Trick-or-Treating

The ghouls and goblins and witches were out in full force...we had over 150 trick or treaters. At one point Maggie yelled, "There's an angry mob coming to our door," and she was right, they came in packs leaving not one Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or Kit Kat left in the bowl.
and then there was the sorting,
the counting
and the eating.

Leading up to Halloween...

We celebrated the October birthdays with pumpkin pie and cake and...
a spooky Halloween dinner on the Eve of Halloween.
Like mother, like daughter...I helped with Maggie's class party...dressed as a witch and read them spooky stories.

Celebrating...

Celebrating...the first SNOW. Yes, the white stuff fell from the sky yesterday, enough to blanket the ground. Maggie came right home from school telling me she learned how to pack a snowball. She and Sam changed right into their snow gear and headed outside to try their luck at the snowball rolling. In honor of the first snow, they made a baby snowman, not so bad eh!

For me there is something magical about the falling snow. One of my favorite memories as a little girl, was watching the snow fall at night and pile up on our lights and walks and trees outside. The feeling of being safe and warm inside, but seeing all the quiet-beauty gently falling outside was beautiful.

Pumpkins...

Pumpkins coming out our ears...This year, we went to Mabey's Pumpkin Patch in South Jordan...the pumpkins, the price and the weather did not disappoint. Maggie and Sam loved that old wheelbarrow and the bumpy ride.

Our Jokester

Puff Daddy has taken on a new meaning entirely at our house.

Stone Soup

Maggie participated in her 2nd grade school program called Stone Soup. I had to go hunting for her costume at Deseret Industries i.e. the D.I. in order to find her a dress that was long enough and looked old. That place never seems to fail me when I am looking for a costume. She did a great job and we had a good time watching her.

Pregnancy Update

This morning was the first morning in 21 weeks that I have been able to drink a glass of orange juice. When I am pregnant and especially with my girls, I have to avoid acidic drinks...anyway, it was so good. I love Simply Orange, i.e. when I can keep it down.

The nausea is gone Hooray!, it lasted about 17 weeks making it a long summer in that regard. For those of you who have asked, I am due near the end of February, definitely a 2010 baby. Crazy! Thanks everyone for your sweet comments.

Apple Picking

We headed over to the family farm for some apple picking. There are a lot of apples this year and the grandkids had a ball picking the apples and of course, we've all enjoyed eating them.

Announcing...

Check out Maggie's newest family drawing...and yes, she is thrilled about it!

Mazes

Celebrating Fall

Walking through a corn/hay maze is always a fun part of Fall. The kids loved this little one at Wheeler Farm. I am enjoying the cooler temperatures and the warm Fall afternoons.

Corn mazes also remind me of my Freshman year at BYU. I was on a group date, each couple was suppose to go off and find their own way out of the maze. My date and I, who will remain nameless, stumbled upon the exit in the first 2 minutes of starting. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it was the end, so we spent the next hour walking in circles. At one point, he bent down to tie his shoe and some giggly girls came around the corner and saw him on his knee and said, "Oh, he is proposing" the oohs and aahs followed...ugh, the experience was enough to make me sick and I quickly told them they were mistaken. Funny now, but not at the time and especially not with that geeky guy...Brian gets a good laugh out of it because he knew the guy (they lived on the same floor) and he was also on the group date wandering around in that same corn maze.

Fall Recipes

Celebrating Fall

We are enjoying a lot of these Fall recipes and I am enjoying my convection oven that bakes things to perfection...I am convinced that my appliance can make anyone a good cook. I've tried apple pie, pumpkin pancakes, zucchini and banana bread.

Trees

Celebrating Fall

Even the trees know it's time to bear their fruit. These ornamental crab apple trees are one of my favorite trees in our yard, especially now when their branches are full of these.

I know why...

I know why they call it Fall and I know why we have a squirrel problem in our yard. These little acorns are dropping everywhere in our yard, whether we like it or not.

The Last

Celebrating Fall

I picked the last tomatoes in our little garden before the first freeze of the year. My niece Rachel grew these tomatoes from seed and planted them in my garden boxes as an early birthday present for me. When we moved in, our little garden was already in place. I've loved picking and eating these grand tomatoes...caprese, tomato sandwiches, tomato sauce, brushetta, etc... I am not happy with Mr. Jack Frost for attacking my plants, leaving the vines black when they were still heavy with green tomatoes waiting to ripen in the the Fall sun.

Gardens remind me of my childhood Falls. Tramping through the withering garden after my Dad. Picking apples and squash and pumpkins and making apple cider in the old wooden apple press with my Grandpa and my Dad. I love the smell of drying, fallen leaves, the smell of cool earth, and the promise that this season will come again.

Fall Soccer

Celebrating Fall

We have enjoyed seeing Sam play his first season of soccer. He is fast and already has two goals under his belt. He loves practicing out in the yard with Maggie, they definitely challenge each other. It's fun to watch. Fall soccer reminds me of my own years of playing. I still love the sport and even dream about it sometimes. Brian and I really enjoy seeing the kids play. It has been rewarding to see Maggie coming into her own as she is learning correct positions and spending some time as goalie. Brian is teaching her all of his goalie tricks and she seems to really be enjoying herself this season in an all girls' league.

A Birthday

Celebrating Fall

October is a great time to celebrate birthdays. Happy Birthday Brian! We're glad we had the day to spend together.

Celebrating Fall

This is the first Utah Fall I've experienced in 7 years and so my senses are awake and aware of all the little things around me that are bringing so much joy. I thought over the next couple of days and weeks, that I would post things I find beautiful about Fall to celebrate the season...and so to begin:
The first rain.