5 Little Pumpkins

(Plus Carly's makes 6)

5 Little Pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "My, it's getting late!"
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "Well, I don't care."
The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun."
The fifth one said, "Let's run and run and run!"

Wooooo went the wind and out went the lights (clap)
And 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Preschool party. What a fun bunch!

Reading Where the Wild Things Are was a big hit! Has anyone seen the movie? Is it good? Is it too scary for little kids? What do you think?

3 Little Witches

The girls enjoyed this fun craft from a Halloween party we went to.

Go, Carly, Go!

I love the determined look of concentration on her face in this pic. and how it's all a blur.

This one cracks me up because she suddenly looks like a big kid on a little bike. Nice of her to choose such a scenic time of year to learn to ride.

After many previous practices with Mom and Dad, Granddad's helping hand and encouragement is what got Carly to really take off!

Riding off into the Sunset

It's always fun when Mikey comes!

Peter and the Wolf

Macy looks like she's worried the wolf's going to eat her in this picture!

This was such a fun show! You're the best, Amber!

free tickets!

We had a fun cousin day seeing Stellaluna, a creative production based on the children's book that used acting and puppetry. At our matinee show, they gave us some free kids' tickets for an evening show. If you're local and you want to go, give me a call.

Boo!

Carly and I had fun making these ghost cookies together for our mother/daughter date last week. We dipped Nutter Butters in white chocolate and then used mini chocolate chips for the eyes and mouths. Very easy. Very fun. Very yummy! We decided we could use three more mini chocolate chips for buttons to make snowmen next time.

Halloween Bread

Ever since Myles was a little boy, he'd do reverse trick-or-treating and bring Halloween bread around to people with his mom. People would say "thank you" politely, thinking the bread was burned or moldy, until they were brave enough to cut a slice and discover the swirls! Now our girls have fun making it and surprising people, too.

Macy: You are not my father!

Playing with Grammy

Robyn has just taken off with the piano. She loves spending the time practicing and playing duets with Grammy. The girls also had fun for many hours with the playdough Grammy brought. Carly really developed her writing muscles using that garlic press!

True Love

Out of all the kids, Macy loved the pumpkin guts the most! She just couldn't get enough squishing.

I loved that we grew enough pumpkins this year to choose from our own patch, and I loved seeing each child's unique creative designs.

Myles taught the art of pumpkin surgery with toothpicks when needed.

We enjoyed warm, salty pumkin seeds and sweet donuts with lots of sprinkles!

Fall Cookin' (and Eatin')

Fall just wouldn't be fall without Myles' homemade chicken noodle soup (and homemade bread) and Mom's yummy pumpkin bread!

When we were still dating, I made chicken noodle soup with Myles and his Grandma at his aunt's house. I remember thinking, "I didn't know you could make the noodles!" Shortly after, my room-mates recruited him to show them how to make them, too. It was pretty fun having Chef Myles teach all us girls. We told him his mama would be proud!

As a kid, I remember getting to lick the beaters and bowls as the best part of helping! I think my kids feel the same way. They know if they stick around long enough, the reward will come. (As a kid, licking the bowl meant having to wash it,too, but that was usually worth it).

I Wanna Go, Too!

A few weeks ago, Myles and I thought we'd have a date on campus, but when the girls heard we'd be listening to the Prophet speak, they said, "I wanna go, too!"

Myles' mom got to join us, too, which was fun. The girls were very well behaved, especially considering that we arrived pretty early to get a seat. They understood it as a special occasion. When I pulled out my journal to take notes, they were sad they didn't bring theirs. They were sure to record their thoughts and pictures at home.

Macy had me write: President Monson has pants, clothes, shirt, and LOTS of church stuff. He spoke when we were there with Grammy.

Carly: This is President Monson and all the people. He told us how President Hinckley waved his cane around.

President Thomas S. Monson's talk, Principles from Prophets, included his personal experiences with past prophets, and was really neat! There were some pretty funny stories, great advice to live by, and little things I never knew about these great examples.

Last weekend, we got to listen to General Conference as a family @ home after eating our traditional breakfast of waffles and berries. I'm so grateful for a prophet and 12 Apostles who are here to guide us and inspire us today! I can feel my Heavenly Father's love for me through them.

Here are some of Robyn's notes:

"The Holy Ghost will guide you. Listen to the Holy Ghost. Let him teach you. He can help you" (Richard G. Scott).

"Read the scriptures every single day. The Holy Ghost will dwell in your heart" (Vicky Matsumori).

"My Primary leader said I needed to give a talk. No! I will help you. I gave that talk. She saved my life. Jesus is the Christ" (Russell Osgourthorpe)

"Express love and show it. When you say I love you, mean it. Say it, and really mean it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. Bear testimony to the ones you love. Bear it, mean it, and, most importantly, live it. Be consistent. 'He's breathing my air! Make him stop looking at me! He's touching me!'" (David A. Bednar)

"How do we become true disciples of Christ? If ye love me, keep my commandments. God loves us completely. He will answer you, if you pray to him. He knows your desires. Let us be known as people that love God with all heart" (President Uchtdorf).

