Pumpkin Walk

In Logan every October, they set up this cute pumpkin walk for several days. It draws huge crowds! We went during the day when Myra was out of school and it wasn't too crowded. Basically, they have a theme every year and people will enter a "booth", with a scene they decorate out of pumpkins. They had some great ones this year - Angry Birds, Kung Fu Panda, Calvin & Hobbes, The Wizard of Oz and many more. Myra's favorite was Angry Birds, while Lexi loved Despicable Me. Some of the scenes were done so well. It was a lot of fun. Then the kids got to meet the local witch and have a cookie. They probably enjoyed posing in the stand-ups the most. The first one Noah did, he was very upset about me making him stand behind this cut-out and stick his head through the hole, but after watching his sisters for a minute, he seemed to enjoy it much more. Fun day! We'll miss this tradition when we leave Logan.

Makai's Baby Blessing

Towards the beginning of the month, my sister and her husband blessed their new baby boy, Makai. We got to go be a part of their special day. It was fun to be together with family. We got some cute pictures of our family and all the kids.


Whole family together.
Grandma and Grandpa with all the Grandkids.
Cousins
Noah enjoying the day.
Noah and McKenzie. "Can we stop hugging yet?"

The Entrepreneur

Note to reader: Chad wrote this.

For the few people who knew me as a child, they also might know that I always wanted to grow up to be an Entrepreneur. I did not really know what I wanted to do as an Entrepreneur or how to become one, I just thought I should start some business and make lots of money. As a kid I didn’t do much more then dream (although, I did make a decent profit buying firecrackers in Wyoming and selling them illegally to the neighbor kids in Colorado). As I have gotten older I have half-heartedly tried my hand a few business ventures (e.g., window washing, tub and cabinet repair, etc.), but for the most part this dream has tapered somewhat (petty much the only thing I do is listen to AudioBooks about business and bore my wife with “how I would organize restaurants or grocery stores differently to make them more efficient”).

It might be surprising to some to know that there is an Entrepreneur in our family, but it’s not me, it’s my wife. She hasn’t read any of the business books I’ve recommended (Napoleon Hill should have at least mentioned that “influencing people” did not include wives), nor has she attended any business seminars or three day start-your-own-business workshops. She just decided one day four years ago to start selling baby blankets online and has been going ever since.

When she first told me that she wanted to try to sell the simple receiving blankets that she had made for our daughter online I was outwardly supportive, but inwardly skeptical. Would anybody really pay money for a blanket ordered online that they could probably make themselves? Well, she set up a shop on Etsy, made some blankets, posted pictures, and waited… and waited. At first only a few people even visited her shop, but after a week someone actually bought one…wow, I was surprised (and nervous it was scam or something). Than 10 days later she sold another and then 7 days after that she sold 2 more, things where really moving, sort of. I remember every time she would sell one she would get really excited, which was fun; we would talk hypothetically about where the business would go; things like “wouldn’t be crazy if we sold something every day, and on days that we didn’t we would be frustrated” (yeah, like that’s ever going to happen). It is important to note that at this point I am surprised that she has done so well, but still being outwardly supportive, and inwardly skeptical.

Well as things progressed, she worked hard, added more and more items to her shop, figured out how to take better pictures to make items look more professional, and continued to have sales. After 6 months things were still growing, and I was more and more impressed and less and less skeptical (none of my business had last this long). The following summer she decided to sell at the gardener’s market in Logan. I was more onboard by this point, although I wasn’t so sure about spend every Saturday of the summer at the market (I think I made her miss a few weeks so that we could go camping). I remember at first we just wanted to double our booth fee ($10), after a few weeks we were setting goals to make $100. Again, my wife impressed me with her business skills and perseverance. While she wasn’t making enough for me to quit my job, to a young college family with two kids, a few extra hundred dollars a month is nothing to turn your nose at.

At this point things are kind of a blur in my memory, but she her business continued to grow and she kept finding new things items to add to her shop. Also, other venders started copying her product descriptions and trying to make there shope look the same as hers, which I kind of see as a compliment to her success. If I remember right it took less than 6 month of her second year in business to surpass her entire first year’s earnings and less than 6 months of the third year to exceed the second.

