September

Sep 1- Trappers Loop with Meredith

Even though Wildflower was over I still wanted to get rides in when I could. My friend Meredith was doing Goldilocks at the end of September and she still needed rides in. So I went with her as many times as I could. 

Trappers Loop was one that we wanted to get in. 

Riding up to the top was just amazing. I loved that Meredith got this photo of me and the sun rising.

We rode around the lake and totally froze our hands and feet off. We weren't expecting it to be that cold this early in September.

 I was so looking forward to climbing up the mountian again to slow down and get warm again.

 Cy's lost his first tooth that day too!!! He let Jesse tie it to the end of one of Fynn's wooden trains. Then he let Fynn drive the train across the table like he was playing with it. Only after 2 tugs the tooth came out. I could't believe how chill he was about the whole thing.

 Sep 3- Happy Birthday Fynnie

3 years old!!!
Since the first moment I held him I was smitten with so much love for this little man. He's been such a joy for our family with his funny, whitty and cute personality. It is so painful to watch him grow up. I love every stage he is in but have a hard time knowing it won't last long before moving into the next stage. It forces me to fully enjoy him.

Since it was also Labor Day we drove up to Logan to meet Andrew, Emily and their kiddos with Mom and Dad! It was also Sterling's birthday so we had a birthday party on the lake side.

I ordered this cake to be just how Fynn would love it. Didn't it turn out so cute?

He certainly loved it!

The wind was blowing so we had to block the candles with a towel while we were singing Happy Birthday to him.

The BIG #3!!!

When we got home I gave him his birthday present. Now he would fit in with daddy while they both worked on the house.

Thomas undies and all.

Putting his hammer to the test.

 Sep 4-

About a month before this I had a pretty neat experience.

Back in November(2017) I was put in as the YW Personal Progress Specialist. I'm technically not in the YW presidency but Natalie (the president) would always include me in the presidency meetings since I was working with all of the YW.

So fast forward to the beginning of August the 1st councilor got a new job that would take her away from Sundays and Wednesday activities. So we were in a position where we needed to find a new 1st councilor. Natalie told me all of this and arranged for the presidency to go to the temple together so that we could discuss it in the Celestial Room together.

It was a Thursday night. We met around 8pm. I had worked since 10am and went straight there from work. I think I ate on the way.

I met the other girls in the foyer and we went in together to get dressed for Initiatory. We did a few names and then went up to the Celestial Room. Natalie had asked each of to come with a few names in mind that we could discuss. I mentioned to her that I felt bad for not having a single idea. Total mind blank.

We found a couch that we could all sit on. Natalie started by suggesting this one girl (which I don't even remember now who it was). Everyone talked about how she could be good. I wasn't feeling one way or the other.

Then Natalie said she had another idea and she looked at me and said "and you're just going to kill me."

As soon as she said this I started to wonder who on earth would she suggest that I would be so upset about? I started to go through the ward in my mind of anyone I had a problem with and wouldn't want to work with. Nothing was coming to mind. As I'm lost in this world for a moment I finally start to come back into the real world and I hear Natalie saying "...you're just so busy and Jesse is in YMs already...."
I looked at her quickly and said "oh you mean me?"
We all chuckled at my shocked response.
I sat there for a moment trying to envision how the 1st councilor would look like in my world. I was realizing I would be over the Miamaids, I would be in charge of the activities, I would delegate with the Miamaid advisers,  attending every Wed activity would be a new thing..... While I was envisioning all of this I could all of a sudden feel the spirit speak to my heart "That's right Ash, it's you."

When a break in the conversation opened up I said to other leaders "I can't believe I'm going to say this out loud... but I think.... that it's me."

Almost in unison they all said "We do too."

So that was it. I was to now be the new 1st councilor. It was really cool to get a calling directly from God. I knew before the Bishop knew. lol

It took a month to get things in order and once I got set apart then I could get to work.
Natalie likes us to go to the temple once a month, So on this particular Sep temple visit we went to the Salt Lake Temple because the Bountiful temple was closed for renovations.

Me (1st councilor), Jenny (Secretary), Natalie (President) and Jessica (2nd councilor)

I'm feeling very blessed to be a part of this YW presidency. These women are a true light in my life. Going from Personal Progress Specialist to the 1st councilor was going to make things alot busier in my life.  But  I know that the Lord will bless me and has already blessed me with the capacity to do what is required of me.  Olive Oil can oly be expelled from great amount of pressure and I cant grow without being stretched. 

 Sep 5-
Jesse was eager to get the main beam for the trusses up. But it's always when everyone around is working. So he does it himself. He sent me this picture while I was at work. As soon as I opened up these pictures I had some serious anxiety because he was putting this beam up BY HIMSELF!!!! Jenga style!

These pictures are resting on the top of the wall but that beam still needed to go up 4 or 5 feet. So from that point he would lift up one side and put a piece of wood underneath it. Inching his way up. By the time I got home he had it high in the air propped up with 2x4s underneath in the middle, wooden blocks on the edges stacked on top of each other. Straps from the top of the beam running to the floor to "stabilize" it... as it's swaying side to side. He only had like 4 more inches before it was in place and he wanted me to push the resting beam underneath it as he lifts the last 4 inches up.
I was freaked.
I didn't like it one bit.
He got mad at me for being freaked so I just hurried and helped him so I could leave. I was feeling upset that he wouldn't just get a crane or more guys to help him.

But by the end of the day he did it. All by himself. No crane. As I'm writing all of this I still can't believe that he did it. But he did!

I heard that Collin Kartchner was speaking near by and I really wanted Jesse and Ryker to hear him. He came to our girls camp and shared his message about the dangers of social media and screen time. It changed me. I wanted that for everyone else. Jesse was in the middle of the beam project that he couldn't leave. I understood why he couldn't but I was bummed that he wouldn't get to hear from Collin.

