So, last week, our fearless travelers successfully completed their marathon! Go team! They all said it was the hardest thing they'd ever done. It was very painful and they had to keep on running anyway. They were in pain for days afterwards as well. It was a good thing they brought Savannah as their designated driver! She ran/walked the 5K and was in a much better position to do the driving. They got into their hotel at 1am that night and woke up at 6am to drive the rest of the way home in hopes to get Chey back to coach her girls' tennis team. Unfortunately, the van overheated and they had to stop to get it checked out. Chey was an hour late but it all worked out. I was so glad that they were all back safe! There were so many people in that car that were important to me! What cool kids!

Those of us still in Springville got to eat at Sarah's and McKay's for Sunday dinner. They did a great job feeding us and we had a super time!

When Beth got back we did an exciting thing, too--we took her to the new EOS gym that was having its grand opening. We signed her up and got her a personal trainer! Health and fitness here we come!

Ben finished his third week of driver's ed classroom edition. He barely made the class on Wednesday because he got sick Monday after cross country and was out for the count for the rest of school. There was no school on Thursday and Friday so he's had time to recover and we're glad he's feeling better.

On Friday, Beth and Ben went to Lagoon!! I bought the tickets in September so Beth would like September again but then their ride (the Carter's) decided to go over Fall Break instead. Beth still had a great time. Ben started to not feel well so he took the train back to Provo in the afternoon. He is a fan of public transit.

Also on Friday, Kevin's dad came to visit! Yay! We had a great time talking and spending time with him.

On Saturday, Megan had a party for Micah. He is turning one!! Yay! What a cute boy! Megan had a "Little Pumpkin" theme which was so cute. Both families were invited to the park and it was a beautiful Fall day! We sang Happy Birthday and Micah had pumpkin pie for his birthday cake. We love that little boy and his mommy and daddy!

 This weekend, Savannah, Megan, Mariah, Kolby, Evelyn, Cheyenne, Calianne, and Bethany took the van to California for the long-awaited Marathon in the Redwoods! They are running right now so I can't give you a report on how that is going, but everything else has gone according to plan. They drove over eleven hours on Friday and picked up their cousin, Cooper, in Reno on their way to Redding, CA. The next day, they drove the rest of the way to the Redwoods to get in some sightseeing before the big event Sunday morning. I'm so impressed with all of them for undertaking this big adventure! What a great group of people!

Earlier this week, Beth and Ben had a choir concert! It is so fun to have them both in the high school choirs! They sounded so amazing. The choir director does such a great job teaching them to sing and to create music. Also, they both looked amazing! It was a great night.

On Saturday, Kevin and I talked Ben into going on an adventure with us. We went to Heber for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip shakes at the Dairy Keen and then into the mountains for a drive stopping at Cascade Springs. On the way back we went to JCPenney for some new clothes. He had decided he needed a makeover of his style. Watch out world! We had a great time.

Also, I babysat for Sarah on Saturday. Kevin held Oliver while he watched the BYU game. Avery, Lyla, and I jumped on the trampoline, played in the sandbox, climbed the mountain, and took a bath. Avery needed to climb the mountain so she could sing the song from Frozen 2 across the valley. I know I felt the call to adventure! I also got to watch Micah on Friday after Megan left. He had a great time getting into things and babbling to us. What a charming kid!

It has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote! We've had a busy couple of weeks! Two weeks ago, Kevin and I organized and ran a retreat for couples at an Airbnb in Heber! It was so fun! The airbnb was back in the hills nestled among the fall leaves. It even had a stream! Kevin took the couples four-wheeling on one day. We also had group role-plays, group discussions, and teaching. On the last day we saw each couple separately for therapy sessions. We got a lot of positive feedback. Everyone seemed to have a good time and benefit from the experience. Kevin and I really enjoyed being able to spend the time together and collaborate on such a fun project.

That same week was the two-year anniversary of Beth's surgery. We decided to rename it "Do-something-great-for-Beth Day!" So, this year, I took her to get highlights in her hair. It turned out so pretty, and she loved it! We might need a lot more positive days on DSGFB Day in the years to come to outweigh her negative associations from two years ago, but we are up to the challenge and will not lay the gauntlet down!

On the Saturday that we were gone, Sarah Eden, a favorite author of some of my daughters held a tea party at the Provo Library. I think it is so fun that they dressed up and went together! They said they had a great time!

On Sunday, we celebrated Sarah's birthday! We were gone on the day of her birthday so we were so happy to have a chance to celebrate her as a family on Sunday. We met at Megan's pavilion and enjoyed enchiladas. The kids played on the playground and the family even had a rousing game of basketball on the court next to the pavilion. We had a great time and we sure love Sarah! She is doing an amazing job in living her life and raising kids and we are so proud of her.

This past week, Ben ran in regions in Spanish Fork. He finished third on the JV team and took over a minute off his time from the beginning of the year. Go Ben! He has also started Driver's Ed which is twice a week at 5:30am. Ugh! He is getting himself up and ready all by himself and keeping up with all his other things so we are super proud of him, too!

This past weekend, we got to see my sister Amy, Paul, Emma, and Hannah! They were busy with things they planned with Mandy, but it was still fun to see them in the spaces between. Sunday morning, we had Emma take some updated family pictures. 8am was the only time that worked for all of us, but it turns out that 8am provides great lighting! I will post some here.

That weekend was also conference weekend. We weren't all in the same room for it, but it was fun to be gathered with who we could for the sessions we could. Family is such a beautiful thing.