Oct 31 - Nap was real today!

Today Wendy got a nap in. I had to snap this picture of her (yes, I really did need to take this and yes she is really sleeping).

It is hard to believe that Oct is over. How many days left until Christmas?

Oct 30 - Pumpkin Carvings

Today we carved Pumpkins. This is an annual event (as it is in most families). I think these turned out great!

Oct 29 - Trunk or Treat

Today was our neighbor Trunk or Treat. We have a HUGH turn out at this activity. It is by far the best missionary tool in our area. We have a lot of nonmembers and less active attend this activity. It is good to get them in the church and have a hot meal and then let the kids stock up on candy.

This picture is of Tyler, Micah and Megan.

Oct 28 - Pizza and Baptism

Today was a great day. I attended a baptism in our ward for a lady who lives in a care center. She has wanted to get baptized for about 1 year but because of health reasons has not been able to. We had to do the baptism at a ward member's home (they have a pool that has a handicap ramp). The sister had to be baptized in her wheel chair as she is immobile. It was quite the experience. It reminded me of the time in Montana we had to do some baptisms in a hot tub (as there was no church to meet in and the Branch President's home had a hot tub).


After the baptism I also had to cook dinner for the kids. Wendy was gone at a work function and the kids did not want Mac and Tomato, so I got pizza for them.

Oct 27 - Kidney Center

Today I had the opportunity to pick up a member of our ward from the Kidney center. He has to go here three times a week to clean up his blood. Both of his kidneys have been removed and he is just getting used to his new life style. He has a great attitude about life and is a good example to me.

Oct 26 - Hail or not?

Not sure if this was our official first snow storm or not. We had a mix of hail, rain and some snow. It is too early for the weather to turn cold.

Oct 25 - Game Night and back in Rehab

Tonight we played a game of "Bunco" for FHE. This is a dice game that I stink at. Not a hard game but one that takes some luck. I guess that is why it is not my best game. During the game we got a call from Grandma Welch. Grandma McDanial is back in Rehab (that does not quite sound right). Maybe I should say that she is back in physical rehab, as she fell and broke her knee. I know this is frustrating for her. Our thoughts and prayers are with her.

Oct 24 - Napping on Sunday - I Wish!

Today I spent too much time updating this blog. I should have been napping! I had Mariah take a picture of me taking a nap, but this picture was staged.

Today was also our Primary Program at church. One of my favorite Sacrament meetings!

Oct 23 - ACT Testing Day

Today was the long awaited for ACT for Mariah. She has been working hard for this test. She has also taken a class that meets twice a week for the past month to get ready for the ACT. We hope that she did well!

Oct 22 - Last Mowing of the Season?

Not sure if I mowed the lawn for the last time this year or not. So I thought I would take a picture of it so I remember what it looks like. Won't be long before it is all white with snow!

Oct 21 - Mac and Tomato

Tonight Wendy was at her PAT meeting, so dad got to cook. A few nights ago the kids did something (I can't remember what), but Wendy asked them what their punishment should be if they did it again. They said that if they did it again then Dad would have to cook dinner for them. I am not sure how I should have taken this, but I thought it was a complement. It turns out that it was meant to be a slam against me.

So tonight I had to cook. I cooked my old stand by meal, which is Mac and Tomato. This is something that my dad cooked for me, and I love it. Turns out that I am the only "true Welch" in this house. They would not eat it, so I had to make Mac and Cheese.

This is for you dad!

Oct 20 - Comic Book Day

Okay, I will admit it. I still like to go to the comic book store and check out the new comics. Every once in a while I will also buy one. Today I bought two. If you did not know, new comic books come out on Wednesday, so this is the day to check out new comics. I guess I like the "art" of comics. The color and the drawings have always caught my attention.

So no making fun of this!

This is a picture (not a good one) of the two comics I got today.

Oct 19 - Making a Mess

Wendy had to get ready for her Parents as Teacher meeting on Thursday night. So she had to make "clean mud". I am not sure what this is, but it involves ripping up a bunch of TP. So some of the family members wanted to help and we made a big pile of TP shavings.

Oct 18 - Picking Pumpkins

Today we went to a local farm to pick out our pumpkins. It was a very nice evening. We got the best 5 pumpkins out in the field.

Also, today was a day to test my faith. We have a person in our ward who had surgery today. I was able to give him a blessing last week. I have faith that the Lord can heal anyone and I have seen this many times in my life. I really felt like things where going to go a certain way, and they did not. This caused me to reflect on the talk "Blessing the Sick" given in April 2010 conference. The blessing will work out in the Lords way.

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1207-17,00.html

Oct 17 - Another nice Sunset

One of the things this blog is teaching me is to look for things that I usually take for granted. For the past several months, the sunrise and sunsets have been really beautiful. It is important that we slow down and enjoy life.

This is something that Pres. Uchtdorf talked about a few weeks ago.

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1298-7,00.html

Oct 16 - Fun Times

In the morning we got to spend time with family. In the evening I got to spend time helping a neighbor with a brake job and a fun night with friends. I only have included pictures of the fun time with family. We had a good time!

