last minute detail. Grossing $575 at the auction the kids has money left over after paying off their debts. Who wouldn't look forward to another year of shepherding the sheep.

First Place at the Fair

The family did well at county fairs this summer with half a dozen first place awards.
Free craft classes kept the kiddies happy all afternoon preventing them from begging us to blow $25 on the midway rides.

Brayle got blue ribbons on her sheep, Salt and Pepper at the Tooele County Fair. They won first and second place spots out of her category. A small miracle after one of them was attacked and bitten on the face by a hound dog at home. It helps to have seasoned sheep friends that know what to do in these cases. Who knew that white flour did such damage control.

Brayle looked like a natural standing in the auction ring first with Pepper, then with Salt, as the auctioneer called out the buyer bids. The arena was surrounded with families, ranchers and lookie-loos like us. Cattle, sheep and pigs marched through one gate and out the other all afternoon. That nagging voice saying "50-50, who'll give me 75" was repeated over and over. The magic sound of "SOLD" completed each animals future.

Allan entered numerous wood carvings into the Salt Lake County Fair. His maple leaf candy dish set won High Blue and was found in the coveted glass display case. His sister, Marion, received Honorable Mention for a quilt block contest. What fun to be a part of the best talent in the county. May we all have a hobby to show next year.