Meanwhile this Fall...

We're moving! Yes, it's time. I can't believe we've been here for over 9 years. I'd say we should make it an even 10, but let's not. ;) The new house is still in our stake, and we we'll still be in the Spanish ward so that's nice and easy for our social circles. Travis and his dad have been working on the house making it ready to move in. It was fine to begin with but we wanted some upgrades.

Refinishing the kitchen cupboards

I usually don't take pictures at church, but I thought this would be fun for posterity- Jaxon listening to Spanish translation during stake conference.

We also have a family tradition of making doughnuts stake conference Sundays. Maple glaze is our favorite.

Violet so proud of the tower she built while waiting for Jaxon at Lego Club. Her hair looks like that more often than not.

And of course, more jumping in leaves...

Halloween 2017

So after getting all cleaned up from jumping in leaves, it was time to get ready to go to Mamie's to eat and trick or treat with cousins. Jaxon's kindergarten class had a costume theme of fairy tales that the kids were to follow. Little tough for a boy. I'm not creative enough to make him lederhosen, so this was the next best thing- a woodsman from Red Riding Hood. Super easy. He's got an axe, it's just behind them. Violet was Snow White, and Ginger was a cowgirl.

 Laykin reads a Halloween story to Violet...

 We had chili dogs, homemade root beer, and corn bread muffins. After we roasted smores it was time to go trick or treating around the block!

Mamie and Papa's house is the final stop.

 It's fun to see the kids get more and more excited about trick-or-treating every year. :)

Shoveling Leaves

It's technically not raking leaves if you don't have a rake and only use a snow shovel. But a snow shovel works great too, so who needs a rake?

It was Halloween, so that's why Violet's hair is in curlers, for her princess costume later on.

  And the best part is that we have an HOA to come clean up our pile! Yay! 😁

They would reshovel the leaves every time it got low...

Jaxon has the kid sized shovel, Violet has the adult sized...she prefers it.

After the kids got tuckered out, it was time for apples and caramel dip. We're really living it up this fall. :)

Yes, they're unpeeled. They're going through this no-skins phase...ugh...

Mamie's Halloween Party

My mom and my sisters threw a spectacular halloween party for the cousins a couple weeks before Halloween. These kids had SO much fun, they're already talking about next year's party. Each mom was in charge of a fall activity (or two)...

We had doughnuts on a string...

 Violet refused to participate unless she could use her hands.

Decorating Rice-Krispy treat Frankensteins...

Gluing tissue leaves onto a bare tree (this was Jaxon's favorite out of all the activities)

Much needed trampoline breaks (aka adult breaks)

And Monster Mash musical chairs (which I didn't take pictures of because it was my activity). Mamie even gave each kid a goodie bag to take home with more Halloween surprises.

The best part was just seeing the cousins have so much fun and making fall memories together. We'll definitely do this again next year!

At the Pumpkin Patch

We always go to the pumpkin patch every fall, but I especially love taking a baby for the first time. Ginger's birthday is December, so she's almost not a baby anymore for her first time. But it doesn't make it any less adorable. :)

 

They were so concerned about her falling off.

We met up with my good high school friends Natasha and Lis and their kids. The more the merrier!

Going crazy in the corn pit

Violet loved the little piglet.

It was so much fun, as always. Can't wait till next fall when Ginger will be old enough to stop putting corn kernels in her mouth!