Ryker loved it though. I told  him all about it when I came home from camp but it was even better to rehear it from the source. Collin's inspiring message to #SaveTheKids from phones, social media and screen time rattled my bones. Ever since girls camp I couldn't stop talking about his message. Especially to my boys.

Since July I had made a stronger effort putting down my phone(especially around my boys and husband) and giving my full attention to them. The 8 second hug rule has been instituted in our family as well. Collin teaches that an 8 second hug produces oxytocin (aka the cuddle drug) and that people need that 8x a day to get the same amount of dopamine they are getting from their phones/screen time/gaming.

Video gaming/screen time is almost nothing in our home now. Matter of fact when I taught my boys what Collin shared with us about what video games are doing to boys brains, Ryker took the initiative....and DELETED Fortnite all by himself. (It's the latest addicting craze in the gaming world right now. It's not good.)

Sep 7

 Sep 8- FIrst Ever Soccer Soccer Game
Since Ryker was doing a new sport Cy asked me if he could play soccer. Cy had mentioned to me several times that he didn't want to play flag football anymore and that he likes soccer.

I thought..."How do you know you like soccer when you've never played before?" But apparently all last year he played at recess. So when he played in his first official game I was shocked to see that he really knew how to get after the ball. The coach was surprised to hear that this was Cy's first year playing.

Cy really does like playing soccer! And I can see this being his thing for many years to come. I also love seeing him being his own person and liking something outside of what his brother likes.

First official game of the Football Season.

Tying in the trusses to that main one that HE PUT UP BY HIMSELF!!!! Still can't believe it.

Sep 9-
It's cool seeing the roof start to take shape.

Fynn found a sheet of stickers in the church bag and during sacrament meeting he started to put them all over my face and neck. He kept him quiet so I just let him do it. I sent Jesse this picture while he was at work. I thought it was cute of Fynn.

That night we celebrated Fynn's birthday with my side of the family.

 Sep10- Trusses completed

Such a beautiful sight...

 Sep 12-
Since he's playing in the dirt so much he takes alot more baths. Often 4x in one day. Becasuse he's dirty, so are the excavators....so therefore the dump trucks also need a bath.

 Sep 15- Soccer/Football Fall Life

Every Saturday is filled with Soccer and Football all day long. Usually we go to Cy's games in the morning and Ryker's around 1pm.

Cy plays at the Mueller Park every time, which really simplifies things.

Because Ryker gets to travel all over the valley when he has an away game.

 Sep 17-

When it came time to tie in the new roof with the old roof, it was more complicated than Jesse had imagined. The plans did not show how to connect the new roof into the existing roof and how to deal with the dormer.  This was something Jesse had put off because he wanted the existing house protected as much as possible.  But time had come to put the roof on and tearing the roof off was a dirty but necessary evil. The trusses needed to be cut and moved in some spots to make room for the new trusses.  He was moving fast but the laundry room/bathroom area was going to be left exposed to the elements for a little while.  It was a little tricky changing the pitch of the valleys that existed but he got everything ready and figured out to get sheeting on and a roof on. 

Superman, Excavators,  Mud-pies and boy noises. I sat at the window and watched him play. As you can see from this picture how our yard just died. But he has had the best summer anyway. Who needs green grass and a play set when you have yards and yards of dirt?

Sep 20- Front Porch

I come home from work and get to be surprised almost every time. This time I came home to a new front porch...

Eventually we will have stairs that lead up to it, but for now I will just look at it.

See how our rental's door is hidden just under the porch? Pretty nice huh?

Sep 21
This picture reminded me of Fiddler on the Roof. Getting into the fall it would get dark alot sooner.

For the fun of it he set up a swing with his tow rope.

 Sep 22
Eagle Mountain Football game.
I have never been to Eagle Mountain and didn't realize how far away it was.

My Grandma Goodrich has been coming along with us to the games too. She's been teaching Ryker piano lessons every Monday for the past couple of years and they have grown close. And besides it gives me the opportunity to spend time with her.

Fynn was loving on her that day too.

After the game I took the boys to Cross E Ranch  since they were opened up for the Fall Festivites.

The hay slide was just huge this year. The boys were just loving it. Ryker and Cyrus were total crazy boys trying all sorts of tricks going down the slide. Love their bravery...and apparently they won some girls over with their stunts.

Fynn was way scared to go down the slide. He barely let me take him on my lap. But after a few times down together he got brave enough to go by himself. SO PROUD!

I had so much fun with them tonight. I mini mom and son's date.

 Sep 28-
Starting to get enclosed.
I took this picture as I was about to go to work and I remember looking up at this and just thinking "Wow Jess... look what you've done". He's built this whole thing all by himself. Just incredible.

Sep 29
This weekend was the last weekend before a big storm was coming in. So Jesse decided (I had to tell him it was ok) not to attend the boys sporting events. 

Cy was goalie in the particular game and he did a really good job.

Dave had come over to help with putting the dry-in on and had gotten the back half done and one side.   He hadn't finished framing the section where the new roof connected into the dormer for the bedroom and also the perpendicular slope. That was turning out to be a tricky corner because the slope of the new roof would push all the water straight into the wall of the dormer.  Lots of ideas were given but Jesse eventually decided to build a little cricket that would create a valley that would push the water away from the wall and out to the front of the dormer.  That would allow the dormer to remain the same shape and not look our of place but also keep all the water outside where it's supposed to be. 

 Sep 30
With the Storm coming Monday night there was still so much to be done, Jesse found it necessary to work on the Sabbath. Even people at church were asking us if we needed help because they knew that we weren't dried in yet.

Dave came over again and a couple people from the ward did too. It was tricky to accept help from people who didn't know roofing.