lovely snowy weather

I expect that this winter will be snowier than the last one was.  Not hard, since our annual precipitation was less than half what we normally get!  And winter is off to a lovely cold start:

But I did enjoy all the lovely fall colors this year:

Last month we went to a civil war re-enactment that took place just down the street from our house- it was pretty informative and entertaining.  Walker's favorite part was listening to the doctor, who shared a bunch of  stories as well as discussing common ailments and the correct treatment of them.  My favorite part was the music- there was a lady there who played the hammered dulcimer, and it was lovely to listen to her!

That same day we visited an alpaca farm for their open barn day.  The animals were quite friendly, for alpacas (no spitting or running away or biting occurred), but they weren't really interested in eating the hay that Morgen and Hyrum offered them.  Nor were they interested in being petted...

We usually celebrate Myles' birthday by taking a donation of new clothing to our church's humanitarian aid center.  We went shopping and each picked out a few items, then dropped them off and went out to dinner on our way back.  (thanks to those who sent things to add to our donation- we never expect it, but greatly appreciate it.)

Fall/Winter is one of my favorite seasons, and part of the reason is all of the sprinkler art I discover!  I go walking with a friend most mornings, and the evenings have been below freezing since the beginning of October, which means I see this:

Our most recent weekend adventure was a sort of scavenger hunt for Hyrum.  This year he's studying our state's history, and his teachers have a sort-of scrapbook which contains different Utah-related activities or assignments.  They turn in one section each quarter.  This quarter is history, which entailed him visiting Kennecott Copper Mine, as well as getting pictures of the state fossil (Allosaurus fragilis) and the state bird (California Gull.  He also had to procure a sample of the state tree (Blue Spruce).  Luckily, our neighbor has a Blue Spruce in her yard!  And he needed to visit a state park and write a few sentences about it.  We're lucky- we have two state parks within walking distance of our house :).

In other news, football season (high school) is over, so Walker's tuba playing in the stands is also over for the season.  He's moved on to archery club and science club.  Morgen is participating in science club and glee club, and volleyball through our church youth group.  Hyrum played fall soccer, and his last game is this Saturday (depending on the weather).  His team hasn't won any games.  However, they have gone from losing by 10+ points and not scoring, to losing by 1 or 2 points and scoring several.  I have really appreciated his coaches, and all the hard work they put in training the boys.  I've also appreciated the fact that they focus on the positive and don't yell or belittle the kids when they do poorly.

Jared got an elk two weeks ago, and stocked our freezer with roasts, stew meat, and some scraps we'll grind up with beef fat to make elkburger and sausage.  He's still trying for a deer, but we'll see what happens there.  And I've been knitting and working on embroidery patterns:

I can't take credit for the embroidery pattern; I found it on Sarah Jane Studios.

Gratitude List:
* cooler weather
* cookies
* a very happy and helpful daughter today, who did the dishes by hand because the dishwasher was broken.
* friends
* family
* a roof over my head, clothes to wear, food to eat, and a healthy and (mostly) happy family.  I am very blessed.
* snow :)
* a working furnace
* good music
* the internet
* God is good.