So, after three year when she told me that she felt like the online-baby-blanket market was getting too saturated and that fabric was getting too expensive to compete and she wanted to try something new, I was 100% supportive. She decided she wanted to make scrabble tile pendants (I had no idea what that was, or again, why anyone would want to buy them), I tried to be more helpful this time. We bought a bunch of supplies, and started trying to figure out how to make them. It was not as easy as you think (or at least not as easy as everyone at the market that walks by our table as says “oh, I’ve made those in young womens” thinks); figuring things out was the part of the process that I enjoyed the most, the scientist in me liked identifying a problem, brainstorming solutions and setting up experiments to test our ideas (I like to think that at least some of the solutions I contributed really helped). Once we got things figured out, Shannon opened her second shop on Etsy, and because of her past experience it took off much faster than the first.

Her second shop has been going strong for a year now, it seems like every month is better than the last (we reached that hypothetical “rare to have a day without a sale” a long time ago). She has gotten so busy lately that she has had to employ me to help keep up with demand, and I am more than happy to spend my evenings working with her rather than watching TV (or reading business books I’ll probably never use). In fact, it is primarily through Shannon’s efforts that we are able to even finance moving our entire family across the world to Denmark (which is no small feat). And on top of of that; even with all the success that she has had, all the sweat, time and work that she has put in to her business, and all the joy I know she gets from helping to provide for our family in a way that allows her to work and mother; she has not complained once about having to close her shops, and leave it all behind to follow her crazy husband to Denmark. In fact she has already started scheming other businesses she could start and manage while there (and I have no doubt that she will be successful when she does). I don’t blog much, and I don’t really know if many people even read blogs anymore if they are more than 120 characters, but I felt it was important to give everyone the chance to know how awesome I think my wife is and how proud of her I am. I might not ever achieve my childhood dream of being an Entrepreneur, but I am more than happy to be married to one.

Moving to Denmark

Yes, it's true, we are moving to Copenhagen Denmark! Chad was offered a research position at the University of Copenhagen where he will be able to get his PhD. They had many applicants for this scholarship and we feel very blessed that he was the one chosen! Chad will start work there on February 1st, so we will probably move over around the middle of January. We have started a new blog to record all of our experiences with this big move.
http://underthedanishsun.blogspot.com

You can go there to read more about how this opportunity came about and our feelings involved with such a big change in our lives.

Zion Canyon Music Festival

A while ago I signed up to be a vendor for the Zion Canyon Music Festival. (Selling my Scrabble Tile Pendants. ) Actually, I was recruited, so that was fun to have someone want my items there. Anyway, it ended up being the same weekend as a lot of other things, so we felt bad leaving, but it was sure a fun weekend. My parents watched the kids for us, so it was just Chad and I. We drove down Thursday and stopped in Cedar City to visit my friend Lisa and her family. It was so fun visiting with her and it seemed as if it hadn't been such a long time since we last saw each other. After that, we headed down to Hurricane for the night. The next morning, we got up and headed to the park to set up our canopy for the festival that night. After doing that quickly, we headed up into Zion Canyon National Park for a quick hike. Because of the time constraint, we chose a shorter hike, up to the Emerald pools. We made good time and were able to go all the way to the top. I know this wasn't exactly hiking food, but we had taken chips and salsa to eat on the trail. It was a fun snack and the extremely brave squirrels weren't afraid to come close for a nibble. Chad was nice enough to spill a few chips for them. We headed back down the trail and made it back to the show with plenty of time to spare. The music Friday night was really great and there were a decent amount of people there. It got pretty cold that evening and I was pretty happy to leave that night when it ended, at 11! For our hiking outing Saturday morning, we had talked about attempting Angel's landing. But, my foot was just troubling me too much and I figured I would really struggle with the distance. So, we headed back up the canyon and went to the Narrows. We figured we would just hike in as far as we could with our time constraint. For those of you that haven't been to the Zion Narrows before, there is a paved path that goes up about a mile, if you want to go any further, it's in the river. We weren't afraid to get our feet wet, although we were not prepared at all. I was wearing chaco's, which aren't great for walking through riverbeds, we forgot our hiking poles and didn't have a change of clothing. Needless to say, we didn't make it very far. We probably hiked up another 1/2 mile, before the water got deep enough to swim through. We were really bummed to have to turn around. If we had brought a change of clothes with us in the car, we probably would have gone further, but the thought of spending the rest of the day in damp clothing wasn't ideal. It's probably just as well anyway, since by the time we hiked back to the shuttle bus and hiked up the short walk to the Weeping Wall, my foot was so sore and stiff, I could barely walk. So frustrating! Anyway, we headed back down for lunch, ice cream and to get ready for the show that night. I don't think the music groups Saturday night were quite as good as the night before, but the crowd was great and I ended up selling much more than I had expected for the show. Sunday morning, we headed out and decided to drive back through Zion and take the tunnel road home. There was also a little hike at the top of the canyon we went on. It was a bit of a struggle for me, since my foot was still stiff and sore, but well worth it, with such a spectacular view. We really enjoyed our little trip to Zion and I sure wish we could go back soon to do a bit more hiking, not like I'd make it very far or anything, but it's fun to dream, right?