Oct 15 - No Show for Dinner

Tonight was our night to have the Spanish missionaries over for dinner. Wendy worked hard on a nice meal, I had to make an emergency stop at the store and we had to make room for two more at our table. All of this work, and they did not show up.

It may sound like I am complaining, but I am not. I got a good meal at home and we got to do some service. I think in times like this the Lord see our service, even if our work is not seen by others.

Oct 14 - Snake River

Today at lunch I drove by a part of the Snake River that is south of the falls. As you can see the water in this part of the river is calm. We truly do live in a great part of the country!

Oct 13 - Lunch with Mariah

Today Mariah had a test at the local university testing center in Idaho Falls. A bunch of her friends went to lunch and for some reason Mariah asked me to go. I found out that she wanted me to pay for her lunch (I thought it was because she wanted to spend time with me). I don't know what I was thinking. We went to Olive Garden.

Oct 12 - Welch's Grape Juice

Today we processed the grapes that we harvested a few days ago. Nothing like fresh grape juice! We see Micah picking the grapes off the vine. Then we reduce them down to juice, and then we bottle it all up!

Then we let it sit for several years and sell some wine (we really don't do this part).

Oct 11 - FHE - Missionary Package

Tonight for FHE we put together a package for our neighbor who is on a mission. Elder Ball is in Florida working with Spanish population around the Miami area. A week or so ago he told his family that it would be nice to get a package once in a while from home, so tonight we thought we would put a Halloween package together. This picture shows us writ ting letters to him. It is hard to believe that he will be back home in June.

Oct 10 - Meetings and more meetings

I think the 14th Article of Faith for our church is "We believe in meetings". Sunday's are full of meetings. Today was one of those days. Started at 7:00 AM and ended about 3:30, then I had another one at 7:00 pm. I keep reminding myself that the purpose of all these meetings is that we are doing the Lord's work. We are making sure needs are taken care of, that testimonies are growing, and that we are watching out for both the "99" and the "lost one". I did get a nap in between all the meetings today (which was nice).

As I did not have a lot of time today, I took a quick picture of the cars in the parking lot for the 7:00 pm meeting. I had to make it quick, as I had a friend waiting for me and I did not want him to wonder about why I was taking a picture of cars.

The 15th Article of Faith says "We believe in refreshments", which they forgot about in tonights meeting.

Oct 9 - Welch's Grapes - Harvest Time!

Today we harvested our apples and grapes. We lost a lot of grapes to the birds over the last couple of weeks, I would bet about 1/2 our crop. I guess you can say that they "went to the birds". We did get quite a batch. I look forward to the grape juice!

Oct 8 - Thinking again of Great Grandma

My thoughts again are turned today towards my grandmother. Every time I look at our flowers I think of her. She is doing great for someone her age. I know that she wishes she was in better health. I am glad that my parents and Jody are with her and that her other family members (Aunt Leah and others) are also able to talk and visit with her. She is a wonderful person.

These flowers are some of the last ones left in our backyard. Hard to think that winter is just around the corner.

Oct 7 - Rainbow

We had this rainbow right outside our back window. One of the most impressive and colorful rainbows I have ever seen. Note: There was no gold at the end of this one.

Oct 6 - HAPPY B-DAY Mariah!

Today is Mariah's birthday so she got lots of important presents. Lots of Colorado Rockies stuff and a "Retainer Retrieval Kit" to help her when she needs to dig through the trash. The kit included some gloves, mask and protective apron, all important things for retrieving lost items. This gift was from all the Welchs in Denver. Wendy and I got her a Taco Bell gift card which was wrapped in Taco Bell wrappings. This brought back great memories for her. We love her and are glad that she is our daughter!.

Oct 5 - Bread and Jam

Tonight Mariah's Laurel class come over to make bread and jam. I was busy with the Bishop visiting some members, but when I came home there was hot bread and fresh jam. I love it when Wendy gets to teach others to make bread (we usually get some). Only problem was the slice was too small.

Oct 4 - FHE

One of the members of our family is Bogey. He always attends family home evening with us. The only time he leaves the room is when we sing. Not sure why he does this? In this picture he is listening to the lesson. You can see he likes to sit by a shoe. We have lots of those on the ground so he can usually find one without a problem.

Oct 3 - Conference at the Bates

Today is Sunday and we went up to Grandma and Grandpa Bates home. We watched Sunday afternoon conference, but before this happened Mariah opened up some of her Birthday gifts. We also had to get a picture of Ashlyn!

Oct 2 - Changing Beds

Today we watched conference, but we also did some house work. The big project was to move Micah's bed in to Tyler's room and Tyler's bed in to Micah's room. This was not a quick project, as the kids had to clean their rooms first. They both worked hard on this and by the start of the afternoon conference we had both beds switched. Tyler was getting too big for his old bed, so we had to switch.

Oct 1 - BYU Football Night

Tonight was the BYU vs. Utah State game. We planned on going as a family but plans changed, so we did the next big thing which is watch it on TV. Wendy is a BIG BYU fan! She was hoping for a good game with a victory. At the end of the night things did not go her way, so we all walked on pins and needles the next day. Things go much better at home when BYU wins.