October 2013: More autumn fun!

Our cub scout den was scheduled to do a moonrise hike on Friday evening, October 18th, and only one of our scouts was able to come--Gabriel Zavala. He was bummed that none of the other boys made it, but he LOVED this den activity. It was cold out, but it was one of the BEST field trips ever!

Sebastian got off of work early and brought Jess and the boys on the hike with us. We all had a great time watching the moon rise over the Sandia Mountains, and eating a picnic dinner in the cold wind.

Gabriel Zavala, 9 years old

Papa Dunlap and son Beau hanging out together on top of the volcanic "hill"

Eating and waiting for the moon to rise

Cute Dunlap family trying to stay warm

It's almost time!

The moon was small, but it still peeked out and made an appearance

The moon rose rather fast against the hazy horizon

As the moon rose higher, we watched the colors in the sky change from blue to pink to purple

Sebastian enjoying nature with his family

Sebastian and Beau keeping each other warm

Hudson wore his mommy's coat 

Keeping an eye on an active 3-year old is constant work!

On Saturday, October 19th, the Dunlap family joined me and Jennifer Ensz on a visit to Los Poblanos farm in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. The best part was watching Hudson with the farm animals. The gift shop was fun too.

Cute little goat

Funny, hungry pigs

October 31st: My baby brother, Vernon Pitcher, looking awesome as a firefighter at the Providence Day Hab Halloween dance, located on 2225 4th Street NW in Albuquerque

My mother with her baby boy, Vernon, on Halloween day

October 14, 2013: October birthday dinner and farewell to Jared!

The day after our Idaho trip, on October 14th, we had a family get-together and celebrated Jenny, Mike, and Mario's birthdays, and said our good-byes to Jared. 

Jared and Jenny and their boys went to Puerto Rico for a family getaway on the 15th. They returned to Santa Fe on the 18th, and then Jared drove to northern California on the 19th to start his new job with eShares in Palo Alto. What a crazy schedule! We will miss our Jared!!! 

Jenny and the boys will join Jared in Palo Alto the end of December. Hopefully we will still get to see them during the holidays. We love you Jared, Jenny, Mario, and Milo!!! 

I think we're ALL here in one photo--there's 16 of us and our 1st granddaughter on the way!

Sebastian and Jessica Dunlap with sons Hudson and Beau

Jacob and Shauna Hobbs with son Tyler and his cousin Joey Hobbs

Jenny's 29th birthday was on October 7th!

Mike's 54th birthday was on the 13th!

A kid at heart, Mike always makes the best of family celebrations

Our oldest grandson Mario started kindergarten this year, and turns 6 on the 27th!

We love you Mario!

Nobody caught this until it was too late:
Beau steals his cousin Joey's pacifier and sucks on it!

Too cute! Joey takes it all in stride. Love those babies!

October 8-12, 2013: Idaho Falls trip!

Mike and I decided to drive to Idaho Falls and spend some quality time with his mother, Joy Hobbs, and his little sister, Julie Hatch, as well as to see the rest of his family. We took Jessica and her two boys with us. We always leave Idaho with our hearts (and our stomachs!) full of love and appreciation for the wonderful family Mike was born into. I am so grateful to be a part of the HOBBS family. They are the BEST. Sure wish they all lived closer!

Mike is always our devoted and exceptional driver. Here he plays on his iPhone while
baby Beau Dunlap enjoys a little freedom from being strapped in his car seat for hours.

I love, love, love this beautiful Hobbs baby--oops, I mean Dunlap baby!
He has the sweetest smile, the tenderest blue eyes, and the fuzziest hair!

October 8th: We stopped and had lunch at our favorite place in Provo, Utah--Cafe Rio

October 9th: After arriving in Idaho, we visited Mike's older sister, Connie, at her
 apartment group home. Here, Hudson is holding another resident's guinea pig.

Connie is always excited to see us and to get a new "wedding ring."
She has the fanciest and most comfy bedroom in the whole apartment.

Jessica and Connie share a bonding moment

Chil-laxing at Grandma Joy's house and chatting on the phone

October 9th: Sam and Kiley arrived the second day and spent the week with us

Beautiful baby Joey playing on the floor

Baby Beau enjoys being out of the car after a long, long drive

 Cousins "Bo" and "Jo" hanging out together

Cousins Joey and Hudson watching a show on TV

 Beau doing what he does best--looking cute

 Hudson poses with the Idaho Falls Temple for a backdrop

After going for a cold walk to the Falls strapped to his mommy, Beau conks out

October 10th: At Brad and Julie's house, a sequence of shots capturing Joey's gummy smile

The marinated flank steak, steamed asparagus, and roasted red potatoes we made for the Hatch family

Joy Hobbs enjoying the gathering at Julie's house

Out for another brisk walk in lovely Idaho Falls near the temple
and another sleeping baby strapped to his mommy 

The beautiful Japanese Garden near the Falls. Mike and I loved this place! 

A pond in the Japanese Garden and a variety of plants and trees

This tree was one of our favorites!

An unusual horse bench that Mike decided to ride

Gorgeous trees and shrubs along the walk 

The Idaho Falls Temple in autumn. This is where Mike and I
were married over 32 years ago, on March 28, 1981.

The falls in the Idaho Falls River not far from Joy's house

A better view of the Idaho Falls Temple

Another unusual bench. This one is a giant fishing leer and hook.

I love that Idaho spud of mine!! 

October 11th in the morning: Joy shows off her fancy line dancing outfit--so cute and sassy! 

October 11th in the evening: Scott Hobbs and son at Joy's house for our big family dinner 

After everyone left Joy's house, Mike and Jessica went to
Steve and Linda's house to see their kitchen and floor remodel

The hickory cabinets, granite countertops, and tile backsplash 

The colorful wood floor

The new stainless sink and faucet

The new wood framed vinyl window above the kitchen sink

On our drive back to NM, we stopped at the Orem, Utah Costco for gas and potty breaks and found out that Elizabeth Smart was scheduled to arrive for a book signing event! She wrote a book entitled "My Story." It's about what happened to her several years ago when she was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home at the age of 14 and was kept hostage for 9 months. 

Of course we stayed and waited in line to meet Elizabeth and to have her sign all the books we purchased for gifts. We found her to be very sweet and pretty; reserved by refined, and somewhat shy and quiet. We read her book all the way back to Albuquerque and shed many tears along the way.