Fishing

Last year, Myra and Lexi received fishing poles from their Grandparents. We aren't really into fishing, so here it is a year later and we finally decided to take the kids fishing. We headed up the canyon with some KFC for dinner and a few fishing supplies. It was a lovely evening and even though there were no fish to be caught, we had a fun time. We lost about 8 hooks, weights, several worms and a pink butterfly toy in the river. But, no one was hurt by Myra's crazy casting, no one fell in the river, Lexi has stopped crying over the pink butterfly toy and several days later, the bruise on Noah's head is starting to fade. I just can't wait to go "fishing" again!

Good-Bye Grandma Austin

On September 2nd, my dear, sweet Grandma passed away. Grandma had dealt with a lot of health problems the past few years and she was most recently living in a Care center and was wheel chair bound. So, for her this was a blessing, but it has been hard for me to have her go. I was always very close to Grandma, even living with her for a while in St. George after High School. I have so many wonderful, fun memories of her. She was truly a wonderful woman.On September 6th, we had a viewing for her. There were so many people that came to share our love of Grandma and to tell us their memories of her. It was a great experience seeing so many family members. On the 7th, a Graveside service was held for Grandma. I was asked to speak at the service. It was a good experience for me to be able to spend time, remembering Grandma and to share those memories with everyone else. It was a very nice service.My Grandpa Austin passed away 16 years ago, so I am so happy in the thought that Grandpa and Grandma are together again. I have missed Grandpa all these years and now it's hard to think of Grandma being gone as well. However, I am so grateful for all the memories I have. I love you Grandma and will miss you dearly. Rest in Peace.
Grandma's Obituary

Joyce Barton Austin
1932 ~ 2011
Joyce Barton Austin
Our beloved Mother and Grandmother returned to her Heavenly Father on September 2, 2011. Joyce Barton Austin was born January 22, 1932 to Tyler H. Barton and Elsie Layton Barton. Joyce was the 3rd oldest out of 5 kids. She grew up in the Sugarhouse and graduated in 1950 from East High School. She married the love of her life Donald S. Austin on May 17 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple; they were married for 44 wonderful years. During their time together, they lived in Bountiful, Holladay, and Ivins, Utah. They had 2 children together, a daughter Diane and a son Blaine. They enjoyed many wonderful years together and when he passed away October 16, 1995, life was never the same. During Joyce's lifetime, she held many positions in the Relief Society and enjoyed volunteering as a Pink Lady with both the LDS Hospital and Dixie Regional Medical Center; she held the position of President of these organizations at different times for both hospitals. Joyce had many hobbies, including traveling, spending time in the outdoors, reading, making porcelain dolls, as well as doing other crafts. She especially enjoyed spending time with her family, particularly her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was very proud of each and every one of them. She is survived by her sisters Barbara Davis, Lucille Barnes, daughter Diane Newman (Gregg), son Blaine D. Austin (Diane), 7 grandchildren Alex, Shannon, Richard, Breanne, Paige, Jan, Sara; 9 great-grandchildren; her constant dog companion Koty; and Stepdaughters Shirley and Suzanne and their families. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and brothers Rex and Jack Barton. Goodbye Mom and Grandma, we love you and will miss you.
A viewing will be held Wednesday evening September 7th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Wasatch Lawn. Graveside services will be held Thursday September 8th at noon at Wasatch Lawn Cemetery, 3401 So. Highland Drive.

