Biggest GAME DAY.... EVER!!!

#3 TCU was 9-0, #5 UTAH was 8-0 --for the first ever matchup of two non automatic qualifying teams.



The winner is almost nearly guaranteed a National Championship. This game is so big that it is said to be the biggest sporting event to happen in Utah. Next to the Olympics. ESPN's Game Day will be there, and so will ALL the representatives for all of the bowl games in the BCS Championship Series. Utah fans are invited to camp out for the game anywhere they could find a spot.... so they wouldn't have to miss out on any of the festivities. And we will celebrate with a Blackout Game. Where everyone will wear Black/Digital Camoflage. The Utes Players will all be given new uniforms. With names of Courage, Duty, Service, and Honor on the backs to support the Wounded Soldiers fund. And in honor of Veterans Day. The game will be televised on national television on two stations to showcase the game to 19 million MORE viewers. This will be the final "send off" game to Utah who leaves for the PAC 10 next year. This is their time to prove that they deserve to go, and belong there.







Now who wants to play?








Not you, Utah....not yet? OK, maybe next time.





Yes, what a sad day for the Scott's. Who truly bleed red through and through. I thought we had them this year for sure! TCU came out as the better team this year. They threw the smack down on us for 3 quarters straight! My utes were just not ready...not this time. We didn't score until the 4th quarter, and found out later that even that was questionable. They thought he had a knee down before he got to the endzone. Did I really need to know that?

Final score TCU 47-7.

But don't worry Utah....like I said before. We truly bleed red. In fact we'll be seeing you in Notre Dame this weekend.

Go UTES!!

We celebrated for 2 days straight! Couldn't talk the two older ones into skipping school but had no problem getting the twins to come with us. College Gameday hosts: Erin Andrews, Desmond Howard, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit-- who is all about business on the top and party on the bottom. (he is wearing shorts with his suit jacket.) We were right there, in the front row!

Game Day had a bunch of fun activities scattered throughout the campus. We got to kick field goals for free drinks and do a quarterback throw......it was pretty funny.....there was a group of probably 30 college kids all trying to do the quarterback throw. Everyone was missing left and right. Finally some kid made it and they said he had won the last T-shirt. Jaret and Ayden were waiting in line and these guys wouldn't give up. Finally the Game Day guy said let the little kid's have a turn. So, Jaret stepped up and he nailed it! On the first throw! The crowd went crazy! The guy goes "come here, I am going to find you a shirt!" So he dug through the truck and found Jaret a shirt. After Jaret handed the shirt over to me, he said "I want to do it again." And of course...the little kid... he did it again! First throw and he nails it! At this point the crowd says no way and starts to disperse because they were shown up by some little kid. And the Game Day guys are asking for his picture. Way to go, Jare! Ayden was feeling a little down, because he just wasn't making them...I said but that's what Jaret has practiced 2 yrs to do! Your job is to catch them! And he does! Ayden is an awesome catch. It also helped to see dad suck it up, too. Darren took about 15 throws to make it as well. Kim, on the other hand.......well-- she made it. It was ugly, but she made it in 4.

Teaching our kids that sluffing school is FUN!

Halloween...

Who's keeping score? Oh that's right......Logan is. Logan has been reminding me since July that McKennah was able to have a Halloween party last year, and that this year it was his turn. So we did a combined Halloween/early Birthday party for Logan the day before Halloween. And since we are tallying things up, last year's was such a success we did a repeat. We scored success #2. Photo scavenger hunt around the neighborhood, bobbing for skulls, scar tag, and watching Watcher in the Woods. His first ever boy/girl party under his belt! The kids were great! Lexi Daniels, Alyssa Barker, Eliza Bingham, Haylee Elmore, McKenna Parkinson, Jace Haney, Tyler Hobert, Josh Peterson, Cooper and Connor Kelly. So much fun!

Jaret made the perfect girl this year, Ayden was Zorro and Logan a great Elvis Presley. The past few years Darren and I have tried to adjust to our roles of staying put at home and passing out candy awaiting for them all to find their way back home. So this year we decided to entertain ourselves and pass out cotton candy! We made over 300 Lime, Strawberry and Blueberry. A little tight in the belt, but well worth the fun!

McKennah took off early to her Halloween party this year, and I wasn't able to get a picture of her in her witch costume. She was so pretty. So I am including some of my latest......so you can see just how pretty she is on your own.

Waterfall Canyon...

Perfect. The weather has been absolutely perfect. I do although think it is setting us up for the perfect storm this winter . And that's ok. I love fall's like this. We took advantage of this perfect day and took a 45 min. hike up Waterfall Canyon in Ogden, and had a great time! Vincent Giacolone came along and the sweetheart didn't complain once. Planning to come again in the spring to see just how big this waterfall can get.... with all the winter runoff .

We can't wait!

Black Island Farms...

GENIUS!! These people are genius! We have lived in Syracuse for 5 yrs now, and this was our first trip to Black Island Farms. Thank goodness for end of year football parties! We went with Jaret and Ayden's football team and what a great time we had! We went on a hayride to pick out pumpkins. There were about 4 giant slides, 2 teen mazes, a kid maze, a haunted maze, a haunted house. Corn shooting, paintballing, pig races...there was so much to do we didn't have the chance to do it all! Logan brought Tyler Craig, and McKennah's friend Dwayne Johnson came too. And good thing...how else would I have got all those pumpkins to the car. Thanks, Dwayne!

Love new traditions...glad we found one for Halloween!

There is a time and a season....

Awwww.....I am always so sad when football season comes to an end. Both Jaret and Ayden played this year and were #1 draft choices this year! They both work so hard, we were really proud of them. Jaret began the season as quarterback again, Ayden- a wide receiver. And just as they were mastering their "Red 655" -- Jaret cut his finger.

Jaret is always holding a football. I'm not sure how many times I have asked him to put the ball away --or something is going to break. Well, he lost control of his innocent toss up in the air. Tried to catch a broken glass and cut his finger.

Needing 10 stitches and 2 weeks off, Jaret was replaced and resumed his duties at Running Back. (An answer to mother's prayers.) The coaches they love...Coach Fonua, Coach Rusch, Coach Slab, and Coach Fullmer. This is the last year the boys can play with this team. It was fun, they learned alot - but we're movin' on up!

A first time for everything!

Logan and Darren were off to the Priesthood session of conference-- so I decided I would take the remaining brood to our first ever Demolition Derby. Even though we were not appropriately dressed, (so many people were wearing those really thin white tank tops.)

I do have to admit we were pretty entertained.

Little Entrepreneurs...

The kid's were off track for two weeks in October with nothing to do, so we thought we would break out the cotton candy maker, and set up shop on the corner-- just in time for school to get out. Julia Bingham and Chase White applied for the job, and were hired as well!

The kids made there own sign and set the price at $0.25. We spent all afternoon making the cotton candy (3 hrs.) and were only able to make a total of 20. So manned with homemade cookies, too....I dropped them off on the corner and told them they were not to come home until they were sold out. Well with $9.25 in their pocket and 1/2 hr. later they were back on my porch with nothing to do.......

Not bad for their 1st day of business.