Pre Halloween Festivities - October!

I am on a roll.  I would love to document Halloween before Christmas, so here's a quick post in cell phone pics about the month of October.  I just got put in as Primary President on Sunday, so the busyness picked up a bit.

Seth loves to help in the kitchen.  He likes to "experiment" and make his own concoctions--most of which are not edible, but he asked to make an apple pie for a while before I got around to it.  It made his day.  We made the entire thing from scratch, and I tried to let him do as much as possible.  It was delicious!

Last soccer game!

This was a bad one.  Luke was kicking a soccer ball against the house while Leah was riding her bike (with no helmet).  The ball went behind Luke and took out her bike tire, and she hit her head hard.  Luke came running in with her and this giant goose egg!  It has been about three weeks and it looks pretty good but there is still a scar where the scab was and a little bump.  I'm not sure it will ever be the same.

The Elder's Quorum party at the Paradise Halloweenie Roast.  Such a cute place!

 Buying pumpkins (since the deer ate all but two of ours).

Jer took Luke and Seth on their annual backpacking trip.  They went to White Pine again.  Next year Ian will go along.  This year they hiked to the summit of Mt. Magog on Saturday morning before they came home.  That's quite the tough, bushwhacking climb!

Picture rock!

In the meantime Ian, Leah, and I went to the Halloween benefit run for LCA and cute Ezra.

By the weekend Leah had double shiners!

Selfies for Willie Nelson and his kids!

 

 We took a quick UEA getaway kind of a long ways away.  Lots of driving for a short trip, but we had fun.  We stayed in a condo at Brianhead ski resort and expolored the Cedar Breaks area.  The weather on Saturday did not cooperate and resulted in unreal mud!  We spent quite a bit of time in the clubhouse and even went to Cedar City to see a movie.  All in all a fun trip.

 

Backyard fun down by the river.  I love fall!

School Fall Festival.  More sugar and crazy prizes than you can imagine.

Pumpkin Walk

Pumpkin Masterpieces

 

 
Cute little buddies in the "pilgrim" hats Ian made for them.

Bring on Halloween!

September Stuff

Quickly I am going to post some stuff that happened in September before I'm officially two months behind!  It was kind of a busy month with only cell phone pictures to show for it!

Our visit to the Ogden Temple Open House was technically in August.  I think we went the only night that was pouring rain.  I mean pouring.  We met my parents for dinner before and were all drowned rats by the time we got in.  It was beautiful though.  We walked to Farr's ice cream afterwards for giant ice cream cones.

Now that we are officially residents of Wellsville we of course attended the annual Labor Day bash complete with 5K run for Luke and I, parade, sham battle, and cookout at Jodi's house.  Good times with great people.

Savoring the hot, sunny September weather.  Um, that's a messy garage!

Spent a day with my mom making salsa!

We finally got sand in our giant sand box!

Fun on the propane tank train.

After a kind of sad showing at his last Pinewood Derby, Luke (let's be honest Jer) came through this year.  He won every race and was crowned champ!
 

 Note Luke's blank Scout shirt.  He thought he lost it the day of day camp, and we have been asking around and looking for it since August.  I finally caved and bought a new one but couldn't bear the thought of getting all the patches and putting them on.  Just in the knick of time it surfaced at a den meeting--his friend had it the entire time, so Seth's all set when he becomes a Cub!

Lots of freezing, rainy soccer games at the end of the month.  Didn't bother these guys too much.

Ian also made his own fun at rainy soccer games.

 
Luke's soccer team and coaches (they look 16 because they are) can make you want to pull your hair out, but he played hard and did his best this season.  He really does love soccer.  He started playing defense and did well and sometimes played up and scored a few goals too.  He's one of the fastest kids on the field when he wants to be.

Back to School 2014

I think I may give up on blogging at the end of the year, but I'm trying to finish out 2014.  The boys are all at Mountainside this year--5th, 2nd, and kindergarten!  Leah started preschool with Teacher Cassie where Ian went last year.  After school had been in about a week Ian finally got to ride the bus to school with his brother.  Pretty much every good weather day after we moved in last year the boys rode their bikes to the bus stop.  It's a little over 1/2 mile.  It has been a little more challenging this year with Ian.  I think he will be up for it in the spring, but a lot of days I've pulled him over in the bike trailer or taken them in the van.  The big boys love that!  Ian does sometimes ride his bike and it's actually no trouble, but I feel like I have to go along to make sure he actually gets there on time because he's so slow and easily distracted!

 Riding the kindergarten bus home has probably been Ian's least favorite part.  It's a long ride, and it sounds like it gets a little crazy.  The first few weeks Ian kept telling me about these kindergartners that were "in love."  He said they kissed on the bus and was quite disgusted by the whole thing!  (Thank goodness.)  He said now that little girl's mom picks her up at school everyday!  He also says a girl in his reading group makes googly eyes at him and imitates the face with his eyelashes fluttering.

Luke is liking 5th grade.  Mr. Maughan is a great teacher, and it is so much better than last year and its hours of homework!  Seth just loves school period and thinks Mrs. Bilodeau is great.  Ian is actually doing a lot better than I thought he would.  He wasn't too stoked about school and sitting down all day writing, coloring, etc. is definitely not his thing.  He's actually doing pretty well and liking it more now than the first few days.  He just couldn't get over how there were 5 school days followed by only 2 off days!  Welcome to life!!  He also said they did like one fun thing and the rest of the time they just "had to learn."  I can't complain though.  I'm sure he gives Mrs. Parish a run for her money, but he seems to like it.  Leah loves preschool and is a smart little cookie.  I am kid free for 2 1/2 hours twice a week--so weird after 8 years of SAH momness.  I finally finished my master's back in May and am actually in the process of trying to get an online teaching job with BYU Idaho so we'll see how that goes.  Always busy.

Luke cut off his mop of hair about a week after school started.  Hallelujah!

 

 

 

 

 Towhead kindergartners!

Leah also started dance class again!