Happy Halloween

We wanted to wish you a Happy Halloween and a great weekend!

Never mind that we also bought a nice fireman jacket.
Maybe tomorrow...

3 tough fire fighters and one cute fire dog

A little electrical tape can go a long way

Gotta love the thrift store!

PS: In case of emergency, call us! We are ready!

Dear Mandy

Remember when we lived at the Cherry house together?
Remember that we call you "The Goddess" for obvious reasons?


Remember how you came up with the name "Cherry Chubs" and we all loved it?
Remember training together that summer like crazy?
Remember me drafting behind you on the bike, crashing in a pot hole and getting stitches?
Remember running intervals up Rock Canyon?
Remember me getting a scar from crashing into a tree because you stopped too fast?
Remember hiking/climbing Mt. Nebo in the snow?


Remember racing the Wahsatch Steeple Chase and calling it the Best Race Ever?
Remember swimming in Deer Creek once a week?
Remember how fast we were with wet suit, fins, and paddles?
Remember the forest fires, helicopters scooping up water, and us STILL swimming?
Remember all the snowshoeing we did and loved?


Remember canyoneering in the Black Box?
Remember what we all looked like afterwards?

So many treasured memories.

I could go on, and on. Unfortunately, I could not find enough pictures to keep it interesting.

Happy Birthday, Mandy

I hope you are having a wonderful day and that the next year of your life is the best yet.
I also hope everything goes well with the birth of your 3rd child.
I love you so much and miss you dearly.

Your friend, Sarah

Why we love ...

... Moab

I am back. All better. I was ready to write this big long post about Moab. But I still have issues with some of my letters. So I thought I'd just interview my family and see what they have to say. This is how it went:

"Hey, Max, my favorite brother. Why do you like Moab so much?"


"Duh, isn't that obvious? I love sand! And there is so much of it everywhere. I am in heaven. Because, did you know, sand is my favorite snack?"
"I figured."


"There is also so much to explore here. And I am pretty good at exploring."



"Did you know that I am going to be an explorer when I grow up?"
"What? That's not possible. I am going to be an explorer. With a Jeep. You will have to be something else."
"Dude, relax. We can both be explorers."


"I also like the sun tickling my face. And the millions of stars watching over me at night. Oh, and Mama sleeping right next to me in the tent. How come you did not sleep in a tent with me?"
"Because you are way too noisy and wake up too early."
"Oh. Sorry. Maybe next time."
"Maybe."


"I also have to mention that I don't mind being very dirty for 4 days straight. No baths, no soap. I think Mama even forgot to brush my teeth a few times. If now she could only forget those annoying wipes. Maybe next time we could hide them."
"Great idea. But wouldn't your bum get a little itchy from all that sand in your diaper?"
"No comment."



"The only thing I did not like so much is that now my favorite shoes are all ruined. How come I did not get to wear hiking boots?"
"Because we thought you'd be sitting in the kiddie backpack. But you had other plans..."
"That's right. Backpacks are for babies. I am all big now and can hike by myself."


"But you can't hike as fast or far as me."
"True. Sometimes I get tired. Then I find a comfy, soft spot and put myself down for a little 3-second-nap."


"Ok, thanks, Bro. You can go back to making doggie sounds now."

And he sure does. With Max panting in my ear I can't concentrate very well. And since this post is already pretty long, I will tell you what Papa said later.

Until then, Bon voyage.

(I learned that nifty little expression in one of my Might Machines videos I got for my Birthday and watched on the long drive down there.)
(I do realized that it does not quite fit here but I wanted to use it anyway. I think it sounds cool.)

Granola Recipe

I am (hopefully) (maybe) (possibly) going to make Granola tonight.

Jen wishes she could, too. But she is waiting for my recipe. Grandma Janelle's recipe, that is. So I thought I would share it with all of you. Because I know you are going to love it once you put the time into making it.

Here it is:

18 c. oats
2 c. wheat germ
nuts (I use almonds)
1 1/2 c. oil
1 3/4 c. honey
2 T. vanilla

Heat the oil and honey together. Add the vanilla. Pour over oats. Mix thoroughly.
Spread a 1/2 inch layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for about 30 minutes. Or until lightly browned. Stir once during the 30 minutes.

Have fun! It is a delicious basic recipe to which you can add all kinds of other yummy stuff.

There is only one problem with having this granola in my pantry:
I will eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and my midnight snack.
And that is a BIG problem.

Sarah Age 4

My parents found a picture of me on my 4th Birthday. Here it is:

Can you guess which little 4-year-old German is me?

Be Nice !

Noah woke up and was just fine. 12 hours of sleep must have cured whatever he had.

So off we all went to church.

I mentioned that today was the Primary Program*. I did not tell you how we skipped church last week while in Moab and missed the 2 hour rehearsal yesterday because I had a race. Well, we did go, actually, for the last 5 minutes when they all were having Pizza. Noah refused to even sit down, though.

