Shell Company Picnic 2010

Carson's favorite parts? The fire engine and bounce house slide of course!

Just another night getting ready for bed...

Easy YW Idea

For all you women serving in Young Womens here is a fun thing we just did. My Mother-in-law emailed me an idea to make Personal Progress holders. Personal Progress is a program that our young women (12-18 years) work on. It consists of 8 values that they learn more about and work to develop in themselves. They do a 10 hour volunteer project for each value as well.  We had the Beehives make them on a mutual night. We were able to get them all done in the time allotted. I made an extra 5 for incoming Beehives. To simplify it I bought double-sided place mats instead of cutting and sewing together two different fabrics. Here are the directions:

• Fold the bottom of the place mat up 4 1/4 inches (hot dog fold).
• Sew the left and right sides to make a giant pocket (vertical line down the 4 1/4 inches).
• Measure from your left seam (the one you just sewed) 5 1/4 inches and sew a vertical line.
• Measure 1 inch from this new seam and sew. (Pen holder).
• Measure 5 inches and sew.
• Measure 1 inch and sew.
• Measure 5 inches and sew. 
• Cut 3 feet of ribbon. 
• Measure in 1 1/2 feet of the ribbon and sew to the back (outside) of the pouch where your last right pen seam is. 

Sorry if the directions are little confusing. Just buy a place mat, get a PP book, Strength of Youth, and PP journal and do your own measuring. If you place mat is a different size than mine you'll have to do that anyway. Enjoy!

I think summer is finally gone!!!

It rained today and our house never fully heated up. I was in a long sleeve shirt all day and wasn't hot! I have to admit I did turn on Mannheim Steamroller while cooking dinner for the missionaries and pretended it was December. I'm excited it is finally fall! (Hopefully I haven't jinxed all of California with this statement of autumn...)

A Helen Keller Situation

I feel like Annie Sullivan when it finally clicked in Helen's mind that everything has a name! Carson is so excited right now about communication. For the past week or so all day every day he points to everything and wants to know it's name. I tell him and he repeats. A lot of it sounds like "bim", but at least he is trying, right? This is such a cool age. It's like all these light bulbs are going off in his head and the world is finally making sense to him. He is such a big boy. I can't believe he's going to be two next month!

A Visit from Grandpa

My Dad was in Sacramento on Friday for business and decided to extend his day trip and come stay with us overnight. Carson loves his Grandpa Kelley. He went to him right away and led him by the hand everywhere. He always made sure that Grandpa was going where ever we were going. Carson had him on a very tight leash. Today we had quite the day. We spent an hour this morning at Chuck E. Cheese. Carson had never been and thought it was pretty cool.

Playing a little basket ball. It's not cheating, right?

Killing dinosaurs with Grandpa

After Chuck E. Cheese we went to the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista. They have a large variety of old trains and street cars. They also do train rides. The train ride was about 15 minutes long and dropped us off at a pumpkin patch. The Fairfield Rotary Club during the month of October is putting it on and today was opening day. There were games, a giant hay castle, a bounce house, pony rides, BBQ. It was really fun. For all my local friends I highly recommend taking your kids on a Saturday this month. They add a $2 fee to your museum admission price, but it is totally worth it.

Riding in the 1930's street car

Hay Castle with fun mazes underneath

3rd trimester I have arrived!