Abbie's 7th birthday, visiting the farm, and Pete

Abbie and her cousin Emily have their birthdays just two days apart so we decided to have a cousin birthday party together. Abbie turned 7 and Emily turned 8 in the middle of September. Here they are blowing out their candles.

Hitting the pinata

Abbie's presents from her cousins

All the kids at Hollywood Connection, an indoor amusement park just for little kids. They had a blast!

Abbie's present from Leah. Leah picked it out herself and wrapped and decorated it. She was so excited to give it to Abbie that she told her a few days in advance what it was because she couldn't keep it secret.

A squinkie gumball house

She also got an art kit from Mom and Dad, she has been begging for one ever since her cousin Kyra got one.

We also recently went to Wheeler Farms for a family activity one gorgeous fall day. The girls liked feeding the ducks and geese.

Porter liked riding this tractor

My cuties on the hay wagon before we went for a ride

I love how Porter is peeking through the slats

Leah posing in the pumpkin patch. Each of the kids got to pick out a pumpkin which we later carved for Halloween.

Abbie in the corn field

Holding hands and walking (awwww, so cute!)

Jared and his brother Pete, who visited from NE recently, showing off their facial hair (uhhh, not so cute...)

Fall Fun in October

In October my sister and I made a trip up to Idaho to visit my sister Kim. My mom also came over for a while, here she is with Kaleb (4 mos) and Porter (11 mos):

The cousins having a picnic in the nice summer like weather

Lining up to do the airplane with Aunt Liesl

We put rag curls in the girls' hair after bathtime

Here's Abbie and Leah the next day (the kids sleep in them and then you take the rags out and you get the best bouncy curls!)

Abbie and Leah are also in ballet with a few of their cousins, they love it!

Porter loves this Johnny jump-up that we borrowed from Kim

A week or so after the Idaho trip it snowed for the first time. Abbie and Leah were so excited to play in it they put on their snow gear and went out right after breakfast. Here they are showing me their snowballs (before throwing them at me!)

The snowman they made, they were so excited and loved finding rocks, sticks, gloves, and a hat to decorate him with.

The next day we went to a farm for a preschool field trip. Here is Leah on one of the tractors.

Doing the hay maze with her cousins

Looking for the perfect pumpkin

Leah and two of her cousins with the pumpkins they got to bring home

Abbie's kindergarten class had a Halloween party that I helped out with. The kids played a game where they took turns wrapping up each other in toilet paper and making mummys. Aren't they cute?

Leah being a princess witch (just before going out trick-or-treating)

Porter not so sure about this trick-or-treating thing

My adorable princesses and the frog on Halloween night!

You know it's October when...

You find the kids playing in their Halloween costumes almost every day,

You rake the leaves and the next day it looks like you did nothing,

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It's time to winterize the yard and garden,

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There are twenty different varieties of apples at the store,

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and they taste delicious made into applesauce, pies, or just plain (with maybe a little peanut butter),

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You'll wait in line for half an hour in the freezing cold for cinnamon donuts and fresh apple cider,

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You'll pay $3 for 5 minutes of play just to see your two year old smile like this,

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You convince your husband and kids to pose for pictures like this,

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And you'll brave the mess and danger of carving pumpkins with guts and seeds and knives everywhere...

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To see your kids' excitement when you light the candles and turn off the light!

Happy Halloween!

Leaves are falling all around

We had one day this week where it was beautiful fall weather and so the girls and I went outside to play in the leaves. I also had fun taking pictures of them in the pretty colors. Here are some of the best shots:

We love fall and hope it lasts just a little bit longer!