Lexi Starts Preschool

Lexi started preschool today. I decided to actually put her in a local preschool. I've just been so busy, I didn't feel that I would have time to do a joy school again, plus, I think Lexi will need a little extra help this year to prepare her for Kindergarten. Anyway, she was so excited! She got to pick out a new school outfit and has been waiting for a couple of weeks to wear it. She was so excited today. She seemed to have a wonderful time and has been talking about school all day today. Her preschool is called Little Cahoots Preschool academy and their "mascot" is an owl. Which she was super excited about. I think this will end up being a great experience for her!

Preschool Year 2 Stats

Age: 4 years 6 months

Height: 39 inches (3ft. 3in.)

Weight: 29.8 lbs.

Hair color: Blonde/Brown

Favorites

Animal: Baby Kitty

Food: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread

Game: Hungry, Hungry Hippo's

Toy: Collie (Lg. Stuffed toy horse)

Thing to do: Play at Marley's house

Book: Sleeping Beauty

Color: Light Pink

Movie: Sleeping Beauty

Primary Song: Sunbeams & Teach me to Walk in the Light

My best friend is: Myra, Maddie & Sadie

Other friends I like to play with: Sara

Things I like to do with my friends: Play

If I had a pet it would be a: Baby Kitty

named: Sally

What people like about me: My hairstyle's pretty and when I wear pretty dresses

Things I can do really well: Vacuum, clean up my bedroom (yeah, right, Haha!!!!!)

Noah turns 2!!!!!

On August 28th, we celebrated Noah's 2nd birthday. Can you believe he's 2 already!?! I sure can't. The time has just gone by way too fast! We spent the morning opening a few presents and just hanging out. Poor Lexi was really sick that day and I actually skipped out on church to take her to the doctor. So, she just felt miserable all day. Myra was maybe more excited about Noah's birthday than he was. That evening, we had Grammy, Grandma and Grandma here for dinner and to open presents and dessert. It was such a fun night. Noah got a pillow pet from Myra, which he absolutely loves. A ball game from Lexi, which is much more noisy than anticipated, which he also loves. A chair, that is now his favorite, a roaring dinosaur flashlight that has kept us all entertained and a car racetrack, which also very noisy, but much loved by all the kids. I made him a racetrack cake, which I had many difficulties with and had to change my plan for it several times. It was so funny singing to Noah. As soon as Chad lit the candles, he started blowing them out.
And he wouldn't stop! I think Chad re-lit the candles at least 3 times during the singing of Happy Birthday.Noah now measures 33 inches tall (2ft. 9in.) and weighs 25lbs. At his 2 year appointment he was in the 12% for weight and 44% for height. He's grown so much! He has been such a joy to us. He's so loving and cuddly, but also can really hold his own against his sisters. He absolutely adores and idolizes them. He also enjoys terrorizing and teasing them, especially Lexi. We recently moved him into a "big boy" bed. Basically, just a mattress on the floor. The transition has been extremely easy and he thinks he can't get out of bed until we come and get him. I'm not going to tell him differently! What a great kid. We love him so much! Happy Birthday Noah!

Myra starts 1st Grade

Myra was suppose to start school Thursday, August 25th, but she ended up really sick that day, so she officially started school on the 26th. Of course, she's had a blast every day since starting. She really likes her teacher and her friends, and especially lunch and recess. Usually when I ask her about school, all she can tell me is about lunch that day. It's so hard to believe that she's in first grade already! What a great girl!

1st Grade Stats

Age: 6 years 3 months

Height: 47 inches (3ft. 11in.)

Weight: 45 lbs.

Hair color: Blonde/Strawberry Blonde

Favorites

Animal: Dog

Food: 7-Layer Bean Dip

Game: Princess Wii Game

Toy: Ariel - White Stuffed Dog

Thing to do: Watch movies, play, color, playing on bed

Book: Any book is a good book, Ariel books

Color: Blue

Movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks

Primary Song: I love to see the Temple

My best friend is: Lexi, Camille and Rachel

Other friends I like to play with: Marley

Things I like to do with my friends: Play

If I had a pet it would be a: dog

named: Katie

What people like about me: That I'm cute and how fun I am.

Things I can do really well: Write really well and color