Yesterday, we decided to rake the leaves to allow our new grass to grow better and created this huge pile that the kids loved playing in. Keep in mind we raked the leaves just two days earlier. Fall finally decided to come to Tennessee. 

Sarah Loved helping with the actual raking.

Ethan got buried several times. He thought it was great fun. 

Here is a video of them playing in the leaves. 

This year, for Halloween, we did Alice In Wonderland. Sarah was Alice, Ethan was the White Rabbit, and Becca and Shawn were the Queen and King of Hearts. "Alice" is Sarah's and Ethan's favorite movie. They got VERY into character, as Sarah chased Ethan around the house calling, "WAIT, Rabbit, WAIT!!!" and Ethan hopped everywhere saying "Hop, Hop, Hop," or occasionally "Meow." (Ok, so maybe there was a LITTLE confusion. It was still cute.) We even made our costumes this year (Becca has sworn off sewing for another 10+ years)
Sarah and Ethan ready to go Trick or Treating

Miss Alice


The White Rabbit... Maybe he's had a bit too much tea?


Our Pumpkins! Andrea, Kristin, Alex and Emma Eliassen joined us for a carving party.

On Halloween Night, we had a party with our friends the Eliassens and the Marbles. We had all kinds of goulish food and fun, and of course, Scones. Would it really be Halloween without them?

Brian Marble and his daughter Libby-- The Dog Catcher and his catch of the day!


Andrea Eliassen and Ursa-- Andrea is a Punk-in Head with her Rebel Dog


Apparently, there was just too much partying and fun for Ethan, who passed out cold. But hey, now you can see his fluffy bunny tail!

Sarah's Singing

Sarah may be a little shy away from home, but when she's safe with her family, she is quite the little performer. She also LOVES performing in front of the camera so that she can watch herself again and again and again.... Hmmm... This could turn into a problem. :)



PS-- This performance is dedicated to Sarah's Grandparents-- She made this video especially for them.

So during the past month and a half, we have been out of town on vacation/military training. In June we took a family vacation on the way to Utah and had several stops. The next three posts are the parts of the trip when the family was together. Shawn then went to Fort Lewis for LDAC which is officer training and Becca and the kids stayed in Utah for a few weeks. Check back in the next few days for pictures of the rest of the Utah trip and pictures of Shawn's LDAC training.

Shawn and Becca decided to take advantage of the presence of Grandparents and took a little break from the kids to visit Moab, Utah and Arches National Park. This is one of my favorite places in the world. Byron and Elizabeth and baby Nathan and Greg and Wendy joined us since they didn't get to make it out east for the Nauvoo/Kansas portion of our trip.

We just got started, and Shawn's already taking a nap on the slickrock!

Becca standing in front of Landscape arch

Shawn in front of Wall Arch

Rock fins... Some of the most beautiful land in God's creation.

Becca taking in the vistas

Don't fall backwards, Shawn!! (Ok, it's not as steep as it looks on the other side)

We made it all the way to double-O arch. AWESOME hike!

Shawn getting comfy in the bottom O. He tried to make it up to the top O, but his mega-mountain goat skills didn't quite surface until Greg arrived to egg him on.

This little arch is called Private Arch, and it's off a side trail off the primitive trail return from the Double O arch. It's pretty intense getting to this arch, but WOW! it's so worth it! It is hidden away in this little alcove that feels like it's own little piece of paradise. I could have stayed here all day. Especially if I had known how LONG and PAINFUL the rest of the primitive trail was going to be...

We may all look like ants, but here's Shawn, Becca, Byron, Wendy and Greg standing under Delicate Arch. This was the first time I sucked up my fear of heights and actually went all the way out to the arch. Totally worth it!

Ok, now you can see us, but you can't so much see the arch... Oh well.

Shawn's trying to push the arch over... Delicate, my foot!

Byron, holding the arch up

Wendy and Greg in front of Delicate

Shawn and Becca in front of the arch

Wendy and Greg in the window right around the corner from Delicate arch

Greg and Shawn showed some mad skills climbing rocks. Wendy and I spent our time planning how we'd be spending the insurance money if they fell.

So this time, all of us exercised some mountain goat skills and climbed up to this alcove on the delicate trail. Yes, it is as high as it looks, but the views were spectacular.

Shawn and Greg on top of a sandstone fin above Sand Dune arch.

Wendy and Becca sitting on top of Sand Dune Arch. We couldn't let our husbands have ALL the fun!

