And today dog water.

Rolling fun

Ode to Halloween

The end result is way too much candy for a family of 6. How did we get here you ask?


Well first we decorated pumpkins.



Then put on some costumes (McKenna the fortune teller, Ellie the ballerina)


(Tyler a Marine, Carter was Yoda)


What we won't do for candy! And as always, May the Force Be With You...

Pumpkin Patch

One of the best things about being a domestic diva is you get to go on field trips with your kids. One of the perks for making all those lunches in my opinion. This last week I got to go with Ellie's kindergarten class to the pumpkin patch.

We started on the playground...


Moved to the petting zoo with pigs, baby goats, calves and a really fast turkey. Yes, the mom next to Ellie looks concerned because the baby goat thinks her hair is hay. She however, thought it was hilarious.


Then picked the perfect pumpkin to take home. Ellie loves "little things" and picked the smallest one she could.


Mad dash through the hay maze...


Self portrait on the train.


I wonder where our next field trip will be!

Because he's one...

I know I still haven't done Bert and Amber's wedding, but that is going to take a little time. Until then I thought I'd show some pictures of Carter because he is very very very one!


Making goofy faces and noise ALL THE TIME!


He's learned how to get the cereal out of the pantry, dump it until it all falls out then sits on the floor and eats it. Does that say 4th child or what?


I left his yogurt too close to the edge of the table while I took care of something else for just a minute...Notice the big bloop on the floor? He walked in that all over the floor. The dog was happy. Me? Not so much.



Loves the dishwasher. Notice the book in there? Also loves books. Clean ones, wa ha.


But how can you not love that face?!

Back to school and the craziness that comes with it.

Life in our mighty taxi-cab-mini-van has resumed. I still haven't caught up to date on all our fun things but to keep in order, I thought I'd post first day of school pictures since I haven't done that yet.

Ellie started Kindergarten and LOVES it. The school stuff is easy for her so far and she thinks it is a party everyday with friends. My little social girl can't remember people's names but she calls them things like, "Tickle girl" and "Boy on the swings" and "My best buddy at the triangle table". She was proposed to on the second day of school by a boy who either IS a hunter or is named Hunter. The details are a little fuzzy.


Tyler is a cool 3rd grader (the oldest in the school 4th moves up to Middle School). He's right back into the swing of things and keeps an eye out for Ellie (which makes his mom SO proud). He's liking school but not really liking the early mornings or the homework routine. However, he did join the Cross Country team and is excited about that. He grew a ton over the summer and eats like he may never have another meal.


Now this picture of McKenna takes my breath away. It was one of those moments where I saw it and realized just how much she's grown! Since McKenna was 5 my friend Debbie has said "She was an adult in a little girls body." It's true she has always been responsible and mature for her age (eldest child syndrome) but suddenly she is LOOKING the part. My baby is growing up too fast!

All of our extra-curricular activities are in full swing too. Soccer started for the girls (Ty is baseball through and through). Ellie is on the Mighty Monkeys and loves it. She is fast and has scored 3 goals so far which is always followed by a dance around the field. Dee is coaching her team this time which is funny because she always calls him coach instead of Papa.



McKenna is in the oldest and toughest division she has ever been in so far. It is awesome to watch her play because she not only gets it but is great at it. She loves to play and has an awesome coach who has helped her skills develop a lot this year. She is also in a drama group at school who will be putting on a play in February.

With soccer, drama, cross country, scouts and all the other things we have going on I am thankful for active kids, an awesome husband, a dependable car (with air conditioning!) and most of all the chance to watch it all and enjoy it.

And then... Tetons

Ok, so I meant to do this post a while ago because even more has happened since then. However, sick baby, travels and just stinking tired hasn't let me catch up. I'll try this week. But first let me finish our trip to the Tetons. To back up, after the family reunion we had decided to take a trip up to the Tetons and Yellowstone because we were so close.

We left in the rain and set up camp. Marybeth left even earlier and found us a great campsite. Dad was clever enough to bring a big tarp thingie and we all huddled inside while he did lots of cooking :]. Dad is the best to go camping with, I always feel so spoiled when he's there! He even made us crepes which is a family delight.


The next day it cleared up and we hiked up to some falls around a lake (sorry guys, I can't remember which ones anybody want to chime in?) and took the ferry back. Super fun and incredibly beautiful.

Dee took us to the lodge he use to work at and this picture is actually the spot where he met John Denver. (I know you've heard THAT story! If not make sure you ask him.)


We swam in Jackson Lake one afternoon and the background view were the Tetons. Absolutely breath-taking!




The next day we took down camp, said goodbye to Marybeth and Milo and headed out to Yellowstone. My camera was dead by this time and I didn't bring the charger because I'm cool like that so you just need to use your imagination.
We stopped at Moose Falls where Dee and the kids swam. We camped in Yellowstone and between the two parks we saw three herds of elk, coyote, deer, antelope, two bears and a buffalo. We saw Old Faithful shoot off and some hot pots with the most amazing colors. It was a fantastic time and I am so glad we included it in our trip!