My brother, the Poet...

Please follow the link. I am nothing if not humble.

Weekend Fun

We took a quick trip this weekend to Utah to see Grandma Rhonda, Grandma & Grandpa Benson and Callie. It was a last minute decision but a lot of fun to see everyone. While we were down we went to lunch at the new Harley-Davidson dealership. The food was good, the bikes were cool and the company was great.


We did a lot of shopping (Luke made out like a bandit) and visiting. It is always so good to see family. We took Grandma Rhonda to the airport early Saturday morning and headed home to catch the BYU football game.

When we got home the weather was so nice I got some bulbs planted and am totally excited for next spring to see them. I have decided that spring flowers are one of the best sights in spring. They make the winter melt away and also remind me of my mission where they planted tulips, daffodils, and crocuses in the park lawns. I didn't go quite that far but man was I tempted! I will post pictures in the spring. At half time Ryan decided to get a jump on the whole Christmas lights thing.


We recruited Levi to help us... actually he was the one here when we started. Last year Pete was the lucky one to risk his neck with Ryan trying to get all the lights straight and this year it was Levi. We give our volunteers the easy jobs! (Emily, I made sure he was safe!)


As you can see Luke and I stayed busy supervising the hard work, documenting everything, and making sure the lights were straight. Toughest jobs of all!


All in all it was a great weekend until Luke and Ryan came down with a cold they got from Callie's kids... thanks a lot Callie! We hope they both get better soon!

Peta didn't even ask the pigs opinion!

Georgia High School Pledges to End Kiss-a-Pig Contests

"When PETA received complaints about a "Kiss-a-Pig" contest at Flowery Branch High School's pep rally, we immediately contacted the principal and voiced concerns about how the pig was roughly handled. We informed him that these cruel events do not teach children compassion and kindness--they teach that animals are merely objects for our amusement. He promptly replied that he will not allow this type of event to happen at the school in the future."

Good thing Peta wasn't around as much when I was in High School or I would have never gotten any kisses. I didn't even mind being an object for their amusement.

You can see the original article Here. there is no link to show how sad I (and probably the pig) am that this is now no longer an event.

Fall Firsts

Seeing as this is Luke's first year of life, there are a lot of "Firsts". Here is a little pictoral review of the latest firsts:

Have I mentioned how much Ryan loves his motorcycle? Almost as much as he loves Luke. It is his happy place. I always know when he leaves for a ride that he will come back to me refreshed, happy, and relaxed. He also loves to share the joy with me. We often call Heidi over to babysit and take some time to ride the back roads of Lyman (ok, so all the roads out here could be considered "back"). Well sharing the joy of riding with just me was no longer enough. Ryan wanted to initiate Luke to the club. How can you say no to this?


We bundled him up and strapped him on for his first ride with Dad. I had serious misgivings but Ryan assured me he would stay right around the house. So Luke got his first, of what will surely be many, ride on the motorcycle with Dad.


The ride didn't last long... it was too stressful for me so I put a quick stop to the fun but Luke seemed to like it, almost as much as Ryan.

While shopping for Luke a month or so ago we ran across little halloween costumes. We bought the costume then and have been anxiously waiting for the big day to unveil our...

After visiting with friends, I am grateful that dressing up a baby is so easy and fun. They look cute dressed up as anything, not to mention they don't mind being dressed in a one piece costume all day.

We had a fun weekend. Callie and company came up to visit us and spend Halloween together. We had a couple of parties at the facilities that we needed to make an appearance at. Our residents loved seeing all the kids decked out in their costumes. After making the rounds at one party and charming all the ladies, Luke was out for the next one, Carter however was soaking it all up!

After those parties we had a Trunk-or-Treat at the church house. I am in the Primary Presidency and was in charge of the activity. It turned out good, especially for our first time. Luke slept through half of that activity too. When we got home he was awake and ready to party!

Saturday we all went for some ice cream. I have been trying to wait until 6 mo. to feed Luke solids because that is what my pediatrician recommended. But lately he is very interested in eating and is wanting to join in. While I was eating my ice cream he decided that it was time for him to get some. I gave in, to keep him quiet. It all started with a couple of small tastes which quickly accelerated to this:

Let's just say he is a quick learner! (We didn't really let him eat the rest of the cone.) I bought a high chair online today so that we can back up and start with some rice cereal. Hopefully his tastes aren't ruined already.

Last, but definitely not least, is Luke's first white shirt and tie outfit. Ryan was shopping for the facilities and ran across this little outfit. Being the doting father he is, there is no way he could pass it up. I couldn't pass up the chance to get a pictures of my two boys all polished up for church yesterday.

Don't they look good? I am so lucky to have them in my life. They take care of me and are the light of my life. Won't it be fun to take a picture like this throughout the years.