October random 2013

Annual leaf drive.  

We spent the majority of the time collecting leaves to send to Kara since she is really missing the gorgeous Utah falls.  I was pretty picky about the leaves they picked.  I wanted them all different colors and all different shapes and all different sizes.  We were sending a pretty good sized box filled with leaves to her so we needed a lot.  They were all pretty good about it except Bryce.  He picked up one leaf early on that had a spider on it.  He spent the rest of the trip jumping around trying to steer clear of any and all leaves (which is pretty hard to do up in the canyon)  We all laughed about it.  He was not laughing at all.  He has true arachnophobia and he is not ashamed to admit it.

Another shot in the leaves.  I just can't get enough. 

 It is so beautiful!

This was the one year that Brandon and Bryson could have been on the same football team.  I sure wish I had remembered that when I signed them both up--separately!!  Ugg!  Well, despite my dumb mistake the season went on quite smoothly, until this game, the first game in the double elimination tournament where, yep you guessed it was Brandon verses Bryson.  I was dying.  They were both nervous and I was a wreck.  Okay, not really a wreck, but I was a little nervous too.  We all went to the game and I just kept yelling, "GO B. ALLRED!"   Actually it turned out just the way I had hoped it would.  Brandon's team won, and they should have because they were all 9th graders and are a really good team,  BUT Bryson's team really gave them a run for their money, in fact, they scored first and were leading at one time and my tiny seventh grade Brycie even scored a touchdown!  So he was happy, Brandon was happy and I was happy for both of those cute B. Allred's!  

Peter, James and John.  

My trees.  As you can see Peter is sick, they are all actually sick.  So sick in fact that we called in the professionals.  Yes, we called a tree doctor.  One came out and took a look at all 3 trees and then he felt it was beyond his scope of knowledge so he called in a specialist.  The specialist came for the examination when I was at work and Trevor was out somewhere.  He left a written note on our porch of his diagnosis.  My trees have chlorosis.  They will each need a ginormous injection of something right into their trunks.  The tree Doctor has assured us that this expensive injection will save their lives.  I sure hope so.  We are spending more money on our trees than we are on our own children.  Sometimes I wish there was a tree hospital.  Because I would take them there.  I really would.

What a treat and a blessing to have the missionaries over for dinner.

  Love their spirit.  Love the message they left.  Love their example.  

Trevor was nominated for a scout award called the Second-Miler.  Somebody in the ward nominated him for his service as Scoutmaster and how he always went the second mile with the boys.  He received a letter this month saying he was chosen for the award.  This is the award ceremony.  He stood up there all decked out in his scout uniform as they read off why he was chosen.  

Scouting...it's in his blood, and going the second mile....well, I think that's in his blood too!