Fall Fun

We have been lucky enough to still have some nice warm weather in October. It has cooled down quite a bit, but it is still nice enough to be outside. So October has found us doing a lot of outdoor activities. We are half way through Jacob's soccer season. He has 2 games left. He loves playing soccer and is best at defense. He will not let a ball get past him, and if it does, he thinks the world is coming to an end. But we have had a blast watching him play.

Last Friday we all went to Ridgeland to help Zach work on his final project for his Eagle. He decided to build an outdoor sand volleyball court at the church. He had a great turnout to help him and my kids had a blast climbing on the huge piles of sand and spreading them out. I had about 5 pounds of sand in my car after that, but it was fun. Zach had one of the ward members grill hamburgers and hotdogs for everyone, so we got fed for our efforts. Can't beat that! I was the photographer, so manual labor was not part of my contract!

And then last Saturday, Mark's brother Ryan and his family came down from Columbia and we had a crab boil. I love eating crab, but when you eat them this way, you sure have to work for the meat. But I do know how to shell a crab, and that's not your everyday know-how right there! Unfortunately, my doctor told me to eat crab sparingly so I only had 2, and I knew the sausage would give me heartburn, so I had a hamburger. But we had fun even though it was chilly. Mark made a fire to keep us warm and keep the gnats away and Susan made us some hot chocolate. All-in-all a great time. I just wish I could have eaten more!!!

Finally.....

.....an update! Bear with me as I have a lot of ground to cover. I will try to keep it simple so as to not bore anyone. I must first apologize for my lack of blogging. I have absolutely no idea what happened to September. It was Labor Day, and next thing I know, Jacob was telling me to change my calendar to October. So here is a quick summary of the last month or so.

We began September, and ended the summer, with one last trip. We took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and drove up to North Carolina to visit Mark's Mammy and Grandaddy. Joe and Lora Leigh came as well and we all had a blast! We took the kids gem mining which is a tradition for us everytime we go to NC. We also went up to Mt. Mitchell which is the highest point East of the Mississippi. Now for all you Utah people, I know you live at the elevation at which we were standing, but it's a big deal around here when you live at 18 feet above sea level. Anyway, after buying some North Carolina apples for ourselves and many people at home, we headed back to Savannah. The girls at Mt. Mitchell Jacob at the gem mine
Katy taking a break from looking for gems
Lora and Joe at Mt. Mitchell
Joe and Joe

The day after we got home, school began for McKenna and Jacob. They were so excited (as was I), but we were sad to see the end of summer. But the kids are loving school and excelling at everything they do!

Just a fun picture of McKenna, Jacob, and Kaitlyn
First day of school

The rest of September was busy with making school lunches, doing homework, dance classes, soccer practice and lots of church stuff. Next thing I knew, Jacob was counting down the days until his birthday. He turned 5 on the 5th of October, which was this past Sunday. He was tortured while we watched 2 sessions of General Conference before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's house for his birthday party. But he was a good sport and had a terrific time opening all of his gifts. Happy #5 Jacob, we love you!!!

Now as some of you may or may not know, Mark and I are expecting our fifth baby! Big number I know, but we are so excited about it! My mother-in-law was kind enough to chauffeur my kids to and from school on Friday so that Mark and I could go together to my first OB appointment. They always do a vaginal ultrasound to determine pregnancy, so I love being able to check up on the pregnancy so early. They gave me info I already knew; I was 10 weeks and am due May 2nd. But they had a little surprise for us too.....not 1 baby, but 2! Yep, fraternal twins. I wasn't 100% shocked, but definitely stunned. Mark and I both had a feeling that this was what was going on. I have been sooooo sick, to the point that I could hardly get off the couch, and starting to show (at least to myself) a lot more quickly than I did with the others. Also, my home pregnancy test came back positive long before it should have. So we are having babies #5 and #6! Wish us luck, we're gonna need it!!!