"Our greatest gift is eternal life" (Zeballos).

"For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. God still speaks to man today. He loves us" (Callister).

"Jesus lives" (Kent D. Watson).

"This is his work. Repent and I will receive you" (Neil L. Anderson).

"The Spirit comes after baptism" (Boyd K. Packer).

"Become like the Savior. Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land. Our Father lives and loves us. Joseph Smith was a prophet" (President Eyring).

"We may be disappointed when we don't get what we want. It is always possible to get back on the right path. Keep the commandments. I'm President Monson's daughter" (Ann M. Dibb).

"God blesses you if you fall. Follow Him" (Russell M. Nelson).

"Those who only live for themselves shrivel up. We need to serve others in need, not think that someone else is going to help. Lots of Primary kids gave me lots of cards. We can help people. The cards were about children who did service for somebody else. Ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me. Have we helped the sad and made someone feel glad? Well done, a good and faithful servant" (President Monson).

"Do not let anything trouble you. Children who are not taught will not live up righteously" (Quentin L. Cook).

"A new heart will be placed in you. We must identify Satan. I pray we will enjoy fully to the end" (Dale Renlund).

"Nephi, son of Lehi, was an example. I will go and do. No wonder we are taught to bring up our children in love" (Michael Ringwood).

"We are men that were true, trusted, and not afraid of death" (D. Todd Cristofferson).

"We express gratitude to everybody that came. My brothers and sisters, he has prepared us for the floods. Leave the Conference better than you were before. Remember me, the Apostles, and the Seventy. Thank you" (President Monson).

Go, Froggy, Go!

The girls got to make their first pinewood derby car (with Myles' help) for a family church activity. They were bummed to be getting over coughs and not being able to go to race it, so I did the honors.

When I got home, Myles asked: Did you race it backwards so the weights were in the front?
Sorry, no, I did not think of that.

Macy asked: Did anyone else have a frog for their driver?

Even though it didn't win, I think Master Scout Tom of the fam. would still be proud!

Feeling Fall

They took the baseball fences down
again.
Now whistles blow
for flag football games
instead.

Reds, oranges, greens, and yellows
are sliding down the mountain...
Snow sits on the top.

I pull my favorite sweater down
from the highest closet shelf.
I dig out our denim wedding quilt
from the basement chest.

We pick up leaves to school
and back,
adding to our collection,
crunching as we go.

They stuff acorns into pockets,
like little heads with little hats,
they say.
They'll draw on faces when we get home

where I'll bake pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies
and think about my mom...

We lug the Halloween box out,
another reminder
of how much they've grown
since last year's costume parades.

I take a quick glance
back at summer days,
but it's dark
already
and I put some lotion on my hands
again.

Testing...1,2,3

After being shut in with fevers and coughs, Carly started singing, "This is the cough that never ends, it goes on and on my friend..."

To help make our hopefully final day of being home bound a little more bearable, I decided to get out the Halloween Box.

They had fun testing out all the costumes to see what fit who. Well, mostly fun. Carly nearly shed tears about being too big for the giraffe this year, and Robyn insists that Myles' karate pants really will stay up.

I like their mix-n-match creativity, such as the Big Bad Cowboy Wolf.

Macy's sporting my lovely striped one-piece polyester uniform I had to wear in Jr. High PE. Why on earth I kept it, I don't know, but I guess it comes in handy now for clowning around or being a candy cane!

Look, Mom!

It looks like he's praying!

Walk-ins Welcome

Wow, that Granddad sure is a good sport, isn't he?!

Are We Having Fun Yet?

My dad used to always ask this question when we were on a road trip, usually while we were yelling things out like, "He touched me!" or "He's on my side!" Whoever sat happily way in the back, back of the station wagon (where the AC didn't reach) got a cooperation quarter at the next stop.

As you can see from these pictures, we should have brought a few cooperation quarters with us! One fell asleep on the way. One complained the whole time. (We did find out later that she was sick. How come I never learn that when my kids are really crabby, they are usually sick, even though they never say)?

I think next time, Myles and I will make this a date!

I thought he took a pretty fun pic. of the reflection of the leaves in the car window.

I've loved watching the colors trickle slowly down our mountain view. The sunsets have been so breathtaking lately.

What a beautiful world we live in!

Robyn's Race

We thought it was fun that Robyn wanted to join other elementary schoolers on the big campus track for a mile race. Myles and I both tried to explain to her about pacing, but her competitive spirit wouldn't let anyone get in front of her, so she started out in a sprint. It was pretty exciting with an Olympic announcer and college track stars running along side the kids.

She ended up getting her exact same time to the second as she did in PE, only this race had a big hill in it. Myles made her an award that she discovered on the fridge the next morning.

What a character!

Every day's fun with Macy. She's constantly cracking me up.

She's sporting her duck mask she made @ preschool. She loves dance, being silly, and playing with her babies.

Run, run as fast as you can...

can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

This is what Macy requested to do with Grammy this time. We really love having Grammy and Granddad so closeby!!