Happy Halloween!

The pumpkins from our garden did not grow very big. (I guess that's what happens when you plant so late.) Luckily, our neighbor's pumpkins grew big and they had lots of them. Thank you for sharing!

Zane wanted his to look like an alien villain that Superman might destroy. (Dad helped him carve that up.) Morgan wanted hers to be winking and have a stitched mouth. We did our best to create their visions.

 We have a Spiderman costume and a Batman costume. What did Zane want to dress up as? Superman, of course. Stores were selling out fast but we managed to snag one. He looked so tough! Morgan struggled to decide on what she wanted to be. She finally said she wanted to be a minion, from Despicable Me, but it had to be a girl. We found some stuff at home that worked to create her costume. And the thrift store had a long sleeve yellow shirt and a pair of safety goggles that were easy to paint. She looked so cute!

We let the kids choose - trunk-or-treat a the town hall or go knock on doors. They both said they liked knocking on doors better. Since it's a school night, we only went to a few neighborhoods. They didn't bring home as much candy as last year and I'm okay with that.

AND... We made monster cookies using some cool monster eye candies. I think Zane ate them as fast as he frosted them. I finished my burlap wreath and hung it on the back door. It looks so pretty against the red. And as the temperatures begin to drop, I had to cut a few of my flowers and bring them inside to enjoy a little longer. However, I think summer is officially over.

Maize Adventures

Brittany and Levi were excited for us to come enjoy some of the fall celebrations in Logan. They had a full schedule planned and we managed to do most of it. That meant dinner was at 9:00 on Saturday night but we had SO much fun.

We went to the American West Heritage Center and found many things to do. There was a huge slide on the hill, ponies to ride, animals to pet, a fun little train, a dark straw maze, and the HUGE corn maze. The big boys wandered around in the corn, made a few new paths, and found their way out. Brittany and I actually followed the map and found our way. I was impressed with her mapping skills!

Morgan wanted to go back for the "Haunted Hollow" when it got dark. Instead, we went to the Pumpkin Walk. We rode the shuttle bus to the park where the displays were and that was half the fun. It was getting cold and the line into the park was LONG. But the displays were amazing this year!

We had a wonderful weekend!

Successful Hunter

For Scott, one of the best things about being back in Idaho is being able to hunt so close to home. He got his bow tag this year and would run out for an evening hunt after work or a quick morning hunt on his day off. 

 

Morgan and Zane each got a turn hunting with Dad as well. Zane came home bummed that they didn't get a deer. He confirmed my suspicion, "Dad is like a mountain goat. He climbs straight up the side of the mountain!" So, it's not just me who feels that way. Morgan came home with her eyes bugging out, "We didn't see a deer but we saw a moose! Right there! In front of us!" Scott said the moose were so close he had to make some noise to scare the gigantic animals away. Morgan was very impressed though and ready to go out again.

Since bow season didn't bring success, Scott was anxious for rifle season to start. He'd gone out a few times and hadn't seen much but decided to give his area one last try. He drove to his spot and parked. Leaving his lunch in the truck, he set out, thinking he would circle around and be back at his truck for lunch.

He went up and over the mountain and was starting to circle back around when, there he was... a nice looking buck. He dropped the buck with one shot. He decided he didn't want to drag it up the hill so he started to go down and around. By now, it was late in the afternoon, he had eaten his last granola bar and was just finishing his last drink of water. He wasn't sure he would make it to the road. 

He finally reached the road, tired and hungry, and found a place to hide his buck. He then hiked up the road to get his pickup. He drove down and found his hiding spot but still had to get the FAT buck loaded.

Meanwhile, we finished our dinner and read stories. Dad still wasn't home. I wasn't sure when I should start worrying. The kids were getting on their pajamas when I finally got a text. Dad was on his way with his prize. Yay!

Scott was worn out! He had left just after breakfast and had only taken a couple granola bars and his sandwich. But there was no time to rest or eat now. He managed to get the buck out of his truck, drug it into the shop, and skinned it. As he tried to hang the animal though, he found that he had very little strength left. He came in and asked me to help him.

The kids were told to stay in bed while I went out to help. Now it wasalmost 11:00 and this buck was heavy. Did I mention FAT?! Scott was yelling pull and I was yelling push... it was not the finest moment in our marriage but, we all survived. We managed to get it a few inches off the ground and Scott decided that was close enough. I told him he really needs to find a hunting buddy.

Scott went to bed exhausted but full of pride at his successful hunt.

Flag Football

Zane decided he wanted to try football this year. I was not too thrilled but dad was excited. We had some cool evening practices before we got to watch him play on even colder Saturday afternoons. I think he only had one game where it was warm enough to wear shorts. Most of the games were played with a sweatshirt under his jersey and a few he wore his hat.

Zane had a great time! He caught several passes, made a few touchdowns, and pulled a lot of flags. I think his team lost more games than they won, but the boys had so much fun.

They ended the season with a double header and actually won both games. When the coach handed him his medal, Zane exclaimed, "This is better than a t-ball medal!" His coach smiled proudly.

We may even play again next year.

Conference Time

We have been counting down the days until General Conference! I found quotes from previous conferences and we read one each day. The kids helped me draw or color a picture to go with each quote. They had so much fun and having been looking forward to our conference weekend.

I filled up our conference bags with treats and activities and the kids pitched their tent. We are ready to listen to our prophet and apostles speak to us.

Field of Pumpkins

Zane's class went to a local pumpkin patch to learn about how pumpkins grow. The kids loved exploring the pumpkin fields! There were pumpkins of all sizes, shapes, and colors, even blue and pink. The white ones were everyone's favorite. They had a fancy name but we called them ghost pumpkins.

The straw bale maze was a big hit too. Our group was lucky enough to get to eat lunch there. I think the kids did more climbing than they did eating.

Then they each got to pick out a pumpkin from the large bins to take home. These were sweet, baking pumpkins, the kind you want for pumpkin pie. I teased Zane on the bus ride home about how yummy his pumpkin would taste. He made me promise I wouldn't cook it until after Halloween. It's hard to wait!