Time With Family

This past week was a good week to be with family. It was nice to just be busy with family stuff.

Monday night, we spend Family Home Evening (FHE) going to a Pumpkin Patch with the kids. We picked some good pumpkins for a good price then went on a "hay ride." The kids enjoyed the the whole experience. Monte and Catherine got into a "discussion" about the hay ride. Catherine grew up an on farm and therefore knew the difference between "Hay" and "Straw." Straw is yellow and Hay is green. Then Monte asked "then why is it called a "hay" ride and not a "straw" ride? That is when a gentlemen next to us said it just sounds better and more exciting for the kids. This is why Monte married Catherine... she is a smart "country girl!" (Big grin from Monte).

Monte goes to lunch with is brother(s) and dad once a month. It was Neils' turn to choose. He chose a BBQ place, which was not so bad. It was nice to sit and chat as "Stark Men." You could call it "male bonding time."

On Sunday we went up to Evanston for the baby blessing of R & K's new baby boy (their 3rd). It was nice to see Monte's "Big Baby" brother. They love talking sports and accounting. Catherine was very tied because she worked a 13 hour overnight shift at Sam's Club, but enjoyed talking with family as well. The kids love playing with all of their cousins.

Well that is all from the Monte Stark family this week.

Weekly Report

Well another week has gone by in the lovely month of October. What shall we talk about? Monte is the one that does most of the postings and he is an accountant not a writer. He does his best though.

Danielle is getting so smart at 2 and 1/2. One of her favorite shows is "The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" on Disney channel. She was sitting there watching it this morning. In the beginning of the show they always do the roll call of the characters. She will repeat every name with out a hesitation. She also loves "Handy Manny" and "Little Einsteins." She will get up and run to where you are at in the house and tell you which show is on. Then run back to watch the show. We love being her parents!

Question for any parent with any boys around 5 years old... How well are they doing on going potty? Connor is a great boy, he, as of late, has been having trouble with going potty. He will get to busy playing or something and wont go to the bathroom. It has been very frustrating for us and we don't know what else to do with him. He will be good for a day then have about 3 accidents the very next day. (It is starting to wear down the washing machine). It just boggles our mind that there are three bathrooms in the house and he just can't make it to one of them. (HELP!!)

Bronwyn is making good strides in second grade and really loves dance. They had to change her dance class to Monday nights; because the class she was in was so small they combined with another class. By the way for those interested the Christmas Dance Recital is coming up. We will email the family with the specifics.

Catherine works hard at Sam's Club. In this economy we are happy she has a job. We know right now how difficult it is to find a job. Our brother-in-law in California has been trying. We hope and pray that he finds what he is looking for and wish him well. We know he will do great in what every job he finds. Catherine is also working hard as a Webelos Scout leader. She is learning a lot and this may come in handy when Connor comes of scouting age.

Monte is still working hard at his job in downtown SLC. He has been there for a year and half now. He is become known as the "Excel Master." When anyone has an Excel question they come to him first. He even get Excel assignments from his boss from time to time. Monte love maintaining the vehicles. This past weekend he changed the brakes on the van and then changed the oil in both the van and Kia.

Well that is all from the Monte Stark Family. Sorry no pictures this week. We will talk with you later.

It has been a little bit since our last blog. Life has gotten much busier since Bronwyn and Connor are now in school. Both of them are enjoying it very much. They both ride the same bus home and we think that is helping them grow closer together.

Danielle is becoming smarter every day for a 2 1/2 year old. One of the smart things she does is talk very well and constantly (just ask Catherine). She says "thanks dad or mom" when she is given something. She is in a beginning dance class and really loves it. She sings her dance song at home a lot! Monte loves coming home from work, because Danielle will run to give him a big hug.

We love the house we are now in. We have been in this house for about 6 months now. Since the house is surrounded by a hay farm/field we are seeing a lot of cool animals. Take a look at these pictures. This is a couple of deer that hang out in our back yard every so often.

The kids think it is pretty cool. Connor calls them reindeer and says we need to take them back to Santa Clause.

We would like to congratulate Monte's baby brother and his wife. They just added their 3rd boy to their family. Richard is starting his basketball team. He now has enough for a 3 man team! Both baby and mom are doing fine. Way to go Richard Stark Family!

Well another week has gone by and it is now October. We hope everyone has a good coming week.
Love
The Monte Stark Family.