Ode to Eagle Mountain...

I am a firm believer that each part or stage of life teaches us lessons and helps us grow and develop as a person. I am really dorky in the fact that I am constantly looking for these lessons in the mundane. It's kind-of a hobby of mine. ( I collect Hobbies, you know). Thus my Ode to Eagle Mountain.

Lessons I have learned while living in Eagle Mountain.
1- You reap what you sow.
2- In order to sow, you must lightly water dirt, add some sandy loam and peat moss.
3- While sowing, do NOT over water dirt.
4- Native Eagle Mountain Soil is the NEW quicksand. If over watered.
5- Sow nothing. Reap tumbleweeds.
6- Do not try to ignore small growing weeds in yard.
7- Tumbleweeds are like small, seemingly insignificant sins. They start out so small and benign and if are left un-attended...well, one day you look out your kitchen window and the small insignificant weeds are now large, bushy, thorny beasts.
8- Russian Thistle is a type of tumble weed.
9- Never try to pick Russian Thistle without full body armor.
10-I am severely allergic to Russian Thistle. (think, ER visit..can't breathe!)
11-Nothing beats the satisfaction of using a rake in the fall to annihilate the dead Russian Thistle along our property line (in long sleeves, gloves, etc..).
12-Russian Thistle makes a great, cheap fence. Keeps our kids in, the pesty neighbor kids out!
13-Always look before backing out of driveway.
14-There will ALWAYS be one of the following behind you: small child, skateboard, bike, transformer or cat. Or all of the above.
15-Two things you can count on in Eagle Mountain: Every one has either small children or a dog. Or both.
16-Your kids will always have friends to play with outside.
17-One ring on your doorbell=adult, multiple rings in a row for 5 minutes straight=kid.
18-It is so much fun to be surrounded by people in basically the same stage of life as you.
19-Eagle Mountain communities practice the law of consecration. The set up for this Celestial principle goes like this: Everyone has a home based business (Lia Sophia, Scentsy, Shoes, etc...) Everyone attends everyone else's parties and spends money. No one actually makes money in their businesses, the money just circulates around the neighborhood.
20- If your shoes are scuffed, houses smell yucky, or you are un-adorned, you are not doing your part to support one another.
21- Neighbors are very generous when it comes to lending an egg, 1/4 cup sugar, stick of butter, or any other small ingredient needed while baking on a Sunday.
22- Always call your friend while you are at Wal-Mart to see if she needs anything while you are "in town"
23- Friend is an "angel of mercy" because you just realized you don't have a head of garlic for your famous lasagna and you don't have 1.5 hours to go "to town" for garlic.
24- You will share your space with snakes, tarantulas, black widows and sand puppies.
25- You will be a member of at least 3 different wards without even moving once!
26- You will have a village of wonderful people to help mentor your child.
27- You will have many moms to bond with and discuss temper tantrums, potty training, school work and to swap recipes with.
28- You will always have dirt in your window sills, in your carpet and in your garage.
29- The stars are brightest here.
30- Your neighbors porch lights light your way home.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year here in Eagle Mountain. I have learned so much and made so many wonderful friends here. I am living in my little house on the prairie, and I love it!

Yo Ho Blow the Man Down!

Yesterday we had some really windy weather in Utah County and especially in American Fork where Darrin has his route and we have work/school. The preschoolers had a ton of fun outside throwing the leaves up in the air and watching them blow across the playground.
Later that afternoon Darrin called me and told me he had gotten hit. I immediately had a picture of a scrunched brown truck. I said, where did you get hit? He said, I was walking down the street.

What?! YOU got hit? He said yes, I was walking down the street back to my truck and out of nowhere this tent hit me!
Yes, a fully erected, family size tent complete with rain fly, smacked right into my UPS driver. Luckily he was not impaled by a stake or smacked up the side of the head by the zipper.

I might venture to say that he will be on the look out for accompanying sleeping bags and canteens with in the next few days.

Fish are friends, not food.

OK, we need your help to settle a little dispute that Darrin and I are having. Remy was watching Finding Nemo and the part where Dory and Marlin run into Bruce and his friends came on. Darrin says to me that he believes that Bruce and friends just wanted to lure Dory and Marlin in to eat them and that the Fish Eaters Anonymous was just a front for them to get fish to trust them so they can eat them. I strongly disagree and feel as though they really were trying to stay on the wagon and not eat fish.
So, what do you all think?

Aahhh, Fall.

Last Saturday we decided that we needed a little outing. We loaded the kids up in the car and drove up to Sundance Resort. We bought passes and hopped on the chair lift and rode up the mountain and enjoyed the beautiful red, yellow, orange and green leaves. The boys loved riding the lift and looking at all the fun colors too. We loved it so much that the following Monday the boys and I took Grandma Owings. This time we packed a lunch and got off at the top and had a little picnic. I think we will make this a tradition.

PS, we did have pants for Tate...until he had a small accident on the way up the mountain. We had to buy a $22 onesie in the gift shop so at least his diaper was covered up.