The Fall

Corn Maze

Devils Gate Hike

Devil's Gate Hike

 So, we have had a very busy fall!  It has been filled with all sorts of great school activities for the kids and Halloween and Thanksgiving.  With Mike's new job, he works some half days and has some bank holidays off so he and I have enjoyed some daytime dates while the kids have been in school.  We enjoyed a fun day hike to Devil's Gate.  It was a steep difficult hike but worth it at the top, just beautiful at the top.  Joseph has been working really hard on his piano playing and auditioned for the Jazz Band at school and made it it, so we are super proud of him of course!  The girls have been saving up their money and thanks to both Grandma Romney and Grandma Nelson were able to have enough money to go and buy American Girl Dolls along with an outfit each!  They loved it of course!  Then we went out to lunch in the food court at the mall, they were in heaven.  It was a fun early birthday celebration.  We are looking forward to a busy rest of the month as we are heading out to Utah for Christmas.  I know we are all excited for that for sure!  I continue my riding and I am now riding a new horse at the barn named SoHo who is a Through bread Bay Gelding who I love!  That keeps me busy along with being a mom and a Gospel Doctrine Teacher at church.  I also finally received my license of the Colorado Board of Education to Substitute teach in the State and will register the license after the first of the year when things calm down a bit.  I have also submitted my name to work in the temple in the baptistry and have already been contacted about that and will also begin working there after the first of the year.  Mike enjoys his other night job at College America and is now teaching an 8 week course on Accounting.  Keeps him busy, but he really likes doing it.

Near the Summit

At the Look Out Tower

Beautiful Colorado Blue Sky

Over 10,000 feet

My Birthday girl

My Daphne for Halloween

My Dorothy for Halloween

My Birthday girls with Kit and Josephina

Proud owner of Josephina

Buying her Doll

Fun Birthday Lunch

Kit's first Lunch

Just Because I love You and Miss You

Mike worked his half day yesterday so he and I met up around 12:30 to go see Katherine and then go out to lunch on a date.  We went to see our sweet Katherine to give her flowers as usual. 

I have been meaning to put the words that hand on a plaque by the statue of the angel holding the baby.  You know which one right?  That beautiful and peaceful statue that I love.  I wrote the words that are insribed.  Here they are:

Going Home (that is the title of the statue)

May the Source of Peace send Peace to all who Mourne and Comfort the Bereaved Among Us

Molly Dee Hankin

December 14, 1999

Under the source of peace quote are letters that look like they may be written in Hebrew, although I am not sure, but for sure another language.


As we were there, a family pulled up and got out.  It turned out that they were the family of the little boy who is buried next to Katherine.  The baby's name is William.  It was William's birthday yesterday and the family was there to celebrate it with him.  William has been there with Katherine ever since Katherine has been there.  He was buried there a few short months before her.  William's father asked what had happened to Katherine and we told him and then he said that was the same thing that happened to William!  The same time as well.  William has just turned 5 months.  William was the middle boy of three boys.  He has an older brother who is 5 and a younger brother who is about 2.  William's father said something very interesting to us as well.  He said that so many people say they understand how it feels to loose a child.  He said that he did not believe them.  But, when he met us, he knew that we understood.  We said oh yes, how we understand!  Happy Birthday sweet angel William.  I am so glad that you are in heaven with my sweet angel Katherine.  Perhaps we will be able to meet some day.  William was turning 3, as my Katherine will be turning three in January.  Farewell and Happy Birthday!

The Beautiful Martin's Cove

Welcome to Martin's Cove

Getting the Hand Cart Ready

Ready for the Hike

For Some Must Push (Dad)

Some must Ride (Rachel and Juliana)

For Some Must Pull (Mike and Joseph)