Click here to view all of the Moab Pictures

From Nauvoo, we headed to Seneca Kansas, the homestead of the Droge Family on this continent. Shawn's Grandfather and great grandparents lived on the farm here in Kansas. The reunion was for Shawn's Grandpa's siblings and all their descendants. We had a great time getting to know the extended family, and learned a ton about where our family came from, It became obvious pretty quickly that a lot of Shawn's coolest traits are Droge traits, and we loved these people immediately

This is the Clarence Droge family (Shawn's Grandpa). The Lynn Droge family definitely beat everyone else out on attendance this year!

Sharon, Nola, Mary Ann, and Lynn Droge (Dad and his sisters)

This is the grave marker of Angel Sophie Poppe, one of the first of the family to live in Seneca. If you notice the dates on the marker, she died in 1870. This is the original gravestone, but it looks absolutely brand new. It's cool.

Sarah enjoyed the wide-open spaces in Kansas :)

Here is the old schoolhouse in Seneca. It is well over 100 years old, and was in use when Shawn's dad's cousins were in school (so less than 50 years ago). This is where Shawn's grandpa would have attended primary school

A view through the window into the classrooms of the schoolhouse. Desks, chairs and blackboards are all still there.

Proof positive we're in Kansas-- This is the tornado shelter outside the school. The native Droges told stories about playing in here when they were in school. Apparently, when they played hide and seek, if anyone thought they'd hide down here, the other kids would lock them in. It wasn't unusual to find snakes and other creepy creatures down there to keep you company until someone would let you out.

Shawn's Great-Grandmother Gertrude

Shawn's Great-Uncle Emil was a very special part of the Droge kid's life. He loved to come and play checkers with the kids.

This is the Droge farmhouse. The stone part of the house is original-- well over 100 years old.

A wider view of the Droge Farm.... Uh, yes, you did read the writing on the barn correctly. It is called Lazy Ranch. That explains a lot... ;)

What farm would be complete without baby animals? Here are Sarah and Annie cuddling a baby rabbit.

Sarah REALLY liked the bunnies.

This is one of Grandpa Clarence's brothers. (The name escapes me...)

Sarah, still cuddling bunnies, and Ethan playing ball. We could get used to this farm life.

Click here to view all of the pictures of the Droge Family Reunion in Seneca, KS

Our second stop on our trip was Nauvoo, Illinois. We met some of Shawn's family there, including Mom and Dad Droge, Michelle, Dave and Sammy, Annie and Mike and Bruce and Joe. Nauvoo is an incredibly special spiritual place, and being there with family was even more priceless. We had to brave the flooded Mississippi, but the experience was well worth it.

In Nauvoo, we stayed in the family suites. It nice to have a kitchen and separate bedrooms we could actually put the kids to bed in. Plus, we got to have Shawn's parents and Bruce and Joe stay with us!

Going to the Nauvoo temple was one of the very best parts of our trip. It's so beautiful, inside and out, and very spiritually powerful. We got to do an endowment session and baptisms!

Here's Annie and Mike standing in front of the statue "Calm as a Summer's Morn" of Joseph and Hyrum as they were taken to Carthage.

Dave and Michelle, Annie and Mike, Maxine and Lynn and Shawn and Becca after our temple session.

Sarah, Annie and Mike on the wagon ride/tour of old Nauvoo. Sarah thinks Annie and Mike are pretty cool.

This is the Nauvoo House/Hotel. If you look closely on the right, you will see sandbags and water where it clearly shouldn't be. The Mississippi floods did come up this far, and the days before we arrived, the town worked very hard to get sandbags up to keep this building from being destroyed.

Four of the Droge women, standing in the Meeting Room above the Red Brick Store. This is the room where the Relief Society was organized.

Ethan in the meeting room above the Red Brick Store

Sarah in the meeting room above the red brick store

Here's the complete Droge clan that made it to Nauvoo, standing in front of the Red Brick Store.

Mike and Annie at the Brick Yard

Michelle, Sammy and Dave at the Brickyard

Ethan, Shawn, Sarah and Becca at the Brickyard. The kids thought the bricks were pretty cool, and Ethan REALLY wanted to climb them.

Sarah and Aunt Annie holding their bricks

This quote sits on a monument outside Carthage Jail. I was so deeply touched by these words, I had to take a picture so I wouldn't forget.

Click Here to View all of the Nauvoo Pictures