Fall Weather and Science Fair

We had a gorgeous fall day one Saturday. Chris was gone for most of the day and the kids and I were getting a little stir crazy so we figured out how to change/repair the tires on all our bikes and go for a bike ride. It took way longer to get everyone set and so Chris made it home by the time we were ready to leave, which was good since we didn't have what we needed to fix the bike trailer tires, so It ended up just being the 3 older kids and myself that rode bikes down to the duck park. 

Good thing we got it in because the very next day it snowed! Not a lot, but enough for the kids to go outside and have fun. They've been dreaming about living in a place that snows ever since we moved away from Canada. 

Science Fair Time! We seriously do NOT like doing science fair projects, the kids take a lot of prodding and bugging to get started and work on it. Actually doing the experiment is always fun though and while the posters also take a lot of cajoling the kids are always so proud of their work after.  Charlie worked with airplanes and which paper worked best, Gwen tested to see which kind of dish soap makes more bubbles, and Alec tested the strength of various kinds of Duct tape.

 The weather turned nice again for a few days and I let Freddy ditch school for a day to go with Max, Theo and I to Hogle Zoo with Sarah, Hazel, Estefi, Tommy, Olivia and their cousin. It was a "free" day and so the plan was to get there right when it opened. I got caught going out the door with some craziness, Max making huge messes, and discovering our double stroller has a flat tire. (I JUST replaced it the previous week for the bike ride/park trip) I was pretty upset because now I would be late and I didn't have another tire replacement. I ended up patching up the tube with tape and hoping it would work. It looked promising.  I arrived later than I wanted but luckily got one of the few last parking spaces in the first parking lot.  When I got the stroller out of the car the tire was totally flat. I had brought the small umbrella stroller just for this chance but then I would have to have Theo strapped to my chest the whole time and not have any cargo space for our lunch, jackets, blankets, diaper bag etc. I opted to just push the double stroller with a flat tire. It was definitely the right choice but it sure was a work out to push! It was really crowded and the zoo itself was a little bit of a let down after our experiences at the amazing Memphis zoo with our passes a few years ago but it was Freddy's first time (that he could remember) going to the zoo and he loved it! Max really liked watching all the animals too and didn't complain much about me making him stay strapped in the stroller for most of the time. ... and its always a plus to see my sisters!

Happy 11th Birthday to Charlie!

Charlie wanted to play a big game of soccer for his birthday party. Chris got some lawn spray paint, borrowed another big goal from Thom, (Grandpa helped us out with some corner flags) and went to town making a legit looking soccer field in our backyard.  We divided into two teams, came up with names, introduced each player and had them run onto the field.  Then Chris wore his whistle from his old coaching days and ref-ed the game. It was really fun. Charlie mostly invited all his cousins and a few friends from school. 

We had gatorades and water at half time and orange slices at the end. It was so so much fun.

Some of the Betteridge cousins spent the night the night before and Chris took them to see a BYU womens soccer game. Freddy and Gwen spent the night up in Herriman so we weren't too packed.  We made crepes for breakfast on his actual birthday (his favorite food) and Max, Theo and I brought him Chick-fil-a for lunch and ate with him in the school cafeteria.

Charlie is generally so happy and self-propelled with all things. He's kind, assertive, confident, tender hearted, and is often the first to console someone who is crying. He's often quick to help me out or hold the door open for me. He of course, like any human, has his moments, but really he's a joy to have in our family and such a good person. We love our Charlie!

A new crib, the twins visit, a Starkville dinner, traditional cowboy

I met my mom and Tiff up at IKEA for a morning. We had 7 kids under 5 between us. I barely managed to get the crib box in our cart (a nice worker helped load it) and in the car. Max is in LOVE. He understood it was for him quite early and 'helped' Daddy build it.  He immediately wanted to try it out and just laid their so contently with a big grin. It didn't take him very long (maybe a few weeks?) to figure out how to climb out of it and its been such a headache for Chris and I at bedtime. 

Eddie and Kayla and their babies came down for Grahams baptism. I gave the talk on baptism and tried to engage Graham's active attention, he ended up standing in front of the table and the 'talk' morphed more into a conversation with him.  Alec said the closing prayer then we went to their house for a yummy dinner. We got a picture of all the Archibald grandkids.

Rebecca and Trevor had the great idea to do a little Starkville branch reunion with Elizabeth. It was so nice to be able to get together and reminisce / catch up on our Starkville friends and memories. Elizabeth told us Jake Gines was put in the Stake Presidency! Also, the Stake boundaries changed and the Columbus ward got put in the Tuscaloosa, AL Stake. How sad.

I remembered to get a picture of Theo in the Archibald boy traditional cowboy outfit my mom got Alec when he was just a baby. I need to find the other pictures of the other boys in it and do a comparison photo collage.

Franklin for Fall Break

For Fall Break we headed up to Franklin for a day. I love having my kids experience a little bit the rich family history associated with that place... the place their Grandma grew up, and lived, the place where her father built an egg company from the ground up, the place where he (my kids great grandfather) grew up.  Its so idyllic with the country space, fields, trees, mountains and farms.  It was the first time Great Grandma Woodward met little Theodore and his cousin, Davis. 

Mady and Alec took an initial ride on the motorcycle to make sure it was a good place for the rest of the kids to try it.  Gwen rode the motorcycle for her first time and did great! All the kids really loved riding it. It was definitely a highlight of the day and I'm so glad we made space for it in the trunk. 

Dixie's brother, David, took us out to see their new baby chicks and let the kids hold them.

We also stopped by the cemetery to see the Woodward section with Dixie's dad, and a lot of his ancestors.

Chris was unable to come with us this time since BYU didn't have Fall Break, and I felt pretty brave driving the whole way by myself with a newborn and 5 other kids. They all did pretty well in the car. It was a long day but really great to get out, and give the kids a chance to connect with their roots. 

Joint Betteridge FHE

The Betteridge Utah siblings (except Jared and his kids couldn't make it) decided to all meet up at Cornbelly's for Family Home Evening when Mom was here. She had flown out to help Jordan with his kids while Estefi had a girls trip with her friend. It was pretty crowded so it was difficult to travel through the park from attraction to attraction with our group of 20 or so.  They had so many little attractions: a barrel train, a corn maze, a potato sack slide, a rat maze, human foosball, human chess, corn pit, slanted shack, mini town, bouncy things and more slides etc.  It got pretty cold and dark fast, but it cost enough that we wanted to stay as long as we could to 'get our money's worth.'  We watched a bit of a dance show and got some fair-style food to snack on for dinner.  Its fun to be able to do weekday stuff like this with family!

Alec's Soccer for FPA

Alec did a great job on his school soccer team. He was a solid defender and had many good plays. He had a hard time understanding his coach because he often gave instructions in Spanish...as the majority of the team members were hispanic.  They worked hard and had a few very close games...eventually winning their last game! We went out to Olive Garden to celebrate.