Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

This is the sight we woke up to this morning...


And this is what my kids were doing at 7:00.


They don't have to start getting ready for school until 8:00, so they got a full hour of snow play in before school. Of course, I had to throw their mittens in the dryer so they would be dry in time for school. I don't think you're supposed to dry them, but it didn't seem to hurt anything.

Contrary to what many people think, I do like the snow. I just think there should be no more snow after Jan. 31st. But until then I will enjoy every minute of it - unless I have to drive. Yikes!
We've got about 6 inches or so, and it is still coming down like crazy. Can you guess what we'll be doing after school? Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow... hopefully it won't melt before then.

Halloween

Halloween was a VERY busy, but very fun day. First, the kids got to wear their costumes to school, so everyone (including Mara) got in their costumes first thing in the morning. At 9:30 the boys had their costume parade at school. Mara, Karl, and I all watched our cute little guys parade around the cafeteria.

At 10:30 I got to help with Kenyon's class party. That was a blast. I love to spend time in the kid's classes, but especially on fun days. Kenyon had a great time, and I think he enjoyed having me there.
When I got home, it was time to start putting up our scary decorations. I have certain decorations that I put out only on Halloween day, and they come back down the next day. It takes a little while to get them all up, but it's worth it.

When Cruz got home from school we started our pumpkin carving. We always do it on Halloween day, but with things getting more hectic as the kids get bigger, I think we may have to start doing it earlier.

After pumpkin carving and pizza, it was finally time to get the costumes back on and head out for some trick-or-treating. I couldn't believe what beautiful weather we had. I was in a light t-shirt, and Karl was in shorts, and we were just fine. It sprinkled on and off, but it was so nice and warm. Every Halloween should be like that.

Finally, going through the candy. The kids made quite a haul. I can't wait until the candy is gone and the constant sugar rush is finally over.

We LOVE Halloween, but I'm kind of relieved it's over. Now for Christmas. Oh, I guess there is a little something called Thanksgiving inbetween there. I just love all these holidays!

Hee Haw Farms

We finally took our annual trip to Hee Haw Farms on Saturday. We have gone every year since Cruz was born, and we always have a great time. One of the things that they look forward to the most is seeing Leroy. Leroy is a humongous pig. The kids call the farm "Leroy's," as in "We're going to Leroy's!" We usually go in the early afternoon, but this year we didn't get there until evening, so most of our time there was after dark. It was a completely different experience in the dark. I think I prefer the afternoon.

Going on the hayride. I've never done this when I was pregnant before, but I don't recommend it. I had forgotten how bumpy a hayride can be. UGH!

The boys went on the huge slide all by themselves.

Farmer Cruz

Tons of our pictures had these glowing circles all over them. It took us a while to figure out what it was. It was VERY dusty and I guess the flash on the camera was catching all the dust in the air. Weird, huh?

Our favorite things about Hee Haw Farms...

Leroy

All the animals

Jumping in the haystack

The hayride

The big slides

The Corn Box

Trunk-or-Treat

On Friday night our ward had its Trunk-or-Treat. The kids had a great time. Mara was a witch, Kenyon was a pirate, and Cruz was an "ARMY guy." Of course, they came away with tons of candy. Now we get to do it all again on Halloween.

Kindergarten Field Trip

Kenyon's Kindergarten class had a field trip. We went to Pumpkinland. With 3 buses completely full of kindergartners, it was a bit crazy.

They had a small corn maze, farm animals, and a large play area. Before we left each kid got to pick a pumpkin to take home. Kenyon had a great time, and I'm still recovering.

"Peanut Butter Sandwich, Open, Not Breaked"

For about the last two months anytime I ask Mara what she would like to eat her response is "Peanut butter sandwich, open, not breaked." All she wants these days is a peanut butter and honey sandwich, but not just any old sandwich will do. No, not for Mara.

There is an exact science to how this sandwich should be made. Skip ANY step, do ANYTHING out of order, adjust this process in ANY way, and you might as well just throw out the sandwich and start over. If you don't follow the exact steps, Mara will proceed to yell, scream, throw things, jump up and down, then run in the other room, hide in the corner, and cry. Eventually she will emerge and quietly eat the sandwich, but is it really worth all that? It's much easier to just follow the correct procedure.

The recipe for the perfect "peanut butter sandwich, open, not breaked":

1. Mara must be present to oversee that each step is performed properly.

2. She must retrieve all ingredients for the sandwich, except the slice of bread. That job has been assigned to me.

3. I put the peanut butter on the bread and Mara helps to spread it. Followed by licking the knife.

4. Then she helps me squeeze the honey onto the bread, every time saying,"lets make it crazy and go whoooooo." Meaning that she wants it poured on in a random pattern.

5. Then the sandwich is given to Mara, and she folds it ever so gently in half and then opens it again. This is to spread the honey across the surface evenly. This step must be done very carefully so the sandwich doesn't "breaked" when it is folded in half. If it is "breaked" all is lost, and the before mentioned screaming, etc. begins.

6. If all has gone smoothly to this point, the sandwich can then be placed on a plate and eaten.

She wants this sandwich for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every snack in between. Of course I only let her have one or sometimes two each day, but it is difficult trying to come up with something she will willingly eat instead. What a girl!

Things We Love About Fall

My sister-in-law did this for a post, and I thought it was a great idea, so here are some of the things we love about fall (some of the pictures are from last year and earlier)...

Colorful Leaves

Pumpkins

The Cooler Weather

Baking

Hot Soups

Our Annual Trip to Hee Haw Farms

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Hot Cocoa and Hot Apple Cider

Football

I absolutely love fall. It is my very favorite time of year. Karl has always dreaded fall because it means that winter is on its way, but this year he is actually pretty excited about the change in weather. I think he's decided he likes having all the seasons. So I can finally say that our whole family loves fall and we are so glad it is here.

Tagged - Picture Style

The rules for this tag are simple. You must drop everything you're doing and take the following pictures--WITHOUT cleaning up first!

1. Kitchen sink - it could have been worse.

2. Favorite room in the house - Mara's room is probably my favorite because it is pretty, but this is the most used and where we spend most of our time together, so I picked it.

3. Fridge - I know it's a mess. Please don't look too closely.

4. My closet -

5. Laundry Room - I think my washing machine is almost as old as me.

6. Self Portrait - This one was brave. My hair isn't done, I have no makeup on, and I have a huge cold sore.

6. What the kids are doing - the boys are at school, and Mara is playing CandyLand alone.

7. Favorite shoes - Now that it is starting to get colder, I will be wearing these most often. I love my slippers, and not just at home either.

8. My bathroom -

Thanks for the tag, Mandy! At first I thought, "I can't do this without cleaning up first," but I sucked it up and did it, and it was fun.

So, I am tagging... Anna, Brittney, and Jenn. Go on and do it... I dare you!

Conference Weekend

I just love conference weekend. We get to spend lots of time together as a family listening to the counsel of the prophet and apostles. It is always such a relaxing weekend. On Sunday afternoon (after the rain stopped) we took a drive up to Park City to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage. We stopped at City Park and had a picnic. It was absolutely beautiful, and the weather was fantastic.