Halloween 2009

It was a beautiful October day in Fishers on the 31st. We didn't need coats to go trick-or-treating! The kids had a blast and got a ton of candy. On the Monday before Halloween night we were able to attend a Halloween party that is sponsored by a realty office in our area. They had a maze, bobbing for apples, trick-or-treating, and a room with boxes full of creepy things to touch. As we left each kid was able to pick out a pumpkin to take home. These pumpkins were designated the carving pumpkins. The kids had a ton of fun drawing their designs to create some great pumpkin faces.

Pumpkin Painting

Yes, we know Nathan has an interesting shape to his pumpkin. He figured he got 2 for the price of one.

We brought home our pumpkins and painted them. Each kid was super excited to paint.

Maize Valley

We spent an afternoon at Maize Valley farms. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun. They had these cute signs set up for photo ops. We are thinking of using the farm animal photo for our Christmas card this year:-)

Hay bales were all over the place and each was spray painted to resemble a different jack-o-lantern face. The kids really liked the pumpkin with buck teeth.

They had these super fun carts. One person pushed and the other person steered the cart. There were three of these carts so while we waited for our hay ride we raced. The winner usually had a good driver. Mackenzie was really good at making sharp turns and therefore dumping herself off of the cart. Alexa and Dayton usually kept the cart straight.

There was a really fun playground with a silo/sand box, a tire obstacle course, and a pipe/ haybale tunnel slide area.

The corn maze...we went through the maze looking for the lines to a song created by the farm. The song was to the tune of "Green Acres." There were 4 lines and we found 3 and then ended up at the end of the maze so we went back through to fine the line we had missed. It was a fun maze and ended up taking us just 30 minutes. We were told before hand that the maze would take us and hour and a half. Some of us just had a really good sense of direction.After the corn maze and the playground we went on a hay ride pulled by a tractor. It was a long ride too. Part of the ride was a stop at the pumpkin patch. The deal was that we could get a pumpkin but they had to stay at grandma's house because we didn't have room to take them home to Indiana. Each kid took the time to select the perfect pumpkin.

Leaves

We were able to spend Fall Break in North Canton, Ohio. It is always so fun to go home. My kids were so excited to rake, jump, lay, and play in the leaves. My parents have a ton of mature trees and a ton of leaves on the ground. Unlike our home, raking, or sweeping these leaves into piles is a treat.

Slippers

While in Ohio over Fall Break, my mom taught my kids how to knit slippers. I learned this invaluable skill years ago and made each of my brothers slippers for Christmas...so I rekindled that hidden skill and helped out after the kids went to bed so each of them would have a completed pair of slippers to wear.

Football Game

After the BYU game on Saturday afternoon, which they won, by the way...the kids, Nathan, and Grandpa played a fun filled game of football. The teams were Dayton, Mackenzie and Grandpa against Nathan and Alexa. Grandpa would tell the play plan to Mackenzie and Dayton and then Mackenzie would say, "now, what am I supposed to do?" Dayton and I had thrown the ball earlier in the day and he was so excited to tell me what the plan would be for us to throw the ball. Grandpa, Mackenzie and Dayton were the champions of this match up but not without a hard fight by Nathan and Alexa.

Green Card?

At dinner we were talking about the fact that my dad was born in France while my grandpa was serving in the army. So my dad is not a natural born citizen and is unable to be the president of the United States of America. Mackenzie then says, "So grandpa, do you have a green card?" We all laughed...then asked Mackenzie what a green card was. She totally knew!

Sewing Machine

Mackenzie loves to create things. Over the summer she signed up to take a sewing class at Joann's to learn how to make a bag. So, while were in Ohio my mom got out her old sewing machine that sews slower than her new one. Mackenzie spent an afternoon sewing cute little red bag/purses. She was quite proud.

Mackenzie Field Trip

I have never had the opportunity to chaperone a field trip for Mackenzie. Until today. Mackenzie has always wanted me to go but either I haven't been able to because I had Dayton and he couldn't come with me or the teacher has had too many volunteers and I wasn't chosen. SO when I was chosen to go on this field trip I couldn't say no. We went to the zoo and had a really good time. Mackenzie had a group of 5 girls who were great. It was a really fun day.

Sarah Palin

This is the first year I have had any real interest in a Presidential Election, much to the dismay of many of my friends and family. I'm not sure if it is because I have had time to read about and watch information about the candidates. Anyway, I really like Sarah Palin. So when we found out she was coming to Indiana and just a few minutes from our home...we couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was even better to have great friends with us...I rarely pass up a party.

The downsides were the extremely long lines we had to wait in to get there and then home. I could have walked faster. But there were several highlights. *Mackenzie said as we were in the car driving home, "well, that was a really good experience." *The kids have become obsessed with political signs in the yards of homes that we pass by. This has given me the chance to let them know that one of the great things about living in the United States of America is the chance each citizen has to vote for who they want. *This rally was a chance for our family to have an experience (as Mackenzie put it) that we can remember. Unfortunately, Nathan ended up being unable to attend due to work but he did have a yummy dinner ready for us when we got home.

Piano

I teach piano lessons. I have been teaching my own kids for a few years as well. While my mom was here she introduced Alexa to the duet, Heart and Soul. Alexa has been super excited to play it ever since. Well, once Grandma left she needed someone else to play with her and she picked Dayton to be that someone. He picked up the part super fast and now plays it really well. I came down stairs on Sunday and they were busy practicing. At one point I heard Alexa say, "You are doing great, Dayton. Let's try it again." It was one of those tender moments that make me smile. I can't wait for them to take their show on the road.

Paint

While my mom was here she was kind enough to help me paint Dayton an Alexa's rooms. It was so much more fun having a friend help me out and both rooms turned out GREAT!!! In case you didn't know, we happen to be pretty big BYU fans, hence Dayton's room. He LOVES his room. Alexa was a little skeptical about her room at first but once she saw the color and the new bedding she was hooked. Thanks mom, you are really the best.

Mackenzie wanted a photo of her room too. I really like the colors in her room so we have decided to not paint now but she is looking at some new bedspreads.