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1. OK, so there are 2 things on this list that should have been posted on last week's Friday Favorites.  But we were camping in Goblin Valley on Friday so I didn't get around to posting.  Which is my #1.  Camping in Goblin Valley last week was AWESOME!  We went with our neighbors, the Cowarts, and it was probably our best camping trip ever.  One of the reasons it was so great was because of the company.  Another reason is because our kids slept so well.  Usually they keep us up all night but this time, they slept pretty much as well as they do at home.  The weather was pretty much perfect until the thunderstorm that began just as we were leaving.  But the best part was the location.  Goblin Valley is a very unique place and the kids really enjoyed climbing around on all the cool rock formations. There was lots of sand to play with and tons of neat nooks and crannies, including an awesome cave.

2. And my second thing that I should have posted last week ... we are having a baby and IT'S A BOY!

3. On to this week: We did the story of The Anxious Leaf in Kindergarten this week. Introducing a new story to the kids is always the highlight of my day.  This story was an experiment, since it is so much simpler than the other stories I have told, yet has a much more serious tone.  The boys really took to it, though, and it opened their eyes to the autumn happening all around them.  Our Kindergarten walks were transformed as the boys looked for the most vibrantly colored and intact leaves they could find.

4. For that matter, the wonderful fall weather should probably make my list of favorites this week.  We bust out our sweaters during the early morning hours and then later in the day enjoy a break from the blistering heat we used to experience on our outings.

5. I gave the boys some desperately needed haircuts.

6.  Jalapeno peppers.  This baby is practically made out of them.  They were on sale for 48 cents a pound at WinCo and so I bought pounds and pounds of them.  Our nieghbors gave us an awesome recipe for jalapeno poppers and I have eaten them 5 days out of the past 6.  Some of them have been burn-my-face off spicy but the others have totally been worth the risk.  I think I am coming to the end of my jalapeno craze, though, which is too bad because I still have 2 pounds left.

7.  I think Scott is going to get a job offer next week.  More on this exciting news next Friday.

8. Also news for Scott: my harp student and her mother read his novel this week.  They knew nothing about it and their feedback was really positive.  It is exciting to see other people reading and enjoying my husband's writing, which I think will be published on Kindle by the end of the month.

9. Soren is, apparently, actually teaching himself Japanese.  Scott had some time recently to talk with him about the syllabaries and found that he has complete command of one of Japanese's three syllabaries.  And he has a small vocabulary as well.  When we went to the library on Wednesday this week, he checked out some of the books they have there that are in Japanese and has been enjoying sounding out the words to himself during rest time.  He never ceases to amaze me.
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Karen said…
Boy #3. So happy for you. I can't believe how smart Soren is. Well, I guess I can. Look at who his parents are. So good to hear from you.
October 19, 2012 at 6:37 PM
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