So Noah's part went like this:

He gets up to the pulpit, looks at me, I mouth: "I can serve others...", he says: "Be nice!" In his authoritative little voice. Really, he is saying: "... by being nice." But all everyone understands is: "Be nice!"

We still thought he was pretty cute. Actually, we were surprised he said anything at all. Not bad for a Sunbeam.


The rest of the time he is just hanging out with his two buddies Dylan and Nate up in the stands. Being silly as usual. I am not sure whose idea it was to have the three of them sit next to each other. Noah loved it.

After the program, one of the counselors gets up to bear his testimony and Max disappears in the stands. This time we let him be thinking that he will just go sit with Noah. After a few minutes, Karl decides to see what he is up to. Right then a little face with a big grin pops up next to the counselor and says: "Ha ha." Pretty funny.

I love Primary Programs. They are very spiritual, yet very entertaining.

* Alle 3-12 Jahre alten Kinder gestalten den Gottesdienst. In unserer Gemeinde sind das ungefaehr 70 Kinder.

Fast as a Flash

This is how fast Noah usually moves:

In his own words: "Fast as a Flash"

This afternoon and evening, however, he slowed way down. He finally succumbed to all the sickness floating around. It did not help that Papa, Max, Jen, Rubie, Grandma, Grandpa, and lots of others had already become victims.

It is sad to see my otherwise rambunctious trouble-makers
calm and quiet.
I have to say I enjoy it for about 5 minutes
and then I get all restless.
I am praying for more patience with sick people
because I have none.
I am also praying that this wave of flu
will pass me by.

Noah will be back soon, I hope, to tell you all about his favorite camping spot:
Arches NP

Actually, I hope sleep will work its miracle and he will be able to be part of the Primary Program tomorrow and say: I can serve others by being nice.
Because he does.

I am 4 !!!!!!

Guess what kind of Birthday Party I had. I will give you some clues.

Hard Hats, Caution Tape, and Digging (for treasures)


Dump Trucks, Diggers, Shovels, Buckets


Wrecking Ball


Painting


Fixing up houses


Orange

I sure did NOT want to blow out my Birthday candles.
I simply refused.
So Eric jumped at the chance. Thanks, Dude!

more Diggers and Dozers


I had so much fun. Can we do this again tomorrow? Please?

PS: Mama is worn out from all the partying. She needs a little break. So I thought I would take over for now. Stay tuned.

Noah & Fay

I knew Fay and Noah would get along and play together but I had no idea that they would love each other and be such good buddies. As you can see for yourself, Fay is the most beautiful little girl and she has such a sweet, pleasant personality. They found a good balance playing and had fun sharing their interests.


Fay taught Noah how to make funny faces. But sometimes it did not work out so well.


They had a blast going on rides at Sea World. Everything is always more fun if you have a friend to share the joy and excitement with.



I am assuming Fay got wetter and dirtier than she usually does. She seemed to enjoy it and Mandy did not mind (I hope).


Sharing hugs in front of the beautiful San Diego temple. We did not even have to bribe them. I think it was their idea.



I love these pictures of them enjoying the beach. It was fun to listen to their conversations and see them having such a good time.




Thank you so much, Fay, for making this a wonderful and unforgettable trip for Noah. We love you and hope to see you again soon.

This is my last and favorite San Diego post.

San Diego Fun

We did a few other things besides playing at the beach.

For example, we took a nice and much-needed break in Vegas both directions. Thank you so much for hosting us, Melissa and Dan. We loved spending some time with you, riding bikes (partly) up Mt. Charleston, exploring the water playground, and (of course) playing in your awesome pool.

We (almost) wanted to stay and spend our whole vacation in Vegas. But we are so glad we a drove a few more long hours and, finally, reached the wonderful Warner home.

Launching rockets at the park. The boys had a great time. Kimball was really into it and could actually make them fly pretty high.

Mandy talked us into going to Sea World. And, thanks to my Papa, we could actually afford to go. We, as in Noah, Max, and I. Karl preferred mountain biking. I don't blame him but he definitely missed out. Everyone loved it. Noah and Fay's favorite part was the Shamu show.

Here they are a few days later at the park. They are playing "Shamu and his trainer". Noah and I also played "Shamu" at the pool. I was "Shamu" and he was the "trainer". He was a little disappointed in my jumping and diving skills but we had lots of fun anyway.

On the way to one of the beaches, we went to see the San Diego Temple. It is stunningly beautiful. We walked around the grounds and admired its beauty and significance. Even Noah was in awe.

Since the above family picture with Fay did not quite work out, here is Max and I. At least Max will look at the camera (sometimes).

I can't remember why we did not take any pictures at Balboa park. But we went there, too, and had lots of fun.

Thank you so much, Mitch and Mandy, for opening your house to us and making this vacation possible for us. We love spending time with you. You are welcome to visit us any time.