Fall Decorations and M&Ms

The kids didn't have school this week and I didn't have work on Friday so we decided it would be a good time to decorate for Halloween. We built "Uncle George", and set him on the front porch. He consists of an old sweatshirt and an old pair of my jeans stuffed with newspapers and pillows, with a pumpkin basket for a head. He freaks us out every time we leave the house. The last time we built him was in Michigan so the kids were quite excited to resurrect him this year. My incredible wife, Sarah, decided that she wanted some classier fall decorations than Uncle George. So out came the grapevine pumpkins, fall wreath, gourds, and indian corn. As usual, she did a great job and it looks incredible. For a finishing touch she found some fall colored M&Ms that she placed in clear containers around the other decorations. I didn't even know they made M&Ms in fall colors. They come in peanut, plain, and dark chocolate varieties. They looked really good with the rest of the decorations. They were the perfect touch. I think Sarah's intention was to have these fall colored M&Ms last throughout the fall season. There is only one problem... did you know that fall colored M&Ms taste just like regular M&Ms!? It's true! Needless to say they didn't last for very long. As a matter of fact the peanut M&Ms were gone within a few hours. Sorry Sarah, maybe next time we should decorate with fall colored brussels sprouts... dipped in chocolate of course.

Crash

Mitchell has picked up a new nickname... Crash! As you can see from the photo the name fits perfectly. While trying to outrun his sister the other night, he tripped and ended up eating some pavement. Luckily his school pictures were the previous week, and his two front teeth had already fallen out. I think he likes his new look and the new name to go along with it.

31 Years Ago Today...

Most of you may not realize but October 12th is a very significant day... and no, I am not talking about Columbus Day. I am talking about another monumental day in the history of the world. On October 12th 1977 a incredible event took place. In the early morning hours, at a hospital in Salt Lake City Utah, Regina Redd Mitchell gave birth to my future love and the future mother of our wonderful children. Over the next 31 years she developed into the incredibly talented woman that I now have the privilege of waking up to every morning and falling asleep with every night. I am constantly amazed at the talent, intelligence, drive, love, humility, caring, energy, wit, intuition, insight, patience, kindness, faith, understanding, and beauty of the woman I am lucky enough to call my wife. Everyday I thank my Heavenly Father that I crossed paths with this most incredible woman. The last ten years have been the most fulfilling of my life because of Sarah Mitchell Bisel... born 31 years ago today. Happy Birthday Sweetheart, and thanks for being you. I love you.

Pinewood Derby

Our ward had a Pinewood Derby that was open to all the members. The kids and I designed and built a car for each of them. They each chose a design and then I cut them out and helped them to build the cars. They had a blast racing the cars and they each won their fair share of races. 

Madeline loaded her car up with Littlest Petshop toys. Not sure if these are the first ever pink pinewood derby cars, but I am sure they are among the few.

Mitchell's car had a snake running through from front to back. 

Lizzy doesn't like the flash of the camera, but here is a good shot of her car and hand. Also pink with a littlest petshop toy. She wanted her car to be a triangle.

Mentos and Diet Coke

The kids and I decided to perform some experiments with Mentos and Diet Coke. We invited some of the kid's friends over and went to town. The kids had a great time... and so did I. If you haven't tried this I would highly recommend it. I would also recommend drilling a smaller hole in the cap of the Diet Coke. I think we could have achieved a much higher projection. 

Finished Project

After 9 months of working on the patio cover it is finally complete. 3 years ago we moved into our house with the intention of building a covered patio. It was a long time coming. We poured a 12 x24 concrete slab shortly after we moved in, but the covered portion has taken a bit longer. My brother in law helped design the patio cover and got me started building it. My father also chipped in, but finding large blocks of time to work on it was harder than expected. My patient wife has endured 9 long months of a partially completed project and then this weekend we finally finished the last couple of details. Sanding and caulking happened on Thursday night, painting on Friday, and hanging the lights and fans finished the deal on Saturday. It feels great to get this project out of the way... now on to the next one. 

Kids, Cameras, and Fun!!

The kids and I had fun creating this video. They thought it was great they could use their Jedi powers for everyone to see.