Hope everyone's Halloween was lots of fun!

I was lucky enough to have Jenny and Hayden home with me last week while Paul, Jason, Mike and Corby went elk hunting. Jenny, Hayden and I dressed up in costumes for our ward's Fall Festival as a hippi, witch and of course Hayden was the cutest TIGGER! Check out my site there to see more pictures. We had such a good visit! It was a great opportunity for us to have some mom/daughter/grandma time and endulge in some PRE Halloween fun. The guys weren't successful as far as bagging any elk, but they had a great time. With the 2007 season over, they now have a whole year to anticipate going hunting together again! Now we are past Halloween, it's time to start being THANKFUL for so much and getting ready for that big yummy Thanksgiving dinner and start keeping Christmas secrets...YAY!!! This is my favorite time of the year!

October 17th...Happy Birthday! Kitch. Precious baby, Great son, Loving husband, Wonderful daddy!

Family Soup

Jason and Jaxon

Mike and Jaxon

Paul and Gale... "All Because Two People Fell In Love!"

Corby, Jenny & Hayden Carter

Kitch, Angela & Jaxon Head

Mike and the medic and gunner that traveled in his vehicle.

Good Friends!

Mike LIVE on our hometown radio.

Nothing can be better than this!

It was a day of remembrances as we neared Rock Springs yesterday. It occurred to me that we had been here...done this before. But those times were laced with hearts so burdened with anguish that I shied away from the memory. Here we were nearing the armory again, only this time to bring our son home instead of dropping him off to serve in a distant and forbidding war. The bus carrying him pulled in the same time we did, so we parked in a hurry and ran to join the crowd jostling for positions at the door of the bus. There was a band playing, flags flying, tears and smiles, families reunited after 16 long months. I got separated from Paul and Jason; they got separated from each other. We were all on tip toes trying to catch a glimpse of just one soldier as he stepped from the bus. Then I saw Mike wrapped in the arms of his father. In just a moment it was my turn. He felt solid, warm, and so good. Then Jason caught him up in the biggest brother hug. I handed the camera to one of Mike's fellow soldiers and he snapped this picture. The wind was blowing, there was dust in the air, but we were all smiles! SO GLAD TO HAVE HIM HOME!!!

Handsome Jaxon!

Sixteen month old Jaxon is particularily handsome in his yellow bowl and spaghetti sauce. We can all take a lesson from him how to REALLY enjoy food. While I was in SLC with Hayden, Angela and Jaxon came up and spent the day with us. Kitch was able to come after school, and Jason joined us as well. Good fun was had by all.

Beautiful little Hayden

Here is Hayden (almost seven months) being very charming and happy in his activity chair. I was lucky enough to get to spend last week with him while his baby sitter, (his wonderful other grandma) was out of town. We played, and laughed, and I pushed him around on a little baby bike. He would sit on it and hold on like such a big boy. He was just adorable and fun! When I was there, he was SO close to being able to crawl. He would rock on his hands and knees. Well, he has finally figured it out. Corby is up here with us to go hunting with Paul and reported that Jenny told him so last night. So LOOK OUT WORLD! Hayden is now mobile!

Paws and Claws!

How would you like to be wandering along a river bank and come upon this? Corby and his friend Tom found this fresh black bear paw print north east of Palisades yesterday. You can just barely see Corby's foot print on the left side of the picture. They also found trees that had claw marks on them as high as Corbys head. Yikes! Not many bears have been spotted in that area, but they are obviously there!

Now I'm a REAL hunter!

This was Paul's estatic response to shooting his first elk with a bow. He has about a 98% success rate with a rifle, but hunting with a bow is SO much harder requireing many hours of practice. You have to get very close without the elk hearing, seeing or smelling you which requires much stealth and patience. This beautiful 5X5, (refuring to the antler points), was tagged up Snake River Canyon Saturday evening. Paul and Corby had taken the tent and gear up in prep for the rifle hunt that begins on Tuesday. They had time to scout around for elk and Paul was lucky enough to call in this magestic bull. Corby was essential in that he called as well. Corby took this great picture.

GOLD IN A BOTTLE

I had purchased two boxes of peaches through our ward up here and Jason, mom and Michele were kind enough to help me bottle them...(Why is it that work turns to fun when it's at someone elses house!?) I had to include this picture because just look at how beautiful Michele is, and how absolutely queenly mom is!!!! I am so proud to be the sistey ugler!

Goofy

"Look at the camera and say...WHAT THE???!" In typical family fashion, we had to HAM it up for the camera.

Jason's Curls

BIG HUG!!! Jason worked in Valdez, Alaska for five months returning September 2nd. Here he is with Michele and mom at her house on the 7th. While in Alaska, it was easier not to cut his hair or beard...other than in the goatee style, so he came home pretty bushy. I hadn't seen Jason's curls since he was two, actually forgot they were there.

Jason Head

It's surprising how few pictures I have of Jason. This one was taken almost exactly a year ago while boating at Palisades reservoir. Jason will be arriving at the SLC airport this Sunday after spending nearly five months in Valdez, Alaska working construction at the salmon cannery there. He said that he hasn't cut his hair in all that time so I would imagine that he will look a lot like Big Foot when he gets off that airplane. I'll have to get a picture of that for posterity!

Jason Head

This is our gentle giant Jason, standing with his beautiful little grandma on May 19Th, 2006. The occasion was Jenny and Corby's wedding day.