Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. I know we did...did I mentioned that it lasted all week? I helped out in Brooke's class yesterday at their Halloween party and parade. Here is Hannah Montana telling her teaching that she will not sing a song. Gee, I don't know why not...she sings all day at home.

They usually parade around the block outside but it was raining so they paraded through the halls and into the gym.
Here's our friend, Batman (aka Dawson)
And our neighbor, Clara, the bride.
Our apartments had trick or treating on Friday night and had games and pizza at the Community Center afterwards. You'd think that would be enough trick or treating, but oh no. I tried to convince Brooke that we didn't have to go tonight too but she really wanted to. So we went to some friend's and went in their neighborhood. Now we have more candy than we would ever need. I can't wait until next year...

Trunk or Treat...or bust??

Last night we had Trunk or Treat at church. It was lots of fun....I know Cinderella, Snow White, and Barbie had fun. (aka Peyton, Whitney, and Charlotte)There was pumpkin bowling outside...
Pumpkin painting inside...and face painting too!
donuts hanging from a string in the kitchen....
and several more activities...including the Trunk or Treat! I loved the missionaries set-up. They had Books of Mormon and pass along cards in their trunk...I think they even had some candy. I think they should have that set-up at the Farmer's Market downtown.
Nathan and Brooke watching the boys have a candy fight or something...
Why the bust part you ask?? Well I'll tell you. I had to stay and clean up and the building was just about empty with only about 4 people left. The floor in the kitchen had been mopped from the donut mess and I walk in to carry a GALLON of apple cider to the refrigerator. Apparently I didn't realize it was still wet, not to mention I was wearing flip-flops, and fell right on my butt. Apple cider went everywhere, including on me. Sometime during the fall, I really banged my arm against something. I think it was the trash can or maybe the counter. The other two people made sure I was ok, and then a nice young man went to get the mop to mop the floor again. Just so you can fully grasp the extent of my injury, here's a picture of my bruised arm the day after. No really, I'm ok, but it is really sore. It always looks worse than it is.

We've got mail!

Yesterday the girls got a special surprise in the mail. A care package from Great-Grandma Benjamin!! They were so excited! They each got a purse, some money, headbands, Halloween candle holders, and I think that's it. They loved it all. Thanks Great-Grandma Benjamin!

It's Fall!

I love when the trees start to change color. And I love the big piles of leaves on the ground and the crinkling noise they make as you walk through them. I wish fall would stay around longer, it always seems to get really cold really fast. Here it's been raining for a few days with no end in sight. I guess I'm just glad it's not snow.

One day this week we took advantage of the cool weather and went to play at the park. We have to do it while we can before we're stuck inside all winter!



Brooke has been practicing the jungle bars at school and can now get all the way to the end. She's very proud of herself.
This week starts our Marathon Halloween week. Wednesday is Trunk or Treat at church, Friday is Brooke's parade at school, and that night our apartments has designated the trick or treating and they also have a Halloween party at the community center. Saturday downtown has their Annual Fall Harvest Festival with all kinds of fun things for the kids including a parade, carnival games, bounce houses, giant pumpkin carving, and more! Then of course more trick or treating Saturday night! The only good thing about it is we get to wear our costumes more than once! So we definitely get our money's worth.

Here's a preview of Brooke's costume. Last Saturday she got to wear it all day too because the Middle School put on a kid's concert and carnival. We missed the carnival though because we went to a Halloween themed birthday party.

I just hope the wig makes it through the week.

Apple Orchard

Last year I went on a field trip with Brooke to the apple orchard. This year I went with Charlotte and some friends. It is such a fun place with a petting zoo, fun wood toys, a slide, and so much more! I was disappointed we couldn't go to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch unless you were on a field trip or it was the weekend. But you could still buy the apples in the store. What else can you buy in the store? The most amazing apple donuts! I only got 1/2 dozen but I should've got more. They are SOOO good. I think I have to go back just to get more donuts. Too bad it's a 45 minute drive. Anyway, here are some pictures from our day.

I got this shirt at Walmart the other day. I couldn't resist.

Pumpkin Carving 101

So last night Brooke wanted to carve a pumpkin. This is not usually one of my strong suits. Nathan was busy talking on the phone so I decided to go ahead and try to do it myself. Brooke knew exactly how it needed to be done. She's an old pro! She wanted to do it exactly as the years past. We got all the guts and pumpkin seeds out. She wanted to save all the seeds because one year, when we had a garden, we put the seeds in the garden and more pumpkins grew. She doesn't quite get it that we don't have room for pumpkins here. LOL. Next, she told me that we need to print off a stencil from the computer. She picked the one she wanted then told me that we needed to trace it on the pumpkin. OK, done. Then we had to cut on the lines with a knife. This is where I wasn't do so well. Thankfully, Nathan got off the phone and finished the job. I think that in a few years, Brooke will be a pumpkin carving master!

She wanted to take a self-portrait of her and the pumpkin. Not too bad :-)

Brooke's pumpkin and Charlotte's pumpkin. Charlotte wanted to paint her pumpkin the other day. Brooke wanted to wait and cut it.
This is like a gingerbread house, but it's a Haunted House Cookie. They made this with a babysitter the other night. We might have to make another one because this one didn't turn out so well.
Charlotte, not to be out done, wanted to take a self-portrait as well.

Take time to smell the roses

Charlotte and I walk to school every day. It's only about a 5 minute walk to campus. Sometimes it's longer because she likes to stop and pick the dandelions.She wanted to walk through this puddle of water and it was her own idea to pull her pants up. I thought it was so funny.

Brooke is still into tree climbing. The tree right behind us is turning into a really pretty orange/red color.I was trying to take a picture of Charlotte's hair because I never usually do anything to it. She was just acting silly.

GET ME OUT OF HERE!!

Will we ever get out of here??
This is where the little kids stopped and the big kids kept going.

We had to find tokens along the way. We thought they were to help us find our way, but they were not. Some were in dead ends. That doesn't seem fair.
Ok, this has got to be taking us somewhere??

We did it!! Finally! And it only took us 45 minutes!