Well another month has come and gone. Brett was on a Research month and we thoroughly enjoyed having more time together as a family. We were able to go camping and hiking several times and enjoyed having time in the mornings to spend together. Brett and I also trained and ran in a duathlon last Saturday. It was held in Oak Ridge, which is about 20 minutes from Knoxville and included a 5K run, 40K bike, and 5K run. We had a great time training and racing together and felt quite proud of ourselves for doing it. We have tried to run a race together every year since we met (except when I was pregnant with Maya) and have really cherished the time that it gives us to talk while we are training.

Fall is in full bloom here in East Tennessee. We have been up to hike and see the leaves in the Smoky Mountains several times. It is beautiful this time of year and the humidity is mostly gone and temperatures are very pleasant. This is my favorite time of year, so it has been great to be outside so much to enjoy it. Maya enjoys our hikes too. She rides on Brett's back in a backpack and babbles to herself as we go along. I think that she likes looking around at the scenery and being out in the fresh air. She is more and more fun all the time. We finally installed locks on our cupboards and have the stair gate up all the time. She is a little mover, crawling all over the place and pulling herself up on just about everything. It is fun to see her develop and learn. She keeps us busy and entertained. Last week she had a fever for several nights and finally broke out in a rash. She seems to be doing better the last couple of days, but is still a little tired from the lack of sleep with her fever. Hopefully she will have a healthy winter though. (We'll keep our fingers crossed).

Brett has been enjoying doing research and has been able to do several projects. It is amazing how much time goes into doing good research, checking and rechecking references, but he has learned quite a bit and even was able to make a little extra money submitting some case studies to a journal. He starts back on nights tonight, but feels refreshed and ready to hit it hard again for the next couple of months.

I am loving being home with Maya and we are getting into a fun routine. I walk with several ladies in the ward in the mornings and usually spend one morning at a playgroup. Maya mostly watches the other kids, but it is fun for me to get out and visit with the other mom's. I also have been reading quite a bit. I just got a couple of books about Benjamin Franklin and have enjoyed learning a little more about his life. Primary is also going well and keeping me busy. We are getting ready for our Sacrament Meeting Program, which will be on November 12th, and are trying to get everything planned for the rest of the year. I really enjoy working with all of the children and their teachers.

We enjoyed listening to General Conference in October and have been relistening to the talks on the internet. It is so nice to be able to hear them over again and remember what was said.

We hope you are all well and are enjoying this Fall season. It is great to hear how things are going with you. Keep the updates coming!

Love,
Brett, Jenny and Maya