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It’s turning cold, definitely getting to be time for fall. It’s not unusual for Fort Collins to get snow in September, though it doesn’t look like that is going to happen this year — it’s not that cold. But fall and winter are on the way. I know Trent’s excited: he’s been asking summer about when we can go skiing again. So this week I got to stand in line with a bunch of other crazy folks for some ski passes to Copper Mountain. It will be fun when we can all go as a family, but for now I enjoy alternating trips with one boy at a time.

But first we have to finish up soccer season. Both Caleb’s and Trent’s teams have been totally dominating in their games — total combined scores of something like 40-8. Tp add some excitement, Caleb’s coaches offered to reward the team with pizza if they score off a header. So they’ve been working hard on it the past few weeks at it, and this week they managed to get one. Within a few seasons, the team will probably start to split up as some go to the more competitive leagues, which play on Sunday, unfortunately. But we figure there will be other sports to be involved in, so we’ll get over it.

Alec had his first music program at preschool this week. It was great fun to see him beaming. There are so many simple pleasures like that in being a parent. Along with the cold this week, we also got some rain and thunderstorms — Our dog, Madi, freaked out and escaped from the back yard. We had to pay to get her back from the Humane Society the next morning. That part is definitely not a pleasure, but she has been a welcome addition to our household, and the boys were all very relieved to have her back at home.

I’m staying extremely busy with work. The interviewing I had been doing didn’t really go the way I was hoping, but I’m glad I’ve done it, it was educational. I do feel like I’m at a bit of a crossroads in my professional life, trying to decide what the next 10 years will be spent on. But it looks like I’ll keep chugging away where I am for now at least. I just want to be ready to recognize and sieze on the opportunities that are prepared for me when that time comes.

One good thing about the cooler weather: it’s great sleeping weather. Even with the temps dropping down to 30’s and 40’s at night, Kim’s a furnace and wants the windows open. That’s quite a reversal! Still about two months to go for the next baby — it feels like it’s been a year at least so far, but no doubt the last stretch will not be long enough. We have plenty to do to get ready, like find the infant cloths, make room for the crib, and think about some names. Any suggestions?

More pictures here … Until next time!

15′ tall tomato plants that look like trees:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7471798897454225511

I know Frank from playing ultimate at Greer Park when I was attending Stanford. Never knew about his tomatoes…

There’s also a newspaper article about his garden that has some good tips.

Now I’ve got my mother blogging… Her site even looks better than mine!  CSS envy, no doubt.

Everyone started school this week — Kim will be able to enjoy a couple of months with everyone gone at least a couple of days a week. We took advantage of it this week to have brunch together, and we hope to continue that as a tradition while the opportunity lasts.

But first came Labor Day, on which all the male members of the family participated in the Colorado Run. The boys did the kids’ fun run, just around the oval at CSU. The weather was beatiful, and it was a great setting. I decided that since we were all there anyway, I may as well run the 5k. Didn’t quite make my target time, but overall I enjoyed it. I earned a few cheers at the finish line with a strong sprint, and another runner decided he didn’t want to get beat. We sprinted hard the last 100 yards, finishing neck and neck.

I promptly found a nice piece of grass to lie down. It happened to be right next to some paramedics there on hand, and they asked if I was doing okay. I said I was fine, but that I obviously had chosen a good spot to collapse in case I weren’t. We finished the day with a nice barbecue with grandma and grandpa Slade.

Caleb, Trent, and Alec especially were excited to start school. The second day was a little different - Alec only goes two days a week, and he was sad that he only got to stay home for ‘mom school’ on Wednesday. Trent had been used to 3 days a week last year, and he was bummed Wednesday morning that he didn’t get to stay home. But hopefully this week we’ve got the routine figured out and everyone is ready to roll.

I had a couple of interviews this week, and I think they went well. Nothing more specific yet, but hopefully soon. I’ve been keeping very busy with ward clerk duties, trying to get all the records up to date and figure what else needs to be done. Hopefully that will settle down once it all gets organized. I also had fun playing in the first week of a rec-league softball game with Steve Carnley. Caleb and Trent also started their soccer seasons, with victories of 16-0 and 12-1 (or so). So life is busy, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. But it’s generally fun.

Here’s a comic I enjoyed from the Sunday paper today (click for the full comic):

Monday Kim took the boys, along with Grandpa Slade, to the LDS stake farm to pick corn… I asked Alec how much corn he picked, and he told me he didn’t pick any, he just played in the mud. I think that was pretty accurate. At least they did help shucking the corn — ~100 ears.

They stayed excited about it because they were finding caterpillars, so it was a game to them. We managed to get it all cleaned up, cut off the cobb, and into the freezer by the end of the week. We don’t do that kind of thing because it’s economical or particularly fun, but to learn to provide for ourselves and understand where our food comes from. It means a lot more than just opening up a can of something form the grocery store.

Saturday we were planning to take a hike up to Horsetooth Rock, but it was pretty chilly — we got some much needed rain and cooler temperatures this week. Instead, we all went bowling and had a lot of fun. Alec just about won the second game (102), but Trent pulled it out (106) with a spare in the last frame.

I’ve been pretty busy the last couple of weeks with a new calling as ward clerk. Once I get on top of things it shouldn’t be too bad, but there’s a lot of cleaning up to do. I was actually thinking it was time for a new calling, and was hoping it would be something a little less administative (I was the membership clerk before that). But the record keeping is certainly important, and now I will have a chance to work with the bishopric more closely, which should be a good experience. Evidently I still have plenty more to learn about the mechanics of the Lord’s kingdom.

I’ve also been busy doing some job interviews, and more are on the schedule for this week. I’m happy with most aspects of my current job at Intel, and I have interesting projects to work on now and in the future. It’s just feeling like maybe it’s time for a change — not sure what kind of change, so I’m just looking around at some possibilities. If something does come of it, you’ll hear about it here.

The summer’s gone by very quickly, and all three boys start school this week. It was a privilege to be able to give them all priesthood blessings this evening. But first we have one more day of summer tomorrow, starting it off with a the Colorado Run in the morning. The boys are going to participate in the free kids’ race, and I figured that we’ll be there, so I might as well run the 5k. It’ll be my first one, and I haven’t particularly trained for it — and I don’t really care for running. Sounds like fun.

More bowling and other pictures here…