Treehouse of Horrors

We decided to go for a walk on the Sunday that daylight savings ended, so we had an extra hour in our day. And of course our kids woke up at the same time as usual... so the afternoon seemed like an eternity!

Because there was little cloud clover, it was extra cold that afternoon.  So we all bundled up to enjoy the cold outdoors to a cool treehouse our neighbors had raved about.  After hiking down the longest hill ever we finally found the trail and hiked further down a slippery, muddy path.  Of course, Owen insisted on walking the whole way himself, and Allie was begging to get carried :).  Allie collected many treasures along the way, including VERY large leafs, and some cool rocks.

By the time we made it down the trail and into the forest to find the treehouse, it was starting to get dark.  The woods were a bit eerie when they were that dark.  Luckily, we found the treehouse and it was a HUGE dissapointment to our kids.  They were expecting something much cooler and something to play in/on.  What we found was a large platform on the edge of a dropoff.  It had a bench for you to sit and enjoy the trees.  It would be a pretty cool view during the daytime on a sunny day.  But alas, it was NOT what they had pictured in their minds. 

We started our trek back up the trail and out of the woods before it was completely dark.  It was an uphill trek the entire way.  As you can imagine, the kids did not want to make the trek.  Their litte legs were burning by the time we made it to the top.  It was a fun adventure, despite the treehouse disapointment. 

Dan - trying to find the right trail to the treehouse.  We were a little lost!

It was so dark in the woods.

(This is the treehouse platform)

Trick-Or-Treating

We've already had Trunk-or-Treat, and Allie's school party.  On Tuesday, Nov 1st, Drew has his Halloween party.  Now, it's time to go Trick-or-Treating!!!  The kids are always so anxious to go get their CANDY!!! 

This year Allie wanted to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast (she wore Belle's Christmas Gown - thanks again Grammy Scarbrough for letting us borrow it!), Drew wanted to be Buzz Lightyear - and we found a costume with light up wings.  As you can imagine, he loved his costume.  He has liked Buzz for the past two years.  Owen was Woody this year - and was simply adorable.   It was a bit different this year - we had to think layers, since it was cold outside.  Luckily, it wasn't too cold that they didn't have to wear jackets on top of their costumes.  The layers were enough to keep them warm.  Drew's costume was white - and he didn't have any white sweats, so I had him wear a pair of Allie's white leggings (yes, he's going to NOT appreciate that later in life!).  But, he asked, "why am I wearing Allie's pants?"  I told him to help keep him warm and because they were white.  But I said, "let's not tell anyone you are wearing her leggins, ok?"  He agreed, and then Dan walked in the room.  Drew immediately said, "Dan, I'm wearing Allie's leggings!"  So much for being discrete :)

We went around our neighborhood with our friends, the Hawkins.  We weren't having too much success at first.  A lot of dark houses or no answers.  Then it started picking up.  Owen started to understand that each house was giving him free candy.  He wanted to eat and eat his candy.  He didn't want to wait for us to go home. As soon as we got home, the kids assessed their treats and went to town eating their favorites first.  We had a steady flow of trick-or-treaters at our door all the way until 8:30.  Allie loved handing out the candy at the door, almost as much as trick-or-treating!  She was in control of how many pieces to give and what kind to hand out.  Her perfect job!

All the kids got a ton of candy.  And have been asking for pieces daily.  Luckily, they are pretty good about asking first and not just sneaking it or eating it all at once.  But we seriously have SO MUCH.  So, we made some M&M cookies and some Milky Way cookies with some of the candy bars from their bags. 

Say Goodbye to fall...

Pumpkin patches, homemade applesauce stewing on the stove - making our house smell divine, leaves changing colors, the fresh, clean air turning crisp and cold.  Just a few of the things I've loved about fall here. 

Every time we'd walk outside, we'd pinch ourselves in disbelief at the beauty around us. The colors of the trees and the leaves are absolutely exsquisite...   Our street is lined with trees and their leaves started out as a light pink, then turned to a vibrant red, then a deep orange and lastly brown as they started to fall.  Allie loved to gather piles of leaves and kick them or try to jump in them.  We've enjoed the cool, crisp air and wearing sweaters and scarfs.  It's a fun change from HOT!

I'm dying that I don't have a good camera (I'm hoping Santa will bring me one).   I typically use my iPhone camera, since our regular takes really yellow pictures.  There are SO many beautiful spots to take adorable pictures.  I feel I've waited too long - and the leaves are starting to turn brown or fall off.  Next year, I'll be ready for this spectacular event, and hopefully we can get some great kid pictures!

When we moved here, we were warned that we'd have 3 months of good weather, and then good bye sun and hello rain.  We've been pleasantly surprised at the weather thus far.  We've missed the sun, but it has been a warmer and drier fall than normal.  Luckily, the sun peeks through every few days - sometimes only for  a short spell, but we'll take what we can get...

View from Drew's preschool.

Our street

Trails in our neighborhood.

We bundled up and went on a walk.  It was a particularly cold afternoon.

On our way to the grocery store..  It was a pretty cool spot to take pictures - if only I had a decent camera :)  The trees line the sidewalk on both sides and there are various color of leaves.

Street view from Gillman Blvd. - just leaving the grocery store..

Another view of our tree lined street. The mountains in the background are so pretty.  The mountain in the picture is called Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain.  It's a notorious place to go Parasailing.  The kids think it's a funny name and like to say it.

View from the temple grounds. 

Allie Halloween Party

Allie's class had a Halloween party at schooll, and I got to go help out.  The kids were allowed to wear their costumes for the party.  Allie was adorable in her beautiful Belle dress and high heels.  They played Halloween Bingo, made witches hands from latex gloves, candy corns, and popcorn and played a math game, frosted and decorated pumpkin sugar cookies (which we were assigned to bring - all 50 of them),  eat a snack at the snack table, and explore the sensory boxes table.

I know I'm biased, but I thought Allie had the cutest costume there!!  It is always so much fun to see her interact with her friends. She has a nice teacher and a good group of kids in her class.   I love that she still likes me to be around and to come into her classroom.  I know there will be a day that she'll be to cool for me, so for now, I'll enjoy it all I can!

The Spider Lair

Allie had to make a sensory box for their Halloween party at school.  This is what she came up with.  They kids had to stick their hand inside the box and feel the prickly, slimy, creepy, gooey, etc. things inside.  Allie made the "hairy" spiders from black licorice and pipe cleaners.  We stretched out cotton balls and glued it to the bottom of the box for their webs.  She put a few carrots inside for fingers.  It looked pretty cool.