HALLOWEEN FUN!!

A trip to the Linder Farms Pumpkin Patch always gets us in the Halloween spirit! The kids enjoyed a ride on the tractor pulled train, ran through the maze and interacted with the animals at the petting zoo.

All Aboard! We're off to find the Perfect Pumpkin!

The kids had a great time helping with the carving session. They each got to work on their pumpkin.....mmm, those slimy insides are always challenging!

Trick or Treat!!

My Cute Clown!

And my little Witch!

Time to get some candy! Watch out mom, we're going to wired for weeks to come!

Rahhhhhhh.....from my little monster. His little outfit says "My first Halloween, don't scare me."

Sun Valley

We went to Sun Valley for a weekend get-away in September and stayed at a wonderful condo that belongs to some friends of mine. We arrived on a Thursday night and then played all day Friday and Saturday and returned home on Sunday. On Friday, the weather was gorgeous! Allison and Mason went ice skating with their dad on the outside skating rink. Allison claims that she was teaching her dad how to ice skate. She did really well for only the second time she has done that. Later that day we rented an extension to place on my bike so that Allison could sit behind me on my bike and we could ride places together. Matt had Mason in the bike trailor behind his bike, so we went for some fun rides around town. We all played and had so much fun. One of the highlights for me was seeing a mother deer and her two babies. We saw them several times while we were there and at one point they were right outside our window. I had never seen a baby deer so close before. It was really cute. Mason was mostly facinated with their white bums, and small tail. We hope to be able to visit there again soon, the kids loved it!

FIRST Camping Trip

Outside of camping in the backyard, this was our first real experience in the wilderness. We went over Labor Day weekend, and every designated camp spot we could find was taken. So we found our own little place to set up camp. We spread out a blanket to sit on to eat - pinic style. Allison and Mason had a great time playing in the water and we did some crafts. Later we took a little nature walk and looked at all the things in the woods.

Mason and Allison were a little bit nervous around the campfire. They knew it was hot and they did not want to get burned.

We survived the night and this picture is the next morning. The kids were surprised how cold it got. They are drinking their hot chocolate - with extra marshmellows! Allison is so afraid of the dark....we had to have plenty of light in the tent in order for her to sleep. Mason...he needed to stay warm. His little body had to work a little harder to generate enough heat to get him through the night.

Outside of the many loads of laundry upon return....we all had a great time. We look forward to many more camping trips together in the mountains. In case you were wondering about Andrew, we left him at home with Nana.

First Day of School

Allison started Kindergarten at White Pine Elementary School. She goes in the morning from 8:40 to 11:30. She loves it! She loves her teacher Mrs. Young and playing with all her new friends. There are 25 kids in her class, so she has to stay on her toes. So far they have rehearsed the fire drill, had their eyes and ears tested and done a lot of exploring within the classroom.

Mason started Preschool at the BSU Children's Center. He has two teachers, Ms. Cathy and Ms. Marcella. They are a wonderful team. Mason attends school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He loves to play outside and read stories. He has been working hard on potty training this past month and we have nailed down getting pee in the potty, but not anything else.....I'm open to suggestions! Mason was a little less cooperative in getting his picture taken.....updates to come soon. He has a cool Scooby Doo backpack that he takes with him each time. It is usually filled with wonderful art projects.

Andrew is growing so fast! Look at me crawl and roll around! He is almost 8 months old and loves to pull himself up on anything in reach. He is a very good eater and has one little tooth on the bottom. We call him our little punkin' head. (Like you'd carve a pumpkin with one tooth). He loves to play with his brother and sister. He always has a smile for everyone.

Where has the summer gone? It went by so fast! It only took about two weeks for us to settle into a new summer routine. Allison was used to going to school three days a week. It was especially challenging for her at the beginning to find things to keep her busy. Together we took long walks, played at the park, went swimming at Ivy Wild and worked in the yard. Some of the highlights of the summer in clude:

Allison's Birthday Party

Allison turned 5 on July 16th. We had a special girls party for her at our house. We decorated treat bags, made necklaces, played games, and had cake and ice cream. Allison loves to be with her friends! She had a wonderful time.

Mason and Allison's Birthday
Mason turned 3 on July 14th, so he shared a birthday celebration at home with Alli. We invited Nana over for dinner and we had their favorite things, grilled chicken, corn on the cob and watermelon. Alli and Mason really are good friends. Anytime one of them is gone and the other is home with me they will comment that they miss each other. They get along and play well together (most of the time). It has been so much fun to see them grow.

New Scooters!

The kids got new scooters for their birthday. Mason's came with his own helmet and a complete set of pads. They have had such a good time riding their scooters together and Allison has really started to learn how to balance. We hoped that this would teach her better balance so she could transition to a two-wheeler bike. She loves to ride her bike, but she's still nervous to take off those training wheels.

Since Allison had a special birthday cake for her party, we let Mason blow out the candles on this cake. He sure is a big boy for being three....so tall!

In addition to celebrating birthdays, we took a trip to SLC to visit my family. The kids have quite a few cousins to play with in SL. They all had a great time. We went to the zoo, played at the park and had a lot of family fun!

This is a picture of Allison with her cousins, Christine (left) and Mary (right). They are in Grandma's kitchen doing some crafts.

This is a picture of Grandpa with his boys. Mason is quite fond of his grandpa!



One of the things we did in SL was ride TRAX into downtown. We explored some areas downtown, one of which is Gateway. This has tons of great stores for shopping, but my kids had the most fun playing in the fountains.



As for Andrew, he loves to ride along in the backpack and watch all the fun.

Andrew of course is growing like a weed. At his six month checkup he weighed in at 22 lbs and was 29 inches long. He's in the 95%ile for his height and weight.....he's even bigger than Mason was at that age. He has really started to get around. He started out with a little army crawl, now he's on his hands and knees going everywhere, eating everything in sight. He is still so happy and loves to laugh and smile. He only has one little tooth on the bottom. He is so much fun.

Andrew

Andrew at 4 months is the happiest baby. I'm really enjoying every day with this little one. I guess by the third child you finally figure out how to relax and just enjoy the moment. I'm trying to soak him in every day as time goes by so fast. He's just starting to grab things and put them in his mouth. He's a very good eater and loves all the baby food I've tried. He pulls some funny faces, but he'll eat anything....like father like son.

He's also a professional drooler!

Mason

Mason is a very loving, gentle, easy going kid. He loves to run and play outside. His favorite thing to do is help his dad. Wherever dad is, he likes to be, especially if it involves power tools. Matt has been working on building our fence and the neighbor's fence and Mason loves to out there helping. The other night he came home and said, "I've been helping dad pour concrete." And then the other day we're driving and he said, "Mom, I really like big trucks." It's no question who's son he is!