Labor Day...

(Matt & Ryan were gone taking flags down for scouts. They ate first)

A late dinner after a hard days work.

Jared has a rival now with his corn-on-the-cob.

Kevin

He had 4 pieces and was begging for more when I made him eat his spaghetti instead.

Jared only had 3.

On our way up Manti Canyon yesterday afternoon to get a big load of firewood I saw lots of people coming down with their trailers in tow. There was a dad and two boys riding bikes downs. There were untold numbers of ATV's going all over the mountain side. You could smell camp fires and dinners cooking in the fall air. People having a great vacation time.

I turned to Matt and said, "I don't think people know what the word "labor" means."

Ryan had informed us that Labor Day was a holiday where kids get out of school so they can labor all day with their parents. Yup, that's what it is.

We took the kids out of school early Friday and traveled to Star Valley Wyoming for a football game. Devon and Jordan are on the team. It was an awesome game! They won by a land slide.

Saturday we got to see Joshua be baptised and confirmed. Such a special, special experience. It was Grandma Christensen's B-day. She's been gone almost 13 years. I knew she was there with us by how wonderful and close we all felt to her.

Sunday we went to church and then drove the long way home. Stopping at some friends houses we haven't seen in years. Aud--you weren't home! But your yard looks awesome! It was so great to see friends again. We miss them and it was just like we'd never left.

Then Monday morning we dug up most of our potatoes in our garden. Gathered more green beans, tomatoes, & peppers. And picked lots of corn that was ready. Then we had lunch and headed up the mountain for more wood. We bought 10 cords worth and still had 5 to get. We only got one, so we are down to 4 more to keep us toasty warm all winter, and share with Grandpa of course. We don't need that much for just us.

At 7:30 that night we were finally eating dinner. Yum!

Too bad it was a school night and that's usually when they are all getting in bed.

I had to peal them all out of their beds this morning so they could make it to school on time.

All of my boys are such hard workers.

I've been telling them for years that they will have fun getting wood if they just have the right attitude about it. Well, they had tons of fun yesterday.

David said it best.

"Mom, that's like the first time in my whole life I've had lots of fun getting wood. And it's all because I decided I would have fun!"

Don't you love it when what you've been preaching sinks in?!

We also loaded it all up in record time.

Amazing how not complaining and just working does that.