At the Cart Stop

At the Top of the Cove

At the Cove

A quote in the Museum from Mike's Ancestor

So, for years and years Mike and my Dad has wanted to go to Martin's Cove.  So, over Labor Day weekend we went.  We loved it!  It was so much fun!  Just a four hour drive to Rawlins WY from Denver.  Mom and Dad flew into DIA and then we drove out.  Staying in Rawlins was perfect.  It is an hour drive up to the Cove from there.  We spent the day at the Cove.  We began by watching a couple of movies about the history of the site.  We then got a cart and then proceeded on an eight mile hike round trip to and from the cove.  It is about three miles up to where you park your cart and then about a mile and a half into the cove.  You cannot take a cart up into the cove as it is tight curves and steep hills to get up there.  But, it is totally worth it.  The feeling of peace and sacredness was so powerful.  It is quiet and peaceful up there with a rugged beauty to the trees, wild life, and underbrush.  We saw quite a bit of wild life, but thankfully no rattle snakes which is just fine with me.  We then hiked back to the visitor center where we ate lunch and witnessed the 2nd baptism being held that day in the Sweet Water River.  There are about 30 baptisms there a year in the famous or shall I say infamous river.  It is so serene and beautiful when we were there.  But, come winter with the heavy snow and constant wind I can see how it could be very dangerous.  The Sweet Water winds throughout the beautiful rugged valley that you have a great view of coming out of the cove.  The Saints took shelter up in the cove during the harsh winter storm that fateful October.  They spent about 5 days in the cove waiting for the storm to blow over.  History indicates that about 50 people died up in the cove.  Their loved ones attempted to bury them in the hard, frozen ground by day only to hear the prowling wolves come out at night and eat and scatter their loved ones remains as they helplessly listened and watched.  What a beautiful legacy these stalwart people left behind for all of us to remember.  Mike was very proud of one of his ancestors who was highlighted several times in the stories told and in the museum.  Also, one of my ancestors is highlighted there as well.  He was a McBride who watched his father freeze to death in the snow under a wagon and then shortly thereafter watched his mother freeze to death as well.  There is a touching picture that hangs in the museum of the young McBride finding his father the next morning frozen and stiff under a wagon.  How touching, how powerful to see his emotion and anguish.  It was very telling to see how many men died during the the trek westward.  I think one of the main reasons why they died was because they were giving their portion of the food to their children and wives.  They were carrying people across frozen rivers.  They were pulling a heavy handcart through very rough terrain and deep snow.  They were not replenishing their bodies from all the calories they were burning every day.  The men simply died by sacrificing their lives for their loved ones and for what they believed in.  At the end of the museum tour there hangs three lists of names of all the people that were recorded that went along with the Martin and Willie Companies.  The ones who died have their names are written in gold.  There were many names written in gold, most of them were men.  My heartfelt thanks goes out to the people's whose names hang there in remembrance.  Go to Martin's Cove, it is a must! 

The Tooth Fairy, Again and Again

Rachel Lost Her 2nd Tooth

Juliana Loosing Her 1st!

The Close Up

The Tooth Fairy has been very busy at our house.  In the last two weeks or so, three teeth total have been lost, one from each kiddo.  Joseph lost a molar, that I had to pull out, it was hanging and there was some pulling, yuck!  Then Rachel lost her 2nd with Mike's help.  Then at long last Juliana lost her 1st!  It fell out during the night, so it was a bit of drama, but by the morning she was so excited.  The girls wanted money to save for their American Girl Dolls.  With Grandma Romney's help they want to save enough to get them for their birthday/Christmas.  Juliana wants Josephina (yes that is the real name not one that Mike made up!)  Rachel wants Kit.  So, the goal is to save enough up for that.  Congrats to all the kids!

Daddy and Daughter Olympics

Getting Ready for the Race

Still Waiting

Balloon Between the Legs Race

Getting Ready!

Caterpillar Race

Getting a Demonstration

Every year our ward does a daddy/daughter Olympics event.  Mike had to work that morning so Joseph was the fill in along with our dear home teacher Larry Chatterley.  Between the two they helped the girls right along with all the events.  My favorite was the Caterpillar Race which they took 2nd in their heat (miraculously I might add.)

Back to School

Back to Daisey Scouts

Their Badges

Joseph's 1st Day of School

Girl's 1st Day of School

So, here are the back to school pictures and back to daisy scout pictures as well.  The kids have been in school for about 5 weeks now and are loving it of course and are working really hard and keeping very busy.  I am still adjusting to the routine of having them gone for about 6 hours a day.  I am finding that the times goes quite fast.

Just Because I love You and Miss You

Juliana Releasing the Dove

Preparing for the Balloon Release

Releasing the Balloons

Joseph Releasing the Dove

Rachel Releasing the Dove

About a month ago, we went to an event held at Fairmount Cemetery where our sweet Katherine is buried.  They had a lot of really fun events there including a BBQ, jumping castle, and balloon artist.  The highlight to the events though was the dove release.  This man came with a cage full of beautiful white doves that each child was able to hold and then release in memory of who they loved and missed.  We then did a balloon release where hundreds of balloons were released at once.  We completed the day's events by doing our own private balloon release at Katherine's.

Happy 4th of July

So, it has been a very busy last couple of days. We really enjoyed a fun 4th of July. Our ward had a pancake breakfast with a flag raising ceremony and then a bike parade. Joseph was chosen to be the caller for the flag raising and did a great job of course! Then we ate and the kids decorated their scooters and then went around a couple of times in the parking lot. It was so much fun, the kids loved it. We then met some of our good friends and went to see Cars 2 which we loved! Then got KFC and then drove out to Parker to watch the fireworks. The line to enter the park was over 2 miles long, so we went out into an open field near by and set up our chairs and enjoyed our KFC picnic and then watched the fireworks. Overall, a fun day. We sure missed being around family in Utah which has been our routine the last couple of years, but had a great time here.

The other bit of news as seen sort of in the picture, is that Rachel lost her first tooth! About 10 minuets later, Joseph lost his 10th tooth. It was a busy tooth losing day for sure. The tooth fairy left some Hello Kitty headbands for Rachel and then a set for Juliana as well, because the tooth fairy felt sorry that Juliana has not lost a tooth yet, she cannot help it, right? As for Joseph the tooth fairy left him a note saying she owed him a ticket to go and see the new Harry Potter here in about a week. Looking forward to still a lot of pool time as summer is now in